It Might Get Loud

Our music tastes run the full spectrum around here, as any regular can attest. But when it comes down to it, Rock N’ Roll owns our souls. Johnny and I both have several guitars, each with stories attached, and have spent many hours not just listening to the music we love, but trying to figure it out- how they got that sound, what tuning that’s in, playing the riffs- starting slowly, practicing over and over, trying to match the speed of the live versions…

I suppose our instinct for criticism comes from our high standards for appreciation. When we fall in love with an album, part of our passion comes from an awesome jealousy over the fact that the artist has achieved what we have found, first-hand, to be truly difficult, and special. And when we trash an album, it’s not just to be funny or cause a commotion- it’s because that stage is sacred ground for us. And if you don’t have what it takes, it’s an offense to all the true believers to step onto it.

Yes, music belongs to everyone, and yes, everyone has a right to express themselves and put what they’ve got out there. I’m not saying you’ve gotta have signoff on your 10,000 hours before you step out of your garage. But if you get up on that stage, you better have something to say.

Now I’ve tied a pretty long tail on this kite, but I’m speaking to a certain audience. If you’re not in this audience, you stopped reading a paragraph and a half ago. On the other hand, if you’re still with me, then we have something valuable.

It Might Get Loud is a Rock N’ Roll documentary, featuring Jack White, Jimmy Page, and The Edge. It’s not a performance documentary. It’s not a biopic. It’s about the relationship between three generations’ leading guitar virtuosos, and their relationships with their instruments.

From the synopsis:

While each guitarist describes his own musical rebellion, a rock’n roll summit is being arranged. Set on an empty soundstage, the musicians come together, crank up the amps and play. They also share their influences, swap stories, and teach each other songs. During the summit Page’s double-neck guitar, The Edge’s array of effects pedals and White’s new mic, custom built into his guitar, go live. The musical journey is joined by visual grandeur too. We see the stone halls of Headley Grange where “Stairway to Heaven” was composed, visit a haunting Tennessee farmhouse where Jack White writes a song on-camera, and eavesdrop inside the dimly lit Dublin studio where The Edge lays down initial guitar tracks for U2’s forthcoming single. The images, like the stories, will linger in the mind long after the reverb fades.

The trailer speaks for itself though of course. The movie, directed by Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth), is slated for a release this Summer from Sony Pictures Classics.

Thanks to Fernando Scoczynski for linking us to the newest trailer.