Beulah: A Good Band Is Easy to Kill

Indie rock band Beulah, a little-known, six-member San Francisco group with a strong cult following, capture their own amicable demise here in A Good Band Is Easy to Kill. While it may not be as compelling as the best rock documentaries, the film does shed light on the peculiar banalities that go with touring on the cheap: traveling by van on a 23-city tour in support of their fourth CD (2003's Yoko), Beulah encounters the usual hassles with club personnel who can't operate their own sound equipment, venues that turn out to be completely inappropriate for concerts, and hangers-on who spoil post-show parties with rants. There are also moments that make the life of a just-making-ends-meet rocker look pretty unglamorous: pumping gas, changing a flat tire, acting as one's own roadie, etc. Beulah fans, however, will be pleased to find a number of the band's instantly captivating, Beatlesesque pop tunes performed live here, including "Landslide Baby," "I Love John, She Loves Paul," "If We Can Land a Man on the Moon," and "Don't Forget to Breathe." In fact, by the time the credits roll, the viewer may indeed feel regret that another talented, independent band has bitten the dust. DVD extras include two hours of deleted scenes and bonus songs. Recommended. Aud: P. (T. Keogh)