‘Why Old Time?‘ Why Not

Music Documentary Focuses On The Old Time Music, Culture Of Appalachia

FLOYD, Va.  – After a year in production, Horse Archer Productions has released a documentary about the old time music and culture of Appalachia called, “Why Old Time?” that is getting attention in some surprising places.
In just three weeks of Internet sales from their http://www.whyoldtime.com, Horse Archer Productions has sold copies in every state of the union, plus sales in Canada, England, Ireland, France, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Australia, Finland and even Japan.
“When we started this documentary, we began asking why so many people in the 21st century were drawn to music that was old 100 years ago,” said Chris Valluzzo, co-producer and co-director of the full length feature documentary, noting that some of the most played tunes originated before the Civil War.
In other words, the producers had been thinking largely about the appeal of the music across time rather than geographically.
“When production began, I met a few people in the scene from Europe and Japan,” Valluzzo added. “But I don’t think I really understood how far reaching and diverse it is until we were a few months into production.”
As the team traveled through the mountains of Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee, they started to get a sense of the far reaching impact of the music outside the region. 
Since much of the filming took place at fiddlers’ conventions and organized events, the crew frequently found themselves interviewing people who had traveled anywhere from a few miles to a few thousand miles just to play with friends.
“That is a big part of the whole experience,” said co-producer and co-director Sean Kotz. “What sets this music and experience apart from the highly commercial experience of most popular music is the fact that there is not really a line between audience and musician because they tend to be one in the same.”
In the age of “American Idol” and massive corporate control over the concert experience, old time fiddlers’ conventions are distinct because they are places people gather to swap tunes, sit-in on jams and camp out.
Valluzzo believes this is as much a part of the appeal as anything else.
“When you go to an old time gathering,” Valluzzo said, “you find people who have planned their whole year around the event.
“That’s because being part of the community is so important to them, which is something you can’t get from buying an overpriced ticket and standing in the middle of a screaming crowd for two hours.”
According to the directing team, this sense of community is probably the real answer to the question, “why old time?”  Over and over again, they have heard from buyers that this is a critical aspect of the film’s success.
“ I totally agree that this music is about playing together,” said Jesper Deleuran, a viewer from Denmark. “It’s about literally sitting knee to knee and playing for and with each other, and not for performing for an audience.”
The film is getting the same reaction in the United States.
According to Valluzzo, they have gotten a great deal of mail thanking them for doing the film and commenting that it captures the experience faithfully.
“That is really rewarding,” Valluzzo said, noting that the people inside the community are likely to be the harshest critics if the film was not on the mark.
“Why Old Time?” is Horse Archer Productions’ third feature documentary and they feel their experience with their first film, 2007’s “Hokie Nation,” was valuable in their more recent production.
Horse Archer also released “The Henry Reed Legacy” on DVD in June.  That film documents the life and impact of Giles County old time fiddler Henry Reed and compliments “Why Old Time?”
The Henry Reed Legacy has also sold well overseas, Kotz said.  “Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised, but it is always a bit of a kick to see an order come in from across the globe for a film about a local musician.”
Both films are available at http://www.whyoldtime.com and http://www.horsearcherproductions.com.