THE STORY

 “Last Night at Lounge Ax” takes us back to a different era of live music—before phones lit up every room, before social media made everything instant. It was a time when fans lined up outside box offices to buy tickets, called venues to check set times, and learned about shows through posters, word of mouth, or the local alt-weekly. The internet was just beginning to change how people connected, but live shows still felt immediate, local, and unfiltered.

The film immerses viewers in the final three nights of Chicago’s legendary indie music venue Lounge Ax, which closed its doors in January 2000. What unfolds is a heartfelt and unsentimental look at a scene in transition—a vibrant sendoff that’s both a celebration and a goodbye. These last shows, packed with longtime regulars, devoted fans, and standout performances, marked the end of an era for the venue and, in many ways, for the Chicago music scene as it had existed.

Beyond the music, the film lays bare the pressures that independent venues like Lounge Ax constantly battled: rising rents, neighborhood gentrification, noise complaints from new residents unfamiliar with the club’s legacy, and the complex maze of liquor licensing and city regulation. This wasn’t a business backed by corporate sponsors or a stepping stone to a massive festival. There were no investors pushing for expansion. Lounge Ax ran on passion, community, and the daily work of creating a welcoming space for artists and fans alike.

Through candid interviews with co-owners Julia Adams and Sue Miller Tweedy, the club’s stalwart doorman Dan, longtime staff, regulars, and performers, we get an inside look at the values that shaped the venue: generosity, integrity, and an unwavering belief in the importance of independent music. The film captures the way Lounge Ax helped define a crucial chapter in Chicago’s cultural history—one built not on profits or prestige, but on connection, consistency, and care.

Featuring performances and appearances from Jim O’Rourke, the Coctails, King Kong, and 11th Dream Day, and others.

The Discovery

In 1999, Director Brian DeRan was set to work on a documentary in Serbia but was denied a visa due to the escalating Kosovo war. While in Prague, he fell in love with the Canon XL1 camera and soon bought one of his own to document a six-week world tour with a Chicago-based band.

While prepping in Chicago, a label publicist suggested that he film the final three nights of Lounge Ax. With the blessing of Julia and Sue, DeRan took the opportunity - to test the camera and catch some of his favorite bands live.

Twenty-five years later, after an electrical fire destroyed his art studio, DeRan returned to the tapes. What he found was a raw, emotional portrait of a beloved venue — one that revealed a timeless story of community, struggle, and hope.

THE STYLE

Last Night at Lounge Ax uses a direct cinema approach to avoid hazy nostalgia and secondhand recollections. Rather than relying on retrospective interviews, the film immerses viewers in the club’s final three nights as they actually unfolded. Influenced by the work of the Maysles brothers, Les Blank, and Penelope Spheeris, it captures the raw energy, the people, and the performances in real time—placing the audience directly inside the moment.

THE TEAM

WRITER / DIRECTOR - BRIAN DeRAN

Brian DeRan began his film career on productions including Pecker and Cecil B. Demented (John Waters), The Wire pilot, and Matthew Barney’s Cremaster II. After co-founding Monitor Records in Baltimore and working with Palace Records, he moved to NYC, where he launched Leg Up Artist Management in 2006. In 2010, he co-produced Transverse Temporal Gyrus at the Guggenheim with Animal Collective and co-founded the acclaimed Basilica Soundscape festival, which he co-curated until 2016. DeRan relocated to Los Angeles in 2012, ultimately settling in the California high desert. In 2019, he left the music industry to return to fine art, working on projects with James Turrell, Mary Weatherford, and Sterling Ruby. Now based in New Mexico, he focuses full-time on filmmaking, writing, and printmaking.

EDITOR - JEREMY EDWARDS

Jeremy Edwards, a New Orleans native, began his film career in Los Angeles, working on projects like The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Contagion, and 12 Years a Slave. He later became an assistant editor on HBO’s The Brink and the feature film Sicario before editing Hulu/A24’s award-winning series Ramy and the indie feature Stalker. Most recently, he edited the pilot episode of Night Trippin, starring Sean Patton. IMDB

SOUND DESIGNER - JAMIE HARDT

Jamie Hardt MPSE, CAS (he/him) is an Emmy-nominated sound designer and re-recording mixer with 25 years of experience in film and television sound, most recently mixing MONSTERS: LYLE AND ERIC MENENDEZ for Netflix and SAY NOTHING for FX. Jamie mixed the documentary limited series WILLIE NELSON AND FAMILY for MTV Networks and in addition to his film and television work has designed the soundscapes for dozens of music videos, from artists including Usher, Kid Cudi, Dua Lipa and Tyla. Jamie’s feature film credits as designer and mixer include INSIDIOUS: THE LAST KEY, TRUTH OR DARE, and FANTASY ISLAND; Jamie perviously worked as a sound effects editor at Sony Pictures Studios where his credits include SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME, FURY, ZERO DARK THIRTY and THE HURT LOCKER. Formosa Group

COLORIST - BRADLEY GREER

Bradley Greer is an award winning content producer and post-production specialist. From production to post, Bradley’s 30 year career has spanned multiple disciplines allowing him to cultivate a holistic perspective of both the technical and artistic process of making movies. Attracted to the black box of filmmaking, he began his post-production career in the negative processing department of a film lab, ambitiously worked his way up the ranks to becoming a photochemical color timer, and eventually a highly sought after digital colorist. He has helped to build and manage multiple post-production facilities, serving as the V.P. of Post-Production and Senior Colorist. Bradley has been recognized for his work in American Cinematographer and been invited to speak on behalf of Kodak, Sony, and Avid. Kyoto Color