Right now, Chuck Ragan and Hot Water Music are busy tearing through another rock club in Germany, but on July 11 in Orlando, Ragan and his documentary Landsick won a Drake Film Award for “Best Story.”
Ragan, who is a fishing guide when not on tour or in the studio, has not been shy about his passion for angling. In a recent interview with CL, he even confessed to skipping a soundcheck or post-show beers in order to get on the water.
STILL HOT
Chuck Ragan on the angst, loss and camaraderie he’s bringing to Florida
“I’m not afraid to dip out so that I can get out on the water early the next day,” Ragan said when asked about his fishing habit.
Directed by filmmaker Matt Devlin, Landsick — which chronicles Ragan’s delicate balance between music, his family, and his fishing — took home the prize during an awards ceremony held by Colorado fishing publication The Drake.
“For our film to be recognized and win Best Story at the Drake Film Awards was certainly an achievement that wasn’t even in our scope,” Ragan said in a release. “We all just did what we do and documented it along the way. To have an honor such as this given to us, it has eased the pain a bit of the endless nights, close calls and time away from family on the road. Peter [Vandergrift, producer] and Matt Devlin worked insanely hard at pulling the piles of content together to weave the story that made Landsick the film that it is.”
“I knew Chuck through the fly fishing world but never knew about his other facets,” said Vandergrift. “I was blown away when he started telling stories about his music and upbringing and thought viewers would be interested. It was important to get the story right so Matt and I spent countless hours, some of those secluded in a cabin up Rock Creek, working and reworking the narrative. I am proud this paid off with recognition from the fly fishing community by winning the Drake Film Award for Best Story.”
The film is traveling through the U.S., but it looks like Florida dates have passed. We’ve reached out to Ragan’s PR to see if any additional Sunshine State screenings are in the works.
This article appears in Aug 9-16, 2018.
