Sometimes in life we have to accept that we miss out on great bands, and by watching a DVD I have discovered that a band perfectly tailored to my music taste has - until now - slipped through the net. I've always said that watching a band's DVD when you're unfamiliar is like a crash course 1.01 in said subject and, taking that to be the case, I'm glad to have finally been educated in the world of Danko Jones.
From their personal introductions to music to the inception of the band, the tours of low attendance to the Stones, the journey from being arrogant in their early years to being truly humble - it's all there on 'Bring on the Mountain'. From a fan's perspective, I'd say it's likely to prove popular by hearing the stories they may already know, and perhaps some unheard tales, told by the band themselves. What's more, they have done a stellar job at documenting their careers with videos on and off stage at various points in this timeline. For all the music-related DVDs I've seen, few are so well documented with videos; usually it relies much more on the commentary, but here there's a good balance.
For the documentary section of disc one, it does what any successful documentary should. It details the timeline of the band, but it doesn't bore you, it makes you laugh, it makes you smile and it has its memorable moments. What's more is that you feel like you get to know the members of the band themselves, rather than merely look at their careers retrospectively. Personally, the stand out moment was one of the opening quotes, one that instantly solidified that I was going to like this band: "I honestly don't believe - to this day - we're a successful band."
To top and tail this idea, the end of the documentary contains similar thoughts: "The fact that we can still tour and the fact that we can still put out records, especially considering the music climate today - we are very aware of how privileged that is now, more so than ever." It ends with clips from different countries, while the notion of seeing the world in this form is quoted as being a childhood dream. Funny and interesting, if the documentary is this enjoyable to someone who considers this their introduction, so surely fans will lap this up. Disc two then offers a string of live clips and a copy of all of their music videos to date. As I'd assume based on equivalencies from my own favourite bands, this will likely be another enjoyable addition for fans.
But, that's not all! There's also a short film in which cloning is now possible (run with it). I'm led to believe (from quick Googling) that this is based on some of their most recent music videos, but naturally that reference flies right over my head. Featuring guest stars including Elijah Wood and Motorhead's own Lemmy, this proves the kind of gift that most DVDs don't include, though I wish they did.
Described as a must have for fans, it truly does feel like one. This details the band's career in such a personal and wonderful way that I'm so close to kicking myself for not knowing them sooner. A great watch for lovers of this style of music, therefore assumedly a fantastic watch for fans.
Oh, and apparently anything is believable if you say it convincingly enough. On an unrelated note, did you know the middle finger was invented by a Canadian?
Danko Jones 'Bring The Mountain' DVD is available now.
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From their personal introductions to music to the inception of the band, the tours of low attendance to the Stones, the journey from being arrogant in their early years to being truly humble - it's all there on 'Bring on the Mountain'. From a fan's perspective, I'd say it's likely to prove popular by hearing the stories they may already know, and perhaps some unheard tales, told by the band themselves. What's more, they have done a stellar job at documenting their careers with videos on and off stage at various points in this timeline. For all the music-related DVDs I've seen, few are so well documented with videos; usually it relies much more on the commentary, but here there's a good balance. 
