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A barfly jazz pianist must commit murder to pay off a drug debt to a crooked cop. Best to hold on tight. It’s going to be a hell of a night.

A few summers ago, I interviewed indie filmmaker Derek Presley for his directorial debut. “Whitetail”. I liked this story about a teenage boy who is forced to grow up too soon in the face of unbridled evil. The film indicated promising things for Presley.

Flash forward now. Presley’s career actually flourished along with his production budget (funny how one begets the other, huh?).

“TONIC”: Chronicle of a criminal keyboardist

His latest work is a single wicked night of debauchery, crime and eclectic live music chronicle ‘Tonic’.

Billy Blair (“Machete,” “The Last Stand”) is a marvel as Sebastian Poe, a nightclub piano player who just wants a paying gig but is forced to pay for past transgressions. Blair, an accomplished musician in his own right, gives a yeoman performance here and inhabits every scene of “Tonic.” And her welcome never wears out as she glides through a multitude of difficult situations and emotions, conjuring up whatever the moment calls for with captivating vulnerability and strength.

Sebastian Poe. A tuff SOB, dude.

Blair Sebastian’s expression, as written by Presley, could be that of a hapless loser. But that doesn’t mean the dude isn’t a fucking fat ass, dude. During this primarily punishing night, he’s socked in the schnoz with a pistol scope, thrown out of a taxi onto the concrete to get the crap kicked out of him, and shot multiple times while being held down by a deranged drug dealer.

But perhaps most horrifying of all is what the crazy crooked cop forces poor Sebastian to embark on his evening’s flamboyant escape deep into civilization. There were agonizing aggressions from the underbelly south, both proverbially and literally, to a scrotum screaming bloody murder. Or pee, to be more precise.

And to hell with a happy ending

“Tonic” ends with Sebastian doing what he had to do. Tickles the ivories, man. Although kind, his music is melancholic. Haunting.

The bittersweet sound that indicates that this crunchy keyboardist’s life holds little more than the same old dirty and sad tune.

***I recently interviewed the major talent behind “Team Tonic”.

my YouTube channel.***

Here is our conversation:

Presley is currently on the film festival circuit with ‘Tonic’. You’d think distributors would be lining up to buy.