Back to the Future, ‘60s-Style Documentary and Concert Celebrate Legendary Band’s Past and Present

The Wexner Center presents a special event pairing Bound to Lose, a wildly entertaining documentary about the infamous Greenwich Village acid folk band The Holy Modal Rounders, with a live performance by Velocity Ramblers, the current incarnation of the group, on Saturday, November 17 at 7:30 pm. Velocity Ramblers feature Peter Stampfel, a leading light of the original band and John Cohen, of their 1960s’ peer group The New Lost City Ramblers (and also a noted filmmaker, photographer, and musicologist). Walker Shepard (son of Holy Modal member and playwright Sam Shepard) is also in the band. The film will be shown first, followed by the performance, in the Wexner Center’s Film/Video Theater. Tickets are $13 for Wexner Center members and students and $16 for the general public. They’re available at the Wexner Center Ticket Office (614 292-3535) and at Ticketmaster.com.

During the "Great Folk Scare" of the early ’60s, Stampfel and guitarist Steve Weber formed a bond based on their shared fascination with American roots music and early psychedelia. Dubbing themselves the Holy Modal Rounders, the eccentric outsiders have been playing their unique brand of music for over four decades, barely surviving on the fringes of the music industry while developing an international cult following. Bound to Lose recounts the history of these true American originals, from their origins in the Village folk scene, through their involvement in the Easy Rider soundtrack, to the lost years of constant drug use, endless touring, and a final shot at redemption. More than just a chronicle of an obscure band, Bound to Lose is a raucous celebration of a lost American outlaw subculture, with endearing and hilarious appearances by Dennis Hopper, John Sebastian of the Lovin' Spoonful, Peter Tork of the Monkees, the Fugs, Loudon Wainwright III, and Wavy Gravy among many more.