6015 Willow

6015 Willow has all the makings of something epic. It centres around the self-proclaimed hub of indie music in Halifax, a house where numerous musicians have lived and plenty of bands have formed over the years.

They decided to use all the rooms (including the bathroom, kitchen and an incredibly tiny attic) to film 20 bands over the course of three days for this DVD. It isn't really a documentary so much as a video with a brief narrated intro and then 20 one-song performances presented back-to-back. I don't even think there were actually 20 full bands, more like five different arrangements of people who rotated to create new groups.

The best bands are North Of America, The Just Barelys, The Superfantastics, The Maynards and Windom Earle. There's a reason why Can-rock followers have at least heard these names and not the other 15. The great part about this DVD is it could have been filmed anywhere in Canada. It was just a bunch of music nerds rocking out and blowing fuses with their friends. While it was shot in Halifax, I can guarantee there are houses across the country with similar stories.

One of the special features includes hilarious commentaries by the creators talking over the footage. It definitely should have been incorporated into the proper footage because it answered a lot of questions that weren't addressed in the original cut, such as the very basic why this house was important in the first place.

While the music was primarily porn for extremely indie kids, the commentary works to prove this project's value. Without saying it, 6015 Willow puts a face to the importance of music scenes within cities and the bonds, and the friendships and styles that come from them.

I wish it had provided more of a human element — 6015 Willow comes across more like a first draft than a final product — but it deserves recognition for bringing awareness to this music community and capturing a moment of historical value.