us that tomorrow the Roxie Cinema in San Francisco will feature a sneak preview of footage from a new 16 mm documentary being made about the rise and sudden end of Seattle's The Gits.
"The band was making a name for themselves with a blend of crunchy Stooges influenced punk rock and feisty female vocals in the early 90's with a series of 7" singles and a tautly wound first album. Riding the hype of the Seattle scene, their shows were increasingly packed, and even being filmed and recorded by professional crews. Upon finishing up a 1993 west coast tour, while working on their 2nd album, they were fielding offers from a few interested major labels, when a new type of notoriety befell them. Just as things looked their brightest for this underground band, their fiercely soulful and energetic singer Mia Zapata was brutally raped and murdered."
Click below for the full press release. The event doubles as a record re-release party for The Gits debut album ""Frenching the Bully" on Broken Rekids.
The filmmakers are re-visiting the legacy of the band, that travelled from Antioch Ohio, to a damp Seattle basement, and eventually rose into one of the early 90's boldest and most promising punk groups. Through rare archival footage, and new interviews with former band members, fans and friends we can finally gain insight intio their remarkable and poignant story. "The Sniveling Rat Faced Gits", they were originally known, became a catalyst amongst a creative community at home in Seattle , as well as up and down the west coast and abroad.
The band was making a name for themselves with a blend of crunchy Stooges influenced punk rock and feisty female vocals in the early 90's with a series of 7" singles and a tautly wound first album. Riding the hype of the Seattle scene, their shows were increasingly packed, and even being filmed and recorded by professional crews. Upon finishing up a 1993 west coast tour, while working on their 2nd album, they were fielding offers from a few interested major labels, when a new type of notoriety befell them.
Just as things looked their brightest for this underground band, their fiercely soulful and energetic singer Mia Zapata was brutally raped and murdered.
Despite "America's Most Wanted" T.V profiles and the outcry and publicity brought by a slew of press and nationally known musicians including Joan Jett, Steelpole Bathtub, 7 Year Bitch, Nirvana and many more, Mia's killer remained at large. The mystery and sorrow surrounding her death, seemed frozen in time, and brought a premature end to their run.
Enter Jessy Bender & Kerri O'Kane, two 21st century filmmakers who were unaware of The Gits during their heyday. After stumbling upon their legacy and buying anything they could on E-Bay, they decided to make contact with the group. They approached the reluctant members of a long defunct band about telling their unique story on film.
Reluctant at first, eventually they agreed to dredge up the past, and numerous trips were made from L.A to Seattle and San Francisco to shoot interviews.
In the process of filming, they managed to go deeper than merely the murder, beyond the subsequent formation of women's self defense organization "Home Alive" and the various galvanizing efforts and benefits held in Mia's honor. The film revisits an era, and attempts to tell the whole story, of a scrappy bunch of drunk punks from a small Ohio college town, and how their journey unfolded, and their lives became forever intertwined.
There is much great never before seen 16mm live footage, numerous interviews with people involved, and a story that truly deserves to be told that hold your attention in the Gits Movie.
Ironically as the initial filming was completed, nearly 10 years since the murder of Zapata, law enforcement simultaneously uncovered a lead on a perp through a DNA screening. The arrest of a suspect in Florida finally brings a semblance of closure to Mia's untimely end.
those of you in the Bay Area are invited to attend two screenings @ The Roxie on Thursday June 26, where the whole thing is a celebration of sorts, so come on down and support this if you can.
The event doubles as a record release party for The Gits acclaimed debut album ""Frenching the Bully". Broken Rekids has the honor of re-releasing this long out of print album on CD.
The band recently bought the master tapes back from the now defunct CZ label, and set about remixing the tracks with Seattle's most prolific producer Jack "Godfather of Grunge" Endino. They came out of the studio with 22 extra fierce and crispy mixes, including an assortment of rare live tracks captured at PDX's late & great X-Ray Cafe on the last show of the band's final tour…
The 16mm film will be put back in the can for more retooling and interviews after this screening, so this is the only chance folks in Northern California will have to check it out while it's still in progress. The event is a fundraiser to complete the flick, which the cash strapped producers hope to have done in time to submit for Sundance 2004. As far as the suspect who DNA now firmly links to the murder of Mia Zapata, he was extradited from Miami, and arraigned April 8th, 2003 in King County Superior Court on charges of first degree murder.
The Roxie is hosting all this stuff at 3117 16th St SF CA
Surviving band member and principal songwriter Joe Spleen will be answering Q & A with the gals behind the picture Kerri O'Kane & Jessy Bender.