Raw Power-ful Opportunity

Iggy is already "in the hands of the fans"

Raw Power is one of the most seminal albums ever made. The Stooges are going to perform the entire album, live, on September 3rd at the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival event in Monticello NY. And in a special promotion, the show will be filmed in high-definition for release soon afterwards.

The catch? You could be one of the six cameramen.

That’s right. You could be the one to try to capture the chaos,  document the debauchery, harness the hellstorm that is sure to be an life-long memory, an ass-kicking concert led by one of the greatest front men ever to prowl a stage.

Uhhh…you think you can handle that, junior?

In the end, six lucky fans will be chosen by way of a video submission contest to join director Joey Carey on location at the Stardust Theater at Kutchers’ Country Club in Monticello, NY. This marks the reunion between Iggy Pop and powerhouse guitarist James Williamson as well as original Stooges drummer Scott “Rock Action” Asheton. Also featuring Mike Watt on bass and Steve Mackay on saxophone.

The contest is based on fans submitting short high-definition video segments asking Iggy and the Stooges interview questions, or demonstrating why they should win the contest. Winners of the contest will film and interview Iggy and the Stooges at All Tomorrow’s Parties. This fan shot footage, along with the contestant video submissions, will be crafted into a high-definition long form program, which will be part concert film and part reality TV show about the journey of the fans.

The Iggy and the Stooges project In The Hands Of The Fans is expected to release on DVD, BluRay, digital download and broadcast by early 2011. All contestants will receive a special offer to purchase the film early along with some exclusive value added content.

MVD plans to make In The Hands of the Fans a sustainable series, with six projects already tentatively scheduled. Keep your eye on this website.

So get your camera; the deadline for submissions is August 20th. That’s this Friday. Handsome Dick Manitoba lays it all out for you.

They Weren’t Only In It For The Money…

...but lack of money did them in.

Although Frank Zappa enoyed an extremely long and prolific career and is revered by most as one of the most important artists of the twentieth century, the real Mothers of Invention was a very short-lived group. And while Zappa would go on to play with some of the most technically proficient musicians in rock (like guitarists Adrian Belew and Steve Vai and drummer Terry Bozzio), many believe he never had a better band than the original Mothers.

While sloppy and unkempt – okay, borderline filthy – in their personal appearance; the Mothers combined comedic chops with an incredible versatilty in rock, blues, soul, swing and jazz, even though half of them were classically trained and the other half couldn’t read music at all. They started to take off after a residency at the Garrick Theatre in New York City, where every show was a unique performance involving a revolving set of music, improvisational comedy and audience interaction. Their recordings seemed out of place for the times (AM radio pop and emerging hippie rock) and their label (Verve, a jazz imprint), but have stood the test of time as stone cold classics.

There are a lot of great books about Frank Zappa, but I really enjoyed Necessity Is by Billy James because it focused upon the early Mothers and let them speak for themselves. That’s also why I really enjoy the latest DVD documentary about the band, because I got to see and hear about it from Jimmy Carl Black and Don Preston and Bunk Gardner directly. If you’re a fan, you need to grab this now.

The Mothers of Invention this week are...

Read my review of the In the 1960′s DVD in Blurt.

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