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Released by: Cinema Epoch
Released on: 11/11/08
Director: Justin McConnell
Cast: Various
Year: 2008
The Movie:
While it's hardly an original concept to make a movie focusing on the less than glamorous side of the music industry, Justin McConnell's Working Class Rock Star does films like The Decline Of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years one better by focusing not on the perils of excess that seem to inevitably wait for the rising stars but rather by showcasing just how hard some people are willing to work to get there.
McConnell's movie follows three touring bands - Tub Ring, Bloodshoteye, and 3 Mile Scream - all of whom hail from Canada. Each of the three bands has found some degree of success, even if none of them could really be considered famous. We see their ups and downs as they travel across the land to play live and we get a look at the various difficulties that they encounter along the way. It's not always easy to balance your personal life and your professional life, particularly if you're a musician.
Along the way, the film lets more seasoned musicians chime in with their thoughts on what it takes. Members of GWAR and Lamb Of God show up to offer input as does Frank Marino of Mahogany Rush. Some of the stories that these guys tell about their careers and some of the hurtles they head to overcome to get where they are can be pretty eye opening.
Aside from the in's and out's of life on the road, the documentary also covers business matters like dealing with record labels, music piracy, and rights and management issues. Again, these are aspects that are, more often than not, simply skipped over by many music documentaries so it's interesting to see them covered here.
The film was obviously made on a very low budget but don't let that dismay you. It's absolutely worth a watch not only for the thought provoking and honest portrayal of the lower spectrum of the music industry but also for some impressive live footage. While the documentary is pretty one-sided (we don't get any input from A&R types or record label executives, for instance) it's still interesting stuff.
Video/Audio/Extras:
The 1.78.1 anamorphic widescreen transfer is as consistent as the source material will allow. Shot on digital video, the quality of the image changes from one scene to the next but most of the material looks alright even if it never looks amazing.
The English language Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track is pretty decent overall. A few of the live bits sound a little rough but aside from that the levels are well balanced and there aren't any problems with nasty hiss or distortion to complain about. Dialogue is easy to follow and overall the audio is good enough.
Supplements start off with an interesting commentary track courtesy of director Justin McConnell who talks about why he wanted to make this particular film and how he went about getting some of the bands seen in the film involved in the project. Skull Man's Pit Files is an interesting, if brief, featurette that explores why certain music fans insist on moshing at live rock shows.
Rounding out the rest of the supplemental material is a selection of eight different music videos, eleven deleted scenes, trailers for the feature and a few other Cinema Epoch DVD releases, band biographies, menus and chapter selection.
The Final Word:
A refreshingly unglamorous look into the lives of some hard working musicians, Working Class Rock Star makes for decent viewing and gives us a peek into the reality of what the music business is like for so many smaller acts.