Karen McGregor Uncut

After a night of local music there is nothing I like better than sitting down and unwinding in front of the television. You would think-- with all the cable options open to me -- I could find something to watch any hour of the day, even late at night. The Weather Channel gets a little boring. I mean who needs the five-day forecast for Mongolia? Yeah, I know, Mongolia does. But after you've seen what that miracle mop can do for your life a couple of times, the beauty of it tends to fade. God only parted the Red Sea once. No need for reruns. That mop ain't no miracle.

So, every once in a while and at the oddest  times, I'll switch to Public Access Channel 15 and lo and behold there are familiar faces; the recognizable mugs of Burlington's musicians. Is this pirate MTV or what? No, it's a program called "Uncut," documentary footage of various musicians shot in local clubs and produced by Karen McGregor, a behind the scenes supporter of the Vermont music scene for quite some time.

In fact, in the mid-seventies, McGregor was a reporter for a now defunct Vermont entertainment journal called The Previewer, where she wrote about the likes of Pine Island band and other local music and theatre. A Chittenden County native, McGregor studied film at San Francisco State University. After graduation she embarked into the film world by doing a documentary on Rhe Castro in San Francisco, a section of the city which took Lou Reed's advice during the seventies and walked on the wild side.

The immediacy and inexpensive nature of video had caused her to walk away from the hassles of lighting and expensive film stock. And it's a good thing for Vermont musicians, because recently she has been concentrating her talents on video production by taping live performances for her program "Uncut" and other music scene projects.

"I had a better narrative style with just a camera then with a script and all the rest," says McGregor.

In addition to her own video company, Azure Moon Productions, McGregor also works at Adelphia Cable as a studio producer and video technician instructing non-professionals on the use of public access facilities and equipment. If that wasn’t enough, she has also been employed full time at the University of Vermont for 14 years, arriving at one point in the media library.

"I studied film theory and video production at UVM as well," says McGregor. " I actually started out wanting to be a writer. But I picked up a camera instead of a pen, and found my voice in the visual medium. Life itself has great stories. All you have to do is document them."

Since 1989, McGregor has pursued the documentation of Vermont musical events as the producer for the Vermont Reggae Festivals. Each year she was able to improve the quality of the production and increase the number of volunteer crew in order to complete an hour-long piece which highlights the best from each group's performances; distinguishing herself as an important player in the festival's success.

For the past year, McGregor and one of her Reggae Festival camera operators, Patricia Braine, have been collecting footage on The Life and Times of Chin Ho! They began documenting nearly all their performances beginning with the Vermont Cares Benefit at Club Metronome in August of 1994.By spring of 1995, Azure Moon and Good Citizen were poised and excited to shoot two nights and 16 bands, on May 4th and 5th at Club Toast for the release party of the first Good Citizen compilation CD, Soundtrack to the 'Zine, Volume One. Was it worth the excitement?

"By all means," says McGregor." The bands were outstanding, in terms of both energetic playing and top performances. Technically, everything went well. The shooting and the sound went off without a hitch. So, it should be a good piece." She continued modestly. "I'm excited about it. We've picked the best performances, with the best footage and sound from each of our cameras, showing one tune per band."

All the bands at the CD release party are now on tape for posterity, to take home, smile at and reminisce over. However, this project will not be shown on public access channels because it is for home viewers only. But, who knows? The way things have been going for the bands on the compilation CD Good Citizen Soundtrack to the Zine, Volume One, MTV could get a hold of the Good Citizen Video to the Soundtrack of the Zine. 

Something else which distinguishes this project from most corporate and commercially produced videos is that the first 100 limited edition tapes will be hand stamped and hand numbered. It will be like owning a one of a kind piece of artwork.

"I see this only as a beginning in terms of documenting a segment of the Vermont music scene," McGregor said. "I work in a very different style from MTV, letting the musicians speak for themselves through their music. That, in itself, is enough excitement, especially with the bands on this first compilation by Good Citizen. 

Stay tuned for other projects McGregor has in the works; such as the 1995 Vermont Reggae Festival, a documentary on sculptor Paul Aschenbach and more music on "Uncut!"

The 'Good Citizen Video of The Soundtrack to the 'Zine, Volume One", is in its post production phase as we go to press. Good Citizen's events coordinator and Stage manager extraordinaire Nicole Hegeman is in the planning stages for the premiere showing of the video on Sunday, November 5, at Contois Auditorium in Burlington City Hall on Church Street. We'll begin at 6:30 p.m. with a reception. Then the Silver Screen showing will start at 8:00 p.m., running approximately two hours.