Published: June 14, 2009 08:57 pm      

Film shines spotlight on Old Time music lifestyle

GLEN LYN, Va. — As he sat in a lawn chair beneath the awning of his rustic travel trailer, two people approached documentary filmmaker, Chris Valluzzo. The woman introduced herself as Gill, nodded in the direction of her husband, Bill Millar, and engaged in a conversation as though they had known each other for years.

“This happens everywhere we go,” Charlotte Valluzzo said as she prepared a plate of Goldfish crackers for Isabella, the Valluzzo’s 19-month-old daughter. “People know Chris, and they just come up and start talking to him.”

The Millars and Valluzzo spoke briefly, but soon left to take in the last part of Dr. Alan Jabbour’s workshop on the Henry Reed method of playing fiddle. “Jill and Bill are from England,” Chris Valluzzo said. “I met her online a few weeks ago. She was looking for some information on our new project, ‘Why Old Time?,’ and when I told her I was planning to be here at the Henry Reed Fiddlers’ Convention, she said that she and Bill would try to look me up.

“We have had a lot of interest in the new DVD overseas, and advance sales have been good in the United States,” Valluzzo said. “We just received our first order from Hawaii last week, so now we can say that we have had orders from every state in the United States. That’s pretty cool.”

“Why Old Time?,” will be released nationally on Tuesday, but people can get a sneak peak by visiting (www.whyoldtime.com). This will mark the fifth project that Valluzzo, 35, and his documentary production partner, Sean Kotz, have teamed up to create. Valluzzo and Kotz were both born in December. “At first, we wanted to call our company Sagittarius Productions, but when we found out that name had been taken, we decided to call it, Horse Archer Productions,” Valluzzo said. “It means about the same thing.”

While the production company’s name may not be a household word yet, the company’s productions have exhibited strong regional appeal. The company’s first project, “Hokie Nation” (2007) earned praise among Virginia Tech fans. Horse Archer’s second project, “The Henry Reed Legacy,” (2009) earned the duo some solid support in Old Time Music circles. That support extends well beyond southwestern Virginia and carries into Europe and beyond. “Virginia Creepers” (2009), “Braiding Made Simple” Vol. 1, of Horse Archer’s Educational Equestrian Instructional Series (2009) is available for online orders and “The man who invented Camo” is also due out this year.

Based on the trailer for the “Why Old Time?” DVD, the project examines more than just the music from the first half of the 20th Century. Rather “Why Old Time?” takes a deeper look into the living history lifestyle that the music has generated among a growing number of people who seek a less complex way of living. The musicians and the families that enjoy the artistry of old time music are drawn to the simple beauty of music that doesn’t need artificial amplification, yet still resonates with the sweetness of the natural onomatopoeia that surrounds pockets of rural America.

Gill and Bill Millar are from Helmsley, North Yorkshire, England, a town with a population of just under 1,600 people not too far from York. The Millars are members of the Association of Friends of American Old Time Music & Dance, a group of about 500 people in England who have a great appreciation or the old time music and the lifestyle that serves as part of the mystique.

The Millars are on a four-week tour of the U.S. this trip, but on a previous visit to America, encountered a production crew from BBC Three that was working on a segment about American old time music. “The producer was from York, not far from us, but he didn’t know anything at all about old time music,” Gill Millar said.

Valluzzo hopes that Horse Archer’s new DVD will help a greater audience have more understanding of the global phenomenon that old time American music is rapidly becoming.

“People who already appreciate the music and the lifestyle can appreciate ‘Why Old Time?’ because of the people we interviewed and why they love the music,” he said. “People who are not aware of the music can learn about it.” The DVDs are $20 each and can be ordered on line at (whyoldtime.com). Valluzzo said Horse Archer is working on the possibility of regional distribution through some national chain stores.

– Contact Bill Archer at barcher@bdtonline.com