Los Wild Ones

I really like documentaries where I can learn new things, and such is the case here in this rather intimate look into Reb Kennedy's Wild Records rockabilly label, based in Los Angeles. Although Kennedy is Irish, the label is predominantly comprised of singers and musicians of Mexican heritage.

To note, rockabilly music emerged in the 1950's, as a subculture of rock and roll, and is considered a combination of country music and blues. Personally, I really love its sound and feel one day it may really explode in popularity, whereas now its devotees are extremely passionate about it but it has not really entered the American mainstream.

The film, directed by Elise Salomon, takes us into the personal world of Kennedy, who wears many hats in running his business (perhaps too many as his musicians will note), but his love and knowledge of this musical genre is undeniable. He tries hard to maintain his principles and often shows disdain for online formats like iTunes. We also will get an inside look at the personal lives of the talented singers and musicians on the label, and their personal struggles to balance their talent and gigs with raising their families and paying the bills.

Overall, in addition to the personal stories shown in the movie, there's some cool rockabilly music on display here. I found this documentary to be engaging, and, as mentioned earlier, I learned about a scene that I has no idea even existed.

Finally, if you like the rockabilly genre, I recently saw another doc entitled "It's a Rockabilly World!" which I enjoyed as well.