Sound City (film)

Sound City
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Dave Grohl
Produced by	Dave Grohl James A. Rota John Ramsay
Written by	Mark Monroe
Cinematography	Kenny Stoff
Editing by	Paul Crowder
Studio	Therapy Content Diamond Docs
Distributed by	Variance Films Roswell Films Gravitas Ventures
Release dates	January 18, 2013 (2013-01-18) (Sundance Festival) February 1, 2013 (2013-02-01) (Cinemas and video on demand)
Running time	107 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$422,853[2]

Sound City is a 2013 documentary film produced and directed by Dave Grohl, in his directorial debut, about the history of recording studio Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, Los Angeles.^[3]

After the closing credits there is a short, silent segment of a home movie showing a band getting set up. The picture freezes on one person and the following text appears: "In memory of Brian Hauge (1970 – 2012)."^[4][5] He was the key grip of the film.^[6]

Background

In 1991 Dave Grohl recorded the album Nevermind with the band Nirvana at Sound City Studios. Grohl was inspired to create the documentary after he purchased several items from the studio, including the Neve 8028 analog mixing console, when the studio closed in 2011.^[3]

Synopsis

Sound City Studios was located in the San Fernando Valley, amidst rows of dilapidated warehouses. The little-known recording studio housed a unique analog Neve recording console and had a reputation for recording drums. Artists such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Fleetwood Mac, Neil Young, Rick Springfield, Tom Petty, Kyuss, Slipknot and Nirvana recorded groundbreaking music at the studio. The film tells the story of the studio from its early days in 1969 until its closing in 2011. It then follows Dave Grohl's purchase of the studio's custom analog Neve console, which he moved to his personal studio, Studio 606. Rupert Neve is an English engineer who founded Neve Electronics in 1961, designed and manufactured the Neve 8028, "one of four in the world",^[7] and is interviewed by Grohl in the film.^[8] Famous musicians who recorded at Sound City reunite at Studio 606 for a jam session and to make an album of "all-new all-original songs, each one composed and recorded exclusively for the film within its own 24-hour session on that console."^[9] It also shows album covers by some bands: Red Hot Chili Peppers's One Hot Minute, Nirvana's Incesticide and Nevermind, Rage Against The Machine's self-titled album and many others.

Release

The film was first exhibited in the 2013 Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2013,^[10] and released on video-on-demand and in theaters on February 1, 2013.^[11] It was screened on January 31 in five Australian cities (Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth).^[12] The documentary was also screened in three cities in Canada (Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal) and 51 cities in the United States.^[13] The film was screened for a one-off showing on February 18, 2013 in 23 theaters across the United Kingdom.^[14]

Appearances

The documentary features interviews conducted by Grohl of artists associated with the studio:^[15][16]

Reaction

Critical response

Dave Grohl while directing the movie.

Sound City received overwhelmingly positive reviews. Film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 100% of critics gave the film a positive review based on 40 reviews, with a weighted average of 7.7/10. The site's consensus states: "Smart, affectionate, and unabashedly sincere, Sound City pairs a great soundtrack with a well-argued ode to one of rock 'n' roll's most fondly remembered bygone eras."^[17] It was one of the highest rated limited release and documentary movies of the year on the website.^[18][19] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 based on reviews from critics, the film has a score of 76 (citing "generally favourable reviews") based on 15 reviews.^[20]

Kenneth Turan from Los Angeles Times gave the film a positive review, saying "High-spirited, emotional and funny, Sound City is, of all things, a mash note to a machine. Not just any machine, however, but one that helped change the face of rock 'n' roll."^[21] In a review for The Daily Telegraph, Sebastian Doggart awarded the documentary five out of five stars and proclaimed it as "an exhilarating exploration of the creative process."^[22] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone admits "In his directing debut, Dave Grohl shows the instincts of a real filmmaker. Sound City hits you like a shot in the heart."^[23] Bill Goodykoontz of The Arizona Republic remarks "Sound City is a music geek's dream, a rollicking look at a dumpy California studio where a lot of musicians found magic. It's also a bit of a mess, like all good rock and roll ought to be.",^[24] while Elizabeth Weitzman of New York Daily News praised that "Grohl's aim is to explore the aura of a place, but what he winds up proving is that people make the magic."^[25]

Nevertheless in his review for About.com, Tim Grierson wrote that it "is just a fun collection of unlikely musical pairings that zips by in little less than an hour",^[26] and Phil Gallo from Billboard stated "Grohl's inexperience as a filmmaker only shows when the film makes a sharp turn out of history and into the more recent past: There's a sense that instead of celebrating great rock 'n' roll moments, a product is about to be pitched at the viewer."^[27]

The film received a Satellite Award for Best Documentary Film nomination in the 18th edition and the Cinema Eye Honor 2014 Audience Choice Prize.

