Hiya Folks,
Thanks for your eternal patience. We’re finally gearing up to show Sammy-Gate to the world. If you want us to come to your town, don’t hesitate to drop us a line.
Meanwhile, here’s a few kind words we just received from our favorite critic and scholar Jonathan Rosenbaum (Cahiers Du Cinema, Cinemascope)…
As you likely know, we had to delay the theatrical release of “Sammy-Gate” until next year.
However, though you may not be able to see the film yet, we are releasing a vinyl edition of the soundtrack to tide you over. We only pressed a couple hundred copies so this should be of interest to your audiophile friends.
You can purchase the album here.
And we can cut an album trailer too!
Below is the official press release…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thee J.X. Williams Archive
c/o Edward Bernays
experimentsinterror@gmail.com
www.SammyGate.com
Berlin – November 10, 2020 — Boutique label ƒa r ∂ e l™ presents a very special edition of unreleased soundtrack recordings from Noel Lawrence’s cult film “Sammy-Gate,” a dark political satire about how Sammy Davis, Jr. caused Watergate.
Available on vinyl for the first time, “Sammy-Gate” provides a stupefying dose of aural psychedelia that will plunge the listener into the polyester heart of darkness that is Sammy Davis, Jr. circa 1972…
The soundtrack includes original compositions from Kirpatrick Thomas (SPINDRIFT), Eric D. Clark (Whirlpool Productions), and Brennan Johns (Bootsy Collins’ Horn Ensemble).
Though its foot remains heavy on the wah-wah pedal, the tracks cover a staggering range of styles and genres, including psych-rock, lounge jazz, blues, classical, and analog synth.
To sustain the sonic madness at a fever pitch, the album also features a rogues’ gallery of guest collaborators:
Conceived, written, and recorded over a period of eight years in Los Angeles, Berlin and Faijal in the Azores Islands, the soundtrack for “Sammy-Gate” is a consummate labor of love and the ultimate collectible for both the cinephile and the audiophile.
Copies are available for pre-order at: https://www.diggersfactory.com/vinyl/232621/va-sammy-gate-original-soundtrack
Additional notes:
About Sammy-Gate
Equal parts Dr. Strangelove, Putney Swope, and Network, Sammy-Gate takes you on a psychedelic trip into the 1970s polyester heart of darkness. On a USO tour of Vietnam, Sammy Davis Jr. stumbles upon a CIA-sponsored plot to smuggle heroin into the United States. Through comic ineptitude mixed with noble intentions, Davis triggers a chain of bizarre missteps by the FBI, the Mafia, and the Nixon Administration that result in the Watergate scandal.
For more information about the film, visit www.SammyGate.com
About ƒa r ∂ e l™
The label baby of Alex Aikiu and Eric D. Clark:
Started in 2020, the platform offers alternatives to conventional release strategies for artists that have an inclination to doing things on their own plus in their own way…
Initially starting as an outlet for affiliations directly linked to their own productions; it has developed into a hub for Artists wishing to understand how “the industry” works; providing advice coupled with solutions; along with an expertise the two founders have garnered from decades in the professional worlds of Fashion & Music (respectively) plus an understanding of creative fruition through all mediums!
For those awaiting more information on the release of “Sammy-Gate,” I just wanted to post a long-belated update on the film.
Due to the pandemic, the team made the difficult but necessary decision to delay the theatrical release of the film.
As to the exact thought process that led to this decision, you may want to read my essay “Why I Will Not Put My Film Online” that I wrote for Filmmaker Magazine.
Since the situation is so fluid, there is no real point in giving a release date at this juncture. All I can promise is that it will be worth the wait.
Meanwhile, I will have some other news about the film soon. Thanks for your patience.
Noel Lawrence, Director of “Sammy-Gate”
Our friends from Slamdance Film Festival gave us a little shout in Variety!
“Sammy-Gate,” from director Noel Lawrence, who co-wrote the script with Darius James, is a dark satire of psychedelic history, revolving around the unique relationship between Sammy Davis Jr. and Richard Nixon. It questions whether the entertainer had anything to do with Watergate. The film, which will world premiere at the 2020 Rotterdam Film Festival, was a true Slamdance community collaboration, as Baxter served as
an executive producer.
‘”Sammy-Gate’ is an example of how Slamdance’s ‘by filmmakers for filmmakers’ ethos continues to work year round,” Baxter says. “Though film culture tends to focus on the director, filmmaking is a collective effort. It espe cially matters on a microbudget project without commer cial or institutional support, essentially being forged into existence through sheer willpower and creative labor.”
Full article below:
Just wanted to share the official poster for “Sammy-Gate”! It was designed by Seitu Hayden, apprentice of the late visionary artist Pedro Bell who is best known for designing Funkadelic’s notorious album covers. Additionally, many of the “Monopoly board” panels were originally executed by our production designer Priscilla Elliott and writer Darius James wrote the text in the comic book bubbles.
Like the film, a massive labor-intensive group effort. Thanks to everyone!
