FINDING THE FUNK, a part of VH1’s Emmy Award wining “Rock Docs” Franchise, will have its’ world premiere at SXSW 2013.
Synopsis:
“Finding the Funk” is a road trip in search of the past, present and future of Funk music. Starting with Funk’s roots in Jazz and the James Brown bands of the ’60s we travel to the Bay Area to celebrate Sly & the Family Stone, then to Dayton the birthplace of so many of Funk’s originators, then Detroit where from the ashes of Motown, P-Funk’s Mothership arose, and onto LA where a new crop of musicians are creating their own Funk history. On our journey into Funk, we talk to legends Sly Stone, Bootsy, George Clinton, Nona Hendryx, Maceo Parker, Bernie Worrell, and Steve Arrington and their descendants Mike D, D’Angelo, Sheila E and Shock G. Narrated by Questlove of the Roots.
More About The Film:
VH1 is tracing the roots of funk music with the highly anticipated presentation of “Finding the Funk” from the Emmy award-winning VH1 Rock Doc franchise. Directed by noteworthy filmmaker Nelson George and inspired by legendary record producer Arthur Baker, “Finding the Funk” will premiere at the 2013 SXSW Film Festival. The film is narrated by Roots drummer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson.
“Finding the Funk” chronicles a search for the past, present, and future of funk music. A mixture of soul, jazz, and R&B rhythms, funk music’s infectious groove paved the way for groundbreaking genres such as hip-hop and house music. Expert enthusiasts of this good-time genre, Nelson George and Arthur Baker honor the history of funk by starting their journey in Dayton, the birthplace of many funk music originators. The travelling duo continues east to Detroit, where P-Funk rose to fame and ends in Los Angeles, home to a new crop of musicians creating their own funk history. Sly Stone, Bootsy Collins, George Clinton, Nona Hendryx, Nile Rodgers, Maceo Parker, Bernie Worrell, and Steve Arrington and their descendants Mike D, D’Angelo, Sheila E and Shock G are among the legendary artists featured in “Finding the Funk” along with author Michael Eric Dyson.
VH1’s Emmy Award winning Rock Docs are feature-length documentaries that tell unique stories of artists and music from a wide range of genres, styles and musical perspectives. “Finding The Funk” is directed and executive produced by Nelson George and executive produced by Arthur Baker. Leslie Norville is a producer for the documentary. Overseeing for VH1 are Warren Cohen, Brad Abramson, Shelly Tatro and Jeff Olde.
photo: sxsw.com
