The first of five in our Dead Media suite, this doc by Dianna Dilworth explores the rising and falling fortunes of the Mellotron--the first musical keyboard to "sample" the sounds of other instruments--from its birth in a California garage in the '50s, through its dominance on concert stages in the '70s, to its near-religious cult of followers today. From the Beatles to Black Sabbath to Kanye West, Mellodrama is a 50-year odyssey of musical invention, revolution, betrayal and rediscovery, with testimonies from Brian Wilson (Beach Boys), Mike Pinder (Moody Blues), Rod Argent (The Zombies), Ian McDonald (King Crimson), Richard Chamberlin (Chamberlin Company), Tom Rhea (Berklee School of Music), and Pea Hicks (Optiganally Yours). Opening is Rick (Yes) Wakeman's half-hr. history of the instrument (visuals by David Cox), plus commentary by SF's own expert on all things Sampled, Jon "Wobbly" Leidecker. James Brundage's Mellotron is in the house for all to tickle...and an Optigan too!
