Indie filmmaker Chris Suchorsky thought he was filming a young band on the verge of becoming a household name when he asked The Damnwells if he could tag along on tour with them and watch as they recorded their sophomore album, Air Stereo. Little did he – or the band know – that things wouldn’t go as planned and that The Damnwells would fall by the wayside as similar-sounding bands like The Fray and Augustana received record company attention and radio push.
As is, unfortunately, the case with many indie documentaries, “Golden Days” has been wrapped up and completed for a few years and has run the film festival circuit but is only now available for old (and new) fans of the band to enjoy in their own homes. I don’t think this is a spoiler when I reveal that 2 of the band members featured in the movie (guitarist Dave Chernis and drummer Steven Terry) are no longer in the band and that The Damnwells have since released a third album (One Last Century) all while waiting for this documentary to come out.
Just in time for the holiday season, “Golden Days” is now available for purchase and, having been both a huge fan of the band and having had a chance to see a rough cut of the documentary nearly 2 years ago, I’d highly recommend either putting it on your Christmas list or buying a copy (or three) for your music-loving friends.