Each year during the music part of SXSW, there is a keynote speaker to kick off the festivities. Last year, it was Bruce Springsteen. This year it was Foo Fighters' frontman Dave Grohl, who also made his directorial debut with the documentary Sound City. The film is about the legendary Sound City studios where bands such as Nirvana, Fleetwood Mac, Rick Springfield and others recorded.
"Through interviews with the artists and producers that created decades of musical history at Sound City, the film will showcase the amazing history of the studio, focus on the albums recorded there that went on to change the world, discuss the human element of music in an age of technology, and feature performances from many of the artists that called it "home".
That same evening as the keynote speech, Dave Grohl hosted a concert featuring the Sound City players, which are musicians featured in the film. Artists such as Alain Johannes, Stevie Nicks, Rick Springfield, John Fogerty, and others joined Grohl on the stage for a show that lasted over 3 hours.
Catching all of these amazing performances on tape was Milwaukee native Josh Adams, who runs Mindpool productions. I met with Adams before the show at Stubb's to talk briefly about his involvement in the project and what it's like working with such amazing and legendary artists.
Check out Dave Grohl's SXSW keynote speech here.