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Eureka,
CA: Home to one of the most vibrant, varied, and self-contained music
scenes in the country, yet very few people know about it. Despite its
location six hours north of the nearest city (San Francisco), this evolving
community of colorful musicians in rural Humboldt County continues to
pump out creative music--for themselves and for each other, making do
with the limited rock resources available in the sticks--while the rest
of the music world operates oblivious to their existence. With 'Rural
Rock and Roll (RRR),' Director Rufe offers an admiring ode to the main
players in this small town's beautiful underground rock scene and indirectly
offers a scathing indictment on the inherent laziness of 'urban' A&R
people: After spending an hour with the catchy hit-makers of 'RRR' (groups
such as construction-working mountain-metalheads THE HITCH, to soft gothgirls
THE IAN FAYS, to 'karaoke glampoppers for the sexually ambiguous,' THE
BUFFY SWAYZE), one can't help but wonder how this town-o-talent could
go unnoticed within the same state as the music epicenter of the world.
Narrated by the scenesters themselves, 'RRR' is a week-in-the-life of
13 unique groups and musicians. Through trips to their day jobs, rehearsals,
house parties and downtown tavern shows, we gain a glimpse into the inner
workings of a tight rock scene. Perhaps a few of these down-to-Earth folks
have one eye on success outside of Eureka, but most seem content to work
by day, then rock by night for their close friends--music made for all
the right reasons. |