Here's something you might be interested in.
The documentary Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone, about the band Fishbone and narrated by Laurence Fishburne, will be screening at the Whistle Stop on Thursday, January 12, along with a post-screening Q&A with filmmaker Chris Metzler.
"It's about the black punk band Fishbone from South-Central Los Angeles and the historical and cultural forces that gave rise to the band," Metzler tells the Reader via email.
"We've been screening the film all over the U.S. during the past year and have hit 100+ cities, but until now we hadn't gotten to San Diego, which is surprising as Fishbone has a large fanbase in the city. But now we're making up for it and wanting to show the city some love."
From the shifting faultlines of Hollywood fantasies and the economic and racial tensions of Reagan's America, Fishbone rose to become one of the most original bands of the last 25 years. With a blistering combination of punk and funk, they demolished the walls of genre and challenged the racial stereotypes and political order of the music industry and the nation. Everyday Sunshine is a story about music, history, fear, courage, and funking on the one.
"Fishbone is a band that laid the groundwork for the music scenes that came out of San Diego, O.C., and L.A.," says Metzler. "Mixing up ska, reggae, punk, and funk to capture the beach, so Fishbone's story provides some background to the music scene that exists in SoCal nowadays."
"Plus, Fishbone loves to party and surf, so it's no surprise that San Diego seems to always appreciate Fishbone's grooves."
The Whistle Stop may seem an odd place for a movie screening, but Metzler explains "We're familiar with the venue as we screened an earlier documentary Plagues & Pleasures on the Salton Sea there a few years back and packed the place to the rafters so we had had to have an encore screening to get everyone in."
That movie was Metzler's feature length directorial debut, an offbeat environmental documentary narrated by counterculture King of Trash filmmaker John Waters. A cult favorite, the film was released theatrically in the United States and broadcast nationally on the Sundance Channel.
"If you saw the Salton Sea doc when we screened in San Diego, you'll appreciate the quirky weirdness of Fishbone. Plus both films not only share Southern California origins, but are also explorations of the collision of cultures taking place in the state and the weird, wonderful results that can be had. I like to think that both films are offbeat reflections on the subjective notion of success and failure against the backdrop of the American Dream."
(Fishbone)
After graduating from USC with a degree in business and cinema, Metzler's film career has taken him from the depths of agency work, to coordinating post-production for awful American movies seen late at night in Belgium. His film directing and producing work has resulted in him criss-crossing the country with the aid of caffeinated beverages.
He eventually made his way in the Nashville country and Christian music video industries, before finally forsaking his soul to commercial L.A. rock 'n' roll. These misadventures eventually culminated in him winning a Billboard Magazine Music Video Award.
"With Fishbone, we were really fascinated with the backstory about these six black kids from South Central Los Angeles that got bussed to the white suburbs and quickly fell in love with Punk Rock I thought that 'Man, that is a film I want to make too,' as I like stories of outsiders and what better outsider tale than the story of Fishbone?"
The film attempts to put into context both well known and less-discussed historic moments: Reagan's America, the L.A. crack epidemic, even the Rodney King riots. Beginning with the desegregation busing, the band did seem to have a unique relationship and perspective on the City of L.A. and social policies in general. "Some of the band members also attended Black Panther breakfast programs as young children," points out Meltzer, "so they were very aware of the social issues surrounding them from a young age."
"Then going to school in the Valley and encountering the suburban punk scene and its reaction to Reagan added another layer of experience that many shared in the 1980s. Then came the crack era, and their music, which always had political undertones, became a bit more serious when they realized what was at stake in their communities. So, while we did not delve too deep into those issues, telling the Fishbone story does allow us to talk about that often ignored history as each reflects and was shaped by the other."
The film is also about the life of the musician, a difficult one for most, particularly when you cover decades, as Metzler does in the film. "Angelo's living with his mother during the course of the film; others are struggling mentally, emotionally, economically so there were lots of surprises. One thing that was a little surprising is that life on the road for a musician is not that fun and this is coming from someone who loves to travel, but when you're a musician moving from gig to gig, it's more tedious than an adventure. While we did have a great time filming the band during two European and several US tours, it is a lot of waiting around at hotels, clubs, gas stations and airports. Even though the guys do occasionally get out to see the cities they travel to, there is not much time so it is not nearly as glamorous or exciting as one would think."
