OXES

Baltimore's OXES hold a title I rarely bestow. They were a truly entertaining instrumental band. Two guitars, one drummer, and a metric ton of entertainment. No vocals needed. I saw them several times and they never failed to bring the rock. Here are some shots from their show at the Pilot Light. They chose to play on the floor instead of the stage. The show became quite interactive. You can see my friend, compatiot, and fellow ASSKRIEG member, Brian, chasing the OXES guys around. Brian used to be a lot more chase-oriented back then.

OXES at the Pilot Light - Knoxville, TN

OXES at the Pilot Light - Knoxville, TN

OXES at the Pilot Light - Knoxville, TN

OXES at the Pilot Light - Knoxville, TN
Don't use wireless guitars if you don't want to get chased.

OXES at the Pilot Light - Knoxville, TN
Cornered by drunks!

Here are a couple of OXES songs that in no way convey the level of smartass the band is capable of.

Okay, maybe this video conveys it. Warning, there are gratuitous genitals in this video. Probably NSFW.

The ultra sexy aluminum gutars played by OXES in these videos are made by my friend Matt. Matt playes in New Brutalism and makes cool stuff. You can learn more about them at Obstructures

90 Day Men

Witnessing the artistic growth of a band over time can be very rewarding. Chicago-based 90 Day Men made a habit of playing in Knoxville while on tour. I was able to see them change in interesting ways over the years, not with the same familiarity of a local band full of your friends, but often enough to see their ideas grow and change. I photographed them a couple of times and this particular show was later in their career, between 2002 and 2004 (I think). This is also one of the only times I shot color during this period. I think I captured the feel of the show pretty well. It was a great combination of mellow and energetic. 90 Day Men were a dynamic band and are missed.

90 Day Men at The Pilot Light, Knoxville, TN

90 Day Men at The Pilot Light, Knoxville, TN

90 Day Men at The Pilot Light, Knoxville, TN

Here are a couple of songs, both from their later records. I recommend tracking down a copy of their first EP, Taking Apart The Vessel, for comparison purposes.

Hello, and welcome to my first post here on Virulent. The purpose of this blog, like it says in the header, is both an archive for the old as well as a place to explore the new. While in my early twenties I fell deeply in love with both photography and music. Melding these two, I began documenting many of the bands I saw while working on my skills as a photographer. I amassed quite an archive of images before setting my sights on a commercial photography career and eventually becoming completely burned out on the whole thing for several years. Old flames die hard, however.
     Over the past year my loves of photography and playing music have been rekindled in a way i didn't think was possible. Playing and shooting have become invigorating again instead of tedious. I have retrieved my film from storage and I have begun the process of scanning it into digital files. this will include both the band shots as well as the more portrait style work I produced and will continue to work on. I will try to provide some context and maybe the occasional entertaining story along with the old photos.
     Here are a few images to start with:

Sweep The Leg Johnny at The Pilot Light, Knoxville, TN

Many of my photos come from The Pilot Light in Knoxville, Tennessee. Knoxville was my home base for many years and it's where I shot the majority of my band photography, shooting touring as well as local bands. Sweep The Leg Johnny came down from Chicago a couple of times to play some truly amazing and energetic shows. The Pilot Light is still the only decent independent venue in Knoxville as far as I know. I spent many nights there as well as working the door for a bit.

Assembly Line People Program at Lucy's, Nashville, TN

Assembly Line People Program, also from Chicago, played a few shows in Knoxville and Nashville during their short life as a band. Always a blast to see and great guys as well. I provided some pictures for one of their 12" records that I still throw on the turntable every so often. Lucy's Record Shop in Nashville was an all ages venue I started going to while still in high school and was a staple of the Nashville punk and independent music scene for years. Unfortunately most of my film is not dated so I can only provide a loose timeline for many of my images. This would have been in 1996 or 1997.

Lazy Animals at The Rat and Raven, Seattle, WA 

Lazy Animals is a new band here in Seattle featuring one of my oldest friends from Knoxville, mister Larry Brady. Larry is very responsible for my renewed activity, mainly because he never gave up on asking me about it and encouraging me to revisit something that had brought me so much joy in the past. After twenty years of playing in bands, Larry is in probably the two best bands he has ever been in. Lazy Animals and The Redwood Plan, both with his amazing wife, Lesli Wood.

Thanks for looking. I plan on posting new images weekly so check back soon.

-Beau