Documentary Film "Randy Parsons: American Luthier" Ready to Rock at Tucson Film & Music Festival

TUCSON, Ariz. - Sept. 20, 2013 - PRLog -- Seattle filmmaker David Aldrich is proud to announce the Tucson Premiere of his award-winning documentary short film "Randy Parsons: American Luthier” at the 2013 Tucson Film and Music Festival. "Randy Parsons: American Luthier” will screen Sunday, October 13th at the Century El Con 20, 3601 E. Broadway Road, at 1:30 pm.

For the past 100 years, Tucson, Arizona has long been the backdrop and stage for the likes of John Dillinger, Lalo Guerrero, Pete Martinez, Linda Ronstadt, the Dusty Chaps, Ettore “Ted” DeGrazia, Green On Red, R. Carlos Nakai, Al Perry, Max Cannon, Howe Gelb and more. To celebrate the artistic talent that has emerged from Tucson, Upstairs Film hosts a festival that celebrates the great independent film and music in the Southwest.

The Tucson Film and Music Festival launched in 2005, with a screening of the Tucson music documentary High and Dry, and the 20th anniversary of the Club Congress, the long running nightclub west of the Mississippi. 40+ local bands, many of whom were reuniting for the first time in years played the Labor Day weekend festivities and a new festival was born.

The 9th annual Tucson Film and Music Festival invites filmmakers, musicians and their audience to connect to Arizona and the Southwest in the old Pueblo of Tucson from October 10 - 13, 2013. Tickets for all events are available day of show only at the specific venue box office. Advance Tickets for the Opening Night Film event are available at the Loft Cinema box office and website. Please visit http://tucsonfilmandmusicfestival.com/ for more information.

"Randy Parsons: American Luthier" will screen in the Short Doc Mix at the Century El Con 20. The film has won several awards for Best Documentary, and has been recognized for its outstanding cinematography. Aldrich's short documentary showcases the journey and talents of Randy Parsons, whose hand-crafted guitars stand out as works of art in an industry where major manufacturers have moved to computer-controlled mass production techniques. The days of a highly-skilled worker making an instrument from beginning to end have largely passed, but Parsons' insistence on using hand tools and traditional techniques has given him a distinct advantage: Parsons can build anything his customers dream up, and he doesn't have to recalibrate million dollar machines to do it.

"American Luthier" recounts Parsons' transformation from aspiring musician to guitar-maker. The guitar had been Parsons' identity since he was a child, but after studying classical and jazz guitar in college, he realized that he would never make a living as a musician.  So he gave it up -- and then one day he had a vision of how the guitar would come back into his life. Now he's creating instruments that are highly sought after works of art by musicians such as Jack White and Jimmy Page. "This is a film about someone who gave up their passion for playing guitars and discovered that they had a passion for making guitars. Audiences have been inspired by Parsons' story and his commitment to preserve the art of making guitars." says Aldrich.