One look at director Michael Grodner’s Vimeo page and it’s clear that he has his finger on the pulse of the indie rock music scene.

A seasoned music video director whose work has been featured on MTV and various festivals around the world, Grodner expands his repertoire with his debut feature film The Icarus Line Must Die. During our exclusive interview, we talk about teaming up with Icarus Line frontman Joe Cardamone, and how he created a surreal and boundary-pushing art film that not only acts as a portal into the mind of a struggling LA artist but also a fascinating tour of under-the-radar hotspots in East LA. We begin:

The Icarus Line Must Die is so strong and precise in its art-house, black & white aesthetic. Did you have a visual style or certain imagery in mind that you were looking to reproduce in the film?

The Icarus Line Must Die was inspired by the No Wave films of the late seventies/early eighties — films like Jim Jarmusch’s Stranger Than Paradise, Amos Poe’s The Foreigner and Uli Lommel’s Blank Generation are a few films that were born out of this movement. Stranger Than Paradise & The Foreigner were both shot in black and white (Blank Generation wasn’t) — so it was definitely an aesthetic that we dug. There’s also a grittiness, moodiness and a timeless quality to the look that we were also trying to achieve and that we felt fit the storyline and characters as well.

What have people asked you about the most after seeing the film?

People ask how much of this film is true to life and the answer is: a lot.

Courtesy of Dark Star Pictures.

The film played at the Highland Park IFF last year. Was that a special experience, given that the majority of the film takes place in East LA (specifically Highland Park)?

It was especially fitting to screen the film at the Highland Park IFF – in the Highland Park Theater — the iconic sign above the theater is even featured in the movie. So there was definitely a surreal quality to it all — seeing the theater in the movie while you’re sitting in the theater that’s in the movie.

Can you talk about the writing process with the Icarus Line frontman and star of the film, Joe Cardamone?

Joe and I talked over the phone a lot (and Travis Keller helped out, too). Joe relayed the experiences he had as a member of the Icarus Line to me — and then I crafted a detailed outline from those experiences and stories, which we then shared with each other and refined — until we were ready to start shooting. We relied on the performers to improvise their dialogue as we weren’t working from a traditional script.

Joe Cardamone and Michael Grodner. Courtesy of Rock NYC.

Professionally, what’s the biggest risk you’ve taken that you feel has paid off?

Just going for it and making a film on my own and hoping against hope that I’ve made one that more than just a few people want to see.

Why should audiences seek out this indie film on its VOD release day on July 10th?

It’s a film about the underground music scene in LA — so if you’re a fan of the music and especially if you’re a fan of the Icarus Line, then you’re definitely going to want to seek out this movie.  But I think the film has a greater reach because it’s a film about an artist and the struggle he goes through to do what he loves, remain true to himself yet still be able to put food on the table. I think a lot of people can relate to that. Plus it gives you a window into a world that you might not have seen before.