Mention the LA Punk scene of the '80s and most people will think of bands like Black Flag, X, and The Germs. They probably won't think of The Minutemen, who were definitely part of the scene, but so unique, original, and generally unclassifiable that they barely seem to fit the era, much less the "punk" genre.

We Jam Econo tells the story of D. Boon and Mike Watt, two best friends from Pedro, California who started a band that had everything to do with the spirit of punk rock and almost nothing to do with the stereotypically petulant attitude. The Minutemen wrote songs about politics, American history, and driving the speed limit. They had a work ethic to rival James Brown's. And they had a sound—trebly, spiky, funky—that owed more to Captain Beefheart than The Ramones.

Although their remarkable career was cut short by the untimely death of guitarist Boon, the band's influence has never abated, as evidenced by the who's who of rock luminaries (Flea, Thurston Moore, Ian Mackaye, Richard Hell) who appear in the film. We Jam Econo also boasts nearly all of the band's unaccountably rare live footage, and it is a treat to be able to watch guitarist D. Boon dance around onstage. No iconic rocker ever pogo-ed so hard.