"Guelph's thriving art community is explored through the eyes of one of its most enduring musicians."
For Evan Gordon, art is a way of life. The son of James Gordon, Canadian folk legend, he grew up on music - and the rich arts culture of Guelph. Through the years Evan lived in many cities, but has always found himself back in his hometown, where this documentary takes place. It explores the themes of identity, living up to legacy, community and the importance of art.
Guelph, a small city of 135,000, is home to its own arts council, the Fine Arts and Music branch of UGuelph, and many independent media arts centres, backed by the City of Guelph. Guelph is host to a plethora of music festivals, including Hillside Festival, which has been running for almost 40 years.
Evan’s music career started playing live with his father at five during Hillside. During the early 2000s, he produced records as the frontman for bands, Mudpuddles and The Sad Clowns, made up of Guelph locals. Outside of his bands, Evan remained involved in local artist’s careers, supporting acts such as Jim Guthrie and Constantines. He and his brother, Geordie, later formed the pop project The Magic. They continued supporting their father, helping run the now-inoperative Pipe Street Studio, located in their family home on Pipe Street.
Evan Gordon is the lens from which we see Guelph - his history and perspective is instrumental to exploring its intimate and lively nature. He is keen and enthusiastic in being in this film.
"I like cameras and weird music. My favourite activity is pulling focus wide open on a 135mm."
"It was exciting being able to learn more about the history of the indie scene in Guelph from someone who'd lived within it."
"I'm weird and funky, and really tired. But I love music."
"I get to help my friend Penn create something he was really passionate about."
"I am an aspiring Filmmaker, I am from Canada but grew up in the U.A.E."
"I found this project exciting as I took a gap year living on Pipe Street. Despite that, I still learned a lot about someone I probably met at some point in the past."
"I'm more tapped into the worlds of comedy and musicals than movies. Honestly, I think that's for the best."
"The crew was great and the subject was great, which meant that filming was relaxed yet productive. Most of my job was passing lenses and listening to our glorious director rave about the City of Guelph. The only excitements were curious strangers approaching us, I think."
"Hi, my name is Allison Harvie, and I was the location sound recordist for Pipe St. Blues!"
"I was excited to work on this project because Penn is so very cool and awesome, and this meant his documentary was going to be very cool and awesome! So I really wanted to participate on a cool and awesome doc, so I demanded that I be his location sound recordist. And the best part is, I was right! I got the opportunity to learn about a really cool and awesome indie artist! I also got to run around the streets of Guelph holding a really long fancy stick with a dead cat attached to the end of it!"
"Hi I’m Mashaal, a student at Sheridan pursuing my passion in sound design and editing. I spend most of my time outside of protools watching cartoons and reading :)"
"At first, I really wanted to work on a music related documentary, and this one seemed pretty interesting. Once we got into production and I learned more about the subject, Evan, I found myself relating to a lot of the themes and genuinely became very interested in who he is as Sledd. Working on the sound edit for this project has been a lot of fun and I love the experimental elements to it!"
"I'm a storyteller and artist that likes to share and develop creativity. I like film, tv series, animation, music, and all sorts of media."
"Penn always has a vision that appeals to aesthetics that I enjoy. To help grow this project is a boon that I don't take lightly."
"I'm a third-year Sheridan BFTV student, whose roles normally include Camera and Writing, but occasionally expand to Directing and Transmedia Assistance."
"As someone who did not have a role in post-production, it has been very exciting watching the film grow and solidify from edit to edit. The final film is really fantastic, and knowing that this goal was growing closer every week has definitely been one of the most thrilling elements as an audience member."
"Hi, I’m Cameron, and I’m proud to be the editor of Pipe Street Blues!"
"Despite not being initially familiar with the subject and their musical background, I found their story incredibly emotionally resonant while editing, which means it should have the same effect on audiences too. Working with the director and their crew on this one was an absolute privilege and I’m looking forward to the final product!"
"Director/Editor/Cinematographer"
"I really enjoyed working on Pipe Street Blues. Working with Penn during the early editing stages to deliver and hone his vision as a creative was one of my favourite and most valued experiences as an editor so far. I am so excited to see how the Final Cut turns out to be!"