Although “It’s About You” will be screened tonight at New York City’s IFC Center and Saturday in Los Angeles at the Music Hall Theater, the film hasn’t been without an audience during the past 12-plus months. Directed by photographer Kurt Markus and his son, Ian, the film was the “opening act” for Mellencamp’s 2010 and 2011 dates and depicts the tour the Indiana rocker did with Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson in 2009.
Described as a “think piece,” “It’s About You” also gives fans a behind-the-scenes look at the recording of Mellencamp’s No Better Than This album. Produced by T Bone Burnett, the 2010 album represented a back-to-basics approach for Mellencamp. Three historic locations also played a role in the making of the album, with Mellencamp recording tracks at Savannah’s First African Baptist Church, Memphis’ Sun Studios and Room 414 at the Gunter Hotel in San Antonio where Robert Johnson recorded in 1936. For that special stripped-down vibe, Mellencamp and Burnett eschewed modern recording techniques, choosing instead to rely on a 55-year-old mono tape recorder and vintage microphones.
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