As you may or may not have noticed, I kind of stopped updating this blog. Nothing against Vox, but I just felt it was time to move on and try something different. I also seemed to be suffering from some major writers block {not that I'm a real writer} and thought a change of scenery might do me some good. So after going back and forth with different blogging software I decided my best option was to re-activate my original Typepad blog which use to be called Metal, Beer and Heart Surgery. It will pretty similar what this blog was, but I will hopefully be updating much more often. I'm still not 100% committed to the look and feel of it, so there may be a few changes in the future. I have also decided to leave the Heart Surgery posts up, so if you end up here looking for my surgery posts, please go to the new blog and look at the archives.
So with all that being said, please go check it out, and feel free to leave some feedback and comments. I promise to be better about responding to your comments. And if you want to exchange links, just let me know!
Thanks for continuing to read my babble and checking out my photos. Cheers!
]]>I have never really been a fan of their music, but Slipknot really does put on one hell of a show. I Had the opportunity to shoot them in Sacramento on Wednesday, and it was a pretty wild 10 minutes in the photo pit, to say the least. More photos on the way!
Just a few from the show. More pictures and review coming soon!
I have always like Twisted Sister, and I'm not afraid to admit it. Go ahead, take away my metal credentials, but you cannot deny that the bands pre-"We're Not Gonna Take It" material was pretty heavy. Kind of New York Dolls meets early Motörhead. I remember shopping at The Record Exchange in Walnut Creek back in '83 or so when the dude behind the counter threw the "Under The Blade" 7" on to the turntable. I was pretty blown away. A few months later I was seeing them live, smashed up against the barricade at San Jose Civic Center. I also saw them open for Iron Maiden at the Cow Palace in '85, but due to some pre-show parking lot drinking I passed out in my seat, and came to just as they were leaving the stage.
Unfortunately the band sold out big time, and to this day I still cannot listen to "We're Not Gