Billy Joel, P!nk, Metallica, even Whitesnake – you’d have no trouble picking them out of a crowd, visually or audibly through their music. But could you say the same about the legions of side player musicians who live on the road accompanying these megastars live, night after night? Probably not.
A new feature length documentary aims to lift the curtain on these wizards of music and finally give them some time to shine.
The Hired Gun premiere is happening at SXSW on Friday, March 18.
Fran Strine, director and producer of Hired Gun, is uniquely suited to bring this story to screen – he’s spent years in the music industry as a touring videographer/photographer with the likes of Nickelback, Staind, Dolly Parton and dozens of other A-List artists.
His style of weaving live interviews in with archival performance footage and sound recordings has previously brought us Dolly: Live in London and The Making of Staind.
I witnessed these “hired guns” do all the work while not getting the notoriety. I, along with Jason Hook, my business partner in the project thought it’d be a great subject.
Hired Gun “offers viewers firsthand stories from individuals who have mastered their craft and perform on the world’s biggest stages.” You’ll see the highs and lows of life on the road touring, the demands of hectic session schedules, and what it takes to make dreams a reality.
But Strine is not a one-note filmmaker (bad pun). Tired of the grind of touring, he pivoted his focus on music and directed 2012’s Battlefield of the Mind, a documentary about the on the effects of PTSD in Veterans.
This will be Strine’s first trip to SXSW and he’s excited to meet fellow filmmakers and some great musicians, as well as indulge in some of Austin’s famous breakfast tacos and kolaches. Nom nom.
No rest for the weary, though – sounding not far from the life of the musicians he spotlights, Strine will hop a plane and head straight from the festival to Nashville for a massive photo shoot with Dolly Parton to promote her new album and tour.
We interrupted life on the road to toss some of our Totally Texan questions his way.
What is your favorite movie and/or TV show shot in Texas?
Who is your favorite Texas musician?
What actor would you call “totally Texan?”
What advice do you have for Austinites looking to get into the biz?
The only way to can tell it is how it worked for me. Find your passion project, put your head down and get it made. Surround yourself with like-minded filmmakers and you’ll be successful.
You can see Hired Gun during its one-off screening at the fest:
Friday, March 18, at 1:00pm at Paramount Theatre.
