Ithaca Premier of “Roscoe Holcomb from Daisy, Kentucky” with talkback with John Cohen. Cinemapolis July 8th, 7:30. $9-

Film Synopsis: “John Cohen explores the life, philosophy and music of Eastern Kentucky banjo player, coal miner and construction worker Roscoe Holcomb. Holcomb has been injured on the job and forced into early retirement. He discusses his life and music and plays a number of traditional songs from his region. Using intimate footage of Holcomb at home as well as footage of his family, community and region, Cohen presents a remarkable and visually beautiful portrait of Roscoe Holcomb, a man who despite economic hardship and changing times has maintained a powerful and authentic personal music and philosophy.” Running time: 30 Minutes.

The film will be followed by music!  John Cohen with The Dustbusters (from Brooklyn!) at the Wildfire Lounge at 9 (following music by Nate Marshall that starts at 8:00). The Pearly Snaps will open, with some special guests. *Suggested* donation is $10, with a discount with a movie ticket.

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Local singer/songwriter Emily Arin to perform at Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah

MONTOUR FALLS, NY—It’s a small world indeed when a connection is made between Nuuk, Greenland, Montour Falls, New York and Park City, Utah.

In mid-2008, Montour Falls-based singer/songwriter Emily Arin was notified that her song “When You Knew Me When” had been selected as part of the soundtrack to Nuummioq, Greenland’s first-ever feature film production.

In December of ‘08, Nuummioq’s producer, Mikisoq H. Lynge, learned that his film was accepted into the World Cinema Dramatic competition at the prestigious annual Sundance Film Festival hosted in Park City, Utah. Only thirteen films out of more than a thousand entries were chosen in this category.

In celebration of the inspiring trajectory of the first Greenland/Inuit produced film, a post-premiere concert has been scheduled at the Sundance ASCAP Music Café on Sunday, January 24 from 9pm-midnight in Park City. A handful of musicians from the soundtrack will take the stage. Emily Arin will be among them.

“When You Knew Me When” (produced by Chad Crumm) has not been officially released, but is available for purchase as part of Arin’s Impossible Fleet project (www.impossiblefleet.com). $1 buys Slipstream, a 4-song EP that includes the song.

In addition to songwriting and performing, Emily Arin currently works as the Literacy Volunteer Coordinator of Schuyler County, New York—a component of the Economic Opportunity Program headquartered in Elmira, New York.

EMILY ARIN’S SONGWRITING BIO
With her plaintive, at times delicate voice, singer/songwriter Emily Arin weaves tales concerned with the heavy graces of being human. She explores experiences where shadows and light converge and transformation is offered as a possibility. Deep in the bones of Arin’s songs, one can trace the wide-ranging mix of influences from Hank Williams and Memphis Minnie to Leonard Cohen, Nick Drake, Caetano Veloso, Tom Waits, Sybille Baier and Gillian Welch.

“The most talented solo artist to emerge in Ithaca in recent years, Emily Arin writes with profound emotional intimacy and honesty and has an exquisite voice to boot,” said Luke Z. Fenchel of the Ithaca Journal. “Her talent is on par with early Gillian Welch, Jana Hunter and Nina Nastasia.”

In late summer of 2007 Arin moved from her native Los Angeles to Schuyler County, NY to focus on developing her songwriting skills without the distractions of the big city. Since relocating to the Southern Tier, she has expanded her body of work, performed regularly in Ithaca and New York City, debuted in Austin, Texas and been joined by a stellar backing band.

“Songwriting for me is a process of distillation,” explains Arin. “My aim is to arrive at an essence—to repeatedly filter an idea/emotion until lyrics, melody, and rhythm combine to form an honest vehicle for sharing life’s poignancy, playfulness and mystery.” Whether autobiographical songs of love and longing, or third person waltzes and ballads, Arin’s inventiveness with language and melody hold court.

This past year, her songs have captured the affection of radio luminary, Vin Scelsa (Idiot’s Delight, WFUV), and garnered praise from Kim Ruehl on No Depression’s website where she was named one of the “top five unknown artists you love.” Her song “When You Knew Me When” was recently selected for the soundtrack to Greenland’s first international feature film “Nuummioq” alongside work from Giant Sand, Howe Gelb, Matt Bauer and Nive Nielson.

Other 2009 highlights include opening for John Darnielle (The Mountain Goats) at Ithaca College and working with Greg Weeks (Espers, Language of Stone) to record her first full-length studio album slated for release in early 2010. Emily Arin will also be appearing on albums by Artanker Convoy (Social Registry) and Jennie Lowe Stearns in early 2010.

ABOUT NUUMMIOQ
The most ambitious film ever to emerge from Greenland, and the first Greenland/Inuit–produced feature, Nuummioq tells the story of a young man’s odyssey from mundane existence into an acute sense of the sacred. Like most regular guys in the tiny capital city, Malik works, cavorts with buddies, and fools around—toggling between Danish and Kalaallisut languages. All at once, when he discovers he’s very ill, mortality intrudes. Keeping the news to himself, Malik accompanies his cousin on a boat trip. What begins as an unremarkable outing becomes a transcendent journey at the edge of the world as he grapples with his elusive past and tunes into the present.

So breathtaking and luminous is Nuummioq’s landscape that you can almost feel the brisk air oxygenating your lungs. The tender play of shadow and light on the characters’ faces seems to suggest that we’re only a flicker in nature’s vast radiance; but during our short time here, there’s family, tradition, and maybe even love.