I met “accidental filmmaker” Samantha Hale at The Hotel Cafe’s annual Christmas party. We started talking music. We bonded. She is one of those people that “gets it”…that gets me. Like me, she’s a live music addict. Also, like me, she’s a researcher. After the loss of her father, she turned to music as a way to survive. Her personal experience lead her to explore the impact music has on people in the form of a documentary film.

Map The Music takes Samantha on the road, interviewing fans and artists, asking questions about what music means to them and why they do what they do. The film features some of my favorite musicians (Imogen Heap, Charlotte Martin, Cary Brothers, Rachel Yamagata, Jim Bianco, etc.) and really gets to the root of why music is so important. Any film that makes the argument that all of us who go a bit “crazy” when it comes to going to shows are really the normal ones…well, that’s a film I want to watch!

I’ve already watched the film twice today and I’m contemplating throwing a viewing party. People need to see this film! It’s not just a film about Samantha and her personal journey; it’s a film about all of us…all of us who live show by show, to whom music means…everything!  

 What does it explore?

Music as addiction. Music as religion. Music as hope. Music as life. Music as medicine. Music as connection. Music as home.

To learn more go here. To follow on tumbler go here.  DVD available at insound.com.

For a preview, check this out:

~ Kristen