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Jul 11, 2015 By Cody Ray Shafer Web Exclusive

Doug Sahm curated a style of Texas country that embraced everything from psychedelic rock to Tejano Mexican folk, with a career spanning several decades. At one point, Bob Dylan name dropped Sahm and his Sir Douglas Quintet as his favorite band, and Sahm’s social circle seemed to hover around such cultural pinpoints like Dylan or the Grateful Dead.

Sir Doug and the Genuine Texas Cosmic Groove tells Sahm’s story mostly through interviews with people close to him, including his children, and paints a warm portrait of a man who crafted an identity out of his San Antonio roots, and his longing for the hippie lifestyles of San Francisco. The conflict between the cultures of ‘60s Texas and California framed Sahm’s life, as he tried to balance his family with his penchant for sex, drugs, and rock and roll.

While Sahm is certainly a fascinating character and worthy of this loving biography, he feels surprisingly absent from the feature. Interviews with him are sparse, and while the opening scene hints at an exploration of some of Sahm’s darker moments, the film never follows up, and instead we are given a rose tinted adaptation of an eccentric chapter in rock history.

[This review was based on a screening at the Galway Film Fleadh. For more information about Sir Doug and the Genuine Texas Cosmic Groove (including theatrical release dates), stay tuned to the film’s website.]

Author rating: 5.5/10