This came out in 2002 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
No, this isn’t a tribute to John Cassavetes. It’s just a documentary about underground U.S. bands and labels.
So why Cassavetes? To liken its subjects’ independence to that of the maverick filmmaker. Which is, honestly, romantic and far-fetched. Dubious comparisons aside, though, Songs for Cassavetes has some decent black-and-white footage of indie bands like Sleater-Kinney, gospel punks The Make-Up and Dub Narcotic Sound System. I have no idea what Cassavetes would make of it, but we suspect you’ll dig it.
