Music documentaries are kind of having a moment.
Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck garnered rave reviews after its world premiere at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. Amy, Asif Kapadia's new documentary about the life and death of Amy Winehouse, is also now getting a lot of love at the Cannes Film Festival.
Netflix is about to add to that list with the premiere of its latest original documentary The Other One: The Long, Strange Trip of Bob Weir Friday. The film chronicles Weir's journey from growing up in Palo Alto, Calif. to becoming a founding member of The Grateful Dead. The legendary jam band celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, which seems as good an excuse as any to get a glimpse into how it all began.
But that's just the opening act. Next month, Netflix will continue to let the music play with the premiere of another original doc, What Happened, Miss Simone?, an intimate look into the life and music of enigmatic soul singer Nina Simone.
However, we all know that a person's taste in music is a deeply personal thing. We each may connect with a song for a different reason, whether we find meaning in its music, lyrics or the story it tells.
If these two documentary premieres don't strike your fancy, there are plenty of other music docs of all genres available to stream right now. You're sure to find at least one that will speak to your soul.
1. 20 Feet From Stardom (2013)
Being a back-up singer inherently means that you don't get the spotlight. However, this Academy Award-winning documentary says to heck with that and finally gives some of pop music's most influential back-up singers the recognition they deserve. 20 Feet From Stardom will show you that the history of popular music would look way different without these ladies.
2. Muscle Shoals (2013)
Muscle Shoals, Ala. may not be as well known for its music as New York, Detroit or Los Angeles. However, this city along the Tennessee River might be just as influential. Muscle Shoals tells the story of Rick Hall, who was responsible for creating the "Muscle Shoals sound" and the FAME Studios house band The Swampers. Interviews with the likes of Mick Jagger, Bono and Aretha Franklin speak to how Hall and his "Muscle Shoals sound" changed the music game forever.
3. The Last Waltz (1978)
The Last Waltz set the standard for a concert film that doesn't seem to have been beaten since the documentary premiered in 1978. This Martin Scorsese film captures The Band's final concert at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom on Thanksgiving in 1976. Featuring appearances by Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Eric Clapton, The Last Waltz is a wonderful snapshot of a seminal moment in music history.
4. The Punk Singer (2013)
Bikini Kill was one of the most important bands of the riot grrrl movement of the '90s, and you can partly thank Kathleen Hanna for that. The fierce, feminist frontwoman was a force to be reckoned with. However, a debilitating case of Lyme Disease caused Hanna to drop out of the music scene. The Punk Singer shows Hanna's struggle to rock the music world again.
5. Beware of Mr. Baker (2012)
Ginger Baker may be best known as one-third of Cream, which would fill anyone's life with enough adventures. However, Beware of Mr. Baker will show you that one of rock's best drummers has lived quite a life otherwise, filled with picking up musical influences in Africa, lawsuits and now living with 39 polo ponies in South Africa. Though you kind of expect all of this from an old, eccentric rocker, you can't help but cheer for Baker during his triumphant return to the stage.
6. Jazz: A Film by Ken Burns (2001)
From baseball to the National Parks to the Roosevelts, Ken Burns has tackled many topics in American culture over the years. One of the most fascinating is jazz, which Burns explores the origins and evolution of in this 10-part series that originally aired on PBS. Jazz gives a comprehensive overview of one of the most foundational musical genres of our time.
7. Good Ol’ Freda (2013)
We all know John, Paul, George and Ringo, but do you know about Freda? Freda Kelly was plucked from her life as a shy, young Liverpudlian and became a part of the legacy of the biggest rock 'n' roll group of all time as the secretary of The Beatles. Good Ol' Freda gives viewers a unique first-person account of the machine that was Beatlemania.
8. Under the Electric Sky (2014)
If you want to know about the burgeoning EDM scene but don't actually want to attend a festival because you shudder at the sight of fanny packs and glow sticks, Under the Electric Sky is for you. This documentary chronicles the experience of the Electric Daisy Carnival over three days in 2013. It'll make you understand why festivalgoers go through what they do all for the sake of music.
9. Madonna: Truth or Dare (1991)
Long before Madonna's onstage antics included creepily kissing Drake onstage, the Material Girl shocked the world by wearing a cone bra and writhing on a bed in her 1990 Blond Ambition Tour. Madonna: Truth or Dare takes you behind-the-scenes of all of that craziness, and like most of Madonna's outrageous behavior, you won't be able to look away even though you really want to.
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