I'm Now: The Story of Mudhoney

The thesis of this Mudhoney documentary lies in the title: the Seattle quartet believe they owe their longevity to living in the present instead of the past, but that actually describes their career more than their music, which takes inspiration from proto-punk groups like the Sonics and the Stooges. Co-directors Ryan Short and Adam Pease begin with band members' involvement in other 1980s outfits, such as Green River, before singer Mark Arm and guitarist Steve Turner formed Mudhoney with drummer Dan Peters and bassist Matt Lukin. Former Green River member Stone Gossard, who co-founded Pearl Jam, jokes that he and Pearl Jam's Jeff Ament were the "sellouts," but their high-profile band has lasted almost as long, albeit on a larger scale. The documentary chronicles Mudhoney's move to a major label, the loss of Lukin, and the return to their indie roots. Turner acknowledges that some will always associate Mudhoney with grunge, but he's made his peace with that, and Arm, who manages the same Sub Pop warehouse from which their records originate, is simply grateful that they still have a following. Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil and Rolling Stone writer David Fricke see Mudhoney as a band that makes music for people like themselves, or as Arm bluntly puts it, "Any time you're playing music for the crowd instead of yourself, you're fucked." Short and Pease have combined a wealth of archival material with present-day interviews shot in black-and-white. Like Cameron Crowe's Pearl Jam Twenty, this is also a fine overview of a band, a place, and an era. DVD extras include bonus tour footage, and a music video for “I'm Now.” Highly recommended. (K. Fennessy)