Born Innocent: The Redd Kros Story

Description

• For fans of 20 FEET FROM STARDOM, THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION, MONTAGE OF HECK and ANVIL: THE STORY OF ANVIL
• Testimonials from the members of SOUNDGARDEN, PEARL JAM, THE MUFFS, MELVINS, GO-GOs and BLACK FLAG
• Features footage of THE RUNAWAYS, X, NIRVANA and GUNS N ROSES
• A heartwarming first-person account of 40 years of Pop Culture
• Global Home Video Debut fresh from a limited theatrical and festival run

Redd Kross have always existed slightly to the left of everything and perfectly in the center of themselves. Formed in 1979 by Hawthorne brothers Jeff and Steven McDonald (ages 15 and 11 at the time) the band sprang to life in the same Southern California orbit that produced Black Flag, with whom they played their earliest shows. But even then, Redd Kross were unmistakably their own thing. Where their peers carved out strict definitions of punk, the McDonalds treated the genre as an open invitation: a passport to mix bubblegum with noise, Kiss with the Velvet Underground, the Partridge Family with the Germs, sometimes in the same song and always without apology.

Through the '80s and '90s, Redd Kross built a reputation as one of the great unsummarizable American bands: Too tuneful for the hardcore kids, too scrappy for the pop purists, and too weird for anyone looking for an easy tag. Sonic Youth brought them along repeatedly, seeing a kindred experimental streak beneath all that California color. Meanwhile, the early Seattle scene quietly absorbed their approach to melody and irreverence; more than a few future icons have cited Redd Kross as a formative influence, even if the McDonalds insist they were just doing what came naturally.

Last year, the band enjoyed what many called "the year of Redd Kross," marked by a critically acclaimed self-titled double album, a documentary (Born Innocent), and a memoir (Now You're One of Us). All three were met with universal praise, and longtime fans weren't surprised; Redd Kross have been punching above their weight and outside their lane for more than four decades. Touring in support of this cluster of projects found the band at full power, whether headlining across the U.S. and Europe or joining the Melvins (where Steven and Dale Crover pull double duty). The response from audiences old and new echoed something critics have hinted at for years: Redd Kross remain a band entirely at ease with who they are, confident in their contradictions, and unafraid to let their joy, curiosity, and ambition guide them on stage and in the studio, proving that authenticity and self-acceptance can be thrilling, even after decades.

Bonus Materials

• Commentary Track with Jeff McDonald, Steven McDonald and Andrew Reich
• Trailer

Cast & Crew

Actors:

• Jeff McDonald
• Steven McDonald
• Ron Reyes
• Dez Cadena
• Buzz Osborne
• Kim Shattuck
• Anna Waronker
• Charlotte Caffey
• Robert Hecker
• Greg Hetson
• Eddie Kurdziel
• Brian Reitzell
• Tracy Lea
• Vicki Peterson
• Dale Crover

Director: Andrew Reich

Producer: Julian Cautherley

Producer: Andrew Reich