keith calder

It was afros and pleated shirts; James Brown and Bootsy Collins. It was the ’70s, and an inner-city Houston high school was about to make history. Charismatic band leader, Conrad “Prof” Johnson would turn the school’s mediocre jazz band into a legendary funk powerhouse.

Now, 35 years later, his students prepare to pay tribute to the man who changed their lives, the 92-year-old Prof. Some haven’t played their horns in decades, still they dust off their instruments determined to retake the stage to show Prof and the world that they’ve still got it.

“Thunder Soul” is my first documentary as a producer, and I have to say that I love this film so much that it turns me into a shameless promoter whenever I discuss it. Mark Landsman has crafted a wonderful story about music, mentorship, education, hope, and funk. I laugh throughout and literally cry at least twice every time I watch this film, and I’ve probably seen it over 30 times at this point.

We’re premiering “Thunder Soul” at SXSW in March.  If you’re going to be at the festival, I highly recommend you come to a screeing. You can find all the screening details on the official SXSW page for “Thunder Soul”, but here is a summary.

• Saturday, March 13. 11:00am - Paramount Theatre
• Monday, March 15. 6:45pm - Alamo Lamar 2
• Friday, March 19. 2:30pm - Paramount Theatre

You’re going to see more posts about “Thunder Soul” on my blog and my twitter feed from now on, and I’m excited to introduce the world to the film.