The Last Scene documentary punk and Emo at the dawn of a new Millennium launches Kickstarter
Los Angeles-based director Kyle Kilday has launched a Kickstarter campaign for his still-in-production documentary film The Last Scene which examines the musical and cultural roots of the various underground DIY music scenes popping up around the country at the start of the new Millennium.
The Last Scene will be the first comprehensive chronicle of what many believe is the last underground, DIY music scene. One forged in VFW halls and community recreation centers across the United States in the late 90’s and early 00’s. It’s the story of the hardcore, punk and emo kids who gave us the last new thing in rock music, during an era of change for the music industry and youth culture at large.
The film will feature interviews and perspectives from many of the key figures of the scene, including Fred Mascherino (Taking Back Sunday/The Color Fred), JT Woodruff (Hawthorne Heights), Travis Shettle (Piebald), Amy Fleisher Madden (Fiddler Records) and more.
“My first exposure to this underground punk scene came when I went to college in Boston,” Kilday shares. “I remember everything about the first show I went to. The small space, the acoustic ceiling tiles, the barely-raised stage; the guitarist hitting the opening chord and sending a shockwave through the room. Kids all around me started to jump and sway into one another, like kernels inside of a microwave popcorn bag. They moved in waves towards the stage, singing along, extending their fists and shaking them in unison. There was pushing and shoving, but when the song ended everyone smiled and hugged one another. Zero pretense, near zero production value. Just electricity, instruments and you. Exactly what playing music for other people is supposed to be. We were all peers and it was something built for (and by) us all.”
The inspiration for the film came after he moved to LA. He explains, “After college, I moved to Los Angeles and started working in reality/doc TV. I continued going to shows with the friend who took me to that very first punk show and still goes to shows with me today. Going to these bands’ album anniversary tours and feeling the general sense you get when you enter that ’20 years since’ realm, I started thinking more retrospectively about this era of music and why it’s meant SO MUCH to me (and I know to millions of other people, too!)”
Kilday’s initial goal is to raise $10,000 to cover technical infrastructure and all travel costs for interviews. However, this amount will only allow for a digital release with a minimal amount of music and footage clearance due to publishing costs. The more support for the film, the more in depth Kilday can go into the archives.
