The impact of NYHC greats Agnostic Front is incalculable, but filmmaker Ian McFarland is set to explore the history of the band in an upcoming documentary called The Godfathers of Hardcore. The film will focus on the relationship between longtime vocalist Roger Miret and band founder/guitarist Vinnie Stigma, and how they've inspired generations of hardcore kids.
A Kickstarter campaign recently went up to help fund the project, which has goals to demonstrate Agnostic Front's influence, noting the band have "played a key role in defining, shaping and establishing the cultural code of conduct for the still-thriving movement." While the film will chronicle the group's long career, McFarland also wants to illustrate "the tenacity, optimism and enthusiasm" of the two longtime members.
"I decided I wanted to make a film about the two people that have fuelled a movement," the director says in a trailer posted on Kickstarter. "I want to make a film that the band deserves."
The in-progress film will bring together vintage video footage of the band's early concerts with newly filmed interviews with Miret and Stigma. It's said to cover how the pair "roamed the dangerous streets of NYC's Lower East Side, fighting those who got in their way," while simultaneously "laying down the gauntlet for the music they believed in and were willing to defend with their lives."
Formed in the early '80s by Stigma, the band have issued a plenitude of releases, from the shambolic masterpiece that was 1983's United Blood EP and the crossover thrash appeal of 1986's Cause for Alarm, to their late '90s street punk phase and, most recently, their just-released The American Dream Died.
The Kickstarter campaign has raised close to $9,000 US of its $15,000 goal. If you're interested, you can make pledges over here, with incentives including everything from a shout-out on Instagram from Miret or Stigma, to exclusive skateboards, to a guided walking tour of New York City with the band. The fundraiser ends May 17.
A Kickstarter campaign recently went up to help fund the project, which has goals to demonstrate Agnostic Front's influence, noting the band have "played a key role in defining, shaping and establishing the cultural code of conduct for the still-thriving movement." While the film will chronicle the group's long career, McFarland also wants to illustrate "the tenacity, optimism and enthusiasm" of the two longtime members.
"I decided I wanted to make a film about the two people that have fuelled a movement," the director says in a trailer posted on Kickstarter. "I want to make a film that the band deserves."
The in-progress film will bring together vintage video footage of the band's early concerts with newly filmed interviews with Miret and Stigma. It's said to cover how the pair "roamed the dangerous streets of NYC's Lower East Side, fighting those who got in their way," while simultaneously "laying down the gauntlet for the music they believed in and were willing to defend with their lives."
Formed in the early '80s by Stigma, the band have issued a plenitude of releases, from the shambolic masterpiece that was 1983's United Blood EP and the crossover thrash appeal of 1986's Cause for Alarm, to their late '90s street punk phase and, most recently, their just-released The American Dream Died.
The Kickstarter campaign has raised close to $9,000 US of its $15,000 goal. If you're interested, you can make pledges over here, with incentives including everything from a shout-out on Instagram from Miret or Stigma, to exclusive skateboards, to a guided walking tour of New York City with the band. The fundraiser ends May 17.
