A verité documentary that follows a middle-American punk rock band as they juggle family, careers and survival in America’s cutthroat music industry.

From the belly of the Midwest’s music scene, stripped of the glamour of New York City and the glitz of Los Angeles, comes the Chicago-based band, The Dishes. In 2003, this verité documentary finds the band members, three women and one man, on the verge of their third record release with new label File 13 and an upcoming US tour.

The filmmakers follow this post-punk band from practice in Chicago to studio sessions for their third album in Benton Harbor, Michigan to the road—their tour of various Midwest and East Coast venues. Intimate and revealing of the tight quarters, sacrifices, smarts and troubles of the band members, this film asks the question: can you be over-thirty, have a complex personal and professional life, and still rock?

Through a close verité lens, vibrant concert footage and intimate interviews the filmmakers span two years with the band. This is not about The Rolling Stones or Beyoncé, or the cult of personality that governs superstardom. Instead, it’s the story of the hardships of indie rock on a human scale, of scraping for change in the tour van to pay for tolls and of climbing four-story walk-ups to store your gear. It is a story of large and small successes and the realities of three women (and a man) hanging together despite the obstacles presented by an industry designed to cater to the young and unattached.

DIRECTOR:

Katy Chevigny

PRODUCER:

Katy Chevigny and Blue Chevigny

CO-PRODUCER:

Beth Davenport