Craftmaster Independent

We are very proud of The Bicyclists soundtrack. It took a lot of earwork to get songs that backed up the storyline, sounded cohesive and were within our reach budget wise. I asked friends for suggestions, watched bands and scoured the internet for appropriate tracks.

After a month of searching I started cutting scenes to different music tracks until just the right track was found. Each piece of music I tried added to the film in ways that I couldn't have predicted when I wrote the script and while several tracks might work for a given scene, in the end only one track would stand out as spot on.

The test edits helped us focus on several bands and musicians like Laura Viers, The Spokes, Buoy LaRue, The Little Sue Band, Morgan Grace, Teri Untalan and Phillip Roebuck. They were mostly “local” musicians, had a sound that fit within the scene and still, while different in style, felt part of a whole.

Morgan Grace - Photo by Jim Aldred

Morgan Grace's name and work quickly popped up to the top of the list. In fact I had a hard time picking which song of hers I wanted to use, because there seemed to be albums full of music that would work for The Bicyclists. Ultimately “The Rules of Dating” made it into the soundtrack for its happy tone that masks the insecurity of the singer about relationships much like the film's character Steve Jones.

Elle Poindexter as Steve Jones

Now its sweet payback time for Craftmaster Independent. We inked a deal with Morgan Grace to create a music video for her new song, “Vampire Love”, it will be on her next album due out in late June. Check out Morgan Grace's Morgan Grace's facebook page and become a fan like me.

The Indie Spirit Cocktail Menu from The Red Martini in Colorado Springs. The Bicyclists: red wine, brandy,lemon juice, sugar, orange, berries, apple, soda. Served in Collins with ice.

The Bicyclists had its best audience ever at its first sold out show on Saturday April 24, 2010 at The Indie Spirit Film Festival in Colorado Springs, Colorado. (Only a handful of showings sold out at the fest.) The audience laughed at every joke and was moved by the dramatic moments. We also met with some local community bike leaders after the screening to talk bikes, bike riding and beer.

The Sunday screening had a very good showing and the audience was enthusiastic. The Q&A at the end was lively and it was fun to speak with an engaged audience that asked thoughtful questions. It was an oasis of encouragement in the business of independent film that keeps filmmakers making films.

The Indie Spirit Film Festival organizers and volunteers took good care of all the filmmakers and made the whole weekend enjoyable. They had hung posters all over the festival and at several bike shops throughout the town. The projection in the theaters was spot on and the sound blasting - having a drink named after the film was kind of cool and tasty.

Portland and Austin are sister cities and we felt very welcomed in their community when we screened The Bicyclists last December. Katie Jo Dixon helped set up the screening and we were interviewed by Scott Cannon of dropout, a zine for and about the bike culture there.

This issue of dropout also has an article about "Bikes Across Borders", a non-profit that facilitates the donation of bike tools, used bikes, and parts to support community organizations and bike co-ops in the Austin area and throughout Latin America. A group of about thirty volunteers, including Katie Jo, recently rode from Austin to Monterrey, Mexico to donate bikes to Pueblo Bicicetero.

You can find the online version of dropout here , the review of The Bicyclists is on page 50. See if you can make it past all the glossy bike pin up girls without stopping for awhile to stare.

We're excited to announce that The Bicyclists will be screening at the Indie Spirit Film Festival, April 23-25, in Colorado Springs.

We plan on attending the screening and look forward to meeting some of The Bicyclist fans out in Colorado. There's been some rumbling from the cast that some of them might just show up too - we can't say whom yet because we're in negotiations.

Meanwhile, The Bicyclist keeps rolling along and attracts new viewers everyday. It's very gratifying to check our viewing stats and learn people all over the world are enjoying our work.

Thanks for your continued support - now it's time for bike ride.