Dr. Gordon Rowland is a member of Lil Anne and Hot Cayenne, which will be playing live music for the showing of Keaton Shorts. 

MM: What are you presenting at FLEFF 2012 and how does it fit into the theme of microtopias?

GR: I play tenor sax and scrubboard with Lil Anne and Hot Cayenne, a northeast zydeco band. We'll be playing music to accompany a series of Buster Keaton silent shorts from the 1920s. The FLEFF website defines microtopias as "small .. imagined cooperative systems of harmony" and  states that "microtopias propose temporary, dynamic, shared worlds." Musical performance can can certainly be seen as "imagined cooperative systems of harmony," and in connecting our music with the visual imagery of the films, and with the audience in the moment, we seek to create a "temporary, dynamic shared world." 

MM: What is your background?

GR: You can find my story here. My other band, Common Railers, accompanied Buster Keaton's Steamboat Bill Junior a couple years ago. 

MM: What aspect of FLEFF are you looking foward to?

GR: The silent films with live music are always fun, of course. Other than that, I look forward to seeing as many films as I can. Patty and Tom do a terrific job on selection, and we get to see films on the wide screen that normally would not make it into our theaters.

MM: What advice would you give to college students about FLEFF and how to be engaged in festivals?

GR: FLEFF brings in guests who have a very wide range of backgrounds. Don't be shy. They love talking with students, and there is much to learn from them.

Hear Dr. Rowland play with Lil Ann and Hot Cayenne Saturday March 31st, at 4 p.m. at Cinemapolis!