I just came from 1st Line & 2nd Line parade right down San Pablo Avenue in El Cerrito CA

Summary: I just came from 1st Line & 2nd Line parade right down San Pablo Avenue in El Cerrito CA - honoring Chris Strachwitz of Arhoolie Records for his documentary film released this evening indi production called "This Ain't No Mouse Music" - tonight's the night! Jon Hammond By Jim Harrington Twitter.com/jimthecritic and Facebook.com/jim.bayareanews. 'This Ain't No Mouse Music!' Documentary about music historian Chris Strachwitz, founder of Arhoolie Records in El Cerrito * * * Rating: not ratedDirectors: Chris Simon and Maureen Gosling Running Time: 1 hour, 32 minutes Also: Elmwood Theatre in Berkeley will host a Q&A with Chris Strachwitz and musical performance following the 7 p.m. screening on Friday (www.rialtocinemas.com); the Roxie Theatre in San Francisco will host a Q&A with filmmakers Chris Simon and Maureen Gosling and live music after 7 p.m. screenings Friday and Saturday."http://www.mercurynews.com/entertainment/ci_26552568/review-this-aint-no-mouse-music-fascinating-story Chris Strachwitz has spent the past 54 years unearthing musical treasures, journeying into the shadows of America to record all sorts of artists who might otherwise never be documented. His travels have fueled Arhoolie Records, the El Cerrito-based roots-music label that has issued 400-plus albums and more than 6,500 songs since its founding in 1960. Now, Strachwitz's long, strange trip is nicely chronicled in "This Ain't No Mouse Music!" The documentary illustrates the dramatic impact Strachwitz's efforts have had on the music world -- and on "world music." Notably, it shows how the Arhoolie recordings greatly helped popularize Cajun, Tex-Mex, bluegrass and other regional music styles while bringing some much-needed attention to such significant musicians as Tejano accordionist Flaco Jimenez, zydeco titan Clifton Chenier, bluegrass great Del McCoury and Texas bluesman Mance Lipscomb. Given that impressive list, it shouldn't be a surprise that the soundtrack is one of the best things about "This Ain't No Mouse Music!" It's a remarkably diverse collection of styles and artists that -- like the Arhoolie catalog itself -- is simply sewn together with the common thread of Strachwitz's personal taste in music. "I didn't want to record stuff that I didn't like," he explains in the movie, providing a de facto mission statement for his label. Yet, Strachwitz seems at a loss when he tries to describe exactly what it is that attracts him to a song or artist. "I don't know why I like it so much," he says about some unnamed piece of music in the film. "It's just got some guts to it. It ain't wimpy, that's for sure. It ain't no mouse music." The film never really defines "mouse music," but we're given the impression that it's music of the overly produced, highly commercial variety. And, yes, it's a safe bet that you won't hear "mouse music" on an Arhoolie record. The film begins -- much like Strachwitz's career in music -- with the blues. Strachwitz is shown walking through the Arhoolie offices, housed in the back of his low-key record shop Down Home Music on San Pablo Avenue in El Cerrito, with an album in hand. He takes it over to the turntable and drops the needle -- unleashing Lightnin' Hopkins' "Big Mama Jump" -- and then smiles like a kid in a candy store. He's not just mugging for the camera. That's Strachwitz in a nutshell -- a man who still dearly loves listening to music after more than a half-century in the business. And that's a mighty rare situation in the music industry. "This Ain't No Mouse Music" works, in large part, because of Strachwitz's unbridled -- and some would say unrivaled -- enthusiasm for Americana music. He comes across on film exactly like he does in person: passionate, opinionated, motivated and incredibly down to earth. I interviewed Strachwitz in 2011, on the occasion of Arhoolie's 50th anniversary celebration, and the quotes from that chat read like slices of dialogue from this documentary. He's a natural storyteller, blessed with m