Northeastern University’s Film Enthusiasts’ Club held a screening of the documentary “A Band Called Death” this Saturday. The film tells the story of three brothers from Detroit who formed the rock band Death in their parents’ house in the mid-1970’s. Although success eluded them in their youth, they are now considered an innovative group that helped lay the groundwork for punk rock. This critically acclaimed feature had been on my to-watch list for a few weeks, so I jumped on the opportunity to attend this showing, especially when I saw that director Mark Covino would engage in a Q&A session with the audience.
The event took place in afterHOURS, an entertainment venue located in the Curry Student Center.
Their calendar shows that afterHOURS plays host to events of all kinds.
The documentary began playing at 4:15 pm.
Not everyone who was present was watching the film, but at least they refrained from speaking loudly and didn’t bother those who were paying attention.
Drummer Dannis Hackney spoke candidly about the band’s origins and history.
Director Mark Covino got in touch with Mitch Macro, the secretary of the Northeastern Film Enthusiasts’ Club, when he saw Macro’s review of the documentary. “Mark just kind of tweeted at me, like, ‘hey, thanks for writing the review, glad you liked the movie’, and everything. We started talking back and forth on Twitter, and I asked him if he wanted to come to Northeastern to do a screening with us.”
“I really like how the movie puts an emphasis on family and how their music has transcended generations. It’s a fascinating story and it was put brilliantly on film by the director.” – Brian Hamilton
“When you think about ‘A Band Called Death’ you don’t think about such familial connection and love. I was shocked and excited by how much of a role that played in the film”. – Mary Tobin, President of Northeastern University’s Film Enthusiasts’ Club
Covino spoke with students for more than an hour after the film was shown; elaborating extensively about the filmmaking process and entertaining everyone with revealing anecdotes.