Interview With James Petix (It Came From Detroit)

Earlier this decade talented local filmmaker James R. Petix and producer Sarah Babila had a brilliant idea – document the incredible Detroit garage rock music scene that was making headlines all around the world (this was also basically the same reason that MotorCityRocks.com was created in 2003).  Their brilliant idea became the highly sought after documentary It Came From Detroit.  Now after years of post production starts and stops (which included a screening in 2006 at the DAFT), James and Sarah are bringing their “ready for prime time” film to the masses this Wednesday and Thursday at the Magic Bag’s Brew n’ View in Ferndale.

James, you started this movie several years ago– why did it take so long to complete?
When I first had the idea for the film, I thought it would take six months to complete. I was going to interview 10 bands and through them I would find a good cross-section of what was going on at the time. As it turned out, when I started interviewing the bands and getting deeper into the subject I found that I couldn’t interview The Go without talking to Rocket 455, and I couldn’t talk about Rocket 455 unless I interviewed the Gories! So I kept adding and adding until I really found the bands that were the most influential on the scene and also had the best stories to tell. It took six years to complete it because I was working on my nights and weekends only, with no outside financial support. In the end this is a passion project that I had a blast making and hopefully other people can now enjoy.

What is different in this version of  ”It Came From Detroit” than the one that was shown in 2006?
It’s about seven minutes shorter. Less bands, more music. More b-roll. Tighter story. Brand new final mix and it’s color corrected. A lot of smaller errors that one may not notice have also been fixed. Overall it’s very similar, just more polished.

How did the local music scene respond to your efforts while making this film?
As a whole, you couldn’t ask for better support! When I started I didn’t know anyone in the scene. At first I sort of went up to people one by one and explained what I wanted to do and they seemed to understand. Once I kind of proved that I had good intentions, they’d give me phone numbers of the other band members or introduce me at the bar. It all grew very organically. During the course of the filming I actually made some very good friends with many of the musicians in the film!

Do you think this film is “better” now that the “garage rock” scene has died down?
That’s a good question. I think the film will age well, especially as it gets farther out. In fact, it’s already outdated! Several of the bands have broken up, people have moved away, and there is already a brand new rock scene in town. What makes the film special is that it captured that moment in time where everyone was at their peak everyone was still friends.

What do you think of the current Detroit music scene?
I think it’s great that the scene truly does rejuvenate itself every few years. I’m not very familiar with all the new bands, but I’m sure they benefited greatly from seeing the “garage scene” get as big as it did.

What else have you done with the local music scene?
Just finished up directing and editing a music video for Flint based band Kinetic Stereokids. It should be premiering this month! I’ve done music videos for the Come Ons (“Complicated”) SSM (“Deja Vu”) and the Soledad Brothers (“Handle Song” and “Good Feeling”). I have done about one a year, but I’m looking to do more now that the movie is finished. The Kinetic Stereokids video for the song “Twisted Thoughts” is by far my most ambitious. I’m really excited to release it.

What do you think of the recent Michigan Film Tax Incentives?
I think they’re a great start! However, I haven’t seen yet how they can apply to a local filmmaker like myself. I think the minimum budget needed to even apply is 50-100k. I wish there was some more initiative to pair up investors with filmmakers. Then we could all benefit from the deal!

You’re a very talented filmmaker, how about another documentary?
My first rock documentary is called “Tokyo Below” and it’s a 24 minute short on the rock scene in Tokyo in the year 2000. It’s available in full for free at vimeo.com. I have a couple potential documentary projects I’m thinking about. They take a lot of commitment, so I want to make sure that they have the proper backing before I jump head first again. I would love to do this full-time.

Anything else you want to add?
I just want to express my gratitude to all the excellent people that helped make this film possible. Through the bands, the fans, the club owners, and people like you we were able to finally make something that we’re proud to share with the community. I hope you enjoy it!