The Stars Are Underground

Last updated

VHS cover The stars are underground cover image Cat fr007 VHS olkrum records.jpg
VHS cover

The Stars Are Underground is a 24-minute film documenting the underground music scene in Dublin, Ireland, in 1996. The film was first shown in the same year, 1996, and a VHS was released by Folkrum Records. Directed by Daragh McCarthy, the film documents a generation of Irish bands who took their inspiration from American hardcore punk bands who, rather than pursuing major label deals, made their own self-financed records and released their own material. [1]

Contents

The bands featured and interviewed include Female Hercules, The Mexican Pets, and The Jubilee Allstars. The Stars are Underground also features interviews with Andy Cairns from Therapy? and Dischord Records' Ian MacKaye from the group Fugazi. [2]

The film inspired Academy Award winning singer/songwriter Glen Hansard of The Frames to write a song of the same name after he played on a tour of the film's screenings in rock venues in rural Ireland. The Frames "The Stars Are Underground" appeared on their Dance the Devil album in 1999. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian MacKaye</span> American singer and record label owner

Ian Thomas Garner MacKaye is an American musician. Active since 1979, he is best known as the co-founder and owner of Dischord Records, a Washington, D.C.-based independent record label, and the frontman of hardcore punk band Minor Threat and post-hardcore band Fugazi. MacKaye was also the bassist for the short-lived band the Teen Idles, and frontman for Embrace, and Pailhead, a collaboration with the band Ministry. MacKaye is a member of The Evens, a two-piece indie rock group he formed with his wife Amy Farina in 2001 and in 2018 formed the band Coriky with Farina and his Fugazi band mate Joe Lally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dischord Records</span> American independent record label

Dischord Records is a Washington, D.C.-based independent record label specializing in punk rock. The label is co-owned by Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson, who founded Dischord in 1980 to release Minor Disturbance by their band The Teen Idles. With other independent American labels such as Twin/Tone, Touch and Go Records, and SST Records, Dischord helped to spearhead the nationwide network of underground bands that formed the 1980s indie rock scene. These labels presided over the shift from the hardcore punk that then dominated the American underground scene to the more diverse styles of alternative rock that were emerging.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fugazi</span> American punk band

Fugazi is an American punk rock band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1986. The band consists of guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally, and drummer Brendan Canty. They are noted for their style-transcending music, DIY ethical stance, manner of business practice, and contempt for the music industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rites of Spring</span> American punk rock band

Rites of Spring was an American punk rock band from Washington, D.C., formed in late 1983. Along with Embrace, and Beefeater, they were one of the mainstay acts of the 1985 Revolution Summer movement which took place within the Washington, D.C. hardcore punk scene.

Brendan John Canty is an American musician, composer, producer and filmmaker, best known as the drummer for the band Fugazi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shudder to Think</span> American rock band

Shudder to Think was an American alternative rock band. Formed in 1986, they released three albums on the Washington, D.C.-based label Dischord Records, and two on Epic Records. Their early work was largely influenced by post-hardcore although they gradually drew upon a wide range of stylistic influences, including pop music and glam metal.

<i>End Hits</i> 1998 studio album by Fugazi

End Hits is the fifth studio album by American post-hardcore band Fugazi, released on April 28, 1998, by Dischord Records. It was recorded at Inner Ear Studios from March 1997 to September 1997 and produced by the band and Don Zientara, and saw the band continuing with and expanding upon the in-studio experimentation of their previous album Red Medicine (1995). Due to the title, rumors began circulating at the time that it was to be their last release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Lally</span> Musical artist

Joseph Francis Lally is an American bassist, vocalist and record label owner, best known for his work with Fugazi.

Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. Like the term "post-punk", the term "post-hardcore" has been applied to a broad constellation of groups. Initially taking inspiration from post-punk and noise rock, post-hardcore began in the 1980s with bands like Hüsker Dü and Minutemen. The genre expanded in the 1980s and 1990s with releases by bands from cities that had established hardcore scenes, such as Fugazi from Washington, D.C. as well as groups such as Big Black, Jawbox, Quicksand, and Shellac that stuck closer to post-hardcore's noise rock roots. Dischord Records became a major nexus of post-hardcore during this period. The genre also began to incorporate more dense, complex, and atmospheric instrumentals with bands like Slint and Unwound, and also experienced some crossover from indie rock with bands like The Dismemberment Plan. In the early- and mid-2000s, post-hardcore achieved mainstream success with the popularity of bands like At the Drive-In, My Chemical Romance, Dance Gavin Dance, AFI, Underoath, Hawthorne Heights, Silverstein, The Used, Saosin, Alexisonfire, and Senses Fail. In the 2010s, bands like Sleeping with Sirens and Pierce the Veil achieved mainstream success under the post-hardcore label. Meanwhile, bands like Title Fight and La Dispute experienced underground popularity playing music that bore a closer resemblance to the post-hardcore bands of the 1980s and 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Frames</span> Irish rock band

The Frames are an Irish rock band based in Dublin. Founded in 1990 by Glen Hansard, the band has been influential in the Dublin rock music scene. The group has released six studio albums. In addition to Hansard, the band's current line-up includes original member Colm Mac Con Iomaire, Dave Hingerty, Joe Doyle, and Rob Bochnik.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington, D.C., hardcore</span> Hardcore punk scene of Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., hardcore, commonly referred to as D.C. hardcore, sometimes styled in writing as harDCore, is the hardcore punk scene of Washington, D.C. Emerging in late 1979, it is considered one of the first and most influential punk scenes in the United States.

<i>Instrument</i> (film) 1999 American film

Instrument is a documentary film directed by Jem Cohen about the band Fugazi. The film takes its title from the Fugazi song of the same name, from their 1993 album, In on the Kill Taker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Svenonius</span> American musician

Ian F Svenonius is an American musician and singer of various Washington, D.C.-based punk bands including Nation of Ulysses, the Make-Up, Weird War, XYZ, Escape-ism, and Chain and the Gang. Between his numerous projects, Svenonius has released more than 22 full-length albums and over 20 singles, EPs, and splits. A published author and online talk show host, Svenonius' projects share a tongue-in-cheek, radical left political ideology.

The Make-Up is an American post-punk band from Washington, D.C. formed in 1995, consisting of ex-Nation of Ulysses frontman Ian Svenonius on vocals, James Canty on guitar and organ, Steve Gamboa on drums, and Michelle Mae on bass guitar. The Make-Up were joined in late 1999 by a fifth member, Alex Minoff, who played guitar with the group until the band's dissolution in early 2000.

Jerry Busher is an American drummer and multi-instrumentalist. He is known for his work with Fidelity Jones and Fugazi.

<i>Margin Walker</i> 1989 EP by Fugazi

Margin Walker is the second EP by the American post-hardcore band Fugazi. It was originally released in June 1989 on vinyl and again in the same year on the compilation release 13 Songs along with the debut EP Fugazi. The 12" vinyl went out of print, but was remastered and reissued by Dischord Records in October 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michelle Mae</span> American musician

Michelle Mae is an American musician from the state of Washington, who is known for playing in rock 'n' roll groups such as The Make-Up and Weird War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fugazi discography</span>

The discography of Fugazi, an American post-hardcore band, consists of six studio albums, four EPs, a compilation album, a soundtrack album, a demo and a series of hundreds of live recordings. All of the band's releases have been published by Dischord Records, the independent record label co-owned and operated by Fugazi singer and guitarist Ian MacKaye.

Daragh McCarthy is a Dublin born film-maker and musician. He has directed numerous video clips included early videos for The Frames, a Dublin group led by Academy Award winning Glen Hansard.

Don Zientara is an American record producer and musician. He owns and runs Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, Virginia, located just outside Washington D.C., and is most widely known for his production work with Fugazi, Minor Threat and various other Dischord Records artists.

References

  1. Linear note The Stars are Underground VHS Folkrum Records, 1998
  2. linear note The Stars are Underground VHS Folkrum Records, 1998
  3. Leagues, Review "I am Magic Hand" EP by The FramesDublin Event Guide Feb 1999