The Pomp Room

January 16, 2024 8:05 PM

What happens if you have a bar, sort of in the middle of nowhere, that becomes a really popular local music spot with a super loyal local crew, but then that grows and everything begins to blossom beyond your expectations? The Pomp Room: A Rock N Roll Bar Story [1h40m] is set in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, covers decades, and was bigger than you think.
posted by hippybear (13 comments total)

One of my best friends made this movie! I saw my first-ever show at the Pomp Room when I was sixteen. It later turned out that most of my favorite people I met in college had been to the exact same show. One of them played baritone in an opening act. Thanks for posting it, hippybear!
posted by lauranesson at 6:29 PM on January 17 [3 favorites]

*struck by a roman candle* “I'm on fire. I'm on fire!”
posted by ob1quixote at 7:58 PM on January 17

This was really great. It made me wish there was a similar documentary for the Masquerade in Atlanta.
posted by ob1quixote at 8:10 PM on January 17

Sixteen hours between posting and first comment. I thought this had entered the "favorited but not remarked upon" weird zone of some of my posts.

YouTube handed this to me unasked, but I answered and found it thrilling. I think this would be an ideal life for me -- opening a city bar, having it turn into a nationally recognized roadhouse, and maybe checking out of the business with life to live but no more obligations.

Creating a space in which people can experience fun and joy... is in my mind one of the highest privileges in human existence.
posted by hippybear at 8:58 PM on January 17 [2 favorites]

well that explains why you make such nice posts, hippybear
posted by clew at 9:25 PM on January 17

Hippybear, I *never* log in - serious lurker here, for years. But I logged in this evening not just to thank you for finding and sharing this great documentary, but to thank you in general for so many great posts. You are one of the best things about Metafilter, seriously.
posted by dorgla at 9:34 PM on January 17 [2 favorites]

Some part of me hopes that lauraneeson will purchase that best friend of hers a MetaFilter membership so they can come here and we can chat about their film and their experiences there because this felt like such a remarkable thing to me when I watched it.
posted by hippybear at 9:46 PM on January 17

I will try! Another mutual friend of ours was the weird and lovely and departed roll truck roll, so it might not be a hard sell.
posted by lauranesson at 10:00 PM on January 17

Wild that I know at least four people who know the guy who made it and I never once met him myself, but that's kind of my experience with the whole thing - I was going to all ages shows on the other side of the state in Rapid City during the tail end of the time here, I know people who were around for the late 90s era of the Sioux Falls scene (and you better believe I've been spamming them the link to this!) but I'm one step removed from direct experience. But that late 90s stuff is damn close enough that it really hit close to home. I was even hanging out in an Ernie November's at the time! Just, you know, the one a few hundred miles away lol
posted by jason_steakums at 10:32 PM on January 17

steakums! I was hoping you'd comment on this! I just sent poor old hippybear a long story about the show and the people and mentioned Ernie November's within. The Sioux Falls one, where my lawyer uncle, on my dad's request, had to go to the record store and ask for tickets to "Lester Jake." He was mocked, I guess, but he got us our tickets.
posted by lauranesson at 10:37 PM on January 17

I just stayed up way too late watching the whole thing through! I can't wait to talk to some of my friends who knew the scene better tomorrow.

Also oh man I didn't know Elliot passed, that's awful to hear. I didn't know him well but I knew Erin for a while when I first got to USD, they were both just the nicest people.
posted by jason_steakums at 10:40 PM on January 17

Elliot's death was wildly unnecessary and a detriment to the whole damn world. He remained a weird shiny bright light for a zillion people right up until the end. I think about him every day and wish his perspective was still in the world, and I know I'm lucky to have known him.

That aside, my filmmaker buddy has been notified of this thread and has shown interest in showing up! He's at a work conference, but watch this space, I think.
posted by lauranesson at 8:15 PM on January 18

Just learned through Letterboxd that there's another doc on the same scene as the latter part of this movie, I Really Get Into It - haven't had a chance to watch yet but it's definitely going on my list!
posted by jason_steakums at 11:23 AM on January 21 [1 favorite]