The Bouncing Souls

Although their music has always been pretty standard late '80s and '90s So-Cal hardcore punk, this DVD documentary, Do You Remember? 15 Years of the Bouncing Souls makes scene cogs Bouncing Souls far more interesting than that. By including footage and photos of the members in their pre-punk school days, you get a sense of how this transformation from normal kid to subculture star takes place. And the scenes of them jumping off the cliff into the water and having snowball fights show the various seasons of fun you can have being in a perpetually touring band, if your attitude is good. It sure looks like fun when an entire band believes in not only their music but their scene, and this makes them seem far more likeable while outlining their 15-year commitment (a fifth of their lives, likely) to this pursuit. Of course, most of the main footage is on-stage and in the studio, but this doc might have some interest for even those non-fans just curious what this whole punk thing is about, still, three decades after that question first arose. (www.chunksaah.com) ~ Jack Rabid, The Big Takeover, All Music Guide