Music and The Bottom Line –  Filming

Directed by: Doug Block
Produced by: Lori Cheatle

Feature length documentary and concert film

For almost 30 years, The Bottom Line Cabaret in New York City held its place as one of the most important music venues in the world, until it was closed down in infamous real estate battle in 2004. Music and The Bottom Line is a classic comeback story, following owner Allan Pepper on his relentless quest at age 62 to find a new location for the Bottom Line and restore it to it’s former glory, against overwhelming odds. A documentary that unfolds like a fiction film, Music and The Bottom Line seamlessly and exhilaratingly interweaves the present day with the club’s illustrious past-- highlighted by archival footage, rare recordings and contemporary interviews with some of the biggest names in the music business. Set against the colorful backdrop of a city in constant transition, the film’s story encompasses themes ranging from Brooklyn street loyalties, the age-old conflict between art and commerce, to the possibility that there can be second acts in life.  The film climaxes with a celebratory Gala concert event in New York City, scheduled for 2009.