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Review by Thomas Crone for STL Today
Matt Meyer has been a fixture on the local pop, punk and indie-rock circuits for a good decade now, first as a guitarist for the Finn Brothers, then as one of the founding members of our most underrated current rock band, the Ded Bugs.
In late 1999, he decided to put his own music on the back-burner for a year, decelerating the Ded Bugs while working on a video project that would emerge as “STL2000: A year in St. Louis’ Underground Rock.” Released late last year, the project adopts a simple, yet story-rich, conceit: capturing local bands, in their element, between December 31, 1999 and the same night one year later. Often compelling live sets were captured from bands like Wreckless Angels, Red Squares, the Honkeys, the Tripdaddys, the Cripplers, Not Waving But Drowning and the now departed Sexicolor, as well as rehearsals by some of the same groups, and archival footage of Ultraman and Whoppers Taste Good.
Interviews with a variety of folks affiliated with the local scene are also mixed into the hour and three-quarters-long video, including Randall Roberts of the Riverfront Times, dancers Beatle Bob and Dancing Bobbi, Vintage Vinyl man-about-town Jim Utz, Ultraman’s Tim Jamison, and “Motion Sickness” publisher Gary “Phil” Phillips. (And, for the sake of disclosure, this writer appears, too, giving “historical perspective.” Ah, the joys of aging!) Among all of these scenesters, Jamison’s acerbic comments add the most, especially when interspersed with the footage of his band from a decade back.
While not a professional filmmaker himself, Meyer did much of the shooting, giving a “you were there” feel to almost all of the live footage. Meanwhile, he left the editing to an experienced, low-budget horror-film producer, Eric Stanze. Together, the friends have crafted a work that’s very specific in its niche, but seldom gets tedious. Only two or three of the film’s “bits” get long in the tooth, most of the interviews clicking along at a good pace, before giving way to performance. And, considering that any music scene is going to be loaded with “characters,” Meyer is able to knit together both the wackier elements and the more sober.
Meyer says this’ll be his first and last work. Too bad, because his eye, attention to detail and knowledge of the subject have created a satisfying debut.
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