Free and open to the public!

Q&A and live recording session with filmmakers Alex Steyermark and Lavinia Jones Wright and musicians Glenn Patscha, Fiona McBain, and Liz Tormes (The Big Bright).

The 78 Project Movie chronicles Alex Steyermark and Lavinia Jones Wright’s journey across the U.S. to record today’s musical artists performing the early American songs that inspired a century of popular music—exactly as they were originally recorded, instantaneously, on one-of-a-kind 78 rpm lacquer discs. Recording sessions take place in backyards, living rooms, or wherever the equipment can be set up. The “one-take” aspect of recording directly to vinyl focuses and energizes the performers; one can feel something intimate happening as they sing. Inspired by Alan Lomax and his quest to record music where it lived throughout the early 20th century, the film celebrates the artistry and craft that spontaneously captured America’s most authentic musical forms. Following the film, a recording session will be cut on vinyl live at the Walter Reade Theater. Presented in association with Americanafest NYC at Lincoln Center Out of Doors.