Front Row for the Silent Music Revival

I'm a regular at the Silent Music Revival, so much so that I get called out if I miss a month. I was at the beach for the June installment and my absence was duly noted. The next morning, I got an e-mail from Jameson, the organizer of the event, checking to make sure everything was okay with me. He assumed something had to be wrong because I hadn't been there.

The Silent Music Revival is a can't miss event for me for several reasons. The combination of a vintage silent film and a band improvising a score is irresistible to a film and live music lover such as myself. The event is free. It's held at Gallery 5, within walking distance of home. And Jameson is one of my favorite people, a knowledgeable film geek and talented musician. That's a lot to draw me in.

Tonight's screening began with an animated Prohibition short, espousing the evils of drink. Tonight's band, Amazing Ghost, provided a rousing score to this hilarious morality tale. Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be drinkers or they'll dance and carouse instead of attending temperance lectures at Soda Pop Hall. It's true.

The main feature this evening was Erno Metzner's 1928 film Uberfall, about the string of events that befall a German man who finds a counterfeit coin, only to have a run of bad luck from then on. Although considered avant garde, the film does have a narrative, albeit a depressing one (it was banned by German censors in 1928 for being so demoralizing).

Downer or not, Amazing Ghost did an amazing job creating a soundtrack to the series of unfortunate events that overtake the main character. The keyboard and other-worldly vocals provided just the right touch of tension to match the visuals. When the film ended, they continued to play for a while longer, as if refusing to release the audience from their spell.

I'd gone alone but found plenty of friends in attendance, so four of us (including one of the guys in AG) headed to Tarrant's afterwards for some liquid refreshment at the hands of a familiar bartender ("Vino verdhe?" he inquired on arrival) and to discuss upcoming music events. We were momentarily distracted when Sly and the Family Stone's "Everyday People" came on; it seems to be one of those songs everybody reacts strongly to. Interesting, that.

Two of us cut loose and began a leisurely walk back through the Ward, enjoying temperatures that had to have dropped 20 degrees since earlier. It occured to me that I'd been to movies three times in the past 35 hours, probably a record for me, like this heat.

But the fact is, I'd have gone to the Silent Music Revival even if it hadn't been in air-conditioned comfort. It's that good.

And now I know: Jameson takes attendance.