Charlie Says

Caught In The Net didn’t think anything could match Searching For Sugarman in the musical eye-moistening stakes, but that’s before our attention had been drawn to Soul Of America.

Not only matching but also raising Sixto Rodriquez, the SXSW 2012 jury winner tells the story of Charles Bradley, a funky Floridian who didn’t get to release his debut album until he was 62.
“Despite being abandoned as a child, a period of homelessness, the devastating loss of his brother and constant poverty, Charles never gave up on his life long dream to be a professional singer,” says the charlesbradleyfilm.com blurb. “With the help of producer and Grammy-winner Gabriel Roth and musician and Dunham Records label owner Tommy Brenneck, Charles moved away from the James Brown covers he’d been performing for nearly half a century and focused on finding his own unique voice.
“Earning himself an opening spot on tour for Sharon Jones, the biggest artist in the Daptone stable, Charles delivered the most impassioned performances of his life.”
We don’t want to give too much away, suffice it to say that Bradley suffered more bumps and bruises before gaining the recognition he so richly deserves.
Although premiered last year in Austin, it’s only now that The Soul Of America’s bagged a distribution deal, which will hopefully see it crossing the Atlantic.
Also catching Caught In The Net’s eye is Cassette: A Documentary, a Kickstarter-funded film, which explains how a largely unheralded Dutch invention went on to change the face of ‘70s and ‘80s music.
“If I hadn’t had the cassette tape I’m sure I’d have ended up in a mental hospital,” proffers Daniel Johnston who duplicated his early home albums one TDK C-60 at a time.
Also contributing to what looks like a must-see are Henry Rollins, Mike Watt and Fugazi man Ian McKaye.
Have a goo at cassettefilm.com/# trailer
Which just leaves time for quick visits to toys.usvsth3m.com/slashmiliband (we typed Senator Ronan Mullen in but it works with any anti-choicer); boingboing.net/2013/06/06/buzz-aldrin-and-thomas-dolby-s.html (Thomas Dolby responsible for horrific outbreak of dad dancing); ikhwanweb.com (The Muslim Brotherhood’s English website) and vibe.com/article/get-lucky-daft=punk-condoms (Monsieurs de Homem-Christo and Bangalter get lucky again).