STACK NZ May Issue #62

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JackWhite teams withT Bone Burnett and Robert Redford on multi-platform American Epic project. EPIC DOCO FROM WHITE

T he three part documentary from American public broadcaster PBS and BBC Arena will examine the US music pioneers of the 1920s and 30s, who set out to record the music of ordinary people across the country. The series is directed by British filmmakers Bernard MacMahon and Allison McGourty, and is executive produced by Jack White, T Bone Burnett and Robert Redford. The filmmakers follow the trail of the groundbreaking field music producers to rediscover the families whose recordings would lead to the development of blues, country, gospel, Hawaiian, Cajun, folk and other strands of roots music. The remarkable lives of these seminal musicians are revealed through previously unseen film footage, unpublished

photographs, and exclusive interviews with some of the last living witnesses to that era. As well the documentary, there will also be a companion length film The American Epic Sessions , in which today’s musicians will record new versions of some of the songs using the newly restored original field recording equipment. In addition, Sony Music’s Legacy Recordings will release a companion series of archival recordings, featuring audio restoration of 1920s and 1930s records by Lo-Max Films, Nick Bergh and Peter Henderson; White’s Third Man Records will also release a deluxe box of vinyl records. Local release details are still to be confirmed; stay tuned for more announcements.

GUITAR HERO READY TO ROCK AGAIN Guitar Hero is back and and has been completely reimagined.

Activision Publishing last month unveiled their latest addition to the Guitar Hero franchise - Guitar Hero Live . The game brings a brand new approach to Guitar Hero, with players performing to real crowds that react to the way you play the guitar. Play well and they’ll go crazy, play badly and see real stuff get thrown at you. Think of the VR possibilities... Guitar Hero Live will also introduce GHTV, giving players the opportunity to rock out to a continually-updated collection of official music videos. As well as a new mode, a new controller will accompany the new game; this one features

COMEDIANS BECOME COMIC BOOK HEROES The Awesomes , a grown-up animated superhero series from Saturday Night Live alumni Seth Meyer and Mike Shoemaker, will make its NZ debut this month with the release of the first season on DVD. One of the first original programmes to be commissioned by US streaming giant Hulu, the series explores what happens when the most powerful members of the world’s greatest superhero team leave. As well as Meyers, who plays the young new leader of the Awesomes, the voice talent includes other SNL stars such as Bill Hader, Kenan Thompson, Rachel Dratch and Paula Pell, along with Parks and Recreation ’s Rashida Jones. Other SNL stars such as Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph and Will Forte pop up in the second season; a third series is also due to go to air later this year.

a 2x3 button system that makes it easier for beginners but more challenging for experts. Coming Spring 2015, Guitar Hero Live will be available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Xbox One and WiiU.

The Riot Club team of director Lone Scherfig and Sam Claflin (pictured) are reuniting for the Second WorldWar comedy Their Finest Hour And A Half . Currently in pre-production, the Danish director’s latest project is described as a “romantic comedy imbued with the screwball repartee of classic Hollywood”. Hunger Games hunk Claflin will star alongside Gemma Arterton and Bill Nighy in the film, which is due out next year. For more on The Riot Club , see the review on page 38

The Awesomes: Season 1 is out on May 14

MAY 2015 JB Hi-Fi www.jbhifi.co.nz

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