<\/p>\n
In 2009, Wild Bill Kneebone and Deb Hilton of the Porchlights were playing a gig at then Blondies Pub and Grill in Cortez when inspiration hit.<\/p>\n
They named the improvisational guitar instrumental Blondie\u2019s Stomp, and it became a fan favorite.<\/p>\n
Now the melodic song is featured in the movie \u201cWrenched,\u201d a film chronicling the life and times of famed environmental writer Edward Abbey and his quasi-fictional Monkey Wrench Gang. It premieres Tuesday, Feb. 25 at the Sedona Film Festival.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe actually have a show that night, but some of our friends are going down to see the film and report back to us,\u201d Kneebone says.<\/p>\n
Wrenched features a who\u2019s who of environmental activists including actor Robert Redford; Earth First! creator Dave Foreman; Tim DeChristopher, who famously derailed a Utah oil and gas auction; wilderness author Doug Peacock; Ken Sleight, Abbey\u2019s inspiration for the character Seldom Seen Smith; Captain Paul Watson, of Animal Planet\u2019s ship-ramming, eco-justice Whale Wars; and local writer and Earth poet Terry Tempest Williams, among others.<\/p>\n
The inspiration for millions of fans, tree-huggers, river rats, desert loners, and lovers of all things wild, Abbey\u2019s sharp wit, humor, and searing commentary of an overdeveloped West made him an icon of American culture.<\/p>\n
Bold and unrelenting, Abbey never once flinched in his campaigns against dams, paving paradise, the rape and pillage of the natural world, and the incessant, unmanaged march of civilization into Western wilderness. He is buried in a secret shrine somewhere in the remote desert Southwest he cherished.<\/p>\n
Abbey\u2019s books The Monkey Wrench Gang and Desert Solitaire are must reads for college courses across the country, motivating millions more to continue the distinct American values of conservation and preservation of the limited natural world that remains.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe film Wrenched captures the passing of the monkey wrench from the pioneers of eco-activism to the new generation which will carry Edward Abbey\u2019s legacy into the 21st century,\u201d the trailer proclaims. \u201cThe fight continues to sustain the last bastion of the American wilderness \u2013 the spirit of the West.\u201d<\/p>\n
Disciples of the Abbey ethic, the Porchlights\u2019 contribution to the film is fitting, as they too are relentless while touring the Southwest delivering their unique musical message of love, independence, respect for Mother Earth, and rebellion against conformity.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe made up the song on the spot, responding to what the audience seemed to want at the moment. We thank our fans for the inspiration!\u201d Kneebone says.<\/p>\n