The 78 Project

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The 78 Project Movie - Special Edition DVD

The 78 Project

The 78 Project is on a journey across America to make one-of-a-kind 78rpm records with musicians in their hometowns using a 1930s Presto direct-to-disc recorder. With one microphone. With one blank disc. In one 3-minute take.  Along the way, a kaleidoscope of technologists, historians and craftsmen from every facet of field recording – Grammy-winning producers, 78 collectors, curators from the Library of Congress and Smithsonian – provide insights and history. In Tennessee, Mississippi, California, Louisiana, the folk singers, punk rockers, Gospel and Cajun singers in the film share their lives through intimate performances, and find in that adventure a new connection to our cultural legacy.With musical performances by: Reverend John Wilkins (Como, MS), Louis Michot, Corey Ledet & Ashlee Michot (Arnaudville, LA), Victoria Williams (Los Angeles, CA), John Doe (Fairfax, CA), Dawn Landes (Brooklyn, NY), Holly Williams w/ Chris Coleman (Nashville, TN), John Reilly & Tom Brosseau (Pasadena, CA), Gaby Moreno & Adam Levy (Los Angeles, CA), Jaron Lanier (Berkeley, CA), Ella Mae Bowen (Franklin, TN), Dylan LeBlanc (Franklin, TN), Coati Mundi (Murrieta, CA), The Bo-Keys w/ Percy Wiggins (Memphis, TN), John Paul Keith (Memphis, TN), Ben Vaughn (Wonder Valley, CA), Sea of Bees (Sacramento, CA), The Easy Leaves (Santa Rosa, CA) and Little Wings (Topanga Canyon, CA)  And featuring: Todd Harvey (Library of Congress, Washington, DC), Jeff Place (Smithsonian, Washington, DC), Richard Matthews (Leeds Radio, Brooklyn, NY), Wayne Cory (Apollo Masters, Banning, CA), Joe Bussard (Frederick, MD), Bob Saliba (Randolph, NJ), Alan Graves (Port Tobacco, MD) and Matt Barton...

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The 78 Project: Volume 2 (Original Soundtrack To The 78 Project Movie)

The 78 Project

The 78 Project is on a journey across America to make one-of-a-kind 78 RPM records with musicians in their hometowns using a 1930s Presto direct-to-disc recorder. With one microphone. With one blank disc. In one three-minute take.  Inspired by folklorist Alan Lomax, The 78 Project celebrates the artistry and craft that captured America’s musical forms of a century ago, exploring the deep historical significance of American folk songs in the process. This album is the companion to the critically acclaimed documentary The 78 Project Movie, which was shot during a year spent driving across America, visiting artists to cut once-in-a-lifetime recordings. In Tennessee, Mississippi, California, Louisiana, these folk singers, punk rockers, gospel and Cajun singers from The 78 Project Movie share their lives through intimate performances, and find in that adventure a new connection to our cultural legacy.  “The ineffable romance of old recordings makes for magic … ripe with wonder.” —The Austin Chronicle  “I didn’t imagine anything like The 78 Project, in which we discover that not only are dead media platforms not dead at all, but that they can be gateways into their own peculiarly new universes of creativity.” —William Gibson for The Oxford American “… [R]ises above simple vintage worship and does more than just glorify the past—it helps us experience it.” —The Village Voice “The 78 Project grabs American music by the roots.” —USA Today

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78 Project: Volume 1

The 78 Project

The 78 Project is a documentary journey across America that records today’s musicians as they perform the songs that inspired a century of music—exactly as those works were originally recorded: instantaneously onto 78 RPM lacquer discs. Inspired by folklorist Alan Lomax, The 78 Project celebrates the artistry and craft that captured America’s musical forms of a century ago, exploring the deep historical significance of American folk songs in the process. With just one microphone, one authentic 1930s Presto recorder, and one blank acetate disc, musicians are given a single, three-minute take to cut a 78 RPM record, finding in that adventure a new connection to our cultural legacy.   “Wow! I feel like I knew what it’s like to be in Bristol in the 1920s, recording those first Carter Family records. That was time travel.” —Rosanne Cash “It’s everything I was saying about emotional. It’s a whole other thing.” —Richard Thompson “New York is buzzing with retro-chic products these days, but few can match the authenticity of a project that aims to bring alive the sound, touch and even smells of recorded music’s first golden period.” —BBC News