Live Review: Weirdo: The Story of Five Eight and Live Set at Ciné in Athens, GA, 9/28/24

The subtitle on the movie poster says it all: “A band on the verge of a nervous breakout.” In the history of rock ‘n’ roll, there are countless stories of those bands who almost made it. None truer than Five Eight and their rocky road to success.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the band’s third CD, Weirdo. Lead singer/guitarist Mike Mantione has expressed his disdain for the record label mastering of the album, and decided to remix and remaster it, along with adding several more unreleased songs. The result was a double album released in 2015 that was worthy of the many accolades it earned. Long-time fan Marc Pilvinsky wanted to use his editing experience to memorialize the re-release. What came from that was a 20-minute mini-documentary of the band’s weird road. Nine more years of intensive research of sifting through mountains of music, video reels, VHS tapes, photographs, and cassettes resulted in the birth of the full-length doc.

The 103-minute film contains a collection of memories and moments from the band’s 35-year history, along with interviews extolling the musical virtues of Five Eight from such luminaries and contemporaries as Patterson Hood, Amy Ray, Kevn Kinney, Bill Berry, and more. That “nervous breakout” byline was borne out of Mantione’s own nervous breakdown when he was in college. Pilvinsky expertly showcased the singer’s journey from that day, being diagnosed with manic depression and schizophrenia, then admitted to a mental hospital. After five weeks there, his family signed him out – against doctors’ recommendations – and took him home. Mantione comments that if not for that day, he may still be institutionalized.

His mental health struggles did not disappear but were held at bay with his continuous poetry and songwriting. He swears the prolific writing, recording, and performing live continue to minimize the darkness. Mantione and the band have forged a relationship with the Athens non-profit Nuçi’s Space, whose mission is “…to prevent suicide…with a focus on musicians.” If there is a silver lining to mental illness, it lies with organizations such as this. And Mantione, whether he realizes it or not, is providing a service to those in need by sharing his own experiences, especially in a college town.

Mantione and bassist Dan Horowitz started the band shortly after meeting in Binghamton, NY. Drummer Patrick Ferguson and guitarist Sean Dunn later followed. Mike Rizzi drummed on a couple Five Eight releases and is prominently featured in the doc. He even sat in on “The Liquor Song” with the band after the screening.

The most revealing aspect was the band’s brotherhood. Creative and stress-induced differences led to three decades of ups and downs, always overshadowed by forgiveness and strengthened friendships.

With two screenings on this premiere night, the band scheduled an hour in between for a quick live show. Fans exiting the film on a Five Eight high walked across the lobby to The Lab, a room with a max occupancy of 130 (the perfect size). The quartet played a loud and fiery set, which included a couple of new tunes. A new album, produced by famed Athens engineer David Barbe, is due in 2025. Speaking of legendary producers, Ed Stasium, who took the controls on the band’s 1997 album Gasolina!, commented in the doc that everything was solid with that album except the timing. This album was a big swing for the fences and fell just short.

However, the energy in The Lab exceeded expectations, as most Five Eight shows do. The room was cozy and crowded, with a handful of fans waiting to enter until some left for the bar or the restroom. Mantione emoted, as he does, wearing his heart on his sleeve, in the first live performance after completely exposing his demons in the documentary. His power, pain, and glory have been revealed on the big screen, but was always there in his songs. Friends, fans, and family were there for it. For such a brief, compact amount of time, great rock ‘n’ roll was performed.

The set wrapped in time for the second showing of the doc at 10:30 and the band closing with “Weirdo.” This song could be described as Mantione’s mission statement, at least in the early days of his career. It is always a show-stopper and he began belting it out sans mic. Just him and the guitar alone on the stage. The band members rejoined him and followed him into the light. It was a very good night for the Athens music scene.

For more information, visit Weirdo: The Story of Five Eight. To listen or buy, visit Five Eight and their Bandcamp page.

UPDATE: Weirdo: The Story of Five Eight is now available on a Blu-Ray/DVD Combo Pack including tons of extras. It’ll ship Dec. 12 just in time for Christmas! Check out the trailer.

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