Despite them being around for a decade, I only caught one Blood Brothers show. Most of what can be said about the band can be found elsewhere. I will say I was a fan and that this was a great show. These are some of my favorite photos that I produced in this time period. You can check out their official site to see their farewell message. Several bands followed their breakup that included various combinations of members, such as Head Wound City, Neon Blonde, and Jaguar Love.
Blood Brothers at The Pilot Light, Knoxville, TN
Blood Brothers at The Pilot Light, Knoxville, TN
Blood Brothers at The Pilot Light, Knoxville, TN
Blood Brothers at The Pilot Light, Knoxville, TN
Blood Brothers at The Pilot Light, Knoxville, TN
Blood Brothers at The Pilot Light, Knoxville, TN
Here are a couple of songs from the era that I saw them. One from March On Electric Children, which came out shortly after I saw them.
Also one from their first album, This Adultery Is Ripe.
You can't really talk about Enemymine without talking about godheadSilo first, since one is a kind of transmutation of the other. Any older noise rock fans can probably skip this part since you no doubt know all about it already. godheadSilo reared its ugly head in Fargo, ND sometime in the early Nineties. After they lost their guitarist, Mike Kunka (bass) and Dan Haugh (drums) became a bass and drums two piece and subsequently one of the loudest bands touring at the time. After four LPs and several EPs they had become a pretty solid presence, especially after relocating to the Olympia, WA area. Sadly, Dan had an accident that severely damaged one of his hands and was left unable to play for some time. I am not exactly sure of the details, but it happened after the recording of Share the Fantasy in 1998. That album would be their last as godheadSilo. This is where Enemymine comes into play.
Enemymine released their first EP in 1999 with Danny Sasaki on drums and Zak Sally from Low playing second bass. The addition of Zak Sally definitely had an influence on the sound of the record, lending it parts that were austere and quiet to somewhat balance the full on roar of Mike Kunka's playing. It was a really interesting mix and the self-titled EP is definitely worth seeking out for a listen
.
The pairing of Mike Kunka and Zak Sally only lasted for that one recording, for good or ill. Sally was replaced with Ryan Baldoz, and Enemymine honed their sound into a sharper and louder incarnation. This is the time period that I got the chance to see them. The pictures below are from the tour they did for their one and only full LP, The Ice In Me. Enemymine never put out anything else after that, which is a shame. Mike Kunka went on to be in Dead Low Tide with some of the guys from Murder City Devils, but this ended after he had a prolonged illness. On a happier note, Mike and Dan did get together for one more record together. Going by the name Smoke and Smoke, they recruited Spencer Moody from MCD to do vocal duties and put out an LP in 2009.
All pictures below taken at The Pilot Light in Knoxville, TN sometime in 2000 or 2001. I don't remember specifically.
Enemymine at The Pilot Light, Knoxville, TN
Enemymine at The Pilot Light, Knoxville, TN
Enemymine at The Pilot Light, Knoxville, TN
Enemymine at The Pilot Light, Knoxville, TN
Enemymine at The Pilot Light, Knoxville, TN
Here are a couple of Enemymine songs for your enjoyment. The first is with the Zak Sally lineup.
And here's some old godheadSilo footage, just because.
Here are some shots of The Delta 72 playing at The Pilot Light in Knoxville. These guys put on a great show. Frontman Gregg Foreman went on to many other musical adventures, including playing with Cat Power, but it was this James Brown inspired group that really got him started. Honestly not sure of the date for this one but I think it was right around 2000.
The Delta 72 at The Pilot Light, Knoxville, TN
The Delta 72 at The Pilot Light, Knoxville, TN
The Delta 72 at The Pilot Light, Knoxville, TN
The Delta 72 at The Pilot Light, Knoxville, TN
The Delta 72 at The Pilot Light, Knoxville, TN
Here are a couple of videos, including their official for "It's Alright"
The Funhouse was one of the first venues I went to when I got to Seattle. Much like Lenny's in Atlanta, The Funhouse provides a place for punk and underground bands and fans to come together for cheap drinks and loud music. Unfortunately, The Funhouse's days may be numbered. The building that houses it has been sold and is slated to be turned into condos or some such. More on that here and here. If this happens it will leave quite a hole in the Seattle scene. EDIT: Just received news that The Funhouse will vave to vacate their current location by October 31st. Let's hope they have good luck finding a new location.
