Rock N Roll Mamas Copyright Rock Mama Films, LLC 2012 1 ROCK N ROLL MAMAS is produced in partnership with The Hollywood Theater Contact Information: Jackie Weissman, Rock Mama Films, LLC, 2109 SE 29th Ave., Portland, OR 97214 503-320-5523, [email protected], www.rockmamafilms.com ROCK N ROLL MAMAS SHORT SYNOPSIS ROCK N ROLL MAMAS is a feature length verite style documentary following three indie rockers/mamas who strive to follow their creative dreams while also providing for their families in an alternative lifestyle that is often judged harshly by our society. Over the course of eight years, award-winning filmmaker Jackie Weissman followed Kristin Hersh of Throwing Muses, Zia McCabe of The Dandy Warhols, and the up-and-coming hip hop artist, Ms. Su’ad. The film takes us into their daily lives as they struggle with both economic instability and the rigors of touring with children, all interwoven with the blood, sweat, and personal fulfillment they find in performing. Copyright Rock Mama Films, LLC 2012 2 ROCK N ROLL MAMAS is produced in partnership with The Hollywood Theater Contact Information: Jackie Weissman, Rock Mama Films, LLC, 2109 SE 29th Ave., Portland, OR 97214 503-320-5523, [email protected], www.rockmamafilms.com ROCK N ROLL MAMAS LONG SYNOPSIS ROCK N ROLL MAMAS is a feature-length verite documentary releasing in 2013, about three indie rockers/mamas who strive to follow their creative dreams while also providing for their families in an alternative lifestyle that is often judged harshly by our society. Mainstream media usually portrays rocker mothers as crazy and inept (Britney Spears, Courtney Love) or capable but bolstered by huge incomes and an army of support (Madonna, Gwen Stefani). Over the course of six years, award-winning filmmaker Jackie Weissman followed Kristin Hersh of Throwing Muses, Zia McCabe of The Dandy Warhols, and the up-and-coming hip hop artist, Ms. Su’ad. The film takes us into their daily lives as they struggle with both economic instability and the rigors of touring with children, all interwoven with the blood, sweat, and personal fulfillment they find in performing. From the outside it seems like it should be easy, merging motherhood with making music; but there is always a sacrifice. Kristin has been making critically-acclaimed rock and punk music since she was 14-years-old, but, after a series of disasters, she loses her savings and her tour bus/home, leading her to forgo the nomadic lifestyle and set up a home base for her husband and three sons. Zia can’t afford to go on the road with a nanny so she hands off her daughter to the band’s manager or friends seconds before she performs and then gets her back immediately after. Su’ad leaves her high powered job to have more time for her son, but can’t make ends meet and has a nervous breakdown. How can you be maternal and still want to rock out and scream? It doesn’t harmonize with the stereotypical, nurturing soccer mom. Many people think these women’s lifestyles are so unstable, their daily lives so unstructured; some people have even mentioned that it seems like abuse. But is it? Even though these women are constantly traveling, they spend more quality time with their children than most double or even single working-parent families. The children are immersed in different cultures and get to meet different kinds of people, all with the safety of a parent right beside them, explaining the world around them. They are also teaching their children, by example, to dream big and follow their passion. There’s a reason these women are not more well-known as musicians. Being mothers before they’ve “made it”, has taken them out of the path to mainstream financial success. They could be there but they don’t really want to; they would rather parent and make music on their own terms. The goal is achieving balance, even if it’s tenuous. Copyright Rock Mama Films, LLC 2012 3 ROCK N ROLL MAMAS is produced in partnership with The Hollywood Theater Contact Information: Jackie Weissman, Rock Mama Films, LLC, 2109 SE 29th Ave., Portland, OR 97214 503-320-5523, [email protected], www.rockmamafilms.com ABOUT THE FILM Jackie Weisman’s ROCK N ROLL MAMAS is a feature length documentary made for, by, and about parents. As the loving mother of a three-year-old son and an award winning filmmaker, Weissman wanted to better understand how to balance her creative needs with the needs of her child. She began looking to other artists for inspiration and guidance when she stumbled across an article about women at the onset of their rock star careers when they started a family. She realized she had found the story she wanted to tell. For six years Weissman captured on film the struggles and