The Rise and Fall of Black Velvet Flag 2003
Distributed by Cinema Guild, 115 West 30th Street, Suite 800, New York, NY 10001; 212-685-6242
Produced by Jeff Musser and Sheldon Schiffer
Directed by Sheldon Schiffer
VHS, color, 58 min.
College - Adult
Music, Popular Culture
Date Entered: 06/18/2004
Reviewed by Dean Hendrix, Health Sciences Library, University at Buffalo, State University of New YorkDocumenting the fleeting life of Black Velvet Flag, a self proclaimed “lounge-core” band, The Rise and Fall of Black Velvet Flag is a study of tensions: tensions between the musical and creative stylings of three band mates, tensions between the trappings of fame and artistic vision, tensions between sincerity and irony, and tensions between the adolescent irreverence of punk and the adult urbanity of lounge. Black Velvet Flag subverted 1980’s West Coast punk music by covering its disaffected anthems, such as “Institutionalized” by Suicidal Tendencies and “I Don’t Care About You” by Fear, in a subdued lounge style.
Shot in 1994-1995, the film chronicles the band’s short history through interviews, performance footage and cinema verité. In the beginning of the film, each band member discusses what they hope to gain from the project. Fred Stesney, the lead singer, hopes that the band can just play a few shows and have some fun. Hired gun guitarist, Jason Zasky, already envisions the limitations of Black Velvet Flag and voices his distaste for and ignorance of punk rock. The mastermind behind the band, Jeff Musser, articulates the intellectual and artistic underpinnings of lounge versions of punk songs as homage to punk and rebellion. These pronounced concerns portend difficulties for the project in the future.
Initially, the one-trick band amuses former punks and startles those unfamiliar with the explicit lyrics. Black Velvet Flag’s unique juxtaposition of punk and lounge creates a buzz in the music industry as they are lauded by Rolling Stone and MTV. Their meteoric ascent leads to shows at venerable New York City punk club, CBGB’s, a full length album, and a tour of the West Coast.
On tour with no promotional support, Black Velvet Flag encounters situations reminiscent of the rock mockumentary, Spinal Tap, such as an empty gig at a Las Vegas biker bar. Questions arise concerning the future of the band throughout the tour. After returning to New York City and buoyed by the allure of being quasi-famous, Fred and Jason attempt to reengineer the band to reach a larger audience and detach themselves from the “punk turned lounge” gig. Whereas, Jeff ponders the original intent of the band coupled with the changing expectations of the others, and ultimately decides to quit the project. Subsequently, Black Velvet Flag fizzled out as quickly as they rose.
Technically, the majority of the footage is shot from handheld video cameras, invoking a raw home-movie quality to the film. Though comprised of a sizeable amount of concert footage, the film’s audio is mediocre. Furthermore, the filmmakers did not shoot footage of arguably the band’s biggest shows in San Francisco and the Viper Room in Los Angeles. At points the film resembles a vanity project, is often redundant and runs longer than needed to convey its main points. Interesting to those users familiar with punk rock culture and the dynamics of the creative process, The Rise and Fall of Black Velvet Flag is definitely not a film for every collection. It is recommended with reservations for collections strong in popular music and popular culture.