I got my first guitar when I was in 6^th grade.  From the moment I saw the candy red, Hohner Stratocaster imitation electric guitar, I was in love.  I played it constantly, and I wrote albums in my head.  Music washed over me in every facet of my life.  I constantly talked about it, shared it, and listened to it.  By the time I was in 7^th grade, I obtained a real drum set, and ever since that moment I have been active playing.  I love music more than almost any other thing in life, and feel that God has given it as a gift to His creation.  Any one of us can associate certain songs with certain moods and memories.  It creates nostalgia, attaching our minds and hearts to seasons we have lived through like no other creative medium can.  It facilitates community, speaks to a connection with God, and moves us physically and emotionally where words cannot.

“Thunder Soul” documents the power of music in the form of the Kashmere Stage Band, directed by Conrad “Prof” Johnson.  The band is a funk band that wiped the floor with every band in its path – professional or otherwise.  They changed the rules and sound of high school performance music – they were an all African American group who incorporated choreographed on-stage dance moves, bombastic funk, and referenced the greats like James Brown or Sly and the Family Stone.  The band was a high school band, and now they are reuniting to pay homage to what the band meant to each of their lives when they were at the direction and mentorship of their now 92 year old teacher, Conrad “Prof” Johnson.

The music in “Thunder Soul” is first rate.  Every musical moment unfolds like a magnetic electrical pulse through analog tape.  Respected veterans like DJ Shadow (of all people) come on screen to reference how Kashmere has made an impact on their artistry.  Vintage footage shows the band members rocking the stage with finesse and soul like nothing else while band members – now in their late 40’s and early 50’s – talk about how the band experience changed their lives.

If I could criticize one thing about the film, it’s that there is not one extended musical performance from the band, but rather a splicing together of various ones.  You certainly get enough to go on and get the vibe and feel of the song, but watching a front to back song from the band in high school and in present day as they re-perform the songs would have been icing on the cake.

Johnson is also featured in interviews and he is outstanding to watch and listen to.  Some of the interviews are from his days as band director as well as his reflections in present day.  While watching the film, something impacted me about music (especially in its analog format) that I have always believed but now could visually see: Music is eternal.  Though Johnson in present day cannot perform or direct like he used to, watching others play songs he has written make him timeless.  If a song is written from the heart, and someone can interpret that in a way that is meaningful to them, the result is a timeless expression of a feeling and the person who wrote it.In this case, the music was expressed and born out of a period marked by the Civil Rights movement. 

The film documents the group playing in Alabama when its then racist Governor made the statement, “Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever!” from the stage to wide applause.  Being an all black band from a black high school in Texas, they knew they weren’t exactly a favorite.  The group talks about their experience performing at a competition to hesitant and biased judges with what results in a surprising outcome.  

The way the music expresses a certain kind of joy seems reflective of the awesome forward movements being made at the time.So, let’s be honest with each other - I see a lot of movies.  I have seen a healthy amount of music documentaries, and I have seen a large amount of family films.  The family films are generally awful, featuring over simplified and saccharine expressions of far deeper things, heavy-handed melodrama, overacting, and cheap shot moral punchlines.  “Thunder Soul” is different.  The film covers topics like racism, education, peer pressure, mentorship, spirituality, life, death, community, and joy – all through the lens and power of music.  It is a perfect family film that will touch on a multitude of emotions.

Go to the theater, bring your family, neighbors, first dates, enemies, whoever and see it.  It is that good.  Throughout the film I was tearing up, laughing, and tapping my feet at what I witnessed visually and aurally.  I was affected in my heart, mind, and spirit as the events of the Kashmere Stage Band band unfolded.  I have no doubt that you will be too.

Check the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-bSBqgJbTQ