After a successful run at New York’s Film Forum, Joe Angio’s exuberant documentary REVENGE OF THE MEKONSwill be premiering in cities across the country this Spring, including Nashville on March 26, Minneapolis on April 8, Chicago on April 17, Austin and Houston on April 18, and San Francisco on April 25. A complete list of screenings is below.
According to renowned music critic Lester Bangs, “The Mekons are the most revolutionary group in the history of rock ‘n’ roll. They are also the finest artists ever to have graced this admittedly somewhat degenerate form with the grace of their aesthetic sensibilities, rarefied as a glimpse through a butterfly’s wing.”
A genre-defying collective that emerged from the 1977 British punk scene, the Mekons progressed from a group of socialist art students from Leeds (England) with no musical skills to the prolific, raucous progeny of Hank Williams. The film follows their 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. Among the celebrated fans who appear on screen to testify to the power of their music and their artistic innovations are authors Jonathan Franzen (The Corrections) and Luc Sante (Low Life), musician/actor Will Oldham, film director Mary Harron (I Shot Andy Warhol), comedian/musician Fred Armisen, and rock historian/critic Greil Marcus.
REVENGE OF THE MEKONS reveals how, four decades into an ever-evolving career, the Mekons continue to make bold, unpredictable music while staying true to the punk ethos.
Screening Schedule
March 24-27 – Beverly, MA @ The Cabot Performing Arts Center, showtimes TBA
March 26-29 – Nashville, TN @ The Belcourt, showtimes TBA (Q&A with the Mekons’ Jon Langford, March 26; introduction by director Joe Angio, March 28)
April 8 – Minneapolis, MN @ Trylon Microcinema, 7pm
April 9 – Tallahassee, FL @ IMAX Theater, 7:30pm
April 10-13 – Bloomington, IN – venue & showtimes TBA
April 15-18 – Columbus, OH @ Gateway Film Center, showtimes TBA
Begins April 17 – Santa Fe, NM @ Center for Contemporary Arts, showtimes TBA
April 17 – Chicago, IL @ Logan Theatre, 7pm (Q&A with director Joe Angio and the Mekons’ Jon Langford & Sally Timms)
Begins April 18 – Chicago, IL @ Music Box Theatre, showtimes TBA
April 18 – Austin, TX @ The Marchesa Theater, showtime TBA (Q&A with director Joe Angio and the Mekons’ Jon Langford & Sally Timms)
April 18-20 – Houston, TX @ Alamo Drafthouse, showtimes TBA
April 18-20 – Lubbock, TX @ Alamo Drafthouse, showtimes TBA
April 25-27 – San Francisco, CA @ The Roxie Theater, showtimes TBA
April 28 – Winston-Salem, NC @ a/perture cinema, showtimes TBA
May 21 – Jersey City, NJ @ WFMU’s Monty Hall, showtime TBA
June 4 – Denver, CO @ Sie FilmCenter, showtime TBA (Skype Q&A with director Joe Angio)