Guitarist Michael Daves and his 2016 double album, Orchids and Violence, are the subject of a documentary by filmmaker Jason Zucker and Paper Swan production company. The Making of Orchids and Violence, which premiered on The Bluegrass Situation and can be seen below, is an intimate portrait of the album, from its conception to its release. Orchids and Violence comprises two discs with identical track listings of mostly traditional tunes, including songs by bluegrass pioneers Bill Monroe and Ralph Stanley, with the first disc of acoustic takes and the second an experimental rock take on those tunes.

The Making of Orchids and Violence takes a behind-the-scenes look at it all, from the recording of the acoustic set at Old First Reformed Church in Park Slope, Brooklyn, with a band of roots-music innovators—bassist Mike Bub, violinist Brittany Haas, mandolinist Sarah Jarosz, and Punch Brothers banjoist Noam Pikelny—to Daves’s home studio, where he and his wife recorded the electric set. The film culminates in a trio of record release shows in New York City at Rockwood Music Hall, Knitting Factory, and the Bell House.

Orchids and Violence is “a culmination of a lifetime of various musical interests,” Daves says in the film. “On the one hand, do a full band bluegrass record, which I’d never done, but also continue exploring this electric and experimental music that I’ve been doing for quite a long time as well."

“Making this documentary was a true labor of love,” says Zucker. “It was such a privilege getting to work with the incredible musicians involved with this project. And, with Michael at the helm, there was no doubt that the final product would be anything but mesmerizing. Orchids and Violence is an absolute masterpiece, a one-of-a-kind album that features two very distinct sides of a musician at the top of his game."

"The record’s out there," Daves goes on to say in the documentary. "I hope it’s something that people will want to keep coming back to, and hopefully they’re hearing different things in it every time they go back and listen to it. If I did my job right, there’s going to be a lot there and I hope it’s something people will listen to for a lot of time to come."

You can watch The Making of Orchids and Violence below. To pick up a copy of Orchids and Violence and the vinyl edition, Violence and Orchids, head to the Nonesuch Store now.

The Making of 'Orchids and Violence' from Paper Swan on Vimeo.