This weekend is the annual St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville Marathon, so to celebrate, I have two movies to help you get in the mood. That way, those of us who don’t “run” can have fun too.

I stumbled across this one by accident. It was not what I was expecting, but I totally fell in love with it. It stars SNL alum, Fred Armisen, so I thought it was going to be funnier. The story revolves around a couple who are fighting. They get bored having the same fights over and over again, so they decide to turn their fights into songs and form a band. It’s funny, but it’s also poignant and moving. It was written and directed by Zoe Lister-Jones, and I think that’s part of its strength. When one person has a vision and can carry it out completely, it helps make the movie stronger. Parts of it were a little awkward, like Fred Armisen’s sex-aholic sponsoring neighbor, Dave. But I really loved this whole thing.

In music, hired guns are studio musicians who come in and record some of the most awesome, face-melting solos. They aren’t officially “in the band” and often they don’t get even get credit for their work. Guys like Liberty DeVitto, who played drums for Billy Joel, or Jason Hook, who played for Mandy Moore and Alice Cooper, go out on the road with artists for a tour then they have to find a new gig. I loved meeting the studio musicians here in Nashville when I was working in the industry. They are just as good, and sometimes better, than the headliners. If you’ve listened to a record in the last 40 years, chances are you heard some of the musicians in this documentary. It was good to hear their side of the story for a change.

Happy running and rocking...
:) Amanda