Mendocino's own F.I.L.M. (Fiddlers Interested in Legalizing Marijuana).
A staple of the fair, bar, and canibus club circuits throughout Mendo (as the yocals call it) and Humboldt county in Northern California.
Members (L-R)
[back row]
Eddie Templeton (fiddle, bong packer)
Budd Hirsch (brother of Judd, part time teacher, and "spiritual leader")
Deeno "the Albeeno" Westerberry (handmade electric banjo, "rockjuicer")
Tim "I never change my sweats" Daniels (accordion, expert roller)
Daniel Mountain (acoustic guitar, devoted husband and father, hydroponic expert)
Kyle Mansing (part-time fiddle player, Austrian exchange student at Humboldt State)
[front row]
Guy [pronounced "Gee"] Piccolo (mandolin, total devotion to the vest)
Bradley "tell it to this guy" Bunkers (security, dealer, roadie, broadie)
F.I.L.M. doesn't record. They believe in a total "live" experience. F.I.L.M. can't be captured on tape, they must be captured in spirit. The only requirements for attending a F.I.L.M. gig are, 1) leave your shoes at the door, 2) puff, puff, pass, 3) make yourself
vulnerable.
The "F.I.L.M. sound" is best described as [from their one sheet] "post-colonial reggae roots uprock oral tradition folk soul." F.I.L.M. doesn't believe in limiting themselves, and have recently adapted younger songs into their playlist, which by the way, is never scripted -- simply devined. Given the current fascination with hip-hop, the band has F.I.L.M.-aphized "I Wanna Get Blunted, My Brother", "Puffin' On La", and "The Chronic".
F.I.L.M. is playing every day this week at 4:20 in the parking lot of Los Bagels in Arcata, California, as part of the
Bagelize It Festival. Come in, the water's fine!
To quote their hit sing-a-long, "Whole Buncha Munchies (Marley)":
When the cherry is bright
Do what's right
And step, my brother
Step into the light
Of a new time, a new life, a new realization of all things,
all things, all things, all things.... Bob