Generally unheralded at the time, the early-80s Hardcore Punk Rock scene gave birth to much of the rock music and culture that followed. There would be no Nirvana, Beastie Boys or Red Hot Chili Peppers were it not for Hardcore pioneers such as Black Flag, Bad Brains and Minor Threat.  Hardcore was more than music — it was a social movement created by Reagan-era misfit kids. The participants constituted a tribe unto themselves — some finding a voice, others an escape in the hard-edged music; some sought a better world, others were just angry and wanted to raise hell.

AMERICAN HARDCORE traces this lost subculture, from its early roots through its downfall and current influences in music, fashion and media today.

This event will include a lecture, the screening of rare film clips, a slide show,  and music samples followed by an engaging Q and A with the filmmakers.

In addition to the lecture event Paul and Steven are also available smaller master classes on the history of punk music and the do it yourself brand of very independent documentary filmmaking that created AMERICAN HARDCORE.  
To top it off a locally organized punk rock show and / or music film festival can also be hosted, DJ'd and judged by Steven and Paul.

PAUL RACHMAN rose from directing punk music videos for the Bad Brains to become a top music video director at Propaganda Films in Los Angeles, where he worked with such artists as Alice in Chains, Temple of the Dog, The Replacements, Pantera, Roger Waters, Joan Jett and Kiss.  After several award winning short films he made his feature film directorial debut in 2000 with Four Dogs Playing Poker starring Forrest Whittaker and Tim Curry.  In 1995 he co-founded the Slamdance FIlm Festival rated as on the world's top 10 festivals by Vanity Fair.  He is the director and producer of the feature documentary American Hardcore which world premiered at the Sundance FIlm Festival and was released by Sony Pictures Classics.

STEVEN BLUSH has written three books on the subject of Rock — American Hardcore (2001), a history of the early-80s Hardcore Punk scene, American Hair Metal (2006), a visual tribute to big-haired rockers, and .45 Dangerous Minds (2005), his collection of interviews with Pop Culture's most notorious.  His writing has appeared in over 25 publications, including Spin, Details, Interview, Village Voice, and The Times Of London.  For 15 years, he published the cult magazine Seconds, and now serves as contributing editor at Paper.He is writer/producer of the documentary film American Hardcore, inspired by his book of the same name.

Helpful links:

www.americanhardcoremovie.com
www.myspace.com/americanhardcorefilm
www.paulrachman.com
www.stevenblush.com

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