Main Cast: Kevin Corrigan, Lee Holmes, Steve Parlavecchio
Release Year: 1996
Country: US
Run Time: 103 minutes
Plot
A group of hard-working, young North Carolinians amuse themselves in the evenings by forming a band. This ensemble comedy chronicles their experiences. Tony Ridge is the singer/songwriter. Though talented, he is so introverted that he can only play his music in a closet. After he loses his day job, his out-going friend Charlie Flagg suggests he try to become a professional musician. Tony decides to give it a go, but first they need a band. They choose stoner guitarist Wynn Knapp, who despite his perpetual drug-inspired haze is really good, and then the volatile Eric Ellwood as their bassist. Ellwood is extremely eager to get the money rolling in as he is deeply in debt to a big, mean loan shark. Unfortunately, the shark has Ellwood's bass. The four then stage a break-in and get it back. After practice, their band Circus Monkey is finally ready to perform. At least they think so and go to play at a frat party. Unfortunately they bomb because their music isn't hard enough for the rowdy, drunken kids. Undaunted, they continue on and eventually score themselves a manager with Linus Tate, a sage but quiet man. Together they set out across the South in hope of launching their careers, playing at any club that will have them. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Douglas McCallie - Chester Mealy; Sally Nussbaumer - Mom; Matthew Hennessey - Charlie Flagg; Doug MacMillan - Linus Tate; Steph Robinson - Dizz; Mary Ellen Williams - Helen; Lisa Keller - Ann
Credit
Michael Shevloff - Co-producer, Betzy Reisinger - Costume Designer, Greg Webb - First Assistant Director, John Schultz - Director, John Pace - Editor, Greg Kendall - Composer (Music Score), Irina Rivera - Production Designer, Shawn Maurer - Cinematographer, Alyson Poole - Producer, John Schultz - Producer, Knox White - Sound/Sound Designer, John Schultz - Screenwriter
Writer/director John Schultz used to drum for independent band The Connells but left them early on to start a filmmaking career.[1]Bandwagon was not only the first feature film for Schultz but for a lot of the crew members as well. Schultz said, "On the shoot, we didn't really realize what we were doing right and what we were doing wrong and a lot of the problems we found in the editing room."[1] The film was made in 1993 in Schultz's hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina and took six weeks to complete.
Greg Kendall is a singer/guitarist who was hired to write the songs for the band in the film. He was introduced to Schultz by mutual friend Doug MacMillan who plays Linus Tate in the movie.[2] He said, "They were to have good songs, but they had to be believable. They couldn't be too stupid and they couldn't be too ornate."[2] Schultz supplied the titles to the songs and Kendall wrote and sang most of them.[2] They were recorded at Fort Apache Studios in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Eight of his songs appear in the film and he also composed the score. Kendall likes that "there's nothing MTV about it [the film]. It's naive, some would say to a fault. I would say it's a strength."[2]
