"PEARL JAM: VOTE FOR CHANGE?"

"PEARL JAM: VOTE FOR CHANGE?"

Year: 2004
Running time:
Language: English
Director: Rick Charnoski

Synopsis: In April of 2004 we were deep in the San Bernadino, CA skating a few of the dozens of pools left empty by the fires that swept through the area a few months earlier. Jeff Ament, bass player for Pearl Jam, had come along to take advantage of this opportunity. Jeff has been a fan of our skate films (Fruit of the Vine, Northwest, Tent City, etc.) for a few years and asked if we would be interested in doing something with Pearl Jam. He mentioned that they were planning a "Vote For Change" tour right before the election and maybe we could come along and make a film.

We worked it out and ended up in Seattle in the beginning of October 2004 in time to shoot some rehearsals and meet the other band members. We didn't really have much of a plan and we hadn't shot much live music before, but we figured we'd just wing it and see what we got. We brought a few Super 8 movie cameras, a video camera and loads of film and just started shooting.

We flew from Seattle to New York, then followed the tour in a van to Reading PA, Toledo OH, Grand Rapids MI, St Louis MO, Asheville NC and ended up in Kissimee FL. Along the way we met with and spoke to hundreds of fans and just ordinary people about voting, democracy and politics in general. We cut the interviews into the live performances from each city, along with a few exclusive interviews with each band member. It is the first rock and roll tour film that WE know of shot entirely in super 8mm film with an amazing sound track recorded live and mixed by Brett Eliason.

We got home and cut the film, but never showed it to anyone. The enthusiasm for the project dwindled due to the outcome of the election. Ironically, we feel like Bush's reelection may have made the film even more important/ valid and we think now is a great time to dig it out and remind people why it is so important to vote. We love this film, it's like nothing we have ever done before and we are stoked to finally have the chance to show it.

Coan Nichols/ Rick Charnoski- Six Stair
September 2008