MACHINE HEAD (2005); DVD

FRIENDS FOREVER; DVD DVD (2003), Used "We are here to save the world from what rock and roll has become."  -Nate Hayden Take a broken down VW minibus, a beaten up drum kit, an old bass guitar, and a portable generator.  And two energetic youths. Mix.  What do you get?  The almost unbelievable musical group Friends Forever.  Drummer Nate Hayden and Bassist Josh Taylor are not into music for the drugs or the sex or the fame and fortune.  They are in it for their love of music.  They are also on a mission to bring rock music back to the people.  This duo (along with Jenn who does the lighting and their three dogs) travel the country spreading their music, but they don't play inside clubs, they set up out on the street and jam.  The van is their stage, transportation and house.  Wherever there is an empty parking space, they will give a concert.  No audience is too small, and no distance is too far to travel.  They journey from their home in Denver, Colorado to New York City to play one 15 minute gig. Friends Forever is also the name of Ben Wolfinsohn's documentary about this unique musical duo.   Traveling with the band across the USA, Wolfinsohn films these unusual individuals from small show to smaller show, from LA to New York City.  You get to see what drives them and why they do what they do.  With fog machine and strobe lights, Nate plays his drums inside the van, while Josh runs around the parking lot playing his bass.  Josh will come out wearing a wolf head, or a jacket covered with illuminated light bulbs.  He'll get on the roof of the van and set off fire works, all while playing something that resembles a tune.  Their music is DIY noise punk at it's finest. Nate and Josh may seem like slackers who are avoiding life at first, but as the movie progresses, you come to realize how hard they work for such little return.  The little money they make is from selling T-Shirts ($5) and tapes ($3) after their shows.  They even feel bad about charging for these, thinking that anyone who enjoys the show should have a tape.