The Color Of Noise

The Color of Noise is an exciting and enticing 2015 documentary film that paints a remarkable portrait of the world of independent music, focusing solely on Amphetamine Reptile Records and its founder Tom Hazelmyer. This influential indie record label, founded in 1986, played an instrumental role in the noise rock music genre. The film provides unrivalled insights into how the noise rock world and alternative arts scenes grew by focusing on the rise, and the eventual fall, of this legendary and pioneering label.

The fascinating story covers the efforts of Tom Hazelmyer, a U.S. Marine veteran who single-handedly set up and launched this label in Washington D.C., before relocating it to Minneapolis. His purpose was to support and promote noise rock bands, a seemingly niche and experimental music genre that received little attention from mainstream labels at the time. Amphetamine Reptile Records thrived due to its unique and unconventional approach, becoming synonymous with the underground music scene in the late eighties and early nineties.

Hazelmyer and his record label played a crucial role in releasing music from a raft of bands who, whilst far from mainstream, were considered as luminaries in the alternative and punk scenes. The Color of Noise features candid interviews, concert excerpts, and early footage of bands that started their journey on the aptly dubbed "AmRep" label. Bands such as Helmet, the Melvins, and the Jesus Lizard offer first-hand accounts of their time working with Hazelmyer and on the thriving noise rock scene.

This film is characterized by the raw, abrasive, and energizing feelings elicited by the noise rock genre, capturing the frenetic energy and passion of the artists supported by Amphetamine Reptile, while providing insights into the often chaotic world of running an indie record label. The enigmatic and forthright Hazelmyer is front and center throughout, offering candid discussions around his motivations, his artists, and the trials and tribulations of running an independent record label.

Director Eric Robel manages to make a documentary that is equally informed by the DIY spirit that Hazelmyer and AmRep represented. The film provides a coherent timeline of the life of AmRep, rife with anecdotes and memories from band members, fans, and other individuals involved in the scene. Robel's pasisonate and personal story-telling abilities make it enjoyable to watch even if you are not entirely immersed in the music scene that AmRep championed.

The Color of Noise is enhanced by an array of concert footage, music video snippets, archival clips, and previously unreleased material. Interspersed throughout are a diverse range of interviews from musicians, critics, fans, and artists who were either directly involved with or heavily influenced by the output of AmRep. These interviews are insightful, and provide opinions from those who were intimately linked with the record label and Hazelmyer's impact on the scene.

Moreover, the film also gives viewers a glimpse into the visual art world connected to the noise scene. Hazelmyer was not just a music fanatic but a proficient artist as well. His artwork - gritty, bold, and confrontational - defines the aesthetic of the AmRep brand. The art, like the music, is a central theme explored in the documentary that brings an essential element to understanding the complete picture of this influential label's history.

This documentary will resonate with fans of the noise rock genre, independent music enthusiasts, and lovers of music history. However, its reach will extend beyond that. The Color of Noise is also a story of tenacity, passion, and the drive to elevate a genre of music that was often intentionally abrasive and confronting. It looks at the man who was ready to take a chance on this oft-ignored subculture and to fiercely support the music and the artists whom he believed in, regardless of the mainstream music industry's opinion.

In conclusion, The Color of Noise is a vivid and enlightening depiction of an unconventional music record label’s journey through the ever-evolving world of the independent music scene. It offers an enthralling narrative around the fierce, raw, and often chaotic world of underground music and art - a must-watch for anyone interested in alternative music history.