| Chicago, IL (June 22, 2015) – A rich, well-crafted account of the criminally under-recognized cult band The Mekons, REVENGE OF THE MEKONS is a lively, illuminating and wholly entertaining new music documentary. Charting the unlikely career of the genre-defying collective notorious for being—as rock critic Greil Marcus notes—“the band that took punk ideology most seriously,” REVENGE OF THE MEKONS is directed by veteran documentary filmmaker Joe Angio, who presents the history of the band while celebrating the band’s 37-year career.
Born out of the 1977 British punk scene, The Mekons progressed from a group of socialist art students with limited musical skills to a prolific and energizing band adept at a wide range of styles. Filmmaker Angio’s exuberant doc follows The Mekons’ improbable history – a surprising and influential embrace of folk and country music; forays into the art world (collaborations with Vito Acconci and Kathy Acker); and consistent bad luck with major record labels. But against all odds—and despite a career consigned to the margins—The Mekons continue to tour and make adventurous and challenging albums, despite the fact that its eight members are often separated by thousands of miles across two continents.
Among the celebrated fans that appear on screen to testify to the power of The Mekons’ music and artistic innovations are authors Jonathan Franzen (The Corrections) and Luc Sante (Low Life), musicians Will Oldham, Andy Gill and Craig Finn, film director Mary Harron (I Shot Andy Warhol) and actor/musician Fred Armisen (Portlandia).The Mekons remains a band that is adored with cult-like devotion by its fans and critics alike, and REVENGE OF THE MEKONS reveals how, four decades on, punk’s reigning contrarians continue to do that voodoo they do so well.
Music Box Films HomeEntertainment will release REVENGE OF THE MEKONS on VOD (including Amazon Instant Video, Google Play, iTunes) and DVD for the first time on July 28, 2015 (prebook June 23, 2015), in conjunction with a Mekons summer tour through twelve U.S. cities and the recording of a new album. The film arrives on DVD carrying the suggested retail price of $29.95.
REVENGE OF THE MEKONS was described by the CHICAGO TRIBUNE as a “highly enjoyable movie…an extremely tasty slice of fanboydom;” by Rolling Stone Magazine as “an energized history of the band…a kick-ass new documentary” and as “moving and raucous” by TIME OUT NEW YORK. The film is required viewing for any fan of the British music scene and the rich, turbulent layers of punk and post-punk music that has always been as much a creative force as it has a destructive one.
More information on REVENGE OF THE MEKONS can be found on the MUSIC BOX FILMS website at http://www.musicboxfilms.com/revengeofthemekons. For more information on The Mekons’ summer tour, visit www.bloodshotrecords.com.
About Music BoxFilms:
Founded in 2007, Music Box Films is a leading North American distributor of international, American independent and documentary features along with the best in international television. Recent releases include Pawel Pawlikowski’s IDA, the 2015 Academy Award®-winner for Best Foreign Language Film, the acclaimed French TV series “Maison Close,” and the Golden Globe-nominated Israeli film GETT: THE TRIAL OF VIVIANE AMSALEM.
Upcoming releases include PAULO COELHO’S BEST STORY, the biographical drama about one of the world’s best-selling authors, and MERU, the winner of the U.S. documentary Audience Award at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. Music Box Films is independently owned and operated by the Southport Music Box Corporation, which also owns and operates The Music Box Theatre, Chicago’s premiere venue for independent and foreign films. |
