"Return To Mount Kennedy" premiers in Telluride

I had the unexpected pleasure recently of being recruited to sort out the music department on a truly remarkable documentary film by filmmaker Eric Becker called "Return to Mount Kennedy."  

This film weaves a tale that spans decades and ties together elements that most would never expect to see linked in any way.  For example: John F Kennedy, the founder of  REI (Jim Whittaker), Robert F. Kennedy, the genisis of Seattle's "grunge" scene, R.E.M's long time tour manager Bob Whitaker, Illinois senator Chris Kennedy, the ascent of an uncharted peak in Canada during the 1960s, environmentalism and social justice.

Interested yet!? 

Believe it or not, all of these things ARE actually connected in a pretty fascinating way.  You can see the trailer below for for more on how but what really drew me to the project was the ambitious soundtrack.

It's pretty rare for documentary films to have much muscle in the soundtrack department because lets face it, music is expensive and docs are usually pretty cheap but this project was a real convergence of music, culture and activism in a way that produced fantastic creative results on screen.

We had Eddie Vedder doing much of the original music in the film as well as classic songs from R.E.M., Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Mudhoney, Lord Huron, Soulsavers & Mark Lanegan, Mogwai and even the 60s crooner Dion.

Sub Pop Records will be releasing the soundtrack commercially and the film premiered Friday at the Telluride Mountain Film Festival  Take a look at the trailer below featuring the gorgeous song "Winter Is Passing" by Australian artist Luluc.

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