Aside from an uncredited cameo in last year's The Muppets, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl has never seemed very interested in expanding into cinema. But from Nirvana to Foo Fighters to Them Crooked Vultures, one thing that’s clear about Grohl is his deep passion for music and its creation. So it's fitting that his first foray into filmmaking would focus on music making, or more specifically on Sound City, the mythic California recording studio where acts like Fleetwood Mac, Neil Young, Foreigner, and Nirvana have laid down tracks.
Grohl directs this music history documentary that explores the space and what made it so inspiring to all those who played there. Sound City's Facebook page declares Grohl was inspired to create the doc last year after he bought the studio's "legendary Neve 8028 recording console… considered by many to be the crown jewel of analog recording equipment." You can get a look at this fetishized console below with a trailer that not only reflects Grohl's ardor with it through a vibrant visual style, but also boasts talking head interviews with Tom Petty and Trent Reznor. Check it out, and make sure your speakers are turned up!
Far from reveling in the craftsmanship of one recording device, Sound City uses the hallowed space as the base of which to explore how music evolved in the world and under its very roof. Grohl's first interaction with Sound City Studios was when he and his Nirvana bandmates were recording Nevermind back in 1991. It was a record that not only changed Grohl's life forever, but also changed the future of music.
There's no word yet on when Sound City might hit theaters, but with its niche appeal it's likely Roswell Films, its producer and distributor, will look to tour the film festival circuit to raise awareness and buzz.
