Melt Banana

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: