When filmmaker Dale Farmer heard the stories of his grandparents, their tales made an impression on him. Things had been rough for his elders. When times got too hard in eastern Kentucky, they had to migrate to Ohio to find work. It happened during the golden years of bluegrass, and his grandparents — and others who lived and breathed the music of the mountains — were often torn between the music of their origins and that of their new locales.
In his film, “The Mountain Minor,” writer and director Farmer explores the issues faced by people such as his grandparents, with the central question being: “Where is your home, and how does the music play into that?”
Although the feature isn’t specifically factual about his grandparents, it’s been informed and inspired by his family history. It’s the story of a musician who leaves his present home in Ohio to return to the home of his childhood, in the Kentucky mountains. First, however, he must pass down to his grandchildren the many generations of this “mystic” music.
The film’s description sums it up: “Deeply infused with the traditional Appalachian musical genres of old time and bluegrass, The Mountain Minor tells an overlooked story about the people and culture behind the resurgence of American roots music today, and highlights artful responses to the difficult circumstances of human migration.”