$26.00
Archers of Loaf, Indie Rock, Documentary, Chapel Hill, Live Footage; DVD – New
Indie rock icons the Archers of Loaf reunited in 2011, and during the course of their reunion tour played two legendary concerts at Cat’s Cradle in Chapel Hill, NC. Combining in-your-face concert footage along with rare interviews of the band, this film by director Gorman Bechard documents those concerts, and captures the excitement and explosive energy of what its like to see this extraordinary band perform live. Filmmaker Gorman Bechard and his production team have artfully captured the Archers’ energy and skill on stage, the bouncing, lyrics-shouting revelry the band inspires among their audience, and the enveloping joy of just being in the room amidst it all. The reunited foursome is tight and well rehearsed, with spot-on timing and solid accuracy in their playing. Best of all, they seem to be having a great time once again cranking out these tunes after a decade-plus hiatus, and they seem to get real satisfaction from the fans’ enthusiastic reactions (Bachmann confirms that notion in the film). The band’s great performance also comes wrapped in some lovely packaging. Simply stated, this is a really well-done concert documentary. Courtesy of Brian Paulson (audio), Gorman Bechard (video), and their team, the film looks and sounds fantastic. The cuts between the six camera angles are skillful and unobtrusive, and the camera placements and movements are nicely used to convey intimacy and intensity. The interviews with the band, interspersed throughout the film, are funny, engaging, and even revealing.