Music

None of this is to say that the film doesn’t have its charms and curious attractions. Songwriter and musician Dave Stewart (Eurythmics) plays a key role as Grebenschikov’s U.S. music producer. Annie Lennox and Chrissie Hynde have cameos as backup singers. Even Crosby, Stills, and Nash show up as supporters, onstage and off.

Jazz versions of holiday classics can bring up these feelings even with no singer, though perhaps start with Ella Fitzgerald’s classic album “Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas.” Other sweet as candy-cane jazz issues include “A Charlie Brown Christmas” by the Vince Guaraldi Trio, “A Dave Brubeck Christmas,” “Crescent City Christmas Card” by Wynton Marsalis, “An Oscar Peterson Christmas,” and “Sound of Christmas” by the Ramsey Lewis Trio.

Drum accoutrements pile up: a digital metronome was only the first purchase. There have been new drumheads, drum keys, drum-related tee shirts (Tama, Slingerland, etc.), music books, ear protection, music stands, a small used tambourine that fits on cymbal hardware, a new “splash” cymbal, a wood block.

Shakey Grounds is what I would call a “little movie.” The budget was small, the actors (except for a cameo by the always good Eric Roberts) largely unknown, and the story (by screenwriter Trace Slobotkin) modest in its aims. But if you’re a fan of rock ’n’ roll movies in general, you’d do well to put this one on your watchlist.

There is something to be said for the benefits of diminishing the presence of record companies. Removing them from the creative process can make music more authentic and success more democratic. Yet the most profitable revenue streams for artists aren’t necessarily tied to the music itself as to the fame and cultural cachet associated with it; thus, incredible popularity is a prerequisite to almost any financial success.

Long before the home studio became an industry norm, Stone, who died on June 9, turned the studio into both a sanctuary and an instrument. And long before sampling defined the sound of hip-hop, he was using tape and machine rhythms to deconstruct existing songs to cobble together new ones.

There’s an interesting dissonance between changing times and values. Younger generations typically push the cultural envelope at first, then decry the generations that follow as they age. What remains fascinating is the extent to which music has infringed on sex and gender taboos to critical and financial success, yet issues surrounding these topics pose a cultural conundrum.