Long before MTV came to town, a group of teenagers created a rowdy Bay Area cable music show called SOUNDWAVES.
They spent the next 25 years and 500 episodes breaking every rule in the book!
In the beginning, the show was unblinking live TV, and the behend-the-scenes cameras kept rolling. Like a real-life rock and roll Boyhood, the cast of Soundwaves literally grew up in front of the cameras.
But when the music industry changed forever, Dennis Willis, Steven Kirk and Joe McCaffrey found themselves on the analog side of a digital revolution.
There was only one option: Start breaking rules all over again!
Featuring rare footage, stills, and exclusive interviews with musicians, producers and fans, WELCOME TO SOUNDWAVES is an entertaining and surprisingly honest look at the power of music and friendship, and the need to remain relevant in a digital age.
WELCOME TO SOUNDWAVES is a love letter to an era that found an entire generation connecting with music through MTV, the Walkman, and the explosion of all-day music festivals. The music video generation is the most dedicated nostalgic group in pop culture history, and even now, the influences of the 80s are everywhere. It’s the party that never ends!
THE SOUNDWAVES MOVIE?
Soundwaves producer (and San Francisco-based film critic) Dennis Willis needed some convincing. “When you’re so deeply embedded in something, it’s hard to see it for what it is. But once you back up and look down at all those people as characters as opposed to you and your friends, you realize there’s something special there.”
Production ramped up slowly, with a handful of interviews shot by Director of Photography Wayne Hess. But there was still a critical story element missing that would propel the film into it’s final act. “For the longest time, there was no ending,” said longtime co-producer and host Steven Kirk. “And then life comes along and kicks you in the balls.”
Not soon after, the cast of Soundwaves experienced a series of amazing opportunities and unforeseen personal tragedies. It was the best and worst of both worlds, and the cameras were rolling.
Acclaimed filmmaker Tricia Creason-Valencia (Changing Boundaries: The History of San Jose) joins the production as Creative Producer; co-producer Blu de Golyer (House of Good and Evil) will oversee distribution.
WELCOME TO SOUNDWAVES features interviews with key members of the Soundwaves cast and crew over the years, as well as TV and radio personalities Dave Morey, Peter Finch, Dan Ashley, Renee Richardson, Greg McQuaid, Steve Brown, as well as John Wetton (Asia) and legendary artist Roger Dean.