“A love letter—to NYC, to the bohemians and musicians who call the place home . . .to taking pride in your work and finding a place for freaks and misfits to call home.” —David Fear, Rolling Stone
Once the center of the New York bohemia, Greenwich Village is now home to lux restaurants and buzzer door clothing stores catering to the nouveau riche. But one shop in the heart of the Village remains resilient to the encroaching gentrification: Carmine Street Guitars.
There, custom guitar maker Rick Kelly and his young apprentice Cindy Hulej build handcrafted guitars out of reclaimed wood from old hotels, bars, churches, and other local buildings. Nothing looks or sounds quite like a Rick Kelly guitar, which is the reason they've been embraced by the likes of Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, Patti Smith, and Jim Jarmusch, just to name a few.
Featuring a cast of prominent musicians and artists like Nels Cline (Wilco), Kirk Douglas (The Roots), Charlie Sexton (Bob Dylan Band), Lenny Kay (Patti Smith Band), and Bill Frisell, as well as some virtuoso performances, the film captures five days in the life of Carmine Street Guitars, while examining an all-too-quickly vanishing way of life. 2018, U.S., DCP, 80 minutes. Recommended for 14+.