triumphs of three female rock artists as they balanced a music career with parenting. Her primary goal: To empower all mothers by showing them they are not alone as they embrace career and motherhood. Kristin Hersh of Throwing Muses, Zia McCabe of The Dandy Warhols, and the up-and-coming hip-hop artist, Ms. Su'ad are the three artists featured in the documentary. Using sight and sound, Weissman takes us into their daily lives as they face economic instability and the rigors of touring with children, all interwoven with the blood, sweat, and personal fulfillment they find in performing. Weissman’s wide-angle approach to the story captures the trio’s essence as women, artists, and mothers. The scenes deliver both the comedy and tragedy in their true-life situations while on tour and at home. Mainstream media often portrays rocker moms as crazy and inept or capable but bolstered by huge incomes and an army of support. Attitudes and perceptions by the general public are often judgmental and unforgiving. Weissman offers her audience another view through the lives of Hersh, McCabe, and Su’ad. She provides visibility for a career not normally undertaken by women and defuses the negative portrayals of female rock artists as we watch them encounter life’s challenges and react to them responsibly. The three characters provide a model to mothers and all women to embrace their creative profession even though life may not be done perfectly all of the time. The relationships between the moms and their kids are poignantly captured during the vast amount of quality time they spend together. Touring opens new horizons for them as they meet diverse people and learn about various cultures. In the beginning of the film, circumstances model themes of women’s empowerment as systems of support created by the three women provide backup when needed. A synopsis of where they are in 2012 reveals the wear and tear on the women, their careers, their families, and their support systems. The film’s social significance is powerful as it subtly lobbies for structural changes in the way society perceives motherhood, career women, artists, and families. Its final message is that all moms who get through the day doing the best they can are “rock stars.” While filming, Weissman incorporated some of the women’s survival strategies she witnessed into her own life as an artist and mother. Weissman recruited six women to fulfill key creative positions for the project. In addition to the three main characters, Weisman enlisted as Producer and Executive Producer, respectively, Tara Johnson-Medinger, and Allison Anders, two moms/career artists in film to help produce ROCK N ROLL MAMAS. Scoring the film is keyboardist, bassist, and vocalist Zia McCabe, one of the women featured in ROCK N ROLL MAMAS. Copyright Rock Mama Films, LLC 2012 4 ROCK N ROLL MAMAS is produced in partnership with The Hollywood Theater Contact Information: Jackie Weissman, Rock Mama Films, LLC, 2109 SE 29th Ave., Portland, OR 97214 503-320-5523, [email protected], www.rockmamafilms.com DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT I began making this film eight years ago when my own son, Lyle, was three years old, as a vehicle to better understand how to balance my own inner needs with the needs of my child. After the birth of my son, I knew it was also very important to maintain my “previous” creative life so I looked to other artists for inspiration and guidance. When I read an article on Salon.com about rock star mothers and their struggles to balance careers and children, I knew I had found the story I needed to tell. ROCK N ROLL MAMAS is an exploration of what it means to be a mother struggling to maintain your own creative identity. Whether they chose motherhood or it happened by accident, all of the women featured in the film are committed to actively pursuing artistic expression while also hands-on parenting their children, despite, in some cases, having to work day jobs. Each woman adjusts to her circumstances differently. When I started this film, I thought the thesis would be that these strong women are a great example because they can do it all; but after filming them over the last five years, I saw that no one, not even strong women, can do everything well. Something has to give. Kristin Hersh loses her tour bus/home and her savings; Zia McCabe wants a second child but realizes she doesn’t have the childcare to support that choice; Su’ad is a single mom struggling to make ends meet during the day while performing at night. Instead of doing it all perfectly, these women struggle and make mistakes but persevere as they strive to live their lives on their own terms – and this is why they set a great example.