"Having spent four years making this film, we couldn't but help but come away having an admiration for the band's perseverance. Heck, they'd been together for 25 years, but we also come away with an appreciation of their music."
EVENT INFO:
Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone, directed by Lev Anderson and Chris Metzler, narrated by Laurence Fishburne, featuring Fishbone, Flea, Ice-T, Gwen Stefani, Perry Farrell, Bob Forrest, Branford Marsalis, and George Clinton.
Official Synopsis: Everyday Sunshine is a documentary about the band Fishbone, musical pioneers who have been rocking on the margins of pop culture for the past 25 years. From the streets of South Central Los Angeles and the competitive Hollywood music scene of the 1980s, the band rose to prominence, only to fall apart when on the verge of "making it."
(Fishbone loves Rock 'N' Roll Comics!)
Laurence Fishburne narrates this entertaining cinematic journey into the personal lives of this unique black rock band, an untold story of fiercely individual artists in their quest to reclaim their musical legacy while debunking the myths of young black men from urban America.
Highlighting the parallel journeys of a band and their city, the film explores the personal and cultural forces that gave rise to California's black punk sons that continue to defy categories and expectations.
At the heart of Fishbone's story is lead singer Angelo Moore and bassist Norwood Fisher who show how they keep the band rolling, out of pride, desperation and love for their art. To overcome money woes, family strife, and the strain of being aging punk rockers on the road, Norwood and Angelo are challenged to re-invent themselves in the face of dysfunction and ghosts from a painful past.
Thursday, January 12
Whistle Stop Bar, 2236 Fern Street
http://www.fishbonedocumentary.com
http://www.whistlestopbar.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChXk4R0mGNw&context=C3249b49ADOEgsToPDskJI6DB5C7da-GKJThrTfENQ
The documentary Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone, about the band Fishbone and narrated by Laurence Fishburne, will be screening at the Whistle Stop on Thursday, January 12, along with a post-screening Q&A with filmmaker Chris Metzler.
"It's about the black punk band Fishbone from South-Central Los Angeles and the historical and cultural forces that gave rise to the band," Metzler tells the Reader via email.
"We've been screening the film all over the U.S. during the past year and have hit 100+ cities, but until now we hadn't gotten to San Diego, which is surprising as Fishbone has a large fanbase in the city. But now we're making up for it and wanting to show the city some love."
From the shifting faultlines of Hollywood fantasies and the economic and racial tensions of Reagan's America, Fishbone rose to become one of the most original bands of the last 25 years. With a blistering combination of punk and funk, they demolished the walls of genre and challenged the racial stereotypes and political order of the music industry and the nation. Everyday Sunshine is a story about music, history, fear, courage, and funking on the one.
"Fishbone is a band that laid the groundwork for the music scenes that came out of San Diego, O.C., and L.A.," says Metzler. "Mixing up ska, reggae, punk, and funk to capture the beach, so Fishbone's story provides some background to the music scene that exists in SoCal nowadays."
"Plus, Fishbone loves to party and surf, so it's no surprise that San Diego seems to always appreciate Fishbone's grooves."
The Whistle Stop may seem an odd place for a movie screening, but Metzler explains "We're familiar with the venue as we screened an earlier documentary Plagues & Pleasures on the Salton Sea there a few years back and packed the place to the rafters so we had had to have an encore screening to get everyone in."
That movie was Metzler's feature length directorial debut, an offbeat environmental documentary narrated by counterculture King of Trash filmmaker John Waters. A cult favorite, the film was released theatrically in the United States and broadcast nationally on the Sundance Channel.
"If you saw the Salton Sea doc when we screened in San Diego, you'll appreciate the quirky weirdness of Fishbone. Plus both films not only share Southern California origins, but are also explorations of the collision of cultures taking place in the state and the weird, wonderful results that can be had. I like to think that both films are offbeat reflections on the subjective notion of success and failure against the backdrop of the American Dream."
