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Mouth Music

Boot-camp count-off chants, jump-rope rhymes, and carny barks are featured in this fast-moving sampler of “proto-music” from the imaginations and versatile mouths of southern folk…

Lawrence Older: Adirondack Minstrel

Lawrence Older: Adirondack Minstrel

Lawrence Older: Adirondack Minstrel

Lawrence Older [1912-1982] is a relaxed, direct and engaging performer who spent the majority of his life working in the woods. His songs and fiddle tunes are mostly from his…

Why The Cowboy Sings

Why The Cowboy Sings

Why The Cowboy Sings

The cowboy's job has always been dangerous, lonely, dusty, gory and low-paying. So why do cowboys make music, and why do they need to tell their story? Why the Cowboy Sings is a…

With These Hands

With These Hands

2009 | 1h 18mins

With These Hands

2009 | 1h 18mins

In March 2007, unable to compete with cheaper offshore production, Hooker Furniture Company closed its plant in Martinsville, Virginia, after 83 years in operation. “With These…

Wild Caught

2006 | 1h 29mins

2006 | 1h 29mins

WILD CAUGHT chronicles the lives of fisherman carrying out small scale, sustainable commercial fishing in the town of Snead's Ferry, North Carolina, and their struggles to keep…

New Life

A.R. Cole began building a barn in 1927 and asked his wife if it should be for tobacco or pottery. She did not have a preference and realized it was to be for pottery when the…

Halsted Street USA

Halsted Street USA

Halsted Street USA

Nowhere in America does a stretch of pavement slice through a more vibrant and diverse cross-section of humanity than Chicago's Halsted Street. Along its length one can view a…

Mermaids, Frog Legs, and Fillets

Mermaids, Frog Legs, and Fillets

Mermaids, Frog Legs, and Fillets

Long before the advent of hip-hop as a multi-million dollar industry, African Americans were rapping and rhyming in the street, in their neighborhoods, and on the fish market…

Edd Presnell: Dulcimer Maker

Edd Presnell: Dulcimer Maker

Edd Presnell: Dulcimer Maker

Edd Presnell, a mountain craftsman and native of Watauga County, North Carolina, demonstrates and comments on the construction of a dulcimer. Presnell learned his craft from his…

Give the World a Smile

Give the World a Smile

Give the World a Smile

For generations, the Schuyler family has lived and farmed around the Lowgap Community in North Carolina, and for generations they have produced singers who led revival meetings,…

Gandy Dancers 1973

Gandy Dancers 1973

Gandy Dancers 1973

This remarkable film features field recordings of work chants of Gandy Dancers including aligning songs and chants to knock out slack in the rail.

Its All In My Hands

Its All In My Hands

Its All In My Hands

Young Italian American shoemaker John Prince, following in his father Tony's footsteps, invites you into his shop to share the pleasure and pride he feels from his work.

Art of Ironworking

Art of Ironworking

Art of Ironworking

The culture and identity of contemporary ironworkers in southwestern Wisconsin.

Last Shovel Maker

Last Shovel Maker

Last Shovel Maker

Harvey Ward, age 87, carves beautiful grained shovels with a double edged axe.

Winter Harvest

This film documents the activities of the Bear Creek Ice Company in northeastern Pennsylvania through interviews with former employees, who describe working conditions and the…

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