Maine Public TV Air Times: Thur., Sept. 1 at 10:00 pm Sat., Sept. 3 at 11:00 am
The Hungry Years follows a talented but homeless young musician over the course of two years as he struggles against all odds to pursue his dream of rock stardom. The film begins as we're introduced to Joel Carpenter, 21, forming his new band with members he's recently met on Craigslist. Soon he is asked to leave the relative comfort of his grandmother’s house, and so his journey into homelessness begins. His girlfriend describes this as Joel’s "nomadic lifestyle." Joel lives between his van, his "office" (the band’s rehearsal space) and crashes on various friends and relatives’ couches. Unable to hold a job very long, he is soon broke and visiting local food banks to feed himself. All through this difficult time Joel continues to write songs and performs with his band, The Effects, in bars and outdoor festivals around Maine. We follow Joel and his band’s successes and failures until tensions and dysfunction finally break the band apart. Joel is then faced with picking up the pieces and coming to terms with where his decisions have led him.
The Hungry Years is produced by Michael Boucher of Sonic Pictures.