Gibson has announced the launch of its new production company, Gibson Films, which promises to deliver free-to-stream in-depth documentaries of music legends and emerging artists. It’s kicked things off with a 62-minute long documentary which lifts the lid on Slah, Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators working with Grammy-winning producer Dave Cobb for the 2022 album, 4.
The Making of 4 film deep dives into the history and influences behind of Slash Ft. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators (SMKC). The band have produced four albums in just over a decade together, clocking up a dizzying amount of air miles in the process.
The film features candid interviews with the top hat-touting guitarist, his SMKC bandmates and Dave Cobb. The new documentary, which thankfully doesn't sit behind a paywall, also includes live performances of a number of the album’s tracks, filmed in a rustic warehouse space. It offers viewers a peak behind the curtains of the famed recording studio RCA Studio A in Nashville, where the record was captured.
Despite it being a recording method that would make other producers faint, Cobb insisted on recording the album live. That saw the band, amps, drums and all blasting the songs out in the same room for an organic feel.
Says Slash: “Dave and I were both on the same page for what production we wanted; we performed the whole thing live with the drums in the room and it was a balls-to-the-wall live session, which no producer has ever let me do before. I think people will really appreciate the behind-the-scenes peek at the making of 4.
“This special room at RCA allowed us to play totally live like we were in a club. Out of all of the records we have done as a band, 4 shows how much further we have arrived as a band from where we started. This record is the best we’ve done so far and we’re showing no signs of slowing down.”
Gibson Films has been launched to “capture musical moments of cultural impact, and explore the stories of iconic and emerging music legends, delving into the captivating narratives of iconic musicians.” Alongside big-name features, Gibson Films says it will also support emerging musical acts.
Its debut documentary was directed by Gibson Media Director Todd Harapiak and executive produced by a three-strong team in Gibson President and CEO Cesar Gueikian, Jeff Varner (Revelation Management) and Slash. Plenty more documentaries are expected to follow.
The launch coincides with the expansion of Gibson Media, which included the launch of Gibson Records in 2021, Gibson TV, an online network creating original series and the Gibson app which offers players an AI-powered interactive guitar-learning experience.
“The inspiration behind Gibson Films stems from a passion for storytelling,” explains Todd Harapiak, Gibson Media director.
“We’ve always been inspired by the idea of merging musicians and filmmakers, coming together to celebrate stories that will span a diverse array of genres. To be able to collaborate with Slash and The Conspirators for our first film release was both an extraordinary and memorable experience. I’m thrilled about this expansion of Gibson Media and look forward to transporting audiences into the realm of sound and vision.”
“For the last three years, Todd Harapiak and I have dreamt about expanding our storytelling into full-length feature films,” adds Mark Agnesi, director of brand experience at Gibson Brands. “We want to give music fans around the world a glimpse behind the curtain on the artists and the stories that only Gibson can tell. This is only just the beginning.”
Slash and co kick off a 2024 world tour next week, taking the band first through South America before dates in Australia, Asia and Europe. Taking in 39 cities across 25 countries, with Mammoth WVH – who has just helped bring back the EVH Striped Series Shark – The Struts and Rose Tattoo among its support acts.
For more info about the tour, head to SlashOnline.com.
