Santa Cruz Sentinel
People-Projects: The Catalyst Story / April 29, 2010
By Wallace Baine
The Story Of The Catalyst
Santa Cruz photographer and filmmaker Michele Benson is getting ever closer to finishing her magnum opus, a documentary on the history of Santa Cruz’s landmark nightclub/concert venue the Catalyst.
Using rocker Greg Kihn as a narrator, and including several interviews, most notably of the late Randall Kane, the iconic Catalyst owner, Benson has put together a snappy history of the joint that began as a counterculture coffeehouse at the north end of Pacific Avenue.
She’s shooting to finish the film to qualify for next year’s Sundance Film Festival.
But now, Benson is looking for footage. She’d like to collect any footage, from 16mm to video to digital of the Catalyst, inside or out, from the past 40 years. Anyone who can help can e-mail Benson at photodynamics57@yahoo.com.
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