[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Gjum7q456I[/youtube]

New Orleans always has waves of underground rock scenes, and throughout the 1990s there was a small but fertile scene centered around lower Magazine Street venues the R.C. Bridge Lounge and Abstract Book Shop & Cafe. Un Heard Of is a documentary about that time, by veteran drummer Jody Smith (Dash Rip Rock, The Bad Off, Atomic Thunk) that first played in New Orleans in 2006, but was uploaded to YouTube in two parts just before New Year’s. Made between 2001 and 2003, the documentary features live archival footage and interviews with characters both known and unknown. As the title of the film suggests, much of the dialogue centers around limited audiences and the difficulties of playing rock music in New Orleans. There’s also a lot of talk about drinking.

The first hour focuses on the seminal underground rock bands of the early ’90s—The Black Problem and their later incarnation, Lump, who added funk and modern jazz touches to hardcore a la Minutemen or fIREHOSE, and Nipples of Isis, as well as the Bridge Lounge, Abstract, Warehouse Cafe, and other venues that played host to these bands. Other bands featured include Weedeater, Rigid, Evil Nurse Sheila, Rhudabega, Nut, Burnversion, and more.

The second part, about 45 minutes long, continues the story into the end of the ’90s and the early ’00s, turning its attention to bands like Black Mountain, Hazard County Girls, Suplecs, Morning 40 Federation, Liquidrone, and others.

Although the production qualities of the film are close to the DIY values of its subjects, this is an invaluable document for anyone interested in the history of New Orleans rock, punk, and metal, or the struggle of non-roots musicians in the city, and a treat to be easily available online. For more information on the music, see the links above to our contemporary articles about these bands.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAldtV9AEUs[/youtube]