Top 10 Movies of 2000 from the New York Press 12/2000

Songs For Cassavetes. Don’t be put off by the somewhat unfortunate title. This 16 mm documentary about early 90s indie rock avoids all stargazing and gets to the heart of what it meant for slacker kids to make art. And in the very last shot, the Cassavetes nod makes perfect sense.

-Ed Halter ..................view original at NY Press

Songs for Cassavetes Rock of All Ages 3/21/01

The do-it-yourself ethos of the independent music scene is rigid and omnipresent, involving nearly every aspect of the business, from the recording process to the creation of sleeve and flier artwork. And in the case of Songs for Cassavetes, DIY might as well stand for "document it yourself." Filmmaker Justin Mitchell clearly has his heart and soul in the indie scene, applying the same ideals in the production of the B&W Songs for Cassavetes that the subject matter practices within the music field.

Mitchell examines indie rock through interviews with and performances by 10 bands, most of which reside in the Seattle/Olympia region or the San Francisco Bay Area. Covering a variety of sounds from the noise-pop of Henry's Dress and the precious indie-pop of Tullycraft to the punk gospel of the Make-Up and the potent rock of Sleater-Kinney, the film exposes a shared value system, if not a shared sonic aesthetic. Topics of conversation include the reason independent labels and bands exist, the significance of all-ages shows and the idea of selling out the scene. A few pearls of wisdom are dropped, generally by individuals with a bit more age, more experience and a better chance of a balanced perspective, such as K Records/Dub Narcotic Sound System's Calvin Johnson and Yoyo studio's Pat Maley. Many of the band members are far less articulate, spreading the same worn-out cliches that indie rockers have been using forever as an excuse for their superiority complex and condescension toward the mainstream. Self-serving aphorisms about how bad corporations are, how bad major labels are and how they/their music/the indie community is making a difference are unavoidable.

Yet despite the less-than-compelling oratory skills on display, the desire to believe the orators prevails. The film has the effect of reality television: Though gut instincts warn that we should care less about what these goobers have to say, the speakers are strangely seductive. Maybe that's because, in the end, even if the method and motive are sometimes questionable (indie rockers can be self-centered prima donnas, too, you know), these musicians are doing something good. By endorsing all-ages shows, the fabricated passage to adulthood at 21 is diminished, along with the alienation often felt by younger fans. As an additional benefit, the role that alcohol tends to play at shows, as well as the consequential conflicts, is eliminated.

Perhaps more important, the bands in Songs for Cassavetes are ensuring the survival of creative freedom in musical expression so often obstructed by industry's whimsy. And if the indie rhetoric falls flat, there are still the live performances to watch, which, combined with Secret Cinema's giant-screen projection, will transport audiences to the rock shows with IMAX-like realism. In indie terms, that means you still won't be able to hear the damn singer.

--BETHANY KLEIN..................view original at Philadelphia Weekly

Songs for Cassavetes 3/22/01

Indie works more subtly than other music movements, fueled mostly by word of mouth, tours and sacrifice. It has many epicenters, one of which is Olympia, WA, where Calvin Johnson’s K record label continues to show off some of the brightest bulbs in music’s underground one tape, CD, 7-inch and all-ages show at a time. Justin Mitchell’s 1999 documentary Songs for Cassavetes seeks not to define indie, punk or K’s impact on the two, opting instead to examine, through interviews and lengthy concert footage, the K artists trying to make it work. Shot in black and white 16mm, the film looks the way the music sounds: raw, pure, intense. There are some slower parts — you have to sit through some moderately engaging sections on The Peechees, Unwound and Henry’s Dress to get to the fun stuff like Some Velvet Sidewalk, Tullycraft, Johnson’s Dub Narcotic Sound System and Sleater-Kinney, the little band that actually did.

—Patrick Rapa..................view original at Philadelphia City Paper

Capturing the spirit of the indie American film maker; this atmospherically shot black and white 16mm film combines interviews, live performance and lingering images to give a refreshing insight into the indie US musicians rebelling against a culture largely comprised by commerce. Unwilling to fit into the nebulous mainstream, the selection of contemporary '90s bands featured refuse to fall into the self destructive traps of their rock predecessors. For this wide range of musicians their potency relies on connecting with the audience through issues of their time.

