October 23rd, doors open 7, screening runs 7:30 to 8:30 pm.
ON JOY & SORROW – THE GLASS PRISM STORY
The Glass Prism rose to rock ‘n roll fame in the 1960s using the poetry of Edgar Allan Poe as the lyrics to its groovin’ progressive rock tunes, but the group’s journey to stardom was quickly snuffed out like so many bands of the time. Now the guys are back and ready to rock again!
An Official 2009 Selection of the Philadelphia Independent Film Festival and the Flint Film Festival of Flint, Michigan. From associate producer/co-writer Sarah, editor Matt Lewis, (both ALLENTOWN RESIDENTS), and producer Bob Ross (Jim Thorpe). The three filmmakers will be in attendance at the screening on Oct. 24 in the Silk Lounge.
Doors open 7, screening runs 7:30 to 8:30 pm.
The event is open to the public.
The official blogsite for the film is: onjoyandsorrow.blogspot.com
The YouTube link to the trailer is HERE.
Nineteenth century poetry and 1960s rock ‘n roll converge in the documentary-
“On Joy & Sorrow: The Glass Prism Story.”
The Glass Prism was a psychedelic band from 1960s Scranton, PA, credited with creating the first
“concept album.” The band adopted the poems of Edgar Allan Poe as the lyrics for each song on
their entire first album, “Poe Through The Glass Prism,” which was recorded and engineered by
the legendary Les Paul.
The album scored big on the Billboard and Cash Box charts and the foursome of blue-collar coal country boys found themselves riding a tidal wave of success. Despite soaring popularity, the loss of a lucrative national tour with the world-famous Blood, Sweat & Tears and the disappearance of the group’s manager stalled the Prism’s progress and halted their rise to fame.
This film chronicles their formation as the poppy teen group the El Caminos, transformation to the groovy Glass Prism, decline amid the 1970s hard rock scene and the ultimate decision to reunite and start rockin’ again with their first big concert in 40 years. The film contains in-depth interviews from the founding members, the ever-loyal fans, an Edgar Allan Poe expert, and the late Les Paul, plus footage from two live concerts the group completed during the making of the documentary.
The film takes the viewer to Scranton, Philadelphia and New York City, and from the 1960s to the present, with expert use of archival film footage and historic images of the band.
