Musician Joe Losurdo is producing his first narrative feature, which offers a different take to the one he portrayed in his 2009 documentary, “You Weren’t There: A History of Chicago Punk 1977-1984,”
“Sacrificial Youth,” Losurdo says, “is sort of a hardcore punk musical about a kid who fronts a teenage hardcore band (set in current time).
“Some bad things start happening to the ?scene’ and it’s up to him to save the day but he’s not sure he’s up to the challenge.”
Losurdo, of bands Regress, Life Sentence, Cattivo and Goblins, wrote the songs. A Who’s Who of local rockers supply music, including Nora O’Connor and members of Rights of the Accused, Cattivo, Regal Standard, Cursive, April March, Strike Under, Tutu and The Pirates, and Plushgun.
They pre-recorded most of the soundtrack at King Size Sound Labs Chicago and Zeus Mountain studios, with the cast performing a few tracks live. King Size principal Mike Hagler is music producer.
Losurdo’s doc, “You Weren’t There” traced the local scene from its earliest days with DA! and Tutu and the Pirates, through later mainstays like Naked Raygun and Big Black. Regressive is also selling white vinyl EPs of DA!’s “Exclamation Point” and Tutu and the Pirates’ “Sub-Urban Insult Rock,” two of the first Chicago punk recordings.
Losurdo wrote, produced, and directed “You Weren’t There” with his wife Christina Tillman, also of Cattiva. New Brooklyn distributor Factory 25 (“Frownland”) released the doc last year.
