The Stars Are Underground
Encyclopedia
Underground music
Underground music comprises a range of different musical genres that operate outside of mainstream culture. Such music can typically share common values, such as the valuing of sincerity and intimacy; an emphasis on freedom of creative expression; an appreciation of artistic creativity...
scene in Dublin, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, in 1996. The film was first shown in the same year, 1996, and a VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
was released by Folkrum Records.
Directed by Daragh McCarthy
Daragh McCarthy
Daragh McCarthy is a Dublin born film-maker and musician. He has directed numerous video clips included early videos for The Frames, a Dublin group led by Academy Award winning Glen Hansard....
, the film documents a generation of Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
bands who took their inspiration from American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
bands
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
who, rather than pursuing major label deals, made their own self-financed records and released their own material.
The bands featured and interviewed include Female Hercules, The Mexican Pets, and The Jubilee Allstars. The Stars are Underground also features interviews with Andy Cairns
Andy Cairns
Andrew James Cairns , is a founding member, singer, guitarist and songwriter for Therapy?, a hard rock band from Northern Ireland.- Therapy? :...
from Therapy?
Therapy?
Therapy? is an alternative metal band from Northern Ireland. The band was formed in 1989 by guitarist–vocalist Andy Cairns from Ballyclare and drummer-vocalist Fyfe Ewing from Larne, Northern Ireland. The band initially recorded their first demo with Cairns filling in on bass guitar...
and Dischord Records
Dischord Records
Dischord Records is a Washington, D.C.-based independent record label specializing in the independent punk music of the D.C.-area music scene. The label is co-owned by Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson, who founded Dischord in 1980 to release Minor Disturbance by The Teen Idles...
' Ian McKaye from the group Fugazi.
The film inspired Academy Award winning singer/songwriter Glen Hansard
Glen Hansard
Glen Hansard is the Academy Award–winning principal songwriter and vocalist/guitarist for Irish group The Frames and one half of folk rock duo, The Swell Season...
of The Frames
The Frames
The Frames are an Irish band based in Dublin. Founded in 1990 by Glen Hansard, the band has been influential in the Dublin rock music scene. The group has released six albums...
to write a song of the same name after he played on a tour of the film's screenings in rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
venues in rural Ireland. The Frames "The Stars Are Underground" appeared on their Dance the Devil
Dance the Devil
Dance the Devil... is the third studio album by Dublin based band The Frames. The album was first released in Ireland on 25 June 1999 on ZTT Records and subsequently in the UK and USA later in the year. On this album the band returned to using their original name in place of the moniker The Frames...
album in 1999.