A couple of days into resuming “normal” life in sunny Florida after a scintilliating, action-packed, vocal chord-straining 3 days in Columbia, Missouri means we’ve had time to unwind and take stock of the incredible 2011 True/False Film Festival
Wine Teeth had been selected by music director Kim(bot) Sherman and journalist Jessica Holdman in an article called “Must-hear musicians set mood for True/False Film Fest.” In the article, Wine Teeth is shouted out as “an acoustic-indie folk performer from Portland, Ore., (note: technically not true right now, but he did live there for quite awhile) joins True/False for the first time this year. Describing the band as Buddy Holly-esque, Sherman says he has a boisterous stage presence.”
After arriving very late Friday night/Saturday morning and embarking on a rushed and rainy two-hour ride from the St. Louis airport, we met up with lots of filmmakers and fellow buskers. The next day, Saturday the 5th, was a relaxing morning of movie screenings - (Let’s just fully disclose; when I write “we” that means myself (Danielle DiGiacomo) writing on behalf of Wine Teeth, aka Justin Theodore Young, who happens to be my fiancee. I was a “Ringleader” at the Fest, so while I was running around introducing, watching, and Q-and-A-ing films, Justin Wine Teeth was running around playing music before films, at parties, and at the Saturday night music showcase.
His first gig was at the chi-chi Filmmaker Fete, which is MY personal favorite party of the fest, due to the excellent food from the Sycamore Restaurant! While the acoustics were not idea — an art gallery housing dozens of schmoozing filmmakers — we/he still managed to get photographer and shouted out by the Columbia Tribune. (see photo above).
That night, Wine Teeth took to the stage at local hangout Cafe Berlin for the Saturday music showcase. Though the crowd was lean at first, throughout the set, more and more enthusiastic musiclovers showed up, and by the time he left the stage, it was packed. In his VOX MAGAZINE article about the Saturday night music showcase, Ted Hart noted that “Wine Teeth, singer-songwriter Justin Theodore Young’s rockabilly one-man act, took the stage 20 minutes after the show was slated to begin. There were fewer than 20 people in the Berlin Theatre when he took the stage. Before the show, Young had asked True/False volunteers whether he should make his set more folk-indie or more rockabilly. One volunteer responded, “Rockabilly. These people are here to party.” By the time Young’s set had finished, the party he had promised to deliver was in full swing.”
Sunday brought three more pre-film busking opportunities, starting with the rather challenging task of belting out tunes at 9:30 am! That said, all three shows bought CD sales, amazing feedback, and lots of new fans!
Another post will come shortly featuring OUR favorite music and films at the fest. Till then, follow WINE TEETH ON FACEBOOK and if you want, buy a CD!
