Rise Above: A Tribe 8 Documentary
Encyclopedia
Rise Above: The Tribe 8 Documentary is a feature film directed and produced by Tracy Flannigan
that documents the all women
queercore
punk
band Tribe 8
.
The film chronicles live performances, candid moments of their lives at work and on the road, and the controversy at the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival
, an all women's music festival, that landed them in a quagmire of protest and praise from a fiercely divided crowd. It also captures the truly funny and warm people behind the music and the politics.
The images presented on stage of blow jobs, sadomasochistic acts and mock castration
s are not shocking the audience for shock's sake, but understood on a deeper level through the band members' intense personal disclosures. As Chuck Wilson writes in LA Weekly
, "Filmmaker Tracy Flannigan gets it all in close-up, but also captures the rich and complex life stories of these women, whose lives take on political weight based on sheer authenticity...". These interviews inform an understanding and respect for why they do what they do. Especially insightful are the interviews with singer Lynn Breedlove
and her mother. This documentary concludes that it is the humor and physicality that lies within the controversial performance that gives these five individuals the peace to experience the rapture of being alive. Kevin Thomas, in the LA Times, says "...their lyrics are confrontational and political, but also cathartic...exudes the sheer exhilaration of individuals who have learned how to live liberated, fulfilling lives."
Dennis Harvey's review for Variety
states the film is...“A suitably raw, wholly engaging documentary….offers a unique perspective on the lesbian community’s own shift …to a more encompassing embrace of rebellious fringe elements…".
The film has won many awards, including 'Best Documentary' at Frameline, San Francisco's Film Festival, 'Audience Award' at the Hamburg Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, and the award for "Outstanding Emerging Talent' at OUTfest, the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.
Band Members:
Tracy Flannigan
Tracy Flannigan is an award winning independent filmmaker residing in the Echo Park area of Los Angeles who began making movies when she was seventeen years old. She has worked professionally for the last fifteen years in the film business and has created numerous short films and music videos...
that documents the all women
All-women band
An all-female band is a musical group composed of female musicians exclusively. A distinction is made here with a girl group, in which the members are solely vocalists, though this terminology is not universally followed.-1920s-1940s:In the Jazz Age and during the 1930s, "all-girl" bands such as...
queercore
Queercore
Queercore is a cultural and social movement that began in the mid-1980s as an offshoot of punk. It is distinguished by being discontent with society in general and its rejection of the disapproval of the gay, bisexual, and lesbian communities and their "oppressive agenda"...
punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band Tribe 8
Tribe 8
This article is about the San Francisco based lesbian punk band Tribe 8. See Tribe 8 for Dream Pod 9s post-apocalyptic fantasy role-playing game.Tribe 8 was an all-women outspoken dyke punk band from San Francisco...
.
The film chronicles live performances, candid moments of their lives at work and on the road, and the controversy at the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival
Michigan Womyn's Music Festival
The Michigan Womyn's Music Festival, called "the Original Womyn's Woodstock" and often referred to as MWMF or Michfest, is an international feminist music festival occurring every August since 1976 near Hart, Michigan...
, an all women's music festival, that landed them in a quagmire of protest and praise from a fiercely divided crowd. It also captures the truly funny and warm people behind the music and the politics.
The images presented on stage of blow jobs, sadomasochistic acts and mock castration
Castration
Castration is any action, surgical, chemical, or otherwise, by which a male loses the functions of the testicles or a female loses the functions of the ovaries.-Humans:...
s are not shocking the audience for shock's sake, but understood on a deeper level through the band members' intense personal disclosures. As Chuck Wilson writes in LA Weekly
LA Weekly
LA Weekly is a free weekly tabloid-sized "alternative weekly" in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Editor/Publisher Jay Levin and a board of directors that included actor-producer Michael Douglas...
, "Filmmaker Tracy Flannigan gets it all in close-up, but also captures the rich and complex life stories of these women, whose lives take on political weight based on sheer authenticity...". These interviews inform an understanding and respect for why they do what they do. Especially insightful are the interviews with singer Lynn Breedlove
Lynn Breedlove
Lynn Breedlove is an American trans man musician, writer, and performer.Breedlove was a founding member and lead singer of the San Francisco dyke screamcore band Tribe 8. The band's first single, Pigbitch, was released on Harp records, run by Gina Harp in 1991...
and her mother. This documentary concludes that it is the humor and physicality that lies within the controversial performance that gives these five individuals the peace to experience the rapture of being alive. Kevin Thomas, in the LA Times, says "...their lyrics are confrontational and political, but also cathartic...exudes the sheer exhilaration of individuals who have learned how to live liberated, fulfilling lives."
Dennis Harvey's review for Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
states the film is...“A suitably raw, wholly engaging documentary….offers a unique perspective on the lesbian community’s own shift …to a more encompassing embrace of rebellious fringe elements…".
The film has won many awards, including 'Best Documentary' at Frameline, San Francisco's Film Festival, 'Audience Award' at the Hamburg Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, and the award for "Outstanding Emerging Talent' at OUTfest, the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.
Cast
Tribe 8Tribe 8
This article is about the San Francisco based lesbian punk band Tribe 8. See Tribe 8 for Dream Pod 9s post-apocalyptic fantasy role-playing game.Tribe 8 was an all-women outspoken dyke punk band from San Francisco...
Band Members:
- Lynn BreedloveLynn BreedloveLynn Breedlove is an American trans man musician, writer, and performer.Breedlove was a founding member and lead singer of the San Francisco dyke screamcore band Tribe 8. The band's first single, Pigbitch, was released on Harp records, run by Gina Harp in 1991...
, Lead Singer - Silas Flipper Howard, Guitar
- Leslie MahLeslie MahLeslie Mah is an American musician and performer.Mah first began performing with Anti-Scrunti Faction, a hardcore punk band based in Boulder, Colorado which she co-founded with Tracy Thomas. The group first appeared on the Flipside fanzine compilation, Flipside Vinyl Fanzine Vol.1 in 1984 and, in...
, Guitar - Tantrum, Bass Player
- Slade, Drums
- Mama T., Bass Player
- Jen Schwartz, Drums