The interviews were the best part with many of the old gang looking pretty good. Roger McGuinn was especially lucent with Michelle Phillips still holding on to a small vestige of her once world class transcendent beauty, IMHO. The film bogs down with the performances by Jakob and the younger generation which were strangely lacking in energy or commitment.. Nora Jones's segment reminded me of some one there just to get a check.

"Echo In the Canyon" (2018 release; 8 min.) is a documentary about the "southern California" sound that emerged in the mid-60s with bands like the Byrds, the Beach Boyes, the Mamas and the Papas, and so on. As the movie opens, we watch Tom Petty and Jacob Dylan talking guitar shop, and Richenbackers in particular. Next we are at the "Orpheum Theater, Los Angeles, 2015", where former Capitol Records CEO Andrew Slater explains that 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the 1965 emergence of the Byrds and other bands resident in Laurel Canyon, and what better way to commemorate the occasion than to play the songs from that era? With that, we go back to an early rehearsal at someone's house, where Beck, Regina Spektor, Cat Powers and Dylan are looking at vinyl records from the 60s and trying out some songs...

Couple of comments: this documentary seems to be a labor of love from Andrew Slater (who directs and produces) and Jacob Dylan (who stars and executive-produces). The documentary does a good job switching on the one hand the concert and rehearsal footage with on the other hand interviews (by Dylan) of the big names from that era. Members from the Byrds, the Mamas and the papas, the Beach Boys, Buffalo Springfield and others (such as Ringo Starr. Eric Clapton, Jackson Browne, and others) get significant screen time, and brings wonderful stories from "back in the day". As to the Orpheum Theater concert footage, something seemed not quite right with the sound, at least in the theater where I saw this film, in that the sound came across thinly. Still it was fun to see the elusive Fiona Apple again (on 2 songs),along a slew of other guests. And then, all of the sudden, the movie ends, as if they either ran out of money or out of ideas, but at not even 80 min., the end titles started rolling.

"Echo in the Canyon" premiered last Fall to good acclaim, and it finally reached my art-house theater here in Cincinnati this weekend, and I couldn't wait to see it. The Sunday matinee screening where I saw this at was, much to my surprise, PACKED. Holy cow! Who knew there was such a large interest in this film? Or were they there to escape the scorching heatwave outside? Either way, if you have any interest in the history of rock, I encourage you to check out "Echo In the Canyon", be it in the theater, on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.

Hosted by Jakob Dylan, this is a nostalgic look back on the music scene roughly covering the years 1965 to 1967, when many of the creative forces in the industry gravitated to the Los Angeles area and nearby Laurel Canyon. The best thing about the doc is seeing and hearing directly from musicians like Roger McGuinn, David Crosby, Steven Stills, Michelle Phillips, Eric Clapton, Graham Nash, Jackson Browne and Tom Petty. It was eerie seeing Petty in so many spots because of his death in 2017, only a couple years after this film was released.

The focus appears to be the melding of folk music with rock at a time right after The Beatles hit the States with their appearance on 'The Ed Sullivan Show', and it's somewhat comical keeping track of who influenced who and how the bands developed their styles in synch and in contrast with one another. Eventually Steven Stills sets things right by stating that "Everything was influencing everything", which is probably about as accurate as one can get without stepping on anyone's toes. The main bands highlighted from the era include The Byrds, The Beach Boys, The Mamas and The Papas, and Buffalo Springfield. In listening to some of the music luminaries expounding on their influences, I have a difficult time distinguishing the nuances in certain songs and albums that are considered seminal. For example, to me, the Beach Boys' 'Pet Sounds' is an OK album, but it doesn't carry the weight with me that so many of the interviewees give it. 'Sgt. Pepper' on the other hand is another story, one of those recordings I can listen to time and again. So it's all in the ear of the beholder I guess.

The downside of the documentary for me was the manner of the host. Jakob Dylan (son of Bob) was entirely monotone and non-emotional throughout, often attempting to appear pensive but coming across as vacant. He does have a decent singing voice though, as evidenced by his collaboration with various modern day artists in recreating some of the classic sounds of the Sixties. David Crosby appeared to nail it without trying to, when during his introduction to Jakob, jokingly remarked that 'there's only one Dylan'. Considering the focus of this piece, it wouldn't be a curious thing to inquire why he wasn't included.