A strong dose of surrealism is at play in the film, best illustrated by footage of 'The Make Up', playing at the Cuba Libre! Sanctuary introduced by a Cuban Elvis impersonator who sings 'Power to the People' before getting lead singer Ian Sevonius to jitter bug with him. The band give an energetic performance which pays a debt to Joy Division as well as the Velvet Underground but are accompanied by film projections of Fidel Castro rather than the drugs strung out images of the late '60s early '70s NYC scene. All female band Sleater-Kinney steal the show, explaining their irritation with main stream press attention which holds them up as having an 'isolated identity'. The strength of these performers lies in their network support system, able to continue recording and touring due to like minded record labels and radio stations such as YoYo Recordings and the Dub Narcotic Sound System, who see themselves as documenting expression rather than manufacturing products to be consumed. Romantic and idealistic they may be, but still a heart warming experience for all those anti-cynics out there.

Sarah MacGregor.....6degrees......October 2000......from the London Film Festival Site

Songs for Cassavetes at the NYUFF

Hampered a little bit by a traditional documentary structure (interview-band-interview-band-interview-etc.), SONGS was still a revealing look into a still largely ignored music scene. The director, Justin Mitchell, is an awesome interviewer and gets his subjects to give extremely insightful and interesting discourses into the nature of music and commerce. Bands profiled were two of my favorites Sleater-Kinney and Unwound as well as The Make-Up, The Peechees, Some Velvet Sidewalk, Dub Narcotic Sound System, the Hi-Fives and a few others.

It was kind of strange how all these bands more or less, without being interviewed together, all expressed notions how for most people their lives end emotionally at the age of 21. People arbitrarily pick this magical date in their lives to declare themselves an adult and put aside their frivolous childish impulses, activities and attitudes. I have to say that I have seen this phenomenon way more than I should as people in the prime of their lives start "settling down" and, quite frankly, become boring. Most of the punks in SONGS actively reject that so-called "normal" lifestyle and plan on rockin' for as long as they can.

I'm with them on that.

-mikE Everleth.....from Badlit

Songs for Cassavetes from (em) zine issue #4

Calvin Johnson. Sleater-Kinney. Well thought out, concise, poignant. Shot beautifully. This is the most beautiful example of an independent documentary I have seen. Inspiring because the film discusses the non tangible reasons for being involved in the music, and the scene. While the music isn't necessarily my scene the ethic and attitudes are exactly the same and in the discussion of the politics and ethics there is a very empowering and inspirational feel to the film. A great deal of this I think comes from Calvin Johnson. Being older than most of the people interviewed, his perspective is the most unifying of all the interviews. His presence really helps pick up all the threads and tie them together. The live footage is especially nice because is was all shot from the crowd perspective. While looking professional it never elevates its self above the rest of the audience. Very honest feel to everything about it. A film about making independent music because of love, you know the film was made from love.
-Jared

Songs for Cassavetes from Giant Robot Spring 2000

This one doesn't have anything to do with the four elements of hip hop, but I figured you shouldn't be without. Songs For Cassavetes was put together by Breadcrumb Trail Prod. It's a black-and-white documentary about indie rock and how the commercialism of punk affected individuals. This was well over three years of filming that took the director, Justin, all around the country following bands on tour and filming them live. Unwound, Dub Narcotic Sound System, Make Up, the Hi-Fives, Tullycraft, Henry's Dress, the Peechees, Some Velvet Sidewalk, and Sleater-Kinney all gave it up live. It also has some scenes from Yo-Yo-a-Go-Go. This film is a must-have for your collection.
-Rop

Sleater-Kinney Among Bands Featured In Indie Film Songs For Cassavetes

"There was what we were doing -- the underground -- and then there was Huey Lewis. There was nothing in between," says Calvin Johnson, summing up the U.S. music scene of the 1980s at the beginning of Justin Mitchell's documentary Songs for Cassavetes (after innovative film director John Cassavetes).

The film, which plays Portland, Ore.'s Reel Music film festival on Friday (Jan. 14), is a documentary of the indie rock scene that still bubbles beneath the mainstream, bands for whom the phrases "sell-out" and "major label" are equally reprehensible.

Johnson is presented as a spokesman/founding father of the scene, an obvious choice, given that he founded one of the few indie labels that's grown and flourished without major label investment (Olympia, Wash.-based K Records), and his tenure in bands like Beat Happening and Dub Narcotic Sound System.

As someone who first became interested in music before there was a fully-formed indie scene, Johnson is in a good position to give insights into the period, as in one anecdote where he describes the battles at alternative radio stations over what music to play, the die-hard purists insisting that even if the Ramones were "punk," they were on a major label, and therefore shouldn't be played on an alternative station. "That just didn't make sense to anybody!" Johnson says.

