Thunder on the Mountain

The Laurel Canyon of the East, the Greenwich Village of the Catskills and the most famous small town in America: Woodstock, New York, has been called all of these and more. Thunder on the Mountain: The Sounds of Woodstock tells the story of how a rustic hamlet with no stoplight became a crossroads for musicians from around the world and how the sounds created there continue to echo in our time. Bob Dylan, the Band, Van Morrison, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Todd Rundgren, all  found clean air, fresh inspiration, and each other, creating a scene rivalling L.A., San Francisco, London, or New York. Hendrix perfected his rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and the Band invented a genre we now call Americana. With native guide Amy Helm—the musician daughter of the Band’s legendary drummer, Levon Helm, the series will present an intimate portrait of the artists who escaped to the Catskills and found career-defining music there. It will immerse the viewer in the unique atmosphere of Woodstock, interweaving the story of that unique American place with contemporary and legacy musicians performing classic Woodstock music. Thunder on the Mountain will take us deep inside a mountain town that became the seedbed of a musical, cultural, and social revolution whose vibrations we’re still feeling.