(JL Aronson, USA, 2006, BETA-SP, 105 mins)
"They sound like Captain Beefheart's Magic Band joined by the Partridge Family at some roadside revival along the Jersey Turnpike."--The All Music Guide
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I watch documentaries to learn more about subjects with which I already have some familiarity--and to learn about subjects with which I have no familiarity. Although I had heard of the group, I knew next to nothing about the Danielson Famile before I watched JL Aronson's informative profile. Now, I know quite a bit--but I still would've liked to learn more.
Clarksboro, New Jersey's Daniel Smith, a devout Christian, has been playing music professionally since college. In fact, the Danielson Famile began as his Rutgers thesis project (Aronson includes footage from their original engagement). Like the Von Trapps or the Partridges, they're an all-family combo. Though the parents don't participate, they encouraged their five redheaded children to sing hymns and to play instruments from an early age. The Danielson story is told mostly by Smith and his siblings.
1995's A Prayer for Every Hour.
This brings us to that moniker. Smith chose Danielson to indicate that he's a son of God. (Interestingly, he avoids dropping the name Jesus Christ, possibly to avoid putting off secular fans.) From the beginning, the group performs in white doctor and nurse uniforms with their names emblazoned in red over their hearts to symbolize "the healing power of the Good News."
If you're not familiar with Danielson, you might think they play Christian rock. They don't--at least not in the conventional sense--and this is where things get interesting. It also explains why this film exists, i.e. Smith is neither your average Christian nor your average indie rocker. The clean-cut kid is a true original. Throughout his career, he's recorded strictly for independent labels, like Tooth & Nail and Secretly Canadian, and plays rock clubs instead of limiting himself to church gatherings. Yet he's never made any secret of his religious beliefs, which play a big part in his music.
Not only that, but it's pretty offbeat stuff--like the Shaggs covering the Velvet Underground--and Smith has a highly unusual singing style. Since his high-pitched warble suggests Daniel Johnston, it's little surprise when Johnston enters the scene. More surprising is when Big Black's Steve Albini puts in an appearance. The Chicago musician/recording engineer might not seem like a Danielson fan, except he is. So much so that he invites them to England to perform at the All Tomorrow's Parties Festival he's curating (Danielson has also worked with eccentric producer Kramer). The conversation between Smith and Albini is worth the price of admission alone.
Smith as "The Tree of Nine Fruits."
Arsonson began filming A Family Movie in 2002 and wrapped things up earlier this year. He follows Smith from the family line-up to the friends-and-family version to his current incarnation as Br. Danielson. Once his siblings disperse for college, marriage, and other gigs, Smith calls on outside players. That iteration continues, but he's mostly a solo act these days. During the course of the movie, he also marries, has two kids, builds a studio, starts a label, and promotes his handmade Great Comfort Stuff.
One of his guest players is a multi-instrumentalist named Sufjan Stevens. For much of the movie, the aspiring singer/songwriter appears on stage, banging away on something or other, as they travel across the country and on to Europe. Then, he becomes their opening act (the film features a few of his numbers). Stevens may share Smith's beliefs, but he's considerably more circumspect in interviews and has a more accessible style (frankly, I love his voice). Smith encourages his friend's efforts, producing and releasing Stevens' Seven Swans (2004) on his Sounds Familyre label.
Stevens and Smith have a stoop-side chat
In different hands, A Family Movie would be about how Stevens eclipses his mentor's popularity, as in DIG!, in which the Dandy Warhols leapfrog over the Brian Jonestown Massacre on their way to fame and fortune. Aronson dutifully tracks Sufjan's ascent into the indie-rock stratosphere--the release of the well received Greetings from Michigan: The Great Lakes State (2003), and then Illinois (2005), which makes numerous top 10 lists and sells hundreds of thousands of copies. It's all there, but Aronson never loses site of his film's true subject: Daniel Smith.
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"I love my Lord, I love my Lord, I love my Lord."
