Austin to Boston (2014)

5 old VW's. 4 bands. 3 thousand miles. 2 weeks. 1 gloriously backwards tour. Featuring Ben Howard, The Staves, Nathaniel Rateliff and Bear's Den.

Director:

James Marcus Haney

Writers:

James Marcus Haney (story), Ty Johnson (story)

Stars:

Bear's Den, Ben Howard, Gill Landry

Cast

Credited cast:
Bear's Den
Ben Howard
Gill Landry
Ben Lovett
Nathaniel Rateliff
The Staves

Storyline

5 old VW camper vans. 4 bands. 3 thousand miles. 2 weeks. 1 gloriously backwards tour. The adventure starts after a fire-fuelled final night at Austin's SXSW Music Festival, where the bands (Ben Howard, The Staves, Nathaniel Rateliff, Bear's Den) pile into their rides and head northeast. They play everywhere from bars to barns, rooms to rooftops, packing out tiny venues and wowing crowds with their unique sounds. But heavy rainstorms, multiple breakdowns, and cramped conditions remind them that to push through sometimes you need to pull together. Featuring Mumford & Sons' Ben Lovett and narrated by Gill Landry this documentary is about a modern tour, done the old fashioned way. 70 mins.

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Genres:

Documentary | Music

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Movie Website

Country:

USA Australia UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 June 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

Из Остина в Бостон

Filming Locations:

USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Communion Music, Sideshow Alley

Technical Specs

Runtime:

72 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

A pleasant diversion

This movie is more about the music than the musicians. Some little-known bands play and sing a bunch of excellent songs. Sometimes they are singing in vans, sometimes in campgrounds, sometimes on stage. If you like that sort of thing, you'll like this movie.

We don't really get to know any of the musicians at a personal level. The one attempt at delving into the difficult past of one of the singers ultimately falls flat. The music is compelling, though, especially the spectacular harmonies of The Staves.

Although the narrator waxes eloquent about both the extreme rigors and rapturous rewards of touring, the audience actually doesn't see much of either on the screen. In reality, nothing particularly noteworthy happens. Still, it's reasonably pleasant to be riding along with the bands.