Danielson Documentary

Saturday night my wife and I strolled into Silver Spring to enjoy a screening of DANIELSON: A FAMILY MOVIE {OR, MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE HERE} (for a quick synopsis, click here) at the AFI Silverdocs Documentary Festival. The film follows the journey of Daniel Smith, musician extraordinaire from New Jersey and his rotating band, which includes family members and friends. It is a very good meditation on the intersection of faith and art, the joy of creating, and the struggle to become known and accepted by sometimes suspicious listeners. Throughout the film Daniel (known by his stage name as Brother Danielson) maintains a positive gait, and the viewer can't help but smile.

Of the myriad of topics that arise from viewing, the one I am currently most intrigued by is the spiritual dimension of creating. Brother Danielson insists that he doesn't think too much about the creative process when writing music. He allows for it to just happen, relying and trusting the Holy Spirit to produce what is intended. That trust never wavers, even when audience members are left baffled by the result. Here Brother Danielson, because of his faith, submits to a higher force, willing to forgo audience expectation in order to serve God. And the result is an interesting blend of sonic folk music and performance art not easily understood yet fully accessible. The audience member, regardless of his or her own spiritual expectation, is forced to simply experience. The words and music (and look) aren't the typical CCM faux-asthetic that manufactures emotion upon a listener. Rather it defies expectation and recognizes the complexity of the human condition and how it relates to true spiritual needs.

We currently live in a culture that values the separation of the secular and sacred. Much art is focused not on religious themes, as it was in the past, but rather on thoughts and ideas that rub against traditional notions of the sacred. We have a vibrant secular culture which too often looks at the sacred with some contempt (real and imagined). Here Brother Danielson and his band don't conceive of their music outside of their faith. Their faith is their creative force, serving God without fakiness. Of course what happens is confusion by both Christian and non-Christian. One group doesn't have the cultural framework to be moved by the sound, the other may be put-off by the apparent "self-indulgence" of it (as one of the club intelligentsia put it in the film).

Fans of Sufjan Stevens will also certainly enjoy the film. As an integral part of the band, he provides an interesting counter-balance to Daniel's vision. Sufjan's subsequent rise as a solo artist contrasts Danielson's continual struggle to breakthrough. However, both seem to stay true to their own particular vision, unwilling to compromise. And Daniel keeps smiling and creating. Also, those from Baltimore should note the scenes shot from one of the coolest venues on the planet, Ottobar!!!

Anyway, before I ramble on and on and on too long, look for it on DVD in the future. If you're a fan of strange folk music or good documentary filmmaking, check it out!!!