Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe is widely known as one of the most influential music venues in modern history, and now Bluebird, the first-ever in-depth documentary about the tiny 90-seat club, has been selected for a world premiere at the prestigious SXSW Film Festival March 8-17, 2019 in Austin, TX.
Directed by Brian Loschiavo and produced by Loschiavo and Bluebird Cafe GM Erika Wollam Nichols, the 90-minute film features unforgettable performances by Taylor Swift, Garth Brooks, Maren Morris, Vince Gill, Jason Isbell and many more. Cinematographer Jeff Molyneaux captured the original stories of music royalty and followed emerging singer-songwriters as they chased their dreams.
“The Bluebird Cafe is home to thousands of musical storytellers, both established writers and new rising stars, and yet its own story has never been told in film,” said Nichols. “We’re excited to have captured the Bluebird’s history, through stories and songs from many folks whose lives have intersected with and were changed by their performance at this tiny, accidental landmark.”
The film features Bluebird Cafe founder Amy Kurland, who in 1982 was a 27-year-old culinary student with a dream of opening a café in a strip mall of an upscale Nashville suburb. On the suggestion of a boyfriend, she added a stage, and live music soon became the primary focus of the eatery. Recognizing the room was built for acoustic music, Kurland offered the club as an outlet for songwriters and aspiring artists to perform original material. She had no idea it would eventually become the most influential listening room in America.
Through the years, Garth Brooks, Kathy Mattea, Faith Hill and Taylor Swift were among the artists discovered performing at the Bluebird. To this day, producers, artists and record label executives still come to hear new songs that may go on to become huge hits, while fans get the chance to sing along to their favorite songs performed by the writers and hear stories of how those songs came to be.
Producers are actively seeking distribution for the documentary, so a wider audience can learn about of one of Nashville’s most important landmarks directly from the artists, songwriters and behind-the-scenes folks who continue to make musical history every day.