-- Tell Another Joke at the Ol' Choppin' Block (1997)
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Danielson: A Family Movie (or, Make a Joyful Noise HERE) plays the Northwest Film Forum Dec. 15-21. The NWFF is located at 1515 12th Ave. For more information, please click here or call 206-267-5380 for show times. Images from The Austin Chronicle and Tooth & Nail via Wikipedia.
If you're not familiar with Danielson, you might think they play Christian rock. They don't--at least not in the conventional sense--and this is where things get interesting. It also explains why this film exists, i.e. Smith is neither your average Christian nor your average indie rocker. The clean-cut kid is a true original. Throughout his career, he's recorded strictly for independent labels, like Tooth & Nail and Secretly Canadian, and plays rock clubs instead of limiting himself to church gatherings. Yet he's never made any secret of his religious beliefs, which play a big part in his music.
Not only that, but it's pretty offbeat stuff--like the Shaggs covering the Velvet Underground--and Smith has a highly unusual singing style. Since his high-pitched warble suggests Daniel Johnston, it's little surprise when Johnston enters the scene. More surprising is when Big Black's Steve Albini puts in an appearance. The Chicago musician/recording engineer might not seem like a Danielson fan, except he is. So much so that he invites them to England to perform at the All Tomorrow's Parties Festival he's curating (Danielson has also worked with eccentric producer Kramer). The conversation between Smith and Albini is worth the price of admission alone.
Arsonson began filming A Family Movie in 2002 and wrapped things up earlier this year. He follows Smith from the family line-up to the friends-and-family version to his current incarnation as Br. Danielson. Once his siblings disperse for college, marriage, and other gigs, Smith calls on outside players. That iteration continues, but he's mostly a solo act these days. During the course of the movie, he also marries, has two kids, builds a studio, starts a label, and promotes his handmade Great Comfort Stuff.
One of his guest players is a multi-instrumentalist named Sufjan Stevens. For much of the movie, the aspiring singer/songwriter appears on stage, banging away on something or other, as they travel across the country and on to Europe. Then, he becomes their opening act (the film features a few of his numbers). Stevens may share Smith's beliefs, but he's considerably more circumspect in interviews and has a more accessible style (frankly, I love his voice). Smith encourages his friend's efforts, producing and releasing Stevens' Seven Swans (2004) on his Sounds Familyre label.
In different hands, A Family Movie would be about how Stevens eclipses his mentor's popularity, as in DIG!, in which the Dandy Warhols leapfrog over the Brian Jonestown Massacre on their way to fame and fortune. Aronson dutifully tracks Sufjan's ascent into the indie-rock stratosphere--the release of the well received Greetings from Michigan: The Great Lakes State (2003), and then Illinois (2005), which makes numerous top 10 lists and sells hundreds of thousands of copies. It's all there, but Aronson never loses site of his film's true subject: Daniel Smith.
Further, the director never judges. He claims he isn't a Christian, but I'm not so sure it matters. Greg Whiteley's New York Doll, which documents Arthur "Killer" Kane's conversion to Mormonism, could only have been made by a Latter-day Saint in terms of access to Church members, who might have been less comfortable speaking to a non-Mormon. That isn't the case here, though I do wish Aronson had been more rigorous in his questioning.
Though he does include the voices of a few dissenters, Smith comes across as always calm (except when he's singing), never jealous, and unconcerned about money. These are universal concerns, and I kept wondering how he manages to make ends meet while appealing to such a fringe audience. The irony, of course, is that a lot of people are going to want to see Danielson: A Family Movie due to the presence of "bit player" Sufjan Stevens. I don't think that's a bad thing and, as much as I doubt that he's never harbored a jealous thought or two about his protégé, I doubt Daniel Smith does either.
***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****
"I love my Lord, I love my Lord, I love my Lord."
-- Tell Another Joke at the Ol' Choppin' Block (1997)
***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Danielson: A Family Movie (or, Make a Joyful Noise HERE) plays the Northwest Film Forum Dec. 15-21. The NWFF is located at 1515 12th Ave. For more information, please click here or call 206-267-5380 for show times. Images from The Austin Chronicle and Tooth & Nail via Wikipedia.
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