The film also has interview/performance segments with bands like Unwound, Sleater-Kinney, and the Make-Up, along with footage from the 1997 Yoyo-a-Go-Go indie music festival in Olympia. Mitchell thankfully eschews quick cutting in favor of letting the bands play an entire song. The interviews are equally straightforward, and illustrate the different perceptions the musicians have regarding what it means to be in a band. For the Hi-Fives, touring is what they like best, while the members of Tullycraft find it more enjoyable to make records. Pat Maley, founder of the Yoyo festival (named after his own record label), will undoubtedly confound many with his label's "business plan": "Typically, we can't really pay our bands anything," he says.

Filmed in black and white, Cassavetes is a bit too dark at times and occasionally out of focus. A bigger problem is that aside from Johnson, there are no identifying titles of anyone else's name, so unless you have first-hand knowledge of a band, you have no idea who's speaking. But the interviews benefit by being done by an insider, and overall the film presents an accurate picture of the state of the current indie scene. The film ends with members of the different bands reading a quote from Cassavetes about people who "die emotionally" at age 21 -- "My responsibility as an artist is to help them past 21" -- with the last word going to Johnson: "You can't argue with the man!"

-- Gillian G. Gaar..................view original at CDNow.com

Songs for Cassavetes from the Oregonian January 14, 2000

It's fitting that Justin Mitchell chose maverick filmmaker John Cassavetes as the namesake muse for his documentary look at the '90s underground music scene, "Songs For Cassavetes."

Best known for such fiercely non-Hollywood fare as "A Woman Under the Influence" and "Minnie and Moskowitz," the late Cassavetes would probably have approved of, at least philosophically, the passel of neo-punk acts that Mitchell profiles in his rawly rendered film.

In an era where music has become a mere commoditiy that's all about the accumulation of Benjamins and teh best possibly major-label deal, it's refreshing to see that there are still those who play for love over profit. The vast majority of the bands feature in "Songs"- Henry's Dress, the Peechees, Tullycraft, et al.- will probably never be MTV stars. But what they lack in polish and skills, they more than make up for with copious amounts of passion and commitment. On the regional front, the vibrant Olympia alternative scene finds itself well represented in the film with drony popsters Sleater-Kinney honored with a sizable amount of screen time.

Like a latter-day sequel to that great 1981 documentary on early L.A. hard-core, "The Decline of Western Civilization," "Songs For Cassavetes" is proof positive that the whole attitude-over-ability, do-it-yourself approach to art is still a viable alternative.
-Michael Evans

Songs for Cassavetes from the Willamette Weekly January 12, 2000

Justin Mitchell's coast-to-coast look at the underground punk scene is a lot like the music itself: refreshing for its integrity, passion and idealism but wildly uneven in its execution. Inspired by iconclastic filmmaker John Cassavetes, Mitchell combines interviews with concert footage of bands like Dub Narcotic Sound System, Tullycraft, and Sleater-Kinney. The production values are abysmal- the movie appears as if shot during a nuclear winter- and the music doesn't always represent the best of the scene. Still, the character of the scene itself comes through loud and clear, giving Songs For Cassavetes some value. -Brian Libby

Songs for Cassavetes

In the opening scene of this indie-rockumentary, Calvin Johnson, arguably the most legendary figure to come out of the northwest since Bigfoot, recounts the early days of his K records label, and the scene that grew around his particular brand of pop music. "In the '80s, things were so conservative. There was what we were doing in the underground, there was Huey Lewis and the News, and there was nothing in between." The next 80 or so minutes explore the network of fans, artists and record labels that grew out of the early '90s indie-rock explosion. Focusing mainly on Calvin's gang in Olympia, WA, and their cohorts in Washington, D.C., the film examines the ideals that fueled the subculture. Live concert footage underscores testimonials from some of the scene's luminaries. The Peechees, The Hi-Fives and Sleater-Kinney all give their two cents, but it's the evangelistic fervor of Make-Up front man Ian Svenonius and the disturbing tunnel vision of Some Velvet Sidewalk's Al Larsen that drive the point firmly home. While it may not convert the masses, the film does provide a good overview of the scene and should be the perfect narcissistic indulgence for any self-respecting record dork.

-Brett Burton......................view original at Philadelphia City Paper Dec 2, 1999