'October Country' wins at Silverdocs - Variety

'White African' wins world feature award 'Country' time at Silverdocs

By DAVE MCNARY

"October Country" has won the grand jury award at the AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Documentary Festival.

Winners were announced Saturday at the culmination of the weeklong festival in Silver Spring, Md. Fest screened 122 films from 58 countries.

"October Country," directed by Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher, documents the multigenerational story of a working-class family coping with poverty, teen pregnancy, foster care, child molestation and war.

The world feature award went to "Mugabe and the White African," directed by Lucy Bailey and Andrew Thompson, which documents Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's land-seizure program.

Short film trophy went to "12 Notes Down," directed by Andreas Koefoed, which documents a 14-year-old star choir performer after his voice starts changing.

Special jury mention went to "Salt," directed by Michael Angus and Murray Fredericks, which chronicles photographer Murray Frederick's journey into the remote salt flats in South Australia.

The music documentary nod went to "Riseup," directed by Luciano Blotta. The film chronicles three Jamaican musicians as they fight for a place in the overcrowded reggae field.

The Cinematic Vision Award went to "Old Partner," directed by Lee Chung-ryoul. It follows the relationship between an old farmer in a remote Korean village and his 40-year-old ox. The Witness award went to Landon Van Soest, which examines two multimillion-dollar international aid projects in Africa that may actually be undermining the very communities they seek to help.

The Animal Content in Entertainment grant went to "Cinema Chimp," by David Grabias.
The Writers Guild of America named writer-director Nicole Opper as the winner of the WGA Documentary Screenplay Award for her film "Off and Running," a story focused on an accomplished African-American teenager adopted by Jewish lesbians.

Read the full article at http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118005210.html

Silver Spring Blues Festival On-the-Air on AMTV-21

The first Annual Silver Spring Blues Festival at Downtown Silver Spring was videotaped for broadcast on Montgomery Community Television.

Below are the current scheduled premiere air dates for the Silver Spring Blues Festival on AMTV 21.

· Episode #1 Sunday, June 14 10pm

· Episode #2 Sunday, June 21 10pm

· Episode #3 Sunday, June 28 10om

· Episode #4 Sunday, July 5 10pm

Memphis Gold Sings "Catfish Creeper" at Silver Spring Blues Festival!

The Memphis Gold Band is Chet Chandler, Guitar/Vocals; Clarence “Bluesman” Turner, Bass; Charlie Sayles, Harmonica; Joe Poppen, Guitar; Black Betty, Vocals; Glenn Douglas, Keyboards; and Morris Cobb, Drums.

More Memphis Gold at http://www.memphisgoldprod.net/

Memphis Golds Lights Up Silver Spring Blues Festival

The featured attraction of the first Annual Silver Spring Blues Festival at Downtown Silver Spring was Memphis Gold and his band. Chet Chandler aka "Memphis Gold" is an internationally acclaimed bluesman, wildly popular in the metropolitan Washington, DC area. Chandler has long time ties to the Silver Spring area, where he raised his family and lived for nearly 40 years. He's a legend in Silver Spring history as one of the heroic rescuers of survivors of a CSX train crash in 1996.

The Memphis Gold Band is Chet Chandler, Guitar & Vocals; Clarence “Bluesman” Turner, Bass; Charlie Sayles, Harmonica; Joe Poppen, Guitar; Black Betty, Vocals; Glenn Douglas, Keyboards; and Morris Cobb, Drums.

The DC Blues Society Band Plays the Silver Spring Blues Festival

The DC Blues Society was one of the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc.'s principal partners in the first Annual Blues Festival at Downtown Silver Spring. And their band the DC Blues Society Band was a big hit at the sun-drenched festival.




The DC Blues Society Band is Vocals and Guitar – Ivan “Illinois Slim” Jackson; Harmonica – Anthony “Swamp Dog” Clark; Drums – Sam “Nucleus” Turner; Bass – David Jackson; and Rhythm Guitar – Sam’I Nuriddin.

