Documentary puts The Sheepdogs under the microscope THE SHEEPDOGS HAVE AT I T
band in 2011, immediately following their victory in the contest, where they became the first unsigned band on the cover.
The documentary — which opens Friday at Regina’s Studio 7 — is a comprehensive look at how they went from playing for 300 or fewer fans to opening for Kings of Leon in front of 15,000. If the documentary shows anything, it’s how wild the band’s schedule now is.
Anyone who understands today’s music industry knows it’s not glamorous and all the real money The Sheepdogs won a magazine cover and a recording deal when thousands of fans cast online ballots for them. They also get to star in a documentary about this wild and crazy part of their career. The Sheepdogs Have At It perfectly captures the pressure and possibility that the four Saskatchewan boys experienced following the Rolling Stone Cover contest.
There’s nothing particularly groundbreaking about the movie, but it effectively looks behind the glossy Rolling Stone cover to reveal a band working its butt off to capitalize on all the new attention.
The documentary features the Where: Studio 7
½ out of 5 is made on tour. The Sheepdogs go from Saskatoon to New York to Winnipeg to Nashville and beyond during the film.
And not everything about their success has been super rock ’n’ roll. The documentary features the band’s appearance on Project Runway. It’s all quite comical as the emerging designers dress Ewan Currie up in braids and Sam Corbett in what looks like a hastily assembled Halloween costume. Cool? No. But it shows the boys’ gracious sides. Not everything has been drama-free, either. The band fired its tour manager partway through a string of live dates. They are real people. Leot Hanson experiences writer’s block. Ryan Gullen screws up takes in the studio.
Their success defies all the music industry odds, especially considering how many times they were told their music wasn’t marketable. It’s ironic that their career boost was due to a giant marketing campaign. The film illuminates the fact that even though their Rolling Stone win was grassroots in part, they had a lot of behind-the-scenes support from manager Joel Carriere.
Amid all the big moments — recording with Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney, playing huge festivals — the movie also features interviews with the band members’ parents. Corbett’s adorable mom takes the cameras on a tour of her basement, the band’s rehearsal space, which is crammed full of equipment and memorabilia.
“It’s the Sheepdog Museum,” she says as she leans on a speaker. “I’m a very proud mom, as you can see.”
The Sheepdogs Have At It gives fans a chance to be proud, too.