Rockabilly 514

Rockabilly 514 is a playful "rockumentary" that focuses on rockabilly performances, and the devotees that keep the subculture alive - at least in Montreal, Canada. Directors Patricia Chica and Mike Wafer spent three years following people like the driven loner, and one-man-band Bloodshot Bill, and grocer-by-day-rockstar-by-night members of The Cockroaches. Rockabilly 514 is in no way mind-blowing, nor is it terribly informative, but it is a refresher of the working-class rocker's outlook, and their altruism towards rockabilly.

Nathalie Lavergne, one of the key subjects in the documentary, is the founder of Montreal's rockabilly weekender Red Hot and Blue featuring headliners such as The Comets (in all their geriatric glory,) as well as the less surreal, younger generation of rockabilly, Lyse and The Hot Kitchen. Nathalie is possibly the most interesting subject because of her fiscal selflessness. For two years she has spearheaded a costly yet impressive three day fest of rock n' roll, hot rods, and dance parties only to find herself thousands of dollars in the hole. Her solution? Working seventy-five hour weeks for nine months out of the year to pay off the debt, and hope the the next festival will at least break even.

Then there is Guillaume Ozoux, a lover of rockabilly and hot rod enthusiast - with hardly any money. Guillaume is perhaps the least interesting because of his incessant banter for the scorn he feels towards "the guys with money that just bring it into the shop." It's especially tiresome because even though he was filmed over a period of three years, his rod-to-be is still in shambles by the end of the documentary.

As far as directorial flaws, the one that I was most vexed by was the faux 50s educational-documentary-narration. First and foremost, it's a cheap gimmick. Additionally, it isn't terribly provocative in the sense that it is not especially entertaining, comical or clever. Also, the narration was inconsistent in tone. It did not flawlessly mimick the monotonous tone we've all heard in stodgy made-for-tv wildlife documentaries.

All in all, Rockabilly 514 is filled with the sort of naive, youthful spirit that America might very well be lacking. It's certainly worth a watch, if only to remind us that people still follow their hearts over their wallets, and still manage to eat sometimes too.