BLAZE FOLEY

A film about the legendary Austin singer-songwriter.

This April, ReelTime @ The Radio Room presents an exclusive sneak peek of the documentary BLAZE FOLEY, a portrait of Austin’s most enigmatic singer-songwriter.

Blaze Foley, born Michael David Fuller, emerged from the tragic circumstances of his childhood and assumed many different incarnations on the road to becoming one of Texas music’s most beloved and prolific artists.  Along the way, he commanded the attention of music audiences and famous musicians such as Merle Haggard, Townes Van Zandt, Lucinda Williams and John Prine.

Director Kevin Triplett’s documentary unravels many of the mysteries surrounding the life of music’s best kept secret.  Blaze Foley’s troubled past, temperamental nature and personal demons made widespread commercial success an unattainable goal despite his rare, unspoiled and extraordinary talent.

Foley’s tragic and untimely death in 1989 at just 39 years of age left the possibilities of his unrealized potential to the imagination of music lovers worldwide.  Yet it simultaneously strengthened his legendary status in American music and folklore.

“I believe that Blaze's life has the power to capture people's attention and give new insight into the human condition, artistic expression, justice and redemption.  He courageously questioned what most people took for granted, challenged conventional perceptions and was a crusader for children, the weak, the poor, the working class, and the underdog.”      --Producer-Director Kevin Triplett

Filmmaker Kevin Triplett is a fifth-generation Texan. Hailing from a family of photographers, he grew up splicing super-8 film of silly skits performed by friends. 

After working in the electrical engineering field for over 15 years, he rediscovered his love of filmmaking and storytelling and has since produced short films, music videos and corporate and non-profit promotional pieces while running Mopac Media, an equipment rental operation that serves and supports Austin’s indie film community. 

The dream of producing a documentary on the life and work of Blaze Foley has been over a decade in the making.  In addition to finalizing BLAZE FOLEY, Kevin is wrapping up a feature-length documentary on the Spacek family home in Granger.  

ReelTime’s presentation of BLAZE FOLEY is a rough cut of Triplett’s documentary, still a work-in-progress.  This represents a unique opportunity for a Grand Valley audience to provide valuable feedback that will help shape the finalized version of this influential, one-of-a-kind film.

66