They Called Us Outlaws To World Premiere at SXSW Film & TV Festival
(IVPR) Before its early cult-like following and now mainstream legions of emulators, the American outlaw country "movement" was just a core group of wildly talented singer-songwriters in Nashville's underground and Austin's counter-culture, throwing convention to the wind and doing things their own way. Of course, many of those compadres quickly turned into household names like Waylon and Willie, and that movement changed music and culture forever. At this year's SXSW Film & TV Festival, those freewheeling origins and their evolution will be presented like never before in the world premiere of They Called Us Outlaws - The Cosmic Cowboys, Honky Tonk Heroes and Rise of Redneck Rock.
This world premiere at SXSW also serves as the official launch of Shadowbrook Studios, who specialize in producing documentary films and scripted adaptations of the true stories featured in its non-fiction projects. Without fanfare, Shadowbrook's filmmakers have been all over the globe, developing, financing, and producing a slate of films and series totaling over 50 hours of programming to be released in 2026 and 2027, with announcements forthcoming on the individual projects.
The ten-part limited series created by award-winning and critically-acclaimed documentary filmmakers, Eric Geadelmann and Kelly Magelky-produced by Shadowbrook Studios and Filament Productions-will launch with the Waylon Jennings-centric 90-minute pilot, "The Prologue - Waylon, The Dillo, and That Outlaw Bit," that immerses the audience into the cold beer and cheap pot counter-culture of Austin; centered on the legendary venue Armadillo World Headquarters ("Dillo") that created a sound and scene that was actually a bit shocking to the hard-rocking emerging country star, Waylon, when he arrived at Willie's invitation. After being warmly embraced by the hippies, Waylon told Willie, "Austin ain't half bad, Hoss."
Those lucky enough to have experienced the "Outlaws and Armadillos: Country's Roaring '70s" exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum (2018-2022) will recognize some of this never released footage and storytelling, as Geadelmann was tapped to co-curate the exhibit and, with Magelky, create a short film series that served as the centerpiece to the major exhibit; including the 30-minute doc, "Back to the Armadillo."
"Eric's passion and Herculean efforts to document this important piece of Americana were key in telling the multi-layered story of Austin and Nashville through our exhibit," said Kyle Young, chief executive officer for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. "The interviews and performance footage in They Called Us Outlaws are historical gold and include invaluable commentary by central figures we've sadly lost in recent years such as Kris Kristofferson, Billy Joe Shaver, Guy Clark, Fred Foster, Tom T. Hall, Jerry Jeff Walker, Joe Ely and more. We are pleased that these resources will be preserved in the museum's Frist Library and Archives and available to future generations of scholars and researchers."
The artist-centric, ten-chapter They Called Us Outlaws was executive produced by GRAMMY Hall of Fame Award recipient and first lady of outlaw country, Jessi Colter, nine-time GRAMMY winner, Ray Benson, Texas Heritage Songwriter Hall of Fame Member, Jack Ingram, and acclaimed author and Willie biographer, Joe Nick Patoski. They Called Us Outlaws started as a single film in association with The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum over a decade ago and has organically evolved into this groundbreaking multi-part project. A first of its kind-in both depth and scope-the series focuses on not just the 1970s outlaw country movement, but the mid-to-late '60s events leading up to it and the overarching Americana Music movement it's become over the last half-century.
Narrated by Ingram, They Called Us Outlaws spotlights over 120 recording artists, songwriters, and producers, including thirteen Country Music Hall of Fame Members, seven Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Members, seventeen legends interviewed for the series who have since passed on, and a multitude of current stars and emerging singer/songwriters following in the footsteps of these giants. From Jessi Colter and Kris Kristofferson to Guy Clark and Emmylou Harris, Miranda Lambert and Eric Church, to Tyler Childers and Margo Price; Ryan Bingham and Molly Tuttle to Charley Crockett and S.G. Goodman; the list literally goes on and on and includes: Billy Joe Shaver, The Flatlanders, Tony Brown, Leon Russell, Jerry Jeff Walker, Bobby Bare, Marcia Ball, Michael Martin Murphey, Billy F. Gibbons, Kimmie Rhodes, Delbert McClinton, Robert Earl Keen, Rodney Crowell, Chris Hillman, Kix Brooks, Ronnie Dunn, Parker McCollum, The Lost Gonzo Band, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Chris Shiflett, Amanda Shires, Roger McGuinn, Steve Earle, Wesley Schultz, Nathaniel Rateliff, Ashley McBryde, Turnpike Troubadours, and more. They Called Us Outlaws is a deep dive into the non-conforming musical attitude that has transcended genres and generations and is still picking up steam.
And it's not just musicians and songwriters. Austinites and music photography aficionados will be enthused to see how "The Prologue" is anchored with images from star photographer Scott Newton, who has devoted his life's work to documenting the creative scene from 1970s Austin to the present day, including his role as the house photographer for Austin City Limits for over four decades. Academy Award Winner and Austin's own Matthew McConaughey makes an appearance to lend his perspective on "that outlaw bit," and its relevance to modern times.
The music features unreleased songs and concerts and an original score by multi-instrumentalist and former member of Kings of Leon, Chris Coleman; and includes music recorded for the project by Shooter Jennings, Jack Ingram, Lillie Mae, Bruce Robison, and many more.
"Beyond 'Willie, Waylon, and The Boys,' this project is a love letter to an era, a culture, and a multitude of artists across genres who had the courage to follow what's inside...regardless," says filmmaker and Shadowbrook Studios founder Eric Geadelmann, whose independently produced and financed doc series stays true to the spirit of its subjects. "Considering that the tectonic shift in country music in the 1970s mostly came out of Austin, it's only fitting that the world premiere of They Called Us Outlaws would be at SXSW," says Geadelmann. "And, as an Austinite whose film career began at SXSW, the opportunity means a great deal personally."
Jessi Colter on They Called Us Outlaws: "If you want to know what really happened in the 70s in Nashville and Austin, take heed. They Called Us Outlaws is full of untold underground stories, and equations you must conclude for yourself."
They Called Us Outlaws is set to make its world premiere at Austin's Rollins Theater at the Long Center on March 15th as part of the SXSW Film & TV Festival. For more information, please click here.
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