Love and Death

A Band Called Death (2012) doesn't have much snow in it, but enough to qualify. Mostly it's about music and brothers.

The brothers are the Hackneys, Bobby, Dannis, and David - three black kids who grew up in the 60s in Detroit. Their father was a Baptist preacher, but he encouraged them to listen to all types of music. Seeing the Beatles got them interested in music, but later on, they saw the Who when they came through Detroit. Now they wanted to be rockers.

This was pretty strange for a black group in Detroit, home of Motown. But David, in particular, was kind of a strange kid. He wrote hard rock songs for the trio, and named the band Death. (I've heard he was inspired by Arthur Lee's Love, but it isn't in the movie.) They had a raucous, punked out, garage sound, like a stripped down MC5. It actually went over pretty well, except with the neighbors, who just wanted them to TURN IT DOWN!

They got a lot of attention from agents and labels, but nobody was going to sign a band called Death. But David was adamant - a Christian and a mystic, he believed in the name, and his brothers had his back (although they would have changed the name in a split second for a good contract).

They recorded an album that they couldn't sell to a label, so they pressed a 45 on their own dime. It got some airplay, but, still, that name. They left Detroit to visit relatives in Burlington VT, and Bobby and Dannis settled down (in the snow, as mentioned above). David got homesick and headed back to Detroit. 

The Vermont brothers formed a reggae band, which didn't please David much - he thought they had sold out. But what else could a bassist and drummer do in the 80s? They had kids, who talked about how great their uncle David was. But they wished they'd known him before he started drinking. But it was the cigarettes that killed him.

Life went on. Unbeknownst to the brothers, the Death single was becoming famous to punk DJs and record collectors as a cherished rarity, eventually coming out on a garage anthology. Bobby Jr. heard it and recognized his uncle. He knew his father and uncle were in a reggae band, but had never heard about Death. And so they were rediscovered.

I heard about Death from the New York Times article in 2008. I hadn't heard the music, and it sounds great, but to be honest, I haven't sat down to listen to their album. But the movie is only partly about the music. It's mostly about the family, love, faith, and loyalty. Also about fame and fate, talent and luck. In a lot of ways, it's like the story of Sugar Man. He was also from Detroit, although he had a completely different style. I'd say they were closer to the Stooges.  

So, a great documentary, very uplifting and warm. The Hackneys kids have a band that plays both Death songs and originals. Bobby Jr. is a funny kid (young adult), big but kind of shy and geeky. But punk as hell on stage. These guys aren't exactly "rock stars", but they ar e playing the music they love and getting recognition. It's enough