At the Silver Spring Blues Festival

Capital Blues Ensemble

The Capital Blues Ensemble, winners of the DC Blues Society 2009 Festival Audition, performed at the first Annual Silver Spring Blues Festival at Downtown Silver Spring.

The Capital Blues Ensemble is John Vengrouskie - guitar, Art McKinney - drums, Bill Carey - bass, Anthony “Swamp Dog” Clark - harp, Brian Falkowski - sax, Gary Hendrickson - trumpet and Ian Walters - keys

Silver Spring's Jonny Grave at the Silver Spring Blues Festival

Silver Spring resident and acoustic blues guitarist Jonny Grave was a favorite performer at this year's Silver Spring Blues Festival at Downtown Silver Spring. The local blues star drew cheers and applause from hundreds of spectators at the first blues festival to be held in Silver Spring. Joined by harmonica player Chris Nammour, Jonny Grave sang a great set of traditional blues tunes.

"Three Chords and The Truth" Inspires at Silver Spring Blues Festival

The 2009 Silver Spring Blues Festival at Downtown Silver Spring was kicked off by the dynamic youth band “Three Chords and The Truth.” Three Chords & The Truth is a blues inspired student led band now entering its third year of existence. The band exists as a tribute to the birth of America's Music in the Delta Region and as a symbol for the power and passion of the garage band. Not only that, the students take you on a musical & historical journey through America's music.



Three Chords and the Truth is Paige DeSouza and Josh Johnson, Drums; Crystal Fasanya, Guitar; Anjel Morris and Josh Johnson, Keyboard; Loughton Sargeant, Steven Johnson Jr., and Dominique Lockett, Bass; Saudat Almaroof, Hand Percussion; Bria Barber, Ebonique Brown, Casi Mewborn, and MiKayla Coleman, Supporting Vocals; and Josh Johnson, Crystal Fasanya, Loughton Sargeant, and Anjel Morris, Lead Vocals.

Three Chords & The Truth was formed by the Colours Arts in Education Program as an answer to Hurricane Katrina. Colours is always involved in assisting various causes and efforts. However, Katrina and the remarkable human spirit and will to overcome that following inspired the students in Colours to pick up instruments for the first time, and in the grand American tradition of garage bands everywhere, make a difference by bringing the music of the Blues Line and beyond to life.

The band was originally named SPLATT! and now is Three Chords in the Truth. The band is available to perform anywhere and everywhere..a lot of the time for honorariums or for free.


The band is meant to inspire those young and old to get into music and assist with the rebirth of New Orleans and Mississippi. For two years, the band has raised funds for five student based cultural and arts programs in New Orleans and Mississippi, as well as for Breast Cancer Research, and various scholarship funds.




For more information, visit http://www.colours.org/new_page_4.htm

Thanks to Jason Cook and Three Chords and the Truth--the first band of the first Silver Spring Blues Festival at Downtown Silver Spring.

Silver Spring Blues Festival - A Huge Success!

The first Silver Spring Blues Festival at Downtown Silver Spring was a huge success. Held on Saturday, May 9th on Ellsworth Drive, the festival attracted hundreds of blues fans and casual spectators under sunny skies.

The festival featured international bluesman "Memphis Gold" and his band which included legendary harmonica player Charlie Sayles and popular vocalist Black Betty. Other featured acts were Three Chords and the Truth, Silver Spring guitarist Jonny Grave, the DC Blues Society Band and the Capital Blues Ensemble. WPFW radio personality Ida Campbell was the festival emcee.


Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett attended the Silver Spring Blues Festival as did Montgomery County Councilmembers Valerie Ervin, Marc Elrich, George Leventhal, and Maryland State Delegate Tom Hucker.




In addition to Stokey the Clown, facepainting, and crafts activities led by Pyramid Atlantic, the musical petting zoos organized by the DC Blues Society and Dale Music were extremely popular.



The Silver Spring Blues Festival was produced by the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc., in partnership with the DC Blues Society, Montgomery College, PFA Silver Spring LLC, Three Keys Music, the Silver Spring Regional Services Center, the Silver Spring Penguin and the Silver Spring Voice.

The festival was videotaped by Montgomery Community Television for broadcast later this year.