By DAVE DALY — Gibson Brands hosted the SXSW world premiere party for All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records, the documentary on the famous Tower Records chain.
The Gibson Austin Showroom was transformed into a classic Tower Records store for the event on Monday night at 8 p.m. It had listening kiosks, record racks with vintage vinyl, an in-store performance stage, and memorabilia provided by the Center for Sacramento History.
Gibson Brands recently acquired the historic Tower Records Sunset Strip location in Los Angeles. The company is in the process of a renovation to restore the space while paying tribute to the legendary music store.
The Tower Records store on Sunset Boulevard was considered the center of the Los Angeles music scene for decades.
Established in 1960, Tower Records was once a retail powerhouse with 200 stores, in 30 countries, on five continents. From humble beginnings in a Sacramento drugstore, Tower Records eventually became the heart and soul of the music world, and a powerful force in the music industry.
Many people took to YELP to express sadness over the company’s closing.
In 1999, Tower Records made $1 billion. In 2006, the company filed for bankruptcy. What went wrong? Everyone thinks they know what killed Tower Records: The Internet. But that’s not the story.
All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records is a feature documentary film examining this iconic company’s explosive trajectory, tragic demise, and legacy forged by its rebellious founder, Russ Solomon.
The film was directed by Colin Hanks, son of actor Tom Hanks. It was written by Steven Leckart and produced by Sean Stuart. The film raised $92,025 on Kickstarter, $42,025 more than its goal of $50,000.
All Things Must Pass Screening Times and Locations:
Tuesday, March 17 at 11 a.m., Topfer Theatre at ZACH (World Premiere); Thursday, March 19 at 7:15 p.m., Alamo Slaughter; Friday, March 20 at 8:45 p.m., Stateside Theatre
Gibson’s Other SXSW Events
Gibson is involved with a variety of events during SXSW including:
Rdio Sessions at the Gibson Showroom
March 17 through 19, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily
As the exclusive music streaming partner of the Gibson Showroom at SXSW, Rdio will host a series of recording sessions with festival performers including Wolf Alice (U.K.), Andrew Combs (U.S.), Joywave (U.S.), Sheepdogs (Canada), Tei Shi (Argentina/U.S.), Silva (Brazil), Ryn Weaver (U.S.), and more. Recordings from the Rdio Sessions at the Gibson Showroom will be released exclusively on Rdio throughout 2015. Gibson will also be curating its own Rdio Station during SXSW with guest artist curators. The Gibson Rdio station will launch after SXSW.
GRAMMYPro Studio at the Gibson Showroom
March 20, noon to 6 p.m.
The Recording Academy will host live performances and in-depth interviews for Grammy members at the showroom. YouTube Live will feature the live streamed content.
Gibson Brands Partnering with The dFm and Nylon Magazine @ W Hotel
March 19 and 20, 1 p.m., 3 p.m Brunch; 5 p.m.–10 p.m. Music Showcase
Intimate brunch and exclusive live performances at Austin’s W Hotel. Artists include
Tei Shei, Cody Simpson, Night Terrors of 1927 and more.
Maggie Mae’s Gibson Room
Throughout SXSW
Each year, the Gibson Room at 6th Street’s premier SXSW venue, Maggie Mae’s, is home to a variety of high profile events. For additional information, please visit www.maggiemaesaustin.com.
Gibson Brands Listening Lounge
Throughout SXSW
Gibson will have a dedicated lounge in their showroom profiling their latest Pro Audio innovations. Gibson Brand’s headphones, Bluetooth products, Cakewalk, TASCAM, Gibson cables and other quality products will be on display.
Gibson Memphis Sponsors Roky Erickson’s Ice Cream Social
March 20 at 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Threadgills South
Gibson is sponsoring Roky Erickson’s annual Ice Cream Social at Threadgill’s in the heart of Austin. Erickson is known worldwide as a pioneer of psychedelic rock. He will be presented with a Gibson ES 335 to honor his musical legacy.
