V/A – “CBGB: Punk From the Bowery” DVD A collection of what promises to be an ongoing series of bands filmed live at the seminal punk club CBGB’s. A promising concept, but unfortunately most of the bands are either the same kind of macho jock-core (with breakdowns replacing the mosh parts of yore) that made NYHC tough going or reformed/still-going bands that are noticeably past their prime (the Vibrators are pretty much the nadir). This looks like it was shot through CBGB’s webcam, not bad though a few times it looks like they’re still in the process of working the bugs out of the system (i.e. “Why are they doing a camera shot THERE?”). Picture and sound are pretty good, though there are a few flaws here and there (most notably during Poison Idea and Varuakers). There are still some good moments thanks to folks like Even Worse, and as a bonus you get a 30-minute tour of the club (with help with the aforementioned webcam) featuring running commentary and remembrances from Hilly Kristal himself; while this part could have been tightened a bit it does end up saving the DVD (How can you resist the charm of the CBGBs cat?). Only $10 so it might be worth getting for the tour and the few good bands; otherwise if they get the remaining quirks out of the webcams and focus on more up-and-coming bands (or provide footage of past-CBGBs bands back in their prime) this could be a series to look out for. David @ www.musicvideodistributors.com |
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