On this edition of StudioTulsa, an interesting chat with the locally based filmmaker James Payne. His new movie, a feature-length, award-winning documentary called "Far Western," will have its Tulsa debut screening at the Circle Cinema on Thursday the 5th at 7pm. (A 5:30pm reception as well as post-screening events are also planned; full details are posted here.) As Payne tells us today, the initial shooting for this project actually occurred a decade ago -- and now, at last, the film is making the festival circuit, both stateside and internationally. "Far Western" depicts how American country music and bluegrass music -- as two separate but closely linked phenomena -- first took root and then subsequently developed in post-WWII Japan. Moreover, as shown in the film, these musical genres (and their respective cultures) have become, for a small but dedicated community, a lifelong obsession.
C&W and Bluegrass Music Is Alive and Well...in Japan...in the Mighty Fine "Far Western"
