Getting it all down
By Becky Barclay
Published in News on January 11, 2017 10:03 AM
Full Size
Submitted photo
Taylor and Christopher Malpass will be in concert at the Paramount Theatre on Friday. During the show, a crew will be filming the performance for an upcoming documentary for UNC TV.
The Malpass Brothers have played their music everywhere from the Shetland Islands to Ryman Auditorium to Merlefest.
They have toured with the late Don Helms, former steel guitarist for Hank Williams, and they have opened for music legend Merle Haggard.
But they never forgot where they came from -- Goldsboro. That's why each year, the musical brothers return to their roots and do a fundraising concert for the Paramount Theatre Foundation, which supports the Paramount Theatre in many ways.
However, this year's concert will be a little bit different.
There will be an 18-member film crew videotaping the concert for a documentary about the Malpass Brothers. The crew is with Minnow Media, which produces programs for UNC TV statewide.
"We had heard of the Malpass Brothers, but I had never seen them perform," producer Donna Campbell said. "We were invited to come to Goldsboro and meet them. One show and we were hooked.
"We met their whole family and lots of people in town who wanted to tell their story."
The film crew discovered that the Malpass Brothers was the first act to perform in the Paramount after it was rebuilt and opened following a devastating fire.
"We were told that the Malpass Brothers sell out every time they play in Goldsboro," Ms. Campbell said. "That's pretty interested in this day and time. We felt there must be more to them than just their music."
The one-hour documentary will be a mix of concert footage and documentary. There will be interviews with the Malpass Brothers' family, fans, friends and other people in town who know them. There will be interviews with their former teacher and people who watched them grow up in Goldsboro.
"We will also talk to people about Goldsboro and how it sort of reinvented itself in the past few years," Ms. Campbell said. "It's about the power of the arts to really make a difference in the community."
Ms. Campbell said the film crew is amazed by the fact that so many people here have supported these young musicians and the Paramount Theatre and how both are such a strong part of the community.
"This is a story we want the rest of the state to know about," she said.
The documentary will run on PBS stations across the state about this time next year to coincide with the Paramount's 10th anniversary of reopening, Ms. Campbell said.
The fundraising concert will be Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Paramount Theatre. Tickets are available at the Paramount box office, by calling 919-583-8432 or online at www.goldsboroparamount.com.
There will be a VIP reception before the concert.
Stephanie Slusser, Paramount service coordinator, said the film crew has already visited the theater to scope things out.
"They like to refer to the documentary as a story of preservation because it's about preserving downtown Goldsboro, as well as preserving the style of music the Malpass Brothers play."
The brothers keep returning to the Paramount to play their music because it's their home, said Christopher Malpass.
"It's a good chance to play in our hometown and show the people around town how much we appreciate their support and it's just sort of our homebase."
When Christopher and Taylor heard about the documentary, each said they felt unworthy of it.
"But we're excited that people are interested enough in what we're doing to do a documentary," Christopher said. "We never thought it would go to this point where people would actually pay to come hear us.
"I just think we're two guys who love what we do and are trying to plug away. This is big time for us."
After their concert at the Paramount Friday, the brothers are off on a working cruise with some of country's legends.