Cathy and I met documentary film maker and musician Rain Perry at the Folk Alliance International conference in Kansas City earlier this year, and we're pleased to be able to present her film, The Shopkeeper, here at frogstop.

When we first thought about it, we asked you, our community, if you would be interested in seeing the film. We've known for a long time how supportive our Frogstop community is of local and touring musicians. Still, it was a thrill to see how positively you responded to the idea of showing The Shopkeeper here. We see this as a great opportunity to help wonderful music fans become even better, more knowledgeable supporters, and to strengthen the community to everyone's benefit.

The Shopkeeper is a feature-length documentary that addresses a question many of us care deeply about: "How do artists, producers and studios that aren’t part of the '1 percent of the music industry like Adele or a Taylor Swift' make a living in the current climate of streaming music, which for all intents and purposes has become free music?" (Or as the director puts it, "Everybody can make a record. Nobody can make a living. Now what?")

The Shopkeeper shines a light on this big issue by telling a small story - of the longest continuously operating recording studio in Austin, Texas, and the music producer (the shopkeeper) who runs it, Mark Hallman. After recording Carole King, Ani DiFranco and many great Austin artists, Mark is struggling to keep the studio open in the era of streaming. From indie musicians fighting to earn a living to music lovers sorting through a dozen streaming services, the acts of creating and listening to music have undergone a fundamental change. With humor, heart and a killer soundtrack, and featuring Ani DiFranco, Iain Matthews, Tom Russell, Eliza Gilkyson and many more, The Shopkeeper determines to find solutions that will actually work for artists and fans.

In the early to mid 1960's artists such as The Beach Boys, Jan & Dean, Sonny & Cher, The Byrds, The Righteous Brothers, Nancy Sinatra, and The Fifth Dimension, topped the pop charts with songs like Up, Up and Away, Little Old Lady From Pasadena, Cherish, These Boots Are Made for Walking and Good Vibrations. They were the 'Wall' in Phil Spector's 'Wall of Sound'. It was known as the West Coast Sound, and the artists who sang these songs were household names, but the musicians who performed those hits were virtually unknown to the listening public and remain so today.

Some of Hollywood's older and established studio musicians laughed and refused to partake
in this new musical movement. It left the door wide open for young players like drummers
Hal Blaine, Earl Palmer, guitarists Tommy Tedesco, Glen Campbell, Billy Strange, and Bass
Players like Carol Kaye, Larry Knechtel and Joe Osborne.

Soon they were given the nickname, "The Wrecking Crew". A disparaging comment given by
the older naysayers of how these guys were going to "Wreck the Music Business" playing
'that rock & roll'.

The Wrecking Crew has been reunited in a feature length documentary film that has gone
around the world in over 50 film festivals with over a dozen awards.

The film is an intimate, enlightening and often humorous remembrance of the real stories and
emotions as told from the perspective of those who lived it. We are a part of the conversation.
Interviews with the musicians and with the well known artists, producers and engineers of the
day, provide us with a unique insider's view into a special time and place. But it is the music
itself that becomes the heart and thread of The Wrecking Crew. It is the soundtrack of our
lives, yet few people realize how that sound came to be ... until now.

The Wrecking Crew is the result of a 12·year labor of love by accomplished Hollywood
Producer/Director Denny Tedesco. Tedesco recalls, "My father, Tommy Tedesco is one of the
anonymous musicians whose musical legacy will live on for many generations. As his son,
I have lived with this story my whole life". Tedesco explains, "I started this project when my
father was first diagnosed with cancer and realized how important it was to share his story
and that of his contemporaries. I was so fortunate to have filmed him before he passed away.
The greatest joy for me now is watching audiences with smiles on their faces. The greatest
compliment is they now listen to music differently after viewing the film."

A wonderful, touching and hilarious film about the unsung stars of so many records that you carry in your heart.  - Elvis Costello 

I hovered in the room near the ceiling as I watched this inspiring movie about the musicians who made the songs that continue to lift me higher than ever.  - Nancy Wilson (Heart)

If I'd known they were available, I would have used those guys on my records. 'The Wrecking Crew' is the best documentary yet about the recording scene. I loved it. - Steve Miller, Gangster of Love

I loved the film, thank you for bringing to light the story behind one of the most important musical ensembles of the modern recording era...  - Chad Smith, Red Hot Chili Peppers 

More testimonials and reviews

Interview with Director, Denny Tedesco