Special ScreeningOPEN COUNTRYWednesday, October 2, 2024 at 7:00 PM
The documentary OPEN COUNTRY will screen at the Onyx Downtown at the Nevada Theatre on Wednesday, October 2 at 7 pm. Filmmakers Glenda Drew and Jesse Drew exemplify Marshall McLuhan's famed quote, "The medium is the message," by not just bringing clarity to the storied history of country music but by using the film itself as a tool to raise funds for community music and employ local musicians to open for each screening. In this case, KVMR is the co-presenter and benefactor of this fundraising event, along with local musicians Brendan Phillips and Cedar Hennings, who will perform before the film. A Q&A with filmmakers Jesse and Glenda Drew will follow the film.
OPEN COUNTRY traces the history of what is now called country music back to its roots in diverse cultures as far-flung as Africa, Hawaii, and, yes— Switzerland—the home of yodeling. Known originally in the United States as 'hillbilly music' then folk music,c and around the time of McCarthyism, rebranded as country music, whatever you call it, this music is deeply woven into American life. Many musicians regarded today as country musicians, such as Hank Williams, considered themselves folk musicians.