music Making Movies

San Antonio-born synth-pop act Hyperbubble to screen its documentary at Lonesome Rose

BY MIKE MCMAHAN

Veteran synth-pop act

Hyperbubble has always been a visual band, as even a casual glance at its album covers and flyers shows. Now, the San Antonio-formed duo is taking things to the next level with a new documentary, Cowgirls and Synthesizers.

The feature-length film will have its first public screening Sunday, Feb. 19 at St. Mary’s Strip honky tonk the Lonesome Rose. For the sake of transparency, we should mention that the movie includes a voiceover from Current Editor-in-Chief Sanford Nowlin.

Hyperbubble is composed of married couple Jeff and Jess DeCuir, though they only use their first names, fitting their retro-futuristic image. Both sing and perform on synths, with Jess also tackling the theremin. The pair currently reside in St. Louis, though they insist Hyperbubble, which has performed on stages as far away as Europe, remains a San Antonio band at heart.

Alternative Press once described Hyperbubble as “the sonic equivalent of a truckload of Twizzlers,” a colorful and whimsical description that holds true for Cowgirls as well.

The documentary combines performance footage with comedic bits, animation and interviews with collaborators and influences. Unlike many of the music docs crowding streaming services, Cowgirls features full-song videos drenched in the band’s colorful, ’80s-influenced aesthetic.

“When I watch a music documentary, I see a lot of talking heads,” Jess said of including whole videos. “To me, there’s only so much of that you can have before it gets a little boring. [Cowgirls and Synthesizers] is a documentary. But it’s also a fanzine, a music video, even some comedy skits.”

Keeping it DIY

As highlighted in Cowgirls, the story of Hyperbubble began as many great rock ’n’ roll stories do: in a dumpster. In one of the movie’s best animated scenes, a young Jeff embarks on an epic dumpster dive outside a record company office. While he finds the corporate memos and info he’s after, he also discovers a record by Shoes, a largely unknown power-pop band who becomes an inspiration for the fledgling musician.

In a full-circle moment later in the film, Hyperbubble presents the members of Shoes, years later, with that very LP, complete with a mustard stain acquired during its time marinating in the trash. Cowgirls director Joe Wallace conceived of the scene after hearing about Jeff’s life-altering dumpster dive.

“They’re huge in the power-pop community,” Jeff said of Shoes’ lasting influence. “They have a sustainable career because they are 100% themselves.”

The theme of being true to one’s own vision and keeping it DIY is key to Hyperbubble and, ultimately, to Cowgirls. The film documents what transpired after Wallace, intrigued by the possibilities of the group’s DIY approach, suggested Jess and Jeff record an album in Nashville.

In keeping with that shoestring approach, the movie reflects the influence of classic Canadian sketch comedy show Second City Television (SCTV), particularly its low-quality pixelated graphics and shabby green-screen special effects.

“They pushed up the cheapness and tackiness,” Jeff said of SCTV.

Indeed, Cowgirls looks to the past not just for its aesthetics but to understand Hyperbubble’s inspirations along with Jess’ and Jeff’s origin stories. The footage form their pre-Hyperbubble lives includes anything from tours of duty in hardcore bands to talent show performances.

Positive spin

Hyperbubble won’t perform at the Lonesome Rose screening. However, the evening — billed as Fellowshipwreck Film Fest — also will include a variety of shorter, experimental films rooted in electronic music. In addition, the fest will highlight video from Infinity Asylum, Jeff’s space rock project with Joe Reyes of Buttercup.

Infinity Asylum features voice acting from Samantha Newark, the voice of

Jem from the ’80s cartoon Jem and the Holograms, another aesthetic and musical influence Hyperbubble explored in Cowgirls.

If the power-pop of Shoes and Jem’s animated tales of an all-girl rock band sound fluffy compared to the ponderous, often dark nature of much of today’s underground music, that’s kind of the point.

There’s a positivity inherent to both Hyperbubble and the film, which the band is working into other film festivals.

“There’s a lot of stuff going on that’s going to bum you out these days,” Jeff said. “And we’re losing our musical heroes, one at a time, day after day. Here’s something that’s going to make you smile. It might make you laugh and bring you a little bit of happiness. And it’s done by a couple of people who are misfits and outcasts. The nerds, not the rockstars.”

Much like the outsiders who fueled the original punk explosion.

“Can you have that attitude that punk rockers have with their guitars, but with synthesizers? Yes, you definitely can,” Jess said. “What separates us from the original punk rockers is a more positive attitude and more positive lyrics.”

“But there’s a darkness kind of boiling under the surface,” said Jeff. “And punk was very colorful in the late ’70s,” he added.

Free, 6-9 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19, Lonesome Rose, 2114 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 4550233, thelonesomerosesa.com.