SYNOPSIS
Teenage Badass tells the story of the rise of a fictional indie rock band named Stylo and the Murder Dogs. Set in 2006, we follow Brad (Mcabe Gregg), a teenage drummer who dreams of making it big in a rock band. Brad and his single-mother Rae (Julie Ann Emery) struggle to get by as Brad refuses to give up. On a fluke, Brad joins a new band fronted by singer/songwriter Kirk Stylo. They land a shot to play on a local news show. With the town buzzing from their performance, Brad's dreams inch closer when they're asked to record with Jordan (Kevin Corrigan), a legendary local producer. Just as everything seems to be falling into place, a series of chaotic events threaten everything.
“The feature directing debut by Grant McCord, Teenage Badass is a fun and witty look at being in a struggling rock band in an era where “making it” was still something of a possibility.”
“Rock comedies are a well-worn genre, but McCord does a few things here to make Teenage Badass stand out from the pack. The band sounds like a real band, making the sort of genre-fluid indie rock that lit up the blogosphere back in the early aughts.”
“It lends the film a sense of credibility; you can picture stumbling across Stylo and the Murder Dogs at any festival…” - Bad Feeling Mag
“One of the film’s greatest successes is that it does have an idiosyncratic group of characters at its core, and the dynamic that forms between them is entirely believable.”
“The movie does a very good job of busting through the archetypes that often define bands as portrayed on film, instead making the characters more three-dimensional.” - Disappointment Media
“For opening a wide eyed, earnest window into the chaos of forming a band, we are awarding Mcabe Gregg with the Best Actor Award for his work in TEENAGE BADASS.” – RiverRun Film Fest Jury Statement
“The hazy, bright chaos of Phoenix music culture has crashed its way on screen.” - The Entertainer! Magazine