NOV. 16th screening of "TEEN A-GO-GO" Documentary

[Gunther Toody]

On Nov. 16th at the Lone Star Film Festival in Fort Worth, TX there will be a first public screening of a new doctumentary called "TEEN A-GO-GO". Initially inspired by the FW Teen Scene comps, this documentary looks at bands formed during the classic garageband period in the mid sixties using interviews, found footage and photos. There are interviews with a lot of really great FW garage bands like the Elite, Larry & the Bluenotes, the Barons; and interviews with other bands from other parts of the country and interesting comments from garagepunk "experts".
I've seen it and it was better than I thought it was gonna be (expectations were low since the people that made it aren't really hardcore garagepunk freaks like us). There is some really great old footage in it and some of the interviews and stories are funny. There are some really insightful comments from Ira Robbins (of Trouser Press fame), funnyman Billy Miller, and from Texas writer and Fort Worth native Joe Nick Patowski (this guy really nails it describing why FW had so many cool bands). It was cool hearing so many great songs on the soundtrack (my favorite: "It's Been A Long Journey" by the Roots...Begin argument here about how the Roots weren't from Fort Worth...but it was released on a Fort Worth record label!...sorry, I was having a Garagepunk.com flashback). This probably isn't going to be released theatrically, but may make it to DVD someday. You might be able to see it on your local PBS station eventually (especially in Texas). This thing is not going to knock your socks like you wish it would but it's interesting and fun and there isn't really anything else like it that I know of, so that alone makes it worth seeing for those of us interested in the "garagepunk collecting hobby".
Check it out here: http://lsiff.bside.com/2008/films/teenagogo_lsiff2008

[Trixie Malicious]

I'd love to see this, hopefully it will be released on DVD in London...?

[Gunther Toody]

Any requests for information regarding this should be directed towards: http://garagepunk.ning.com/xn/detail/u_30tog0zqjjj6s
She's the director.

[luscevious drummer]

wish that someone could bring it over on the other side of the atlantic for us to see (at first) and buy.this is the shit!

[Gunther Toody]

Last night was the first local public screening of TEEN A GO-GO to a warm and enthusiastic sold out crowd. The audience seemed to really like it, but it was made up of band members and their families and friends, so they weren't gonna like boo it or anything even if they didn't like it. The fun part was the after-party, with a battle of the bands (The Excels, The Mods, The Elite, Larry & the Blue Notes and John Nitzinger of the Barons) complete with go-go girls and voting for your favorite band. Larry & the Blue Notes were great (check them out at the Ponderosa Stomp show at the next SXSW), followed closely by the Elite. It's still hard for me to believe that my town's garage scene produced 3 volumes of FW Teen Scene AND now a doctumentary. It's just awesome to me that the tunes and the bands and the guys that made the music have been preserved so that they can be appreciated like they deserve to be...as opposed to being lost forever to obscurity.

[luscevious drummer]

i feel nothing but sheer jealousy now!and a battle of the bands after the screening?what else you want out of music in your town?

[Zorch Surfer]

I can't believe I missed this. I am so bummed! Why the hell don't I check this site more often. Excuse me while I jump out the window....

[melissa]

Hey, wow! I'm the director of Teen A Go Go... I was just surfing looking for any nods we might have gotten... and this is great! Thank you for the interest and nice comments... To those of you asking about future screenings in europe and dvds - we are planning on both... Are there any film fests you can recommend over there? We are interested Berlin, but that is a yeara way now...By the way, we would love to always have a Battle of the Bands Jam after each festival screening or special screenings no matter where it takes place... I thought it would be cool to have bands from whatever town we are in play these parties... so in essence we can shine light on garage bands everywhere we go!!

Zorch Surfer said:

I can't believe I missed this. I am so bummed! Why the hell don't I check this site more often. Excuse me while I jump out the window....

[Zorch Surfer]

I'm sure the documentary will do well in other cities but the after party won't be the same as the original screening. You guys had Larry & The Blue Notes, The Elite & The Excels on the same stage all in one night. That would have blown my mind! I hope there will be a screening in LA, I'll go for sure.

On a side note does anyone have any info of future shows the above mentioned bands will be doing? I would love to catch these guys in action. Thanks

melissa said:

Hey, wow! I'm the director of Teen A Go Go... I was just surfing looking for any nods we might have gotten... and this is great! Thank you for the interest and nice comments... To those of you asking about future screenings in europe and dvds - we are planning on both... Are there any film fests you can recommend over there? We are interested Berlin, but that is a yeara way now...By the way, we would love to always have a Battle of the Bands Jam after each festival screening or special screenings no matter where it takes place... I thought it would be cool to have bands from whatever town we are in play these parties... so in essence we can shine light on garage bands everywhere we go!!

Zorch Surfer said:

I can't believe I missed this. I am so bummed! Why the hell don't I check this site more often. Excuse me while I jump out the window....

[Gunther Toody]

Hey Melissa...I'm getting a check for this promotional work I'm doing here, right?

[melissa]

Ya sure... I'll pay what we are paying ourselves... bet you can guess how much that is...LOL! Seriously, thanks again... And as for screenings in LA - yes we hope to do something there eventually. It will be awhile before we screen anywhere agian - film fests and distributors both have weird rules about public screenings.... ...

[Oliver_Twist]

Hi Melissa!

I'm a promoter/booking agent from Montreal of a new production company, Teenbeat Takeover!, and would be interested in showing your documentary for a public screening... Please contact me via email if there is interest on your part: [e-mail]

Thanks!


melissa said:

Ya sure... I'll pay what we are paying ourselves... bet you can guess how much that is...LOL! Seriously, thanks again... And as for screenings in LA - yes we hope to do something there eventually. It will be awhile before we screen anywhere agian - film fests and distributors both have weird rules about public screenings.... ...

[Alberto]

hello

would like to trade for rare video/DVD shows of garage-punk
I have tons to trade at www.freewebs.com/almudeno69

send your lists

thanks