FANNING THE FIRE
Bluegrass for a New Generation
Award-Winning Documentary Short Film about Bluegrass Music
Fanning the Fire features a young Texas teen who followed his dreams from being a fan of bluegrass music all the way to opening for some of the greatest entertainers in the business – in less than three years. Along the way, the documentary explores why people young and old get hooked on playing this music and enjoying companionship at festivals around the world. Viewers also enjoy behind-the-scenes visits with master musicians from across the USA and Europe who explain how they came to appreciate this uniquely American form of music and why it has broad appeal to beginning players and professionals alike. Along with the story of Lucas White, Fanning the Fire features interview and live performance footage of legendary bluegrass musicians (including many GRAMMY® winners and nominees) such as Dan Tyminski, J. D. Crowe, Rhonda Vincent & The Rage, Adam Steffey, Claire Lynch, Dudley Connell, and others. Fanning the Fire is a fast-moving look at where bluegrass music has been and where it’s going.
Fanning the Fire was produced by the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation and David Seay Productions, a professional video production company based in Plano, Texas. The film was shot entirely on location in the Texas cities of Farmers Branch, Arlington, Dallas, Corsicana, and Canton. A portion of the funding for the project was provided by the Foundation for Bluegrass Music.
Fanning the Fire won the 2011 Best Documentary Music/Culture Award at the Film Festival of Colorado, the 2011 Best Short Documentary Award at the Rockport Film Festival, the 2011 People’s Choice Award at the Glen Rose Neo-Relix Film Festival, and the James B. Storey American Experience Award at the Flatland Film Festival.
The Fanning the Fire DVD contains the documentary short along with extended interview footage with the bluegrass stars who appear in the movie. The total running time of the DVD is approximately an hour and six minutes. Get a copy of the DVD free with your donation of at least $15 to the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Alan W. Tompkins
PRODUCER
David Seay
DIRECTOR
David Seay
PHOTOGRAPHY
Derrick Birdsall | Artie Rose | Becky Johnson | Bob Compere
APPEARING IN THE FILM:
Rhonda Vincent, Jay Altizer, Hunter Berry, Sandy Blankenship, Jeff Burke, Cody Crabtree, J. D. Crowe, Matt DeSpain, Keith Garrett, Hannah Harper, Dillon Harper, Dalton Harper, Katrina Harper, Gaylon Harper, Mickey Harris, Mikayla Harris, Ben Helson, Chris Herrin, Jeremy Herrin, Carole Jenkins, David Jenkins, Hannah Johnson, Sophia Johnson, “The” Gerald Jones, “The” Nate Lee, Claire Lynch, Raphael Maillet, Dwight McCall, Aaron McDaris, Ryan McKillip, Josh McMurray, Mona Parker, Jay Parker, Elizabeth Patton, Kyle Perkins, Daniel Perry, Cory Piatt, Justin Roberts, Susie Seace, Adam Steffey, Ron Stewart, Matt Tessier, Alan W. Tompkins, Dan Tyminski, Vida Wakeman, Rickey Wasson, Lucas White, Kenny Williams.
