If you love roots music and music history, you’ll be pleased to hear that you can now watch for free our Gemini-nominated documentary commemorating the Mariposa Music Festival’s 30th anniversary. “Mariposa: Under a Stormy Sky” features performances by country star Emmylou Harris, blues great Buddy Guy, roots-rocker Daniel Lanois, and the uplifting Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens from Soweto, South Africa.
Folk Music Documentary
The film also includes interviews about roots music and its connections with the 1960’s folk movement, brought to life through rare archival footage and vintage performances by Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, Ian and Sylvia, The Travellers, Buddy Guy, and Richie Havens.
Directed by Robert Lang and Bey Weyman, “Mariposa: Under a Stormy Sky” was shot over one weekend with 6 cameras. It was originally broadcast in 1992 on CTV and Bravo in Canada and on Discovery Channel in the USA. Since re-releasing this film for free on YouTube, we are happy to see that the film still has a life, that it has timeless elements, and that although musical styles change, music fans’ appreciation endures.
The documentary also features performances by gospel masters The Dixie Hummingbirds, Cajun rockers Wayne Toups Zydecajun, singer-songwriter Wille P. Bennett, “anti-folk” artist Cindy Lee Berryhill, “folk-punk” band The Violent Femmes, folk rockers The Leslie Spit Treeo, the soaring vocals and violin of Fat Man Waving, and Canadian folk veteran Murray McLaughlin.
Tell us what you think of the film in the comments below.