Oct 18, 2023 3 min read Feature-Films

Honoring Pete Seeger's Anti-Fascist Legacy

The Edge of Nature is both a film and a live performance. The music is central and it comes from two very different, but complementary traditions.

The first is American Folk music, of the kind played by Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie and contemporary artists like Spirit Family Reunion and Lucas Pool. I grew up with American folk songs, a politically conscious form of music that sought to bring solidarity to labor, civil rights and economic struggles and was decidedly pro-democratic socialism and vehemently anti-fascist.

After GASLAND featured my banjo and the legacy of Pete Seeger, Pete and I played many shows together, and at Pete Seeger’s final concert in 2014, he adapted This Land is Your Land with Anti-fracking lyrics. I am picking up that thread here and have gained the participation of many of folk music’s most interesting new voices for this film and performance.

The second tradition is contemporary American avant-garde composition. Dougie Bowne was the drummer for the Lounge Lizards, Cibo Matto and Iggy Pop when he suffered a traumatic brain injury that left him changed. Unable to play drums the way he once did, he adapted his abilities and became a phenomenal avant grade composer. Dougie helped score Down By Law and wrote the score to Watchers of the Sky. Dougie Bowne and I met at the behest of Sean Lennon and John Lurie, two mutual friends. They began working on the score together three years ago, with Dougie adapting my banjo licks and polyrhythms and melding them with his distinctive orchestral melodies.

The result is a striking mix of old and new that calls back to our folk past and pushes us towards a new cadence.

I cannot wait for you to hear it!!

Right now, we are in a tight spot because the film was accepted to premiere at the opening night of the Byron Bay Film Festival so need to raise funds to ensure that the SOUND for this incredibly musical film is mixed right– can you donate today?

We need to raise $9,000 in the next 5 days !

Can you help?

Right now, 20 donors have donated $537! $5, $10, $20, $50. Every bit helps.

None of my films would be possible without you. I am so grateful for your continued support and generosity. Of course, I totally understand if you can’t donate, you can still help IMMENSELY by sharing the trailer & donation link!