Thursday Night Event:

Cue the Strings - a film about Low follows the entire career of the iconic band Low and their relationship with director Philip Harder. Low and Harder made music videos and short films together, filming on ice, in railroad yards, and in rapidly disintegrating rooms.

Low was formed in 1993. Before the band’s debut record, Harder, armed with a 16mm camera, filmed the band on Lake Superior in minus-30 windchill. At the time Low bucked rock protocol by turning their volume down and the haunting visuals helped define their minimalist approach. As Low matured they turned up and the lyrics grew more aggressive. The visuals followed suit. Year after year Harder continued to film Low’s music until the band’s last show in September 2022.

For Cue the Strings Harder went back into the vaults and reassembled all of his 16mm negatives, including outtakes, new material mixed with old, much of which has never been released. 29 years later, Low leaves the stage for the final time in their hometown of Duluth.

Director
Philip Harder is a commercial and music video director famous for iconic spots for Apple’s iPod, Gap, and Target and music videos for artists including Prince, Foo Fighters, and Cornershop. His debut 2020 feature film Tuscaloosa (Natalia Dyer, Stranger Things; Tate Donovan, Argo) brought to life the novel of the same name—a southern gothic story set in 1973 Alabama. Harder’s newest feature documentary, The Claw (2023), tells the Jekyll and Hyde story of one of the greatest supervillains in wrestling history.

Low Co-Founder, Songwriter
Thirty years into a music-making career, Alan Sparhawk finds himself entering uncharted territory. Sparhawk co-founded the band Low alongside vocalist and drummer Mimi Parker, who passed away in late 2022.

Their music derived elemental power from its fearless exploration of quiet, gentle places. Low released 13 albums and influenced a movement of spacious, graceful, intimate, and ever-evolving music. Over time, Low’s anthemic songs heightened in urgency and tone, unearthing new layers of musical exploration and lyrical questioning. Their acclaimed final album, Grammy-nominated Hey What (2021), marked a high point in their musical evolution and trajectory.

Sparhawk has recently been playing with various collaborators and projects with friends and family members, including guest appearances with Yo La Tengo, Trampled by Turtles, Peder Mannerfelt, Damien, and funk band Derecho Rhythm Section. He will perform European solo shows in November 2023.

Runtime: 01:13:00
Venue: NorShor Theatre