{"id":13435,"date":"2014-11-20T08:25:11","date_gmt":"2014-11-20T14:25:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bmovienation.com\/?p=13435"},"modified":"2014-11-20T08:26:27","modified_gmt":"2014-11-20T14:26:27","slug":"screen-syndicate-a-tribute-to-roberta-collins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.bmovienation.com\/?p=13435","title":{"rendered":"Screen Syndicate \u2013 A Tribute to Roberta Collins"},"content":{"rendered":"

Screen Syndicate, a side project of Southern Illinois-based Americana band Stace England and the Salt Kings, explores the fascinating history of Roger Corman\u2019s New World Pictures and the exploitation films made by the company in the 1970s. The life of actress Roberta Collins \u2014 a Hollywood story of sadly unfulfilled promise \u2014 is the vehicle used to navigate the period. Collins lit up the screen in films like THE BIG DOLL HOUSE, WOMEN IN CAGES and DEATH RACE 2000. But Collins was unable to break out of the B-movie grind, playing minor roles in increasingly poor productions before finally exiting the business. She died in obscurity in 2008. Screen Syndicate combines original songs, film clips, trailers, and other material into a unique live-music experience that pays tribute to Collins. The band has performed at numerous film festivals in the U.S. and Europe \u2014 appearing twice at SLIFF \u2014 with shows about pioneering African-American filmmaker Oscar Micheaux and Cairo, Ill. The concert will include a screening of the 1974 women\u2019s prison opus CAGED HEAT which co-starred Collins.<\/p>\n

The event takes place beginning at 8pm Saturday November 22nd on the stage at KDHX (3524 Washington\u00a0Boulevard\u200e\u00a0St Louis, MO 63103) Ticket information can be found<\/strong> HERE<\/strong><\/a> http:\/\/cagedheat.bpt.me\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Stace England hails from southern Illinois and found his creative footing in Chicago during the early \u201990s with House Afire<\/strong>, one of the first country\/roots bands in what was to become a very vibrant alt-country scene. England returned to southern Illinois and recorded a project of aggressive folk material under the name Tecumseh<\/strong>, releasing the well-received \u201cBearings\u201d in 1995. His next musical adventure was with the alt\/slasher\/country-rock outfit Jubilee Songbirds<\/strong>, which released the eclectic \u201cBirds of North America\u201d (Western Front) in 1997. England released his first solo record, \u201cPeach Blossom Special\u201d (Relay) in 1999, and a power pop CD in 2003, \u201cLovey Dovey ALL the Time\u201d (Gnashville Sounds).<\/p>\n

England\u2019s concept\/historical album \u201cGreetings From Cairo, Illinois\u201d traced Cairo\u2019s history from 1858 to the present through the Civil War, lynchings, the blues years, civil rights struggles and spectacular decline. England was joined on the CD by other top musicians. With 2007\u2019s \u201cSalt Sex Slaves\u201d England, along with his band The Salt Kings<\/strong> tackled another bizarre slice of unknown US history weaving true stories of brutal salt production, slave breeding, kidnapped free blacks and murder in a supposed Free State, and the Land of Lincoln.<\/p>\n

With 2010\u2019s \u201cThe Amazing Oscar Micheaux\u201d England and the Salt Kings set their sights on the life story of Oscar Micheaux, born in Metropolis, Illinois.\u00a0 Micheaux formed his own film company and wrote, filmed, produced and directed the sprawling epic, THE HOMESTEADER in 1919.\u00a0 It was a sensation in Chicago and other cities. Then, in a direct challenge to D.W. Griffith\u2019s racially charged Birth of a Nation Micheaux released his masterpiece, WITHIN OUR GATES in 1920, a film thought lost for almost 60 years until a copy was finally discovered.<\/p>\n

Stace England took the time to talk to We Are Movie Geeks<\/em> about Roberta Collins, Oscar Micheaux, and his past, current, and future projects.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Interview conducted by Tom Stockman November 3rd 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n

We Are Movie Geeks:<\/strong> I want to talk to you a bit about your show here on the 22nd<\/sup>. You\u2019ve got this tribute to Roberta Collins. Why her?<\/p>\n

Stace England:<\/strong> Basically my interest in that genre was really peaked by a documentary made in 2010 called MACHETE MAIDENS UNLEASHED which is a fantastic production. I\u2019ve watched it six or seven times now and it made me want to go back and watch those movies, so we did that as a band and we kept noticing Roberta in the sea of acting mediocrity and to us she really stood out as somebody having some depth. I\u2019m a huge Pam Grier fan. In those early films she\u2019s a little shaky but she gets better, but Roberta seemed to have some stature and she\u2019s the only actress that we wanted to Google and find out more about. As we did that we sort of got sucked into the whole thing. Hers wasn\u2019t quite a Rainbeaux Smith kind of tragic thing with a death at 47, but she did die a typical Hollywood death of drugs and alcohol. Nobody is sure whether or not it was a suicide. We began watching the films and wondering if anyone else had seen that there was something clearly going on there. We were speculating about that and a bunch of songs just started happening from all that dialogue and debate about that. The whole genre is fascinating. The whole thing with Roger Corman sending crews to shoot in the Philippines and that kind of stuff. The final hook that really got has them was all the writing out that described these films as women empowerment films. That was the final hook that got us. John Landis is great in MACHETE MAIDENS UNLEASHED laughing about that, but there are serious people writing about that, about these strong woman characters annihilating their oppressors. We tend to be attracted through the looking glass about that and this really fit the bill and she really becomes a vehicle for us to navigate that period, something to latch onto and weave through it.<\/p>\n

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