News on a pair of interesting documentaries surfaced tonight:

  • Dave Grohl will direct and produce Sound City, a feature-length documentary about the legendary recording studio in Van Nuys, California.
  • GoDigital acquired The Big Fix, a documentary about the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, for release on June 19.

Hit the jump for more on both movies, including trailers.

sound city logo

Grohl gushed to Variety:

"Sound City is a film about America's greatest unsung recording studio.  Deep in California's sun-burnt San Fernando Valley, it was the birthplace of legend.  It was witness to history."

Sound City has hosted Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty, Cheap Trick, Guns N' Roses, Fear, Rage Against the Machine, Slipknot, Nine Inch Nails, and Metallica over the years.  Also, it's where Grohl laid down the drum tracks for Nirvana's Nevermind in 1991.  Grohl will incorporate interviews with the artists and producers who have recorded at Sound City to "discuss the human element of music in an age of technology and feature performances from many of the artists."  Here's an early teaser trailer:

The Big Fix comes from the husband-and-wife directing and producing team Josh and Rebecca Tickel (Fuel).  They examine "the massive April 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico following the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig."  The documentary premiered at Cannes last year with the likes of Tim Robbins, Peter Fonda, and Jason Mraz lending their names to the production as producers.  Mraz even recorded the song “Collapsible Plans" for the feature.  THR reports that GoDigital will join forces with Lionsgate to release The Big Fix on VOD and DVD on June 19.  Here's the trailer:

Here's the press release for Sound City:

(May 1, 2012, Los Angeles, CA) – Confirming widely circulated rumors, Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters and Nirvana announced today that he will direct and produce a feature Documentary film, SOUND CITY about the infamous recording studio in Van Nuys, California. The film was conceived by Grohl after purchasing the legendary Neve 8028 recording console from Sound City Studios last year. The console, built in 1972, is considered by many to be the crown jewel of analog recording equipment, having recorded such artists as Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty, Cheap Trick, Guns and Roses, Fear, Nirvana, Rage Against the Machine, Slipknot, Nine Inch Nails, Metallica, and countless other musical legends over the past 40 years.

Through interviews with the artists and producers that created decades of musical history at Sound City, the film will showcase the amazing history of the studio, focus on the albums recorded there that went on to change the world, discuss the human element of music in an age of technology, and feature performances from many of the artists that called it "home".

Grohl's personal connection to Sound City began with the 1991 recording of Nirvana's breakthrough album, "Nevermind". Selling over 30 million copies worldwide, “Nevermind” changed the entire musical landscape and forever altered the course of Dave Grohl's life.

Roswell Films, a division of the Roswell Records label that releases Foo Fighters music, will distribute the film. Key personnel involved with the film include Producer/Director Dave Grohl; Editor Paul Crowder (Dogtown & Z Boys, Once In a Lifetime, Riding Giants); and Writer Mark Monroe (The Cove, Once In a Lifetime, The Tillman Story). The film is also being produced in conjunction with Jim Rota, John Ramsay, and Therapy studios.

Speaking to both the art of music and the art of filmmaking, Grohl crafted the letter below to share his vision for the film. Information and future announcements related to the film can be found at www.soundcitymovie.com

the big fix poster