Towncraft (film)
Encyclopedia
Towncraft is a feature documentary on the independent music scene in Little Rock, Arkansas
from 1986 to 2006. Produced by Matson Films, Towncraft investigates the music that emerges from smaller cities and the importance of these local scenes, as well as their relationship to the larger music world.
Towncraft was released in theaters, on DVD
and online on May 22, 2007. Towncraft was the first film to be released simultaneously on these three platforms.
The film features interviews and performances by many Little Rock bands including Soophie Nun Squad
, Ho-Hum
, and The American Princes.
and the DIY ethic that drove it. Unlike other towns, Little Rock's punk scene was composed almost entirely of junior high and High School
kids. Over the next decade, they would book their own shows, start record label
s, open record stores, play with national acts and formulate a collective set of ideals. In 1992, they released Towncraft
, a compilation album and zine that documented their scene.
Towncraft focuses on the roots of the Little Rock scene, how it changed the lives of those involved, the DIY ethos that has shaped the scene for the past 20 years and how the scene continues to thrive outside of the mainstream.
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
from 1986 to 2006. Produced by Matson Films, Towncraft investigates the music that emerges from smaller cities and the importance of these local scenes, as well as their relationship to the larger music world.
Towncraft was released in theaters, on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and online on May 22, 2007. Towncraft was the first film to be released simultaneously on these three platforms.
The film features interviews and performances by many Little Rock bands including Soophie Nun Squad
Soophie Nun Squad
Soophie Nun Squad is a DIY punk rock band from North Little Rock, Arkansas known for their jubilant stage performances which typically include costumes, puppet shows, and a large amount of crowd participation...
, Ho-Hum
Ho-Hum
Ho-Hum is a pop/rock band based in Little Rock, Arkansas, formed by brothers Lenny and Rod Bryan.-History:The band was formed while Lenny and Rod Bryan, sports scholarship students, were attending Ouachita Baptist University in the early 1990s...
, and The American Princes.
Plot
In the late 1980's a few kids in the small, sleepy Southern town of Little Rock, discovered punk rockPunk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and the DIY ethic that drove it. Unlike other towns, Little Rock's punk scene was composed almost entirely of junior high and High School
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
kids. Over the next decade, they would book their own shows, start record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
s, open record stores, play with national acts and formulate a collective set of ideals. In 1992, they released Towncraft
Towncraft (album)
Towncraft was a compilation LP documenting the punk scene of Little Rock, Arkansas and released by DIY record labels File Thirteen Records, Ahoalton Records, and Lower Case Records. In the summer of 1992, Little Rock saw an explosion of high school punk rock bands after the departures of locals...
, a compilation album and zine that documented their scene.
Towncraft focuses on the roots of the Little Rock scene, how it changed the lives of those involved, the DIY ethos that has shaped the scene for the past 20 years and how the scene continues to thrive outside of the mainstream.