Minnow Media followed Lise Uyanik and the Mobile City Band as they prepared to release their 25th anniversary CD -- a celebration of the band's endurance and the devotion of their North Carolina fans. The result is many hours of footage -- in concert and behind the scenes -- soon to become a documentary entitled SONG FOR US ALL. Lise Uyanik, a gifted singer of Turkish descent, brought the band together in 1978, and they soon became a fixture at community events in Durham and Chapel Hill through the mid 1980s. Then life got in the way -- children, marriages, careers, divorces -- the usual ups and downs.

In the last several years, Lise and the band reunited for a series of parties -- mostly 50th birthdays, second weddings, or 25th wedding anniversaries. A particularly energetic concert in November 2002 brought back memories for hundreds of dancing fans, now middle-aged professionals with graying hair and their own children who are starting bands.

In 1990 Lise was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Recognizing that her days of playing music could be limited, friends and fans raised $26,000 to create the 25th anniversary CD, the band's first recording since their debut album from 1981. The story of the band -- how a group of individuals has stayed connected for the love of music and the community that loves them -- relates to the transformative power of the music to create and sustain connections among us.

This is a documentary not about glitz and glory, but about perseverance, personal responsibility, and a celebration of the power of art to create and sustain friendships that have profoundly changed over time – a far cry from “American Idol” or MTV. The CD is now available from Minnow Media. Fundraising to complete the video continues.