Last trip down 'Fairview St.'

Wednesday, May 18 — The 2009 noir drama “Fairview St.” has won nine major awardsand been accepted into 21 film festivals internationally since its release. Thelocally written and produced feature will be shown on the big screen one lasttime Thursday at Celebration Cinema. Following the viewing, a night of livemusic at Moriarty’s Pub will pay homage to another aspect of the movie – its moody,Americana-flavored soundtrack.

Taking the stage will be two of the singer/songwritersfeatured on the disc, touring musician Graham Lindsey and local favorite JenSygit. They will perform back to back, playing selected songs off thesoundtrack, which took home the best soundtrack award at the BeloitInternational Film Festival in 2010.

This will be Lindsey’s first Lansing show in over six years.The last time he was here was in 2004 when film maker/actorMichael McCallum was still writing “Fairview St.” and happened to catchLindsey’s show at Mac’s Bar — he knew right away he wanted Lindsey’s authenticfolk in his film.

“Graham Lindsey's music is haunting,” McCallum said. “Itcreeps into parts of my soul with each new listen. When the film ends, it'simportant to me to keep the lights off because his song ‘Dead Man's Waltz’finishes the story emotionally — even when the picture itself has ended. It's abeautiful complement to what’s onscreen.”

Lindsey, a Wisconsin native now living in Montana, has beenpraised by the likes of Rolling Stone, Uncut, Mojo and Q Magazine for histraditional, and sometimes dark, spirited folk music. He said the style heard on his four studio albums has been broadlycategorized since his debut album, “Famous Anonymous Wilderness,” was releasedin September 2003.

“There have been a lot of labels stuck onto my kind of music over the years,”Lindsey said. “Like, alternativecountry, Americana, folk rock, American primitive, new old-time, folk-blues-mountain,murder-hobo-ballads. I tried keeping a list once of all the differentdescriptions people were giving it just for fun.”

One thing is for sure, Lindsey is a stickler for solid,thoughtful lyrics, which often leads him to old, dusty records.

“Lyrical content is the engine behind any song,” Lindsey explained.“It's where the soul in a song resides. I don't listen to much pop rock orpop-country music for this very reason — I find very little originality orpassion in most of it. That's not to say listeners cannot have a passionate orauthentic response to it, I just personally do not. There's an unpretentiouspurity in a lot of the older music that's very hard to find anymore with newermusic.”

So just who are a few of the artists that pass his lyricaltest? Aside from a number of lesser known old bluesman, folkies, and rag-timejazz artists, a few iconic names have helped to shape his taste.

“The Carter Family is a big one for me, just as Tom Waitsis,” he said. “Hearing Bob Dylan, of course, really broke open the floodgatesfor me. He showed me it was possible that just a dude with a guitar andwell-crafted lyrics could flatten mountains.”

Lindsey said he purposefully avoids singer/songwriterclichs and trite subjects, but he doesn’t feel that limits him at all.

“My lyrics are inspired from many things. I pull from my experiences and I trynot to neglect any subject so long as I feel passionate about it,” he said. “Idon't write political songs, although I won't say I never will, especially inour country's present state. I don't really write love songs, either. I'm notbig on sentimentality because I don't think it ever gets to the heart of anymatter. It's too cheap and easy, but everything else is fair game in my book.”

As for his contribution to “Fairview St.,” Lindsey said he is honored to be in such apassionate film.

“When (McCallum) had ‘Fairview Street’ all finished he sent me a copy,”Lindsey said. “My wife Tina and I watched it and I'm proud to say at the end weboth cried. It’s such anunbelievably poignant, well-written and moving film. We remain good friends andI hope to work with Michael again soon.”


‘Fairview St.’
Last showing
6 p.m. Thursday, May 19
Celebration Cinema
200 E. Edgewood Blvd., Lansing
$8.50 adults, $7.75 students
followed by live music from "Fairview St." with
Graham Lindsey and Jen Sygit
8:30 p.m. Thursday, May 19
Moriarty’s Pub
802 E. Michigan Ave, Lansing