ANVIL Members Interviewed At SXSW; Video Available

Rhapsody Blog conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Steve "Lips" Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner of Canadian heavy metal legends ANVIL at the South By Southwest (SXSW) music conference and festival, which was held March 13-22, 2009 in Austin, Texas. Watch the chat at this location.

As a result of the initial success of "Anvil! The Story of Anvil", VH1 Films and Abramorama have extensively expanded the distribution of the film beginning Friday, May 15 and will continue throughout the summer in additional markets across the country and Canada.

Since debuting in theaters in April, "Anvil! The Story of Anvil" has already grossed $380,000 in only 37 theaters, including last week's sold-out "Anvil Experience" show at the NuArt theater in Los Angeles. "The Anvil Experience" tour will also continue throughout the summer in expanded markets. At each tour stop, the film will be played immediately followed by a short performance by the band. With recent features in Newsweek and Rolling Stone, this expansion of the film marks a stellar comeback for the 30 year-old band.

As previously announced, VH1 acquired the exclusive rights for "Anvil! The Story of Anvil" and will release the film on television and DVD under its Emmy Award-winning "VH1 Rock Docs" franchise this fall. VH1 has been heavily supporting the initial theatrical distribution by Abramorama with a network-wide, multi-platform promotional campaign.

"Anvil! The Story of Anvil" is the directorial debut of screenwriter Sacha Gervasi ("The Terminal") and was produced by Rebecca Yeldham ("The Kite Runner" and "The Motorcycle Diaries"). The film follows Steve "Lips" Kudlow and Robb Reiner and their band, ANVIL, which released one of the heaviest albums in metal history, 1982's "Metal on Metal". The album influenced an entire musical generation of rock bands, including METALLICA, SLAYER, and ANTHRAX, who all went on to sell millions of records. ANVIL, on the other hand, took a different path — straight to obscurity. The film is both entertaining and touching as it follows their last-ditch quest for the fame and fortune that has been so elusive to them. "Anvil! The Story of Anvil" is a timeless tale of survival and the unadulterated passion it takes to follow your dream, year after year.

Praised as "the best documentary I've seen in years," by documentarian Michael Moore, "Anvil! The Story of Anvil" contains appearances by an array of heavy metal icons, including METALLICA's Lars Ulrich, former member of GUNS N' ROSES, Slash, ANTHRAX's Scott Ian, and SLAYER's Tom Araya, among others.