In spite of its exceptionally suggestive title, Musicwood is not a documentary about the phenomenon that occurs whenever I listen to Led Zeppelin; rather, the film finds itself exploring an issue at the intersection of environmentalism, race relations, and guitar making.

The ancient  Tongass National Forest is the home of the United States’ largest still-standing reserve of large old-growth trees, and is being threatened by the practices of a Native American logging company. Musicwood follows an effort led by Bob Taylor, Chris Martin, and Dave Berryman (of Taylor Guitars, Martin Guitars, and Gibson Guitars respectively) to negotiate with the logging company and find a sustainable way to log the forest in order to save acoustic guitars, which are reliant on this type of old-growth wood. Tensions rise as Greenpeace enters the fray, and the people native to the land in question are once again forced into confrontation.

The screening is free, and will be at 7pm on Thursday, November 20th at the CL Space in Ybor. The event will feature live music by Mountain Holler, baked goods available from Rise & Grind Bakery, and an introduction by Meredith Watt who worked as part of the film’s production team.

CL Space is located at 1911 N. 13th Street, above the Spaghetti Warehouse restaurant in Ybor City.
More information on Musicwood is available at musicwoodthefilm.com.