The Past is a Grotesque Animal - A Rockumentary

I am incredibly excited about the of Montreal rockumentary, The Past is a Grotesque Animal, by Oscilloscope, that is finally coming out this month! After a long and torturous wait, the epic tale of this epic band and the peculiar mind behind it all, Kevin Barnes, will be told.

As soon as I heard about this documentary, I was chomping at the bit to re-live what was, to me, a very important time in my concert-going career; following the cult-favorite indie band, of Montreal.

The Kickstarter Campaign

• Goal: $75,000
• Raised: ~ $95,000
• Backers: 1,124
• Funding period: Nov 12, 2012 - Dec 12, 2012 (30 days)

Originally titled Song Dynasties, the film was renamed The Past is a Grotesque Animal at the very end of the project, confusing everyone, (and briefly getting my hopes up that 2 separate documentaries were being released!). I happen to really like both names, although the later is a great re-use of a great song’s, great name (and is a phrase that I love).

I read somewhere that there was dedicated film crew capturing the Hissing Fauna tour, and there could be a ton of footage from that tour in the movie. THAT is great news considering, how awesome that album is and how spectacular that tour was. I also read that there are home videos of very early stuff the band did. In other words, there is a huge potential that this documentary will be incredible! (atleast, for of Montreal fans...).

The Movie's Evolution (and Delays)

There was some drama surrounding the KickStarter campaign (although probably only apparent to the die-hard obsessive fans). This was due to the expected release date constantly being pushed back, and back,…and back, without much explanation to appease the impatient masses and KickStarter backers. Originally slated for a March 2013 release, it is not actually being released until June 2014. A tormenting wait for those of us who expected it, wanted it, (and needed it) over a year ago.

The massive delay was due to the constantly expanding scope of the project (which changed immediately due to the success of the  KickStarter campaign), and the ongoing saga of the band in the form of changes to the band’s line-up, etc, which the documenters wanted to continue to document!

I also believe that the focus of the movie shifted to be more a dramatic portrayal of Kevin Barnes’ personal life. A twist that I am absolutely ecstatic about, as nothing would please me more than a glimpse inside the bizarre mind and tortured soul that is the mysterious Kevin Barnes. Contrast the original KickStarter promo video to the official documentary trailer to see the apparent change in focus.

Original Kickstarter Video  (note the release date at the end: "Spring 2013")

Official Theatrical Trailer 


Here is a sample of some of the later posts from the kickstarter discussion page, on the delays.

“Sorry for the radio silence these past few months. We’ve been plugging away and can finally say that the film is finished!.... …This has been a mammoth project that went beyond what any of us thought it would take to complete.  … Your patience throughout this process has been amazing. Thank you all so much for your support of the band and this documentary. We think that once you all see the film you will feel like it is worth the wait.”

So it is here at last! Can't wait to check it out! 
I seriously hope it is as good as these 2 trailers make it look, (and the $95k of available production funds should facilitate).

of Montreal – One Fan’s Journey

There is a special place in my heart for the band of Montreal, as there is for many of the band’s cult-followers. I would be remiss if I didn't have a post about of Montreal on this blog, so this long overdue post is finally here. Inspired by their upcoming documentary, I thought I would recount my perspective on of Montreal's scene throughout their rise to indie stardom.

of Montreal was my 'gateway-drug' into indie music. They were my first true introduction to the indie music scene, which kinda became my music scene throughout my 20’s. And what a wild introduction they were. After my 1^st of Montreal show I became an indie music fanatic, scrounging for as much indie gold as I could get my ears on. 

Their Evolution

Within a span of 3 years I saw of Montreal 5 times at 5 different venues, across 3 states!  … Drawn in by the guarantee of absurd, over-the-top, (but low-budget) theatrical performances, set to the best groovy indie pop songs of the time. Their shows were fun brief escape from reality.

These excerpts from my Concert Log demonstrate the period of my of Montreal infatuation.

