Scene and Heard

Every decade or so boasts a local scene with bands to watch and a camaraderie heated by bouts of drinking, smoking, dancing and shouting in one another's ears about social change and that girl sitting next to you, isn't she hot? A rite of passage for every generation, the scene hones tastemakers and cliques, ingenues and habitués, insiders and outsiders: It's a Bohemian rubbing of elbows that somehow prepares us to take on the real world with new eyes.

Filmmaker Richard Matson saw these qualities and more in the indigenous indie scene of his home town of Little Rock, Arkansas, and endeavored to somehow capture its minor revolution on film to create Towncraft, a sprawling interview-and-concert doc, soundtrack CD and book. The project has since grown to include a website documenting and linking scenes in other cities. Appropriately, a screening and live concert featuring Little Rock bands will help kick off this weekend’s DenverFest 3 local-music showcase tonight at 6 p.m. at 3 Kings Tavern, 60 South Broadway; for information about DenverFest ticket packages, go to www.dfesthq.com. And to interact with Towncraft online, go to www.towncraftmovie.com.
Fri., Aug. 31, 6 p.m.