One reason I like Silverdocs is that almost anybody you talk with will have an interesting story and be articulate about telling it.

Provo, Utah’s Christian Jensen stopped by the Festival Hub to check his e-mail (free wifi!), and I quickly learned that he’s just out of film school and has a doc-in-progress, Peace Players, which concerns a group of Palestinian and Israeli kids who come together through sports. He came to Silverdocs on his own dime to learn how the film game is played.

Here he discusses his doc-in-progress, why it’s important for unproduced producers to attend Silverdocs, and Utah’s unsung film industry. While he’s often attended his hometown festival (something called Sundance), Jensen said that he prefers Silverdocs’ more serious-minded atmosphere.

The video is about four-and-a-half minutes, shot — again — with my Canon Powershot A590. (Come on, Canon — can I get some love here?)

Sure, Silverdocs makes a big splash one week a year. But Docs in Progress is busy fighting the good fight all 365. What began as screenings of, yes, documentaries in various stages of progress at George Washington University, is now a full-time operation offering not only screenings but courses and seminars in all aspects of modern documentarianism. And, the group is now housed in the swanky Documentary House in downtown Silver Spring.

I sat down with executive director Erica Ginsberg and programs and services director Adele Schmidt for a chat about how the organization works with Silverdocs and the general community. Full disclosure: I am an alum of the DiP screening series, which proved quite helpful with my short Match Me If You Can, a portrait of D.C. legend Tommy the Matchmaker. Oh, and that film screens at the Rosebud Film and Video Festival on Saturday, June 27, at 3:30 p.m. Do join me there, won’t you?

While wandering aimlessly through downtown Silver Spring, I happened upon the following scene. A tech guy said the group was the Battalla Drummers, but even the mighty Google failed to provide confirmation or clarification.

UPDATE: Finally learned the identity of the Mystery Marching Girl Band. It was in fact the Batala Percussion Band (spelled correctly here), part of the “larger Batala family created in 1997 by Giba Gonçalves.” Savvy fellow, Giba. The D.C. branch is the newest of the international organization and the women are called “batallettes.” Watch more videos here.

Shot with my Canon Powershot A590, which is a handy device but doesn’t come close to capturing the chest-rattling intensity of the march. As Sun Tzu said, in a different context, “Make much use of drums and banners; a whole army may be robbed of its spirit.” Truly, the sound was at first rather ominous, but ultimately the spirit was absolutely enthralled.

Note that you will see me quite a bit in the downtown area next week, as I will be blogging (and vlogging!) Silverdocs, which has a very good slate this year—do check them out, won’t you? And, as always, should you enjoy any of this, feel free to click on the “Pay Me!” link and do just that. You are so welcome.

Travesty Films presents the latest in its series of helpful office-time shorts. Learn from the mistakes of others as you laugh at the mistakes of others. Because isn’t that what work is for? Enjoy.

After downloading old photos from the Library of Congress Web site, it became apparent that the men who led this nation in the past centuries were a particularly unattractive bunch. And that’s not even including Lincoln! So I put this together. Maybe we can all learn something. I know I have.

This rescued video from the fabled 1971 NBC color spectacular is the only remaining example of the unique song-stylings of this all-male singing group. Leader Guy Gold would later attempt to recapture the magic with his 1985 outfit, Guy & the New Geldings, but the police quickly put a stop to that.

Enjoy.

Ray Wallace, the Troubled Troubador, returns, this time taking inspiration from both Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan in putting one of the “Songs of the Suffering Servant” to music. He calls it “Isaiah 53 Revisited.” We call it “catchy.”

Watch it at YouTube, as I haven’t uploaded it here yet.

The Troubled Troubador, Ray Wallace, favors us with another of his trademark songs, “Death to SMERSH,” captured live in Sligo Creek Park in Silver Spring, Md., on a chilly afternoon. Once again, Mr. Wallace puts his fascination with ’60s pop culture, Cold War politics, and WWII iconography through the psychoanalytic blender for a fevered trip down recovered-memory lane.

Click on the image above to enjoy the song. (Must have Quicktime.) Or, head on over to the YouTube and watch in lo-fi.

If you’re unfamiliar with the song stylings of Ray Wallace, let this be a quick introduction. Mr. Wallace dropped by a while ago to favor us with a few tunes he’d been working on. We walked over to the park and recorded a couple for the enjoyment of various woodland creatures and some passing dog-walkers. And now you. I think you’ll enjoy this ode to I Dream of Jeannie, and other things. (More to follow; keep watching the skies.)

You may purchase Ray’s debut CD, Introducing Ray Wallace, after clicking on this link.

Click the image above to play the Quicktime video. (Or, venture to the YouTube and watch it here. And while you’re there, watch Jeff Krulik’s more insightful portrait of the man. Enjoy.