February 11, 2008

Everyone But You

Along Road 6 South, east of Alamosa, the dirt road rumbles straight for the Sangre de Cristos, past abandoned rural outbuildings, wide swaths of pasture and sagebrush meadow, an occasional trailer and a dairy farm until a large, metal box juts out of 40 acres of desert floor. Looking a lot like it would be more at home in an urban DWELL feature than in rural Colorado, the structure is a shock of eye-squinting silver against gold grasses, mountains and jewel-toned blue skies.

In it, scruffy thirty-something Eric Shiveley, a singer/songwriter of truly incredible talent and truly frustrating modesty, lives with his chihuahuas and records original music that, sadly, most of the rest of the world doesn’t get to hear.

Not only an independent musician but now, after his first solo attempt at documentary production, an award-winning filmmaker as well, Shiveley is one of music’s great and largely undiscovered real deals. Everyone But You, a 26-month project documenting what it’s like to be a struggling musician and to build a sense of place for yourself (personally and professionally), is a remarkable first foray into film.

Shot mostly with a cheap camera and no formal training, Everyone But You just won Best Documentary from judges screening for the Kent Film Festival in Connecticut, and has been selected to premier at the Oxford International Film Festival in Ohio in April. A surprise to Shiveley, no doubt, but not to the rest of us who have seen it, as most of us would give an honest and enthusiastic nod to the film’s power as a raw look at the bare roots of an industry most of us only ever see the shiny, homogenized and perfectly-produced surface of.



(If the movie trailer doesn’t load here for you, see it over at YouTube)

Shiveley’s original music provides most of the soundtrack; he sent me a sampler CD a couple of weeks ago and I can’t stop listening. After repeated requests and threats from me, he’s agreed to send copies of the CD to anybody who wants one for $10. If you’re interested (and I would be if I were you), send Eric an email and he’ll make sure you get one.

« Previous entry
Next entry »

Add this to …

One Comments

  1. yvette on April 27th, 2008
    1

    How can I see your movie? I live in Oregon. Do you sell it on DVD? How can I buy it? It looks cool and I like the music. I love your dogs too.
    Thanks.

Leave a Reply