Exploded View presents the premier of local filmmaker Bryan Nelson’s short film Transforming Agave on Sunday February 11. The film runs 6 1/2 minutes long; the filmmaker Bryan, it’s subject Kyle Bert, and soundtrack composer Ryan Chavira will all be on hand to play music and talk about the film, as well as locals Blue Stained Stems. It was all filmed in the Tucson area, and is a 100% local production.

Synopsis: local musician and crafter Kyle Bert finds serenity and self-acceptance while crafting unique didgeridoos out of agave flowers that he harvests in southern Arizona.

Director’s statement:Transforming Agave is a film about more than just the art of crafting an idiosyncratic musical instrument. It’s about how the interwoven elements that go into making art are what imbue it with meaning. Kyle’s agave didgeridoos are embedded to place, to community, and to his own psychological well being in a way that reminds us of the value of deep contextual connection.

The music: Kyle Bert and Ryan Chavira infuse the natural rhythms and harmonics of an ancient world inspired by the didgeridoo (Kyle), along with the Sci-fi soundscapes of analog synthesis (Ryan), oscillating meditative patterns into a cohesive singularity best described as otherworldly.

Blue Stained Stems (incarnation 2) feeds off an interplay between Brazilian drummer Mario Iochpe and local Tucsonian Michael Henderson to arrive at ever-expanding sonic crossroads that mix samba, afrobeat, jazz, maqam, punk and rock n’ roll into a free form trance. With a playful aversion to order, yet a mindful adherence to a much necessary flow state, the band strives to perform an incrementally changing repertoire. From an immersive musical dialogue, Blue Stained Stems finds shape through guitars, oud, bassoud, and a 4-piece drum