Dave Hoekstra has scheduled more screenings of his “The Center of Nowhere” documentary about the rich musical history of Springfield, Missouri, as he seeks to find digital distribution for his film.
Hoekstra, a former Chicago Sun-Times columnist and longtime Route 66 enthusiast, has been working on the film for seven years. According to a feature in Forbes magazine:
In the process, the writer, director and co-producer whittled down nearly 27 hours of interviews with 30 participants into a 95 minute documentary that tells the story of the Springfield music scene.
Hiding in the shadow cast by cities like New Orleans, Nashville, Memphis and Austin, Springfield never quite makes the conversation of great American music cities. The first words spoken by Hoekstra in The Center of Nowhere describe it as “the last overlooked pocket of American popular music.” The question is how, in the age of the internet where nothing remains a secret, could that happen?
“I think the one thing is the isolation there. And they talk about that in the documentary. Robbie Fulks always talks about that – how it’s a hard place to get to,” said Hoekstra. “I’ve been there 30 times and I’ve never flown. I guess you could fly into Branson. But it is really isolated. I think that’s led to some of the purity that’s come out of there – some of the ‘Show Me State’ rebelliousness. They’ve got their own way of doing things down there.”
Today, in an era driven by convenience, Springfield may be tough to get to. But there was a time when its location off of Route 66 as a railroad hub made it easily accessible. That brought people from all over which lent a real diversity to a music scene that grew to feature elements of folk, country, rockabilly, rock and roll, soul, gospel, doo wop and more.
Other notable factors of why Springfield became an unlikely musical destination:
- The popularity of “The Ozark Jubilee” television program broadcast from the Jewell Theatre in Springfield during the late 1950s.
- Songwriter Wayne Carson, who wrote “The Letter” and “Always On My Mind,” set up a recording studio in Springfield.
- Highly respected producer Lou Whitney, who also played bass in local bands such as The Morells and The Skeletons, set up a studio in Springfield, as well, that attracted acts from all over the nation ranging from punk rock to country and gospel.
Whether Springfield will remain a small musical Mecca remains to be seen. Carson died in 2015, and Whitney died the year before that.
Hoekstra said his main motivation is to find digital distribution — such as Netflix — for “The Center of Nowhere” and “pay everybody back” who worked on the film. He’d sell DVDs, except clearing musical rights for the songs in the film is expensive.
Upcoming screenings for “The Center of Nowhere” are below:
- Aug. 21-22 at Queen City Shout! in Springfield, Missouri
- Sept. 11 at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn, Illinois
- Sept. 13 at AmericanaFest in Nashville, Tennessee
Here’s the trailer for the film:
(Image of “The Center of Nowhere” publicity image via Facebook)
I got to see “Center of Nowhere” last night. If any of you get the chance to see it, I strongly encourage you to do so. Everyone knows Springfield is the home of Brad Pitt and the Ozark Mountain Daredevils to name a few big names. But this documentary centers on people who call/called it home that are who shaped the music industry but are not big name people to most. Hoekstra has done a wonderful job of telling their story while highlighting a lot of things that make this Springfield unique from the other 37 or so Springfields in the USA. I can’t wait for it to be available on video/DVD so I can have my very own copy. Lots of familiar faces for this Springfield native, kind of like getting to have a visit from a lot of long-time friends that its been so long since you saw them that you kind of forgot how cool they really are.