(Fishbone)
After graduating from USC with a degree in business and cinema, Metzler's film career has taken him from the depths of agency work, to coordinating post-production for awful American movies seen late at night in Belgium. His film directing and producing work has resulted in him criss-crossing the country with the aid of caffeinated beverages.
He eventually made his way in the Nashville country and Christian music video industries, before finally forsaking his soul to commercial L.A. rock 'n' roll. These misadventures eventually culminated in him winning a Billboard Magazine Music Video Award.
"With Fishbone, we were really fascinated with the backstory about these six black kids from South Central Los Angeles that got bussed to the white suburbs and quickly fell in love with Punk Rock I thought that 'Man, that is a film I want to make too,' as I like stories of outsiders and what better outsider tale than the story of Fishbone?"
The film attempts to put into context both well known and less-discussed historic moments: Reagan's America, the L.A. crack epidemic, even the Rodney King riots. Beginning with the desegregation busing, the band did seem to have a unique relationship and perspective on the City of L.A. and social policies in general. "Some of the band members also attended Black Panther breakfast programs as young children," points out Meltzer, "so they were very aware of the social issues surrounding them from a young age."
"Then going to school in the Valley and encountering the suburban punk scene and its reaction to Reagan added another layer of experience that many shared in the 1980s. Then came the crack era, and their music, which always had political undertones, became a bit more serious when they realized what was at stake in their communities. So, while we did not delve too deep into those issues, telling the Fishbone story does allow us to talk about that often ignored history as each reflects and was shaped by the other."
The film is also about the life of the musician, a difficult one for most, particularly when you cover decades, as Metzler does in the film. "Angelo's living with his mother during the course of the film; others are struggling mentally, emotionally, economically so there were lots of surprises. One thing that was a little surprising is that life on the road for a musician is not that fun and this is coming from someone who loves to travel, but when you're a musician moving from gig to gig, it's more tedious than an adventure. While we did have a great time filming the band during two European and several US tours, it is a lot of waiting around at hotels, clubs, gas stations and airports. Even though the guys do occasionally get out to see the cities they travel to, there is not much time so it is not nearly as glamorous or exciting as one would think."
"Having spent four years making this film, we couldn't but help but come away having an admiration for the band's perseverance. Heck, they'd been together for 25 years, but we also come away with an appreciation of their music."
EVENT INFO:
Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone, directed by Lev Anderson and Chris Metzler, narrated by Laurence Fishburne, featuring Fishbone, Flea, Ice-T, Gwen Stefani, Perry Farrell, Bob Forrest, Branford Marsalis, and George Clinton.
Official Synopsis: Everyday Sunshine is a documentary about the band Fishbone, musical pioneers who have been rocking on the margins of pop culture for the past 25 years. From the streets of South Central Los Angeles and the competitive Hollywood music scene of the 1980s, the band rose to prominence, only to fall apart when on the verge of "making it."
(Fishbone loves Rock 'N' Roll Comics!)
Laurence Fishburne narrates this entertaining cinematic journey into the personal lives of this unique black rock band, an untold story of fiercely individual artists in their quest to reclaim their musical legacy while debunking the myths of young black men from urban America.
Highlighting the parallel journeys of a band and their city, the film explores the personal and cultural forces that gave rise to California's black punk sons that continue to defy categories and expectations.
At the heart of Fishbone's story is lead singer Angelo Moore and bassist Norwood Fisher who show how they keep the band rolling, out of pride, desperation and love for their art. To overcome money woes, family strife, and the strain of being aging punk rockers on the road, Norwood and Angelo are challenged to re-invent themselves in the face of dysfunction and ghosts from a painful past.
Thursday, January 12
Whistle Stop Bar, 2236 Fern Street
http://www.fishbonedocumentary.com
http://www.whistlestopbar.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChXk4R0mGNw&context=C3249b49ADOEgsToPDskJI6DB5C7da-GKJThrTfENQ