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HomeNews SAN DIEGO SAX MAN'S MUSIC FEATURED ON NEW DVD RELEASE
SAN DIEGO SAX MAN'S MUSIC FEATURED ON NEW DVD RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: BOB BARTOSK
SAN DIEGO SAX MAN'S MUSIC FEATURED ON NEW DVD RELEASE
San Diego saxophonist Bob Bartosik is featured on the soundtrack of "It/ll Be Better Tomorrow" a new documentary on author Hubert Selby Jr. released to DVD on March 13, 2007 by Music Video Distributors. (The film title uses Selby Jr.'s abbreviated punctuation style of using a slash instead of an apostrophe.) Hubert "Cubby" Selby, Jr. (July 23, 1928-April 26, 2004) was the author of Last Exit To Brooklyn, The Room, The Demon, Requiem for a Dream , The Willow Tree, Waiting Period , and a book of short stories, Song of the Silent Snow. " It/ll Be Better Tomorrow" follows Selby Jr. overcoming tuberculosis, drug addiction and financial ruin before becoming successful.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Included in IndieWIRE.com Critic's Choice Poll of 2006, It/ll Be Better Tomorrow is narrated by Robert Downey, Jr.
Interviews with: Hubert Selby, Jr, Lou Reed, Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Darren Aronofsky, Uli Edel, Alexis Arquette, Desmond Nakano, James Remar, Nicolas Winding Refn, Jerry Stahl, Richard Price, Amiri Baraka, Nick Tosches, Gilbert Sorrentino, Michael Lally, Kenneth Shiffrin, James Ragan, Michael Silverblatt, James R. Giles, John Calder, Arthur Boyars, Luke Davies, Jem Cohen, Susan Compo, Matt Polish, Carmine "Tony" DeFeo, Anthony Di Novi, Kaytie Lee, Susan Anton.
Appearing in archive footage are: Hubert Selby, Jr, Anthony Kiedis, Henry Rollins, Cameron Johann, Stephen Lang, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Burt Young, Bernard Zette, Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Marlon Wayans, Bill Buell, Jimmie Ray Weeks, James Remar, John Turturro
It/ll Be Better Tomorrow should be availble via NetFlix, Blockbuster, Amazon.com , CircuitCity.com and BestBuy.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
San Diegans might remember Bartosik as the saxophonist in the mid-80's experimental-punks Phobia-Phobia when he attended SDSU. Returning to San Diego in 2000, more recently Bartosik played sax with 50's-rockers The Stilettos (2000 and 2003), wanna-be Sinatra David Patrone (2001), DMB cover-band Stepping Feet (2003) and jazzers Jazzilla (2005-2006).
In the mid-80's, Mission Bay High grad Bartosik immediately moved to San Francisco upon graduation from SDSU with a degree in TV and Radio Production. There he hooked up with psychedellic blues-influenced punks Housecoat Project. Two weeks after first sitting in with Housecoat Project, Bartosik was in the studio to record on the 1987 Subterranean Records release Wide Eye Doo Dat (SUB 61). The album did well on college radio charts and received a glowing review in the Villiage Voice by critic Robert Christgau. SF Weekly praised the record as "a punk album with surprising jazz flourishes" due to Bartosik's sax work. Several regional and national tours ensued. Housecoat Project often played shows with Subterrranean Records label-mates Flipper, Pop-O-Pies and Helios Creed, as well as Sister Double Happiness (Warner Bros.), Camper Van Beethoven and Bomb (Warner Bros.). Housecoat Project fell apart on the verge of national success due to their singer's heroin use and the rest of the band not wanting to deal with it. "Playing shows in town was easy, but traveling with a junkie was hell. I didn't know how bad it was until we were touring a lot. We gave her a choice: drugs or rock 'n roll? She chose the former, so we all quit, just after recording our 2nd album." The unreleased 2nd Housecoat Project album may be released this year by Subterranean. "I'll believe it when it happens," says Bob, "but they have been in contact with me recently and want me to write some stuff for the liner notes."
"My friend Michael Dean, who was the singer-bassist in San Francisco's Bomb (Warner Bros.) got into making films and writing books. I played on a track on Bomb's first album To Elvis In Hell (Boner Records) when I first got to San Francisco, so I've known him for 20 years now. Michael's first film was 'DIY or Die: How To Survive As An Independent Artist ' (featuring J. Mascis, Ian MacKaye, Lydia Lunch, Jim Rose, Mike Watt…), which came out a few years ago. Michael asked me for some music for a new film he was working on about Hubert Selby Jr., the guy who wrote ' Last Exit To Brooklyn' and 'Requiem For A Dream' (both made into movies) as well as a few other really twisted novels." Selby's dark content and style is often compared to William S. Burroughs and ' Last Exit' was actually banned in England before a court battle allowed it to be released there.
"I got into Selby from doing the soundtrack work. I had heard of him before but wasn't familiar with his work," says Bob. "Apparently Selby dug jazz and often had it playing as he wrote, so Michael wanted some original jazz for the film. I happened to have some quartet stuff I recorded in San Francisco in 2002 that fit the mood of the project. I also laid down a bunch of free-jazz solo sax cues for transition music. I knew if this film ever got released it would be really cool— Selby toured with Henry Rollins and recorded spoken word with the Anthony Kiedis. Everyone that knew him spoke of his brilliance, kindness and gentle spirit."
Bob continues, "I've done some music for a couple of commercials in the past, but this is the biggest thing I've been a part of. It just keeps gaining momentum. I've met some really great people by being associated with this film, especially the other bands and musicians on the soundtrack. I hope that I can get more soundtrack work as a result of the DVD being released." Bartosik currently mixes sound at night for FOX 6 News at 10, which explains his absence from local stages. "I still sit in with bands once in a while after work or on my nights off, but I'm concentrating more on recording now."
