About Caffeine and Gasoline
Every rider has a story – from the old “Rockers” who were there from the beginning, to the builders producing the future of motorcycles, to the next generation, including women and young riders who carry the spirit and passion of the cafe racer culture. Award-winning film art director and graphic artist Steven “Fenix” Maes embarks on his first feature documentary as director and writer, taking the viewer on an international journey to answer the question: What does it mean to be an American Rocker?
Caffeine & Gasoline: Evolution of the American Rocker delves into the history of the Rockers and the cafe clubs whey they started the movement, exploring the renewed interest in these unique bikes on the other side of the pond and their impact on American youth. Tracing its roots from 1960’s East London and the legendary 59 Club, cafe racer motorcycle culture and the Rocker movement originally drew from American music and fashion to create their own brand of teen rebellion and counter-culture, done up British-style. Caffeine and Gasoline highlights the culture’s gritty allure and transformation as it slowly migrated from the United Kingdom to the United States, converting millions of young people to motorcycle fanatics obsessed with making their machines run faster. The film explores the current growing modern-classic movement while uncovering a large and varied group drawn to the surviving subculture within the subculture of motorcycle riding.
Maes and his crew spent five years documenting vintage bike enthusiasts, custom bike builders and cafe racer clubs around the United States and England, also interviewing representatives from clubs in Japan and Mexico. Talking with motorcycling legends like Antoine Predock, celebrity riders and builders like Katee Sackhoff and Steven “Carpy” Carpenter, plus clubs like the Venice Vintage Motorcycle club in California and the The Litas in Salt Lake City, the film covers the gamut of attitudes and devotions that make up the American Rocker.
About Steven Maes
Caffeine and Gasoline director/writer Steven Maes is an award-winning art director, graphic artist and audio producer. Having directed music videos and television commercials for a number of years, he turned his creative sights on documentary film production. He is an Art Director’s Guild Award winner, and has designed iconic images for Emmy Award-winning productions including Breaking Bad, Secrets in the Walls, The Bling Ring, and the Academy Award nominated film In The Valley of Elah. His prop objects for the SyFy Channel hit mini-series The Lost Room have gained a cult following and spawned replica designs.
Steven is a member of the Art Director’s Guild Local 800 Los Angeles and holds a Bachelor in Media Art and Communications from the University of New Mexico.
