The Family Jams

The Family Jams is Kevin Barkers foray into the private lives of Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newsom and Vetiver as they set off on their 2004 tour of America. Although labeled as a documentary, the film is more a collection of private home movies, a collection of raw footage as the three (relatively unknown at the time) artists travel about the states. If you approach this film not expecting to find out some in depth truths about the artists, and have an appreciation for just watching behind the scenes footage and gaining a sneak peek into the artists’ lives on the road, then you will most likely enjoy it.

I guess that is one of the films downfalls, there is not that much to engage the viewer. Although I did find it interesting in parts, there was something lacking. Barker does try to weave the thread of family ties through the film, opening the documentary with the tale of his grandmothers 100th birthday in Hawaii, but then sort of abandoning that idea all together. There is drama on the road; one of Joanna Newsoms child hood friends passes away, causing her to abandon the tour for a few shows. Devendra Banhart has some sort of uncomfortable situation with his possibly estranged father (this was not really explained very clearly). It’s almost as if Barker is inviting us to look at his musician friends lives, but not intruding too much, which raises the question, why even bother in the first place?

The film does lack drive in points, only once does Barker reveal what part of America they are playing in, which would've been a tool to help the film along, tracking the groups progress as they travel across the country... There is a cameo from Antony of Antony and the Johnsons which was good to see, he’s such a humbled musician and quite funny too. There are some intimate moments when the bands are relaxing in their hotel room and Newsom does a performance of the song she’s working on, which is the stunning Cosmia from Ys. The footage then cuts to the group doing a drunken rendition of Dreams by Fleetwood Mac. This was possibly one of my favourite moments of the film, as it really shows the musicians as what they are, just ordinary people, on tour, with a bunch of friends. And I guess that is what Barker is attempting to depict in this home movie collection/documentary. How this group of friends is more like a family…But somehow he didn’t string this idea through strongly enough.

THREE STARS