Fun and games
This past weekend (yes, I'm talking about the weekend on Thursday. I'm a little slow), I went to the AFI Silverdocs festival to see the new documentary about the history of the 930 club. The basic review: it was pretty good. It would be really fun for anyone who knew the 930 at its old location, still fun for those of us who've just known the new one, interesting for anyone really into Dischord bands or the '80's DC punk scene, but I would imagine that it'd be really confusing for anyone who doesn't already know at least the basic history of the club.
During the Q&A of the filmmakers after the screening, one of them revealed himself as being a big Archers of Loaf fan and a big fan of North Carolina music. And all I could think was how fascinating a documentary on the early '90's North Carolina music scene would be. Yes, it'd be great to get a glimpse of the heyday of Archers of Loaf and Superchunk ("Supachunk?!"), but even more fascinating would be to hear from the guys in bands like Dillon Fence and the Connells about how it seemed at that time like it was inevitable that tons of North Carolina bands were going to make it big.
I think it'd be interesting to extend the documentary to the mid-'90's, when bands whose members I knew like Athenaeum and Jump Little Children were signed to major labels and never had any wide popular success. It seems like there's plenty of documentaries on the rise and fall of music scenes, but none on music scenes which never even got to the rise. I always felt like this was something that was fairly unique about the NC music scene: that so many bands were so sure of their impending popularity that that was all they could talk about. But to compare the punk ethics of Superchunk and Archers to the we're-the-next-REM approach of some of those other bands would be fascinating.
Anyway, if someone wants to make that film happen, just let me know when it's done. I'd love to see it.
13 comments:
sure. I'd LOVE to.... But it's sort of hard to make a documentary film about the Chapel Thrill music scene in the early 90s without having any footage of said era. I mean it's all good and well to interview people who would say "Yeah, I remember when Eric Bachman would be so fucking drunk he couldn't even remember the songs, and would spit on the audience", but it's a whole lot better if there's footage of such stuff.
Now that I think of it, though..... it would be really cool to do a "looking back on the '90s" view of that. Get interviews from Greg Humphries (Dillon Fence) and the guys from the Connells about why they didn't make it big, and from Eric Bachman and Mac Superchunk about what made their shit work and the others not work.
I'm sure Frank from the Cradle has some video of shows he'd be willing to contribute. Hmmmmmm..
Seriously, though. Watch DiG. It's really good.
And don't forget Ben Folds, Let's Active, and anybody remember the Naked Angels? Man, you could do a great movie about the Winston-Salem scene alone. Anyway, I'd be right there with you as the first to see that documentary - and I think it could be really fascinating (to me at least) but, as d-lee pointed out, there's probably little to no footage - sadly (which I guess says something about the success of these bands). Funny you mention Jump Little Children - or as they are now wanting to be known: Jump - I think of all those bands, those guys were probably the most convinced that they had the goods to be the next R.E.M. (the Connells too probably). I'd like to see an interview with them though about what they think now - for their thoughts about what they expected to happen and where they ended up, and also because I went to high school with them, and it'd just be cool to see people I knew on the big screen.
Well, there have been plenty of great historical documentaries that just use art and/or photos (Ken Burns' Civil War docs being the best example), so I think you could still do it with photos. And I'm sure there's footage floating around.
I just find that so many documentaries never get past the "man, what a great music scene that was" (see also: Live Forever). It'd just be great to delve into this scene that is often remembered as cohesive and had tons of promise and exposure, but never got anywhere.
Archers of Loaf and Superchunk would make for a good documentary, but I think that it would essentially be the "man, what a great music scene that was" doc. I think there's a lot more than that to the NC music of the early '90's.
I will make this movie as long as we can include the Sex Police. Jump on that Elevator...I want you to.
Reid, Tad and I talked about this last and had a good time reminiscing about all that OG North Carolina drum and bass shit. Before there was Ben Folds Five, there was Majosha.
Dag, Sex Police AND Dillon Fence in the same post - I haven't heard those names in a looong time.
Alright, I don't know how bored you people are today, but let's turn this from comments into a thread:
If we were making an early-to-mid-'90's NC indierock mix, what's going on it?
The Connells, "Fun And Games"
Archers of Loaf, "Wrong"
I'm stopping there, but what else goes on it? I can try to post this if I can get ahold of all the mp3s.
And what about The Veldt? They were pretty big in CH around that time as well.
I lived for all of these bands back in the day. I remember everyone in CH while I was in college ('89 - '93, not to date myself) couldn't shut up about how CH was "the next Athens." Bummer.
This is an excellent idea, Reid -- what's stopping you?
Let's Active: "Fell"
The dB's: "Amplifier" (i think they count).
Marnie, there's just one thing that's stopping me from making this movie: a complete lack of knowledge about documentary filmmaking. Also, any funding at all. Other than that, I'm good to go.
But you have *vision*, and that is worth a lot. Did a lack of money or experience prevent George Lucas from making ‘Star Wars’? or Zach Braff from making ‘Garden State’? Come on, Reid -- Rather than balking, live for your dreams...
Yeesssss, the Veldt. Loved "It's Over."
I kind of hated them, but remember Johnny Quest? Lady Cop!
Sheesh. Didn't they do "the Heisman"? Real nice.
I could go on for hours. "Something for You" by Dillon Fence is essential. What about Flat Duo Jets?
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