Remember Alan Moyle? You probably don’t. He was the Canadian director behind cult early ’90s indie-hit, “Pump Up The Volume” and the lesser, non-cult disenfranchised teen film, “Empire Records.”
After ‘Empire’ middling box-office take he left Hollywood and retreated back to Canada and did a lot of TV and movies not worth mentioning, but his new film, “Weirdsville,” finds him, at least ostensibly, back in form (Or at least with some decent press: the film was accepted at both the Toronto International Film fest and the recent Fantastic Fest that also screened “There Will Be Blood” – though the “Trainspotting shot in Canada but with more heart,” refrain is worrisome).
Maybe it’s the name cast that stars Scott Speedman and Wes Bentley as smalltown junkie slackers that get caught up with local Satanists when one of their girlfriends (go-to druggie waif Taryn Manning) ODs on their stash and in attempts to bury the body, they come upon devil worshippers trying to make a ritual sacrifice. Madcap hilarity ensues we’re sure.
Naturally, the soundtrack is filled with many of the current crop of Canadian indie-rockers including The Dears, Black Mountain, The Constantines, East Coast rapper Buck 65, Broken Social Scene compatriots Raising The Fawn, Kinney Starr, Danko Jones and Montreal rockers the Lovely Feathers.
Actors Taryn Manning and Wes Bentley both contribute their own-penned songs to the film (Fiona Apple producer Mike Elizondo co-wrote Manning’s track) and New York slow-burn shoegazers Calla also lend a track.
Lesser known Canuck bands whose music is featured in the film include Edmonton electro-rockers Shout Out Out Out Out, Comedy-indie band Canary Mine, now defunct trip-hop techno rockers Perfume Tree, Hamilton indie-rockers Ride Theory (now known as Young Rival), Toronto alt-radio rock band These Three Cities, Waterloo folk rocker Danny Michel and roots rockers Blackie and the Rodeo Kings.
The film was released in Canada on October 12 and won’t hit wide release in the U.S. until January 2008 (according to the always-fallible IMDB), but will hit a small limited release this Friday Oct 19 (according to Box Office Mojo).
No word of a soundtrack disc release quite yet, but folks are trying to make it happen. The trailer features The Dears’ “”Pinned Together, Falling Apart” and Rodeo King’s “Stoned” (both songs featured in the film as well).
Songs used in “Weirdsville”
“Stoned” – Blackie and the Rodeo Kings
“Struggle, Struggle, Struggle” – Weber Brothers
“It’s Not My Fault” – Taryn Manning
“Druganaut”- Black Mountain
Uneasy – Perfume Tree
“Chicken Soup For The Fuck You” – Shout Out Out Out Out
“Swagger” – Calla
“Anything” – Kinnie Starr
“Bandits” – Buck 65
“5th Nights Hallucination” – Wes Bentley
“Orchids” – Lovely Feathers
“Pinned Together, Falling Apart” – The Dears
“Steal This Sound”- The Constantines
“Beautiful Nothing” – Danny Michel
“Into Ashes White” – Raising The Fawn
“Rock Song” – Canary Mine
“I’m on Board” – Ride Theory
“Cool Breeze” – Canary Mine
“Nobody Calls Me Unless They Want Something” – Shout Out Out Out Out
“Warm Sun Fingers” – Perfume Tree
“It Doesn’t Matter” – Matt Mays & El Torpedo
“We Sweat Blood” – Danko Jones
“To Get Across” – Kate Maki
“Sign Says” – These Three Cities
“Weirdsville” trailer