Soundtrack

Sound City: Real to Reel
Soundtrack album by Various Artists
Released	March 12, 2013
Recorded	November 2–3, 2011 in Studio 606 West in Northridge, Los Angeles, California
Genre	Rock
Length	55:31
Label	Roswell/RCA
Producer	Butch Vig

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	65/100[28]
Review scores
Source	Rating
About.com	[29]
Allmusic	[30]
The Austin Chronicle	[31]
The A.V. Club	C+[32]
BBC Music	70/100[33]
Consequence of Sound	[34]
Filter	64/100[35]
Jukebox:Metal	[36]
NME	[37]
Pitchfork Media	(5.3/10)[38]
Rolling Stone	[39]
Spin	6/10[40]

Sound City: Real to Reel is the official soundtrack of the documentary. It was officially released on March 12, 2013. The songs "Cut Me Some Slack", "From Can to Can't", "You Can't Fix This" and "Mantra" were made available on Sound City's official YouTube channel on December 14, 2012, January 15, 2013, February 15, 2013 and March 8, 2013, respectively. Grohl founded the supergroup Sound City Players with many of the musicians who appear in this movie, and with which he played live the soundtrack.

The soundtrack received two Grammy Awards: Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media and Best Rock Song, with "Cut Me Some Slack".

Track listing

Personnel

• Credits for Sound City: Real to Reel adapted from Allmusic.^[42]

Performance

• Robert Levon Been – composer, primary artist
• Tim Commerford – composer, primary artist
• Chris Goss – composer, primary artist
• Jessy Greene – composer, primary artist
• Dave Grohl – composer, primary artist
• Taylor Hawkins – composer, primary artist
• Peter Hayes – composer, primary artist
• Josh Homme – composer, primary artist
• Rami Jaffee – composer, primary artist
• Alain Johannes – composer, primary artist
• Jim Keltner – composer, primary artist
• Paul McCartney – composer, primary artist
• Nate Mendel – primary artist
• Stevie Nicks – composer, primary artist
• Rick Nielsen – composer, primary artist
• Krist Novoselic – composer, primary artist
• Scott Reeder – composer, primary artist
• Trent Reznor – composer, primary artist
• Pat Smear – composer, primary artist
• Rick Springfield – composer, primary artist
• Corey Taylor – composer, primary artist
• Lee Ving – composer, primary artist
• Brad Wilk – composer, primary artist

Technical

• Sami Ansari – photography
• Matt Bissonette – composer
• James Brown – engineer, mixing
• Joe LaPorta – mastering
• Emily Lazar – mastering
• Chris Lord-Alge – mixing
• John Lousteau – engineer
• Jim Scott – engineer
• Chris Shiflett – composer
• Derek Silverman – engineering support
• Butch Vig – producer

Charts

References

External links

• Official website
• Official channel on YouTube
• Official website on Facebook
• Official website on Twitter
• Sound City at the Internet Movie Database
• Sound City at Box Office Mojo
• Sound City at Rotten Tomatoes
• Sound City at Metacritic
• Sound City (film) at allmovie by Mark Deming
• Gallo, Phil (January 19, 2013). "Dave Grohl's Sound City Players Tear It Up at Sundance". Billboard. Retrieved April 5, 2013. 
• Gallo, Phil (January 24, 2013). "Dave Grohl on Sound City, More Players Shows and Keeping Paul McCartney Secret". Billboard. Retrieved April 5, 2013. 
• Gallo, Phil (February 4, 2013). "Dave Grohl's Sound City: The Billboard Cover Story". Billboard. Retrieved April 5, 2013. 
• "Various Artists – Sound City - Real To Reel" at Discogs (list of releases)