JAWBOX/SHUDDER TO THINK DOCUMENTARY

UNTITLED, IN PRE-PRODUCTION

A final wave broke during the first half of the 1990’s on the music industry’s post-Nirvana feeding frenzy of signing independent or “alternative” bands. During that period, a number of exceptional and unconventional bands from Do-It-Yourself music scenes around the country were signed to major label contracts and supported major commercial acts. This film frames a unique moment in music history by considering the careers and experiences of two such bands, Jawbox and Shudder To Think. By examining their experiences and events during that particular period, this documentary looks at the early-to-mid 1990’s as the last era before online music and social media changed the shape of the music industry and the definition of what it means to be “independent.”

Both Jawbox and Shudder To Think share many notable similarities in their musical stories, besides both starting in the iconoclastic D.C. punk scene and releasing albums on the reputably independent Dischord record label. Before their moves to the majors, each band made a name for themselves by exhibiting innovative and distinct musical styles, exceptional musicianship and tremendous songwriting skills; building a dedicated, grass-roots fan base. Both bands recorded their major label debut albums—Jawbox’s For Your Own Special Sweetheart and Shudder To Think’s Pony Express Record—with producer Ted Nicely, which were each released to significant critical praise, but comparatively little commercial success. In fact, these major label debut albums are still widely considered to be the most groundbreaking work for both bands and are often listen in the top albums of the 1990’s by critics and fans alike. Both bands toured as supporting acts for major corporate rock stars on large-scale area tours. Today, both bands are listed as major influences by many contemporary, commercially successful acts.


Using the stories of these two bands as a narrative framework, this film asks the broad questions: What are the ramifications—if any—of developing in a fervently self-sufficient community and then trying to work within the commercial industry? How does the relationship of independent music vs. commercial/corporate music differ from the early 1990’s when compared to today? How do musicians who worked in the 1990’s contrast their past experiences with the current state of the music industry; where “independent” labels exist like Merge Records, where social media as a focus, or where popular bands can self-release top-selling albums? How does the experience of signing to a major label and releasing albums under a corporate umbrella effect—for good or for ill—the lives and creative practices of independent musicians?

Specifically looking at the careers of Jawbox and Shudder To Think, the film poses the questions: What was it about each of these bands and their debut major label albums that still resonates so strongly with music fans, critics and musicians? Did signing to a major allow these bands to open up artistically—For Your Own Special Sweetheart and Pony Express Record are often lauded as their signature albums, after all—or did the labels stifle their development and try to mold them into something they weren’t? Why is it that these two bands generated so many dedicated fans and influenced so many artists—fans that are still active today and successful, widely recognized musicians—but had such short major label commercial careers?

© STUDIO EM | CHRISTOPHER ERNST | 2011