Austin to Boston

Singer-songwriter Gill Landry tellingly sums it up in the voice-over: “What drew me into this trip was the ridiculousness of it.” He’s talking about the road trip he took together with four popular bands: Ben Howard, The Staves, Nathaniel Rateliff and Bear’s Den. The plan was to go from Austin to Boston in two weeks, with each band traveling in a dilapidated Volkswagen camper, and almost each evening along the way they would play a gig. The pleasure shared by the more than 20-strong group absolutely bursts from the screen. The fast-edit, music video-style shots show the young performers having fun on the guitar behind the steering wheel, playing basketball with local kids and having a high-spirited snowball fight. And, of course, there’s plenty of practicing together – on a wooden veranda or hanging out in Central Park. These scenes are peppered with grainy shots of the caravan of buses, taking us back to the music-filled atmosphere of the 1960s. Each night brings an intimate concert performed by the musicians, and Nathaniel Rateliff’s voice sounds even deeper after discussing his not-so-carefree childhood. As the trip progresses, the musicians grow closer. But fatigue strikes, too, and the inevitable question arises: Why are they actually doing this?