I had the chance to catch a great show at the Funhouse the other night. I went to see Lazy Animals and got to see The Spinning Whips and The Burnz as a bonus. All three bands put on a great show and here is a selection of the shots from that evening. I wasn't shooting with an ideal camera setup, but I tried to make the most of it. Shot with a Canon S90 and a handheld flash triggered manually.
First up, The Spinning Whips played a pretty sick but straightforward rock n' roll with a 70's Detroit vibe. At one point Silly String and bubble makers were distributed to everyone and they killed it on the stage.
Spinning Whips at The Funhouse 4-26-12
Spinning Whips at The Funhouse 4-26-12
Spinning Whips at The Funhouse 4-26-12
Lazy Animals were up next. Larry, Lesli, and Eric always put on a great show and tonight was no exception.
Lazy Animals at The Funhouse 4-26-12
Lazy Animals at The Funhouse 4-26-12
Lazy Animals at The Funhouse 4-26-12
The Burnz finished off the night with a bit more of a 60's punk vibe. Loud and raw. A bit different sounding than what I heard from them online but I would call it a change for the better. I liked it quite a bit.
The Burnz at The Funhouse 4-26-12
The Burnz at The Funhouse 4-26-12
The Burnz at The Funhouse 4-26-12
This is only a selection of what i shot at the show. If you would like to see more from this show you can look here. EDIT: okay, all the photos are actually there now. Fail at Flickr.
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
Japanese noise/grind masters, Melt Banana, made it to Atlanta in the summer of '98, their first trip through the South unless I am mistaken. They had just put out the "Charlie" LP and were really on a roll, musically speaking. That LP and the 7" EP they put out on Slap A Ham that year are still two of my favorites. They played Dottie's, later known as Lenny's, which was both the shittiest and best place a band could play in Atlanta. (Rumor was that Antiseen had nearly burned the place to the ground during a show a month before.) I traveled from Knoxville with a couple of friends to see this show. I remember the opening bands being pretty bad that night. This contributed to a considerable over-consumption of alcohol before Melt Banana even started playing. I confess to being quite drunk when I shot these. Thankfully I still managed to focus the camera (mostly) and got some images I am happy with. I was still using a Nikon FG at the time. Film was Tri-X, of course.
Melt Banana at Dottie's - Atlanta, GA
Melt Banana at Dottie's - Atlanta, GA
Melt Banana at Dottie's - Atlanta, GA
Melt Banana at Dottie's - Atlanta, GA
Melt Banana at Dottie's - Atlanta, GA
Melt Banana at Dottie's - Atlanta, GA
The legacy of Dottie's/Lenny's is pretty fascinating. I made it a regular hangout when I lived in Atlanta and am sad to see that it is no longer there. A great article about it can be found here.
Here are a couple of Melt Banana songs from this era:
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.
There were a lot of good bands coming out of Ohio in the 90's. Donut Friends Records, run by Jamie Stillman (Party of Helicopters) out of Kent, chronicled as many of them as possible. One of these, Pankration definitely fell on the more metal side of things. Tons of energy live and pretty nice guys as well, from what I remember. These shots were taken at the Pilot Light and I believe it was a release show for their split EP with The Red Scare. Pretty much any recollections I have from this era are suspect, though. Even sober I have a memory that tends to be fuzzy at best. I do actually have pictures of the other guys in the band, but these three are the best ones from this particular show.
Pankration at the Pilot Light, Knoxville, TN
Pankration at the Pilot Light, Knoxville, TN
Pankration at the Pilot Light, Knoxville, TN
I looked around and found a few Pankration songs posted by their former drummer. These are unreleased tracks from the tail end of the band's existence and they show quite a bit of progression from the earlier records. Kind of a shame they didn't stick around a bit longer. Info on Donut Friends is also a bit hard to come by online, unfortunately, but if you know more than I do please feel free to say so in the comments section.
Monday, February 20, 2012
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.
