Bside Roadshow kicks off in Austin

The film distribution company that keeps my days busy just launched its first major campaign, a touring film and music festival called the Bside Roadshow. Presented in partnership with sponsors like Myspace and AMD, the Roadshow brings one of three movies and a musical performance/after-party to eight cities in the month of June. There are nine stops, as the tour begins and ends in Austin - the picture at right is of the kickoff event, which took place in Republic Square Park.

The stops on the tour are:

• June 4 - Before the Music Dies - Republic Square Park, Austin, TX
• June 7 - Before the Music Dies - Varsity Theater, Minneapolis, MN
• June 9 - Before the Music Dies - Michigan Theater, Ann Arbor, MI
• June 13 - The Outdoorsmen - Boulder Theater, Boulder, CO
• June 16 - The Outdoorsmen - Orpheum Theater, Madison, WI
• June 19 - The Outdoorsmen - World Cafe Live, Philadelphia, PA
• June 22 - Quality of Life - Bagdad Theater , Portland, OR
• June 27 - Quality of Life - Brattle Theater , Boston, MA
• June 28 - Quality of Life - Alamo Drafthouse, Austin, TX

The three films being shown are:

Before the Music Dies: "An eye-opening documentary exploring the music industry’s abandonment of artists and fans in its single-minded pursuit of corporate profits. The film, which premiered to sold-out audiences at the South by Southwest Film Festival, presents interviews and performances by artists such as Dave Matthews, Erykah Badu, and Eric Clapton." Apart from the amazing music in the film, my favorite moments come from Badu (who credits butt implants with the success of modern pop stars) and Questlove, who lays out in detail the exact procedure for keeping a band together. ("Sunday is Band Day.")

Quality of Life: "An award winning drama surrounding the relationship of two friends facing the prospect of doing hard time for graffiti writing in San Francisco. This film, currently in the midst of successful self-distribution, won the MySpace audience choice award and has set the bar for maximizing exposure on the site with unsurpassed graphics, blogging and outreach." I haven't seen this one yet, but it seems to have a good reputation with audiences who have seen it.

The Outdoorsmen - Blood, Sweat, and Beers: A favorite from the Austin Film Festival last year, I've mentioned it before. Billed as "an outrageous docu-comedy that follows a group of friends in the Pacific Northwest compete each year in an all-day event combining physical challenges with high-speed beer chugging." It's so much more than that.

If the Roadshow is coming to a town near you, please check it out - ticket prices are generally equal to or less than what you'd pay for a regular Hollywood movie, and you get the after-party in addition to the film. Plus there's that warm fuzzy feeling you get from supporting independent filmmakers. For more information visit the Bside Roadshow Myspace page (bump up your friend count by adding the Roadshow as a friend) or Bside.com.

My role at Bside is as a liaison between the company's development team and the film festivals who use our audience participation technology. (In other words, I speak both film geek and tech geek.) If you'd like to see how Bside develops conversations between film festivals and their attendees, please visit the sites for the Jackson Hole Film Festival and the Atlanta Film Festival, both of which take place this month.