FREEwilliamsburg: Interview: Todd P Goes to Austin; Premieres Tonight

Tonight at the Delancey Jay Buim, one of our homies over at the awesome 'zine Free Danger (and one part Rude Dude), will be premiering his documentary Todd P Goes to Austin. This SXSW adventure, following some of the hottest bands on the DIY scene, showcases local legendary promoter Todd Patrick. Come out and celebrate tonight with performances by Team Robespierre, So So Glos, some super secret guests, and a DJ set by the man himself-- Todd P.

The film touches on a "generation of artists creating and performing music on their own terms"-- otherwise known as anything worth listening to here in our native Brooklyn. And although Todd P tends to be a contraversial topic amongst the local music community, there is no doubt that his shows, at neighborhood staples such as Market Hotel, are amongst the most enjoyably raucous ones we've ever been to.

Did we mention FREE Colt 45?? Doors @ 8pm, Movie starts at 9pm; FREE with RSVP!!

We got a chance to catch up with Director Buim about the meaning of DIY, the death of the record label, and the best eats in Austin, TX-- check out the rest of the EXCLUSIVE interview, and details about tonight's event, after the jump...

FREEburg: So Jay, how did you you first get hooked up with Todd Patrick?

Jay Buim: In the summer of 2006 I was leaving to go to LA to work on a documentary and Todd helped me throw a going away party. It was at this lunch spot across from the Death Star waste treatment plant in Greenpoint. The Death Set, Heloise and the Savoir Faire, and Drop the Lime played. At one point someone brought out a large tray of hot dogs. It was magic.

He's a bit of an enigma-- What was your approach to get Todd P involved with the film?

It was pretty straightforward. I told Todd that I wanted to make a documentary about him, he humored me and went along with the idea. The first interview I did with him was on top of an abandoned oil container down by the water with a romantic view of Manhattan.

How did the film come to fruition? Was this a statement you were trying to make about the current music scene? Or were you trying to portray what Todd has been doing in the music scene himself?

I borrowed a camera from a friend and started shooting interviews with Todd and shows he would put on. My friends Taylor [Cohen] and Otto [Arsenault] in LA agreed to help me and they started shooting shows out West. As SXSW came around I convinced some more of my friends to help out and we borrowed whatever we could and set out to shoot, somehow accumulating almost 150 hours of footage.

I wanted to make this movie because I thought what Todd was doing was a greatly needed service to our community and from that all this amazing and exciting music was getting made and heard. I wanted to capture that as it was happening. Also on top of that Todd is one of the most interesting people I have ever met.

What does DIY mean to you? And how is what's happening now, namely in Brooklyn, different from DIY movements of past generations?

DIY to me means not making excuses for not doing something, not worrying about failing, pretty much just working hard and doing what you feel like you have to do. I don’t think what’s happening now is much different from the past except for the fact that the networks have gotten larger and stronger thanks to the internet, Myspace etc. Bands have been traveling around in shitty vans and buses forever and that is not going to change anytime soon.

With the death of the record label and the overabundance of quality music because of the Internet, where do you think the industry is heading?

Since there is less money for business lunches the people who were in it for the wrong reasons will leave and go on to other things. But there will always be people who care about getting good music out there, maybe more people taking it into their own hands now than before. Its like hitting the reset button, getting a fresh start.

A lot of footage in Todd P Goes to Austin was shot by the bands themselves-- why did you decide to get the bands involved behind the camera?

I wanted to film everyone as they were touring down to Austin simultaneously so it was out of necessity. Most of the bands were friends of mine but I didn’t really know Mika Miko personally so I figured that anything they would shoot themselves would be much better than what a stranger in their van would get. That sounds weird-- “stranger in their van.”

What do you think was the standout performance at SXSW '09?

Pictureplane and HEALTH at Ms. Beas.

I know you're a big fan of food-- What was your favorite meal/restaurant find on the road?

I am not a 400lb man but the Kerbey Lane Café in Austin has this spicy queso dip with two scoops of guacamole in it that will make you want to stop there before your 6AM flight out of Austin.

What is the craziest thing that happened when you were out in Austin?

At the end of the week, after being up for who knows how long, Todd decides to throw an after hours party. After trying to find the location under the freeway it turns out that a hooker had died, bringing in ambulances and lots of cops. One of the people in our car starts throwing up in the middle of the street right in front of the cops.

Everyone was either losing their mind or sleeping, trying to convince zombies to shoot wasn’t easy. The footage shot that night looks like even the camera was tired. Todd finds another place for the show. As Ninjasonik are playing, Spankrock and Blaqstarr show up, Diplo starts playing drums and somehow it all seamlessly morphed into a Deer Tick whisky jam that didn’t end til 7 in the morning.

What do you have in store for us in the future?

I’m doing research right now for my next documentary, making a video for my friends Future Islands and I’m moving back to NJ to write a script about the Jersey Devil. Also my girlfriend and I make a whole mess of work under the name Free Danger too.

And finally, if you were a sandwich, what kind would you be?

Whitefish, sable, capers, onions and cream cheese.