"The Last Sunset: A Dan Del Santo Documentary"

"The Last Sunset: A Dan Del Santo Documentary" sets out to follow and examine the “larger-than” life of musician, DJ, activist, and 100% Austin, TX original Dan Del Santo --- from his humble beginnings and complex family life, to his musical breakthroughs and innovations, to his eventual death as a fugitive in hiding.

Utopia Unearthed Records is a DIY reissue label and multimedia project set to archive and preserve outsider and private press music from before the internet age, who have been working tirelessly over the last year with Dan's family and friends to document and preserve his fascinating musical legacy.

THE STORY

Born and raised in Poughkeepsie, New York — Dan’s musical beginnings saw him playing music with his then-band The Arm Brothers who raucously mixed bluegrass with country, blues, and western swing that garnered a rabid cult following, but didn’t exactly fit into New York’s greater music scene. He was carving his way as a blues session guitarist and pioneer of progressive bluegrass, but decided that he needed a change of pace.

After a move to Austin, Texas in his early 20s, Dan furthered his status as an irreverent cult icon in the community. His “World Beat Hour” radio show on KUTX was quintessential in bringing sounds from around the world to the American southwest and keeping Austin weird. He composed and arranged several albums with a revolving door of Austin’s greatest studio musicians — dubbed The Professors of Pleasure, with styles ranging from country, to reggae, conjunto to afrobeat, and just about everything in between. His absurdly prolific musical output and distinct baritone voice left a ripple effect on his hometown of Austin that's still felt today. He was also instrumental in bringing community awareness to atrocities happening the world over, drawing attention to the imprisonment of Fela Kuti and the ongoing evils of South Africa’s apartheid.

This, however, all changed when Dan fled the country in 1992. America's war on drugs was hotter than ever and marijuana was Dan’s drug of choice. After a federal raid busted Dan for a weed farm he was cultivating outside of town, he skipped town and spent nearly a decade in hiding in Oaxaca, Mexico — leaving his family and friends in Austin behind. Dan is, without a doubt, the most interesting musician you’ve never heard of. However, this film is not simply about Dan Del Santo — it’s about whether or not we can separate the art from the artist, it’s about how one’s actions affect others, it’s about the effects of our country's drug war, it’s about family, it’s about resilience, and it’s about healing in the lives of those he left behind, all while grappling with the balance of all of this paired with the joy, music, and inspiration Dan brought into the world.

With unprecedented access to Dan’s family archives, this film contains previously unreleased footage and music from Dan Del Santo, as well as interviews from Dan’s friends (including his best friend, Austin City Limits producer Terry Lickona), family, and former bandmates and collaborators.

WHAT YOU'RE FUNDING

Funds raised through this GoFundMe campaign will be entirely used to cover the costs of equipment + software needed for shooting and editing and travel expenses needed to film in Austin, Poughkeepsie, Aptos, Denver, and Oaxaca, which are all necessary to get the interviews that will tell the story.

As far as security in your investment goes, the aforementioned trips and interviews are already booked and a shooting schedule is already complete, with the film set to be finished in September of 2025! This campaign would serve to reimburse the film's creators (us over here at Utopia Unearthed Records!) on the expenses we've already paid for, as well as help us complete and promote the film once it's done.

No raffles, sweepstakes, giveaways, or returns on investment are offered in exchange for any donations made to this GoFundMe. In other words, being able to publicly view the film in its final form upon completion will be the only result of your donations! Thank you for understanding!

For more information on Dan Del Santo and Utopia Unearthed, visit our website HERE!