In receiving and reviewing DVDs it becomes important to me to have a DVD that contains Extras, Extras, Extras! This reason alone is why I withhold money from my local movie merchant for the initial editions of DVDs, because in a few months there is bound to be a “Special Edition” released, full to the brim and overflowing with extras. From interviews to commentaries to featurettes, Extras are the sole reason to buy a DVD over a measly VHS tape.

In determining the value of new music DVDs it is a simple task to compare it to the King of Music DVDs, Fugazi’s Instrument. Instrument is the epitome of artistic and historical success in music movies, the camera following one band with a passion and love for their music and what they create as a result of their circumstances. Much like the Fugazi-run and Instrument-releasing Dischord label, Lovitt is also notable as an independent Washington DC record label that has showcased some exceptional hardcore and punk acts. Beyond their musical and geographic origins, Dischord and Lovitt have another characteristic in common which stands out when watching Transmissions, a DVD documenting the history of Lovitt; they are a label that is really a family.

The family element becomes evident as the DVD goes from Engine Down and disseminates to the other bands like Sleepytime Trio and former acts like 400 Years. The exciting part of Transmissions is the realization that almost all of the bands are linked by one member or another, whether it is Jonathon Fuller of Engine Down, Sleepytime Trio, and Bats & Mice, or Ben Davis, of Sleepytime Trio, and Bats & Mice fame (in addition to a stint in Milemarker). As each band is interviewed (Extras!) and each member addresses the camera it begins to sink in that Lovitt, while still a small force, is a unified and forward-moving family, poised to take their music beyond all boundaries.

For the Extras that I so covet in a DVD, Transmissions delivers. Of interest are the afore mentioned interviews with various band members as well as additional live footage of the Lovitt bands in action. The bonus fun continues on a commentary track featuring Jason Hamacher (Frodus, Decahedron), and also Brian of Lovitt ownership. But the one extra that irrefutably makes Transmissions worth watching is the rap video for and by Engine Down drummer Cornbread Compton. 

While what Fugazi (and film mastermind Jem Cohen) did with Instrument set the bar impossibly high, the Lovitt Family clearly demonstrates their potential, and Transmissions is worth every minute spent watching. An interesting, engaging and entertaining film, Lovitt's family document has me wishfully thinking of a Transmissions 2.

DVD RATING: 8/10 

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Jake M. Rizy is a staff writer for Lost At Sea magazine that comes loaded with lots of Extras!
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SEE ALSO > Transmissions trailer
SEE ALSO > www.lovitt.com
SEE ALSO > www.cornbreadcompton.com