By 1975, a loose confederation of longhaired musicians had left Texas and invaded Nashville. They attended each other’s gigs and picked together in each other’s homes. Everything they did was focused on the music and the eternal search for a song.

Originally shot in Austin and Nashville, the film offers a rare look at what was then a fringe element of country music made by people who have since become songwriting icons. Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Rodney Crowell, Steve Young and a 19-year-old Steve Earle all feature prominently. The footage varies from Clark repairing frets on a guitar to Van Zandt fooling around on his farm and then bringing tears to Uncle Seymour’s eyes as he plays “Waiting Around To Die” in his kitchen. Eschewing narration, the director chose instead to keep the scenes as organic as possible, letting the music do all the evocation.