We’re going Anvil crazy here at Chud.com! Anvil! The Story of Anvil is a fantastic documentary, one of the best I’ve had the pleasure of seeing in years.
At 14, Toronto school friends Steve “Lips” Kudlow and Robb Reiner made a pact to rock together forever. They meant it.
Their band, Anvil, went on to become the “demigods of Canadian metal,” releasing one of the heaviest albums in metal history, 1982’s Metal on Metal. The album influenced a musical generation, including Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax, that went on to sell millions of records. But Anvil’s career took a different path – straight to obscurity.
Director Sacha Gervasi has concocted a wonderful and often hilarious account of Anvil’s last-ditch quest for elusive fame and fortune. His ingenious filmmaking may first lead you to think this a mockumentary, but it isn’t. Gervasi joined the legendary heavy-metal band as a roadie for a tour of Canadian hockey arenas, so he has intimate insight into the members’ eccentricities. It’s fascinating to see the reality of their day-to-day lives as they struggle to make ends meet, take a misguided European tour, and engage in antics on the road – which is not always lined with fans. Gervasi even finds a softer center to this raucous film, introducing us to band members’ ever-supportive, but long-suffering, families.
At its core, ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL is a timeless tale of survival and the unadulterated passion it takes to follow your dream, year after year. Anvil rocks – it has no other choice.”
Check out Devin’s review here and read about my experience having a few beers with them a month ago here– we love these guys.
This Wednesday, April 1st, Anvil the movie is hosting the weekly Rock Band night at Hell Gate Social in NYC. We’ve got 100 admit-two passes to give away to an early screening of the film on April 7th in Manhattan- come by and ask one of your fine bartenders (or just ask for Alex) and we’ll hook you up with a pass! We’re also going to have posters and all other kinds of Anvil goodies to give away.
Check the bar’s website out at hellgatesocial.com or shoot me an email for directions.
It’s too bad that there’s no Metal on Metal in the game (get on that, Harmonix!) but we’re going to have the usual great night of Rock Band madness going on. This week Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’ gets released, so help me count down how many people pick it when they really shouldn’t! All of that with an incredible drink deal- 3 bucks for a beer and a shot of bourbon.
So come on down and have a few drinks. If you want a shot at any possible leftover tickets from the night shoot me an email at alex at creature-corner dot com and include your full name.
Check Anvilmovie.com for more.