John Moen

Led by a group dynamic that embraces experimentation even as it celebrates classic pop and folk forms, The Decemberists are firmly established as a completely original happening in the world of contemporary indie rock. This DVD captures the band in the midst of their rise to prominence with a live recording of a performance at the Roseland Theater in Portland, Oregon on November 4, 2005.

Pendarvia is a 30 minute film that documents the recording process of The Decemberists album "The King Is Dead" (Capitol, 2011). The album was recorded in a barn in rural Oregon. Pendarvia is heavily driven by the natural surroundings of the area, inter-cutting music with beautiful shots of the surrounding scenery. The film follows the abstractly linear narrative of the recording process, inter-cutting found moments of dialogue from the band, producer Tucker Martine, collaborators and friends. The film is a beautiful audio/visual collage that explores the trials and tribulations of the creative process.

In an attempt to beautify her town — and advance her career — Leslie Knope, a mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee, Indiana, takes on bureaucrats, cranky neighbors, and single-issue fanatics whose weapons are lawsuits, the jumble of city codes, and the democratic process she loves so much.