The Theremin is best known as either: a) the instrument behind the crazy wooshing sound at the end of “Good Vibrations,” b) the sound of countless vintage horror and sci-fi films, or c) it’s not known at all. But Thomas Grillo is keeping true to the instrument’s heritage, invoking OG virtuoso Clara Rockmore and producing beautiful, melancholy classical music.
Filmmaker Danilo Parra has created a documentary about Grillo, one of the early electronic instrument’s last great protectors, and the odd life he leads. “I think I find myself a little bit alienated from the rest of the musical community, because most people don’t understand that the instrument is not a noise toy,” Grillo says in the film’s trailer.
Parra has taken to Kickstarter to fund post-production for Mr. Grillo: The Thereminist, and hopes to be able to screen the film in festivals and at Grillo’s Mississippi hometown.
