Beautiful Thing - The DVD

Larry Keel is a strange entity in roots music. He is well known among some of the best musicians in all of Bluegrass and yet, apart from some pockets of loyal fans he is still relatively unknown here in America . He is also one of the hardest working musicians in music today, constantly writing, recording and performing with his band. So why isn't Larry a household name? Well that is what Beautiful Thing is all about. Director James Ryan Geilen put all worldly possessions aside and follows Larry and Jenny Keel with their occasionally changing cast of characters around the country to see what makes the man tick.

Shot in Black and White and with a grainy quality that only adds to the movie's appeal Geilen was working on a very tight budget often sleeping in his own car on the road. Ryan is an obvious fan of Keel's but he lest the footage tell the story and what a great tale it tells. It takes Larry from a Pizza place in his native North Carolina to a huge crowd at Merlefest and back again to shows where even a handful of people is a bonus. It painfully chronicles the frustration of arriving at small venues and having to deal with less than perfect conditions and sound systems. I am not sure if I felt sorrier for Larry or the in-house sound tech in one of those venues. Larry is no diva but has very specific views on how acoustic instruments should be amplified. Personally I feel his mission in this respect is akin to those who still believe Vinyl is better than CDs. In this world of technology the only way to get a completely acoustic sound is not to amplify the instruments at all. Otherwise if you need to recreate the warm acoustic sound on stage then I advocate using the best technology at hand. But these are debates that will quietly sizzle everywhere in the music world for more generations than either myself or Larry will be around.

Overall Larry comes across as being a good guy and having met him on more than one occasion I can confirm that the documentary portrays him very accurately. He has a drive and belief in the music he plays that is refreshing and inspiring. His musical style is a matter of taste which is something Larry recognizes himself. He has many fans in the music world though that love his music and who enjoy playing on stage with him. Legendary fiddler Vassar Clements is one such musical collaborator as is Acoustic Syndicate front man Steve McMurry.

The star of this whole documentary for me though is director Ryan who has made a little masterpiece from a tiny budget. Even if you are not a fan of Larry's music, this will entertain you. It tells a great story about a man and his dreams and his daily grind to live those dreams. The movie was shown at this year's Merlefest and is the first film ever to be shown at the festival. When I went to check it out the theater was already packed and this was despite some fierce competition from well known bands playing live on stages just a stone's throw from where it was being shown.

The documentary is available now on DVD on Brownpenny Films and at Larry's own Website HERE