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A Different Drummer By Katharine Webster

David Zaitz MARTIN SHORE '82

In "Take Me to the River," a feature-length documentary directed by Martin Shore '82, legendary Memphis musicians team up with younger rap artists to create original music. There's William Bell and Snoop Dogg. There's Otis Clay and L'il P-Nut, a rap prodigy who's in middle school. Historic clips of Martin Luther King and Otis Redding stand alongside shots of present day Memphis and live-recorded studio sessions. Narrated by actor-musician Terrence Howard, the scenes—a passing of the torch from one musical generation to the next—crackle with creative spirit, funky energy, and genuine love.

"What America gave the world is popular music. We built that foundation," Shore says. "I wanted the international spotlight to shine back on the place of origin, and what better way to do that than to pair legacy musicians with stars of today?"

A professional drummer, Shore segued into directing by producing albums, making music videos, and producing films. But he first got bitten by the movie bug as a teenager back in 1977, when he helped his older brother, a film major at New York University, make "Punking Out." They filmed the Ramones, the Dead Boys, and Richard Hell live at famed New York club CBGB, and Shore got to hang out with the musicians during breaks. "It put the fire in me," he says. "I always felt movies were the ultimate art that was inclusive of everything, from music to art to photography."

When he got to UNH, Shore majored in business, figuring it would help his career. After graduation, he toured for 10 years as a drummer for Bo Diddley, Bluesman Willie, and Albert Collins, among others. He sees his evolution from musician to music producer to director as a natural progression: One requires a discerning ear, the other a critical eye, and both depend on an unerring sense of rhythm. "A producer for a record is really like a director for a film," he says.

In 1985, Shore began a brief but lucrative detour into real estate, buying a four-unit apartment building with his former exchange-program roommate at San Diego State. The company grew to include some 35,000 rental units before he left. In 2002, he started Social Capital Entertainment, which produces films, music, and interactive entertainment technology. He now divides his time between Hollywood and the San Francisco Bay Area, where he lives. "Hollywood has its own heartbeat," he says. "I love LA and southern California, but I think it's refreshing not to have to be there every day. It would drive me nuts to be in the heart of it all the time."

Shore may soon be spending more time in Hollywood, though. Early screenings of "Take Me to the River" have earned rave reviews, and the movie will have its U.S. debut at the South by Southwest Festival (SXSW 2014) in early March.

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