Electric Purgatory is a documentary that examines the struggles of black rock musicians and the industry's ambivalence towards them. Director Raymond Gayle spent the better part of a year traveling around the United States interviewing many of Black Rock's elite including Fishbone, Vernon Reid, Adam Falcon, Jimi Hazel and Cody Chesnutt. Distinguished journalists such as Flip Barnes, Darrell McNeil, Charlie Braxton, and Greg Tate, share their opinions and insight on the dilemma facing these artists. The film will explore the origins of the Black Rock Coalition and its relevance in the music industry. The project will also take a look at the stigma Black Rock musicians face in the Black community and more importantly how to bring the Black audiences back into the fold. Electric Purgatory: the fate of the black rocker has screened all over the world at local Film Festival screenings as well as international film festivals such as the Singapore International Film Festival, International Documentary Film Festival of New Zealand, the Festival du Film Panafricain in Cannes and the Turks and Caicos International Film Festival.

View photos from some of these screenings in our photo gallery.

Raymond Gayle III was born in Houston, Texas and graduated from the University of Houston in 1995. He began his career as a drama and theatre instructor in Houston. He directed his first short, Love Blows, in 1994 and since that time he has worked on numerous film and video projects in various capacities such as a producer, writer, director, cinematographer, sound mixer and editor.

He has worked on several major Hollywood productions including The Chase starring Charlie Sheen and Jason’s Lyric starring Jada Pinkett. Gayle has also done freelance production on music videos and commercials for such artists as ESG, Slim Thug and Devin the Dude. He also served as Director of Photography and Producer for the short film What Friends are For.

In 1997, Gayle formed Payback Productions with the intent of producing quality African American themed film works that shine a positive light on the community. The documentary Electric Purgatory: the fate of the black rocker is the first feature length documentary produced by Payback Productions. His other recent works include What Friends are For and The Score.

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