Slamdance 2024 Film Festival – Even for creatives who have never heard of the anti-folk movement in NYC and have no idea who Jeffrey Lewis is, there’s still plenty to gain from Roll Bus Roll: A Jeffrey Lewis Documentary. This is an intimate, sometimes intense look at an underground troubadour’s highs and lows. It includes honest conversations about severe mental health struggles, crippling anxiety, and of course, the anti-folk scene birthed in the East Village at sidewalk cafes and open mics. There’s certainly something here for the music lover, but also creatives in general. Lewis’ commentary on the creative process and his own struggles is simply fascinating.

Directed by Ilya Popenko, the doc has plenty of camera time with Lewis of course, and he certainly doesn’t hold back. He’s incredibly honest about his mental health struggles, sexuality, views on music and art, and of course, the anti-folk scene. The film also includes concert footage from over the years and commentary from fans waiting outside of a show, explaining why Lewis’ music means so much to them, especially the honesty evident in his songwriting about daily struggles.

Lewis also tackles his own legacy and the anti-folk scene more broadly, especially in some of the conversations he has on camera with friend and fellow musician Adam Green of the Moldy Peaches, probably the most famous band to rise from that scene, though even their success was pretty limited. On the one hand, Lewis admits that he should have recorded more albums at this point in his career. He wonders what type of legacy he’ll leave behind, while on the other hand, there are moments when he has a very punk rock attitude and acts unapologetic about his discography and how much he’s recorded, or not, over the years. Yet, the very questions about career and mortality do come up throughout the doc, as Lewis and others wonder just how much time they have to keep still churning out music.

There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes moments in the doc, too, which show the day-to-day life of an artist. Lewis does much of the grunt work himself, from setting up shows, to making flyers, to manning the merch table. At one point he moans that, even with an assistant, all of the administrative work cuts into his creative time. Later on, however, he admits that his DYI aesthetic, and the labor behind it, is all part of the process. The machinery bits are intriguing, as they show just how much time goes into being an indie musician. Lewis still couch surfs in most cities he plays.

If the documentary has one major flaw, it’s that it lacks historical heft. There could have been a deeper exploration of the anti-folk scene, the legacy of the East Village folk music community, going back to the 60s and the likes of Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and others, and how anti-folk responded to that scene and challenged it about two decades later. Yes, this is a movie about Lewis, especially his complicated artistic visions, various struggles, and small triumphs, but the documentary never really assesses his place within a pretty weighted music history within a pocket of NYC.

Despite some of its flaws, Roll Bus Roll: A Jeffrey Lewis Documentary explores the nuances, quirks, and creative process of anti-folk’s long-running bard. Hearing Lewis talk is fascinating, and I suspect this doc will appeal to most creatives, beyond the Pitchfork crowd.

7 Out of 10