Date			Venue	Location	Most Recent Album at time of show	Opening Act
March	2	2006	The Satellite Ballroom	Charlottesville, VA	The Sunlandic Twins	unknown
October	14	2007	Rams Head Live	Baltimore, MD	Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?	MGMT
November	1	2008	The National	Richmond, VA	Skeletal Lamping	Gang Gang Dance
April	14	2009	The Sonar	Baltimore, MD	Skeletal Lamping	Fire Zuave
June	13	2009	Bonnaroo 2009	Manchester, TN	Skeletal Lamping	many

Each new show was an entirely new, bizarre experience. But the best thing about being a dedicated fan (of any band really), beyond seeing varying tours corresponding to different albums, is seeing the transformation a band makes as they ‘make it’. And of Montreal’s transformation took the form of wilder and wilder shows to correlate with their overwhelming discography of progressively crazier albums.

There was a period of escalating novelty that correlated with the amount of expendable income they had as a band, and that made for some fun shows (and an interesting retrospective of their evolution). The sets got more and more elaborate, the outfits more ornate, the props more intricate, the extras more numerous, and the technological wizardry more complex (projectors), all adding up to a more surreal psychedelic epic event. But they managed to maintain that homemade low-budget delivery.

@ The Satellite Ballroom - 2006 
My friend and indie-music-mentor, Cheato (as he was known in college), convinced me to tag along to their show at the small (now defunct) venue known as the Satellite Ballroom in Charlottesville, VA.  That show was a crazy experience, which changed me in weird and profound ways. Ok maybe not that crazy, (I just wanted to use that phrase), but it did really open my eyes to the indie music scene.

Kevin came onto the stage in a wedding dress; giving a first impression to set the tone for all future of Montreal performances.

Things to note: the small venue. the lack of stage adornments/sets/props (beyond costume changes). and those dated digital cameras! 

 

The Late B.P. Helium.  I seriously think Kevin fell off the stage at this point.

Glam rock mode

one of several past band members who looked exactly the same

Here is a video I took at the show of a cover of  The Final Countdown by Europe.
(Sorry for the bad audio/video.)

The song was part of a Medley of this order: Lysergic Bliss - The Final Countdown - Requiem For O.M.M.2. The Final Countdown was substituted in for the part of Lysergic Bliss where they do the a capella part, which was a bummer cause I really wanted to see that live, but nevertheless this was an amazing medley! I was on a big Final Countdown kick at the time due to Arrested Development, so this was a perfectly timed cover song. 

@ Rams Head Live - 2007 

This show was a stunning show, as expected, but it blew my expectations away. Starting off with the opening act of several extremely young-looking dudes, MGMT, who put on a show that wow-ed us all. This show really showcased of Montreal's evolution. When you compare this show to their show at Satellite Ballroom (2006), it was obvious that this band had come a long way. The extensive stage setup, their ramped-up stage presence, the props, the costumes, the extras, the lights, the projectors, the everything! Not to mention it was the Hissing Fauna tour...

Unfortunately, I dont think I have any pictures of this show(?).. .except this one...

Erin snapped this photo of Me and Steve chatting with Kevin after their excellent show at Rams Head Live on their 2007 Hissing Fauna tour. We mostly talked about books. After I mentioned that I diligently  followed up on his Story of the Eye reference,  he recommended that we read Everything Is Illuminated, (which we all did. Haha!).

@ The National - 2008
By far the most outlandish of Montreal show that I’ve seen. At this point they had ramped up the crazy stage antics to an extreme, pushing the boundaries of absurdity and abrasiveness. It was the day after Halloween and tons of people (more than usual) were dressed up.


 

Needless to say, I am pretty excited to see a ($95k funded) rockumentary devoted to covering the music and antics of my all-time-favorite, cult-favorite band, throughout the exact timeperiod that I was (somewhat) a part of this bizarre "scene".  It is titled The Past is a Grotesque Animal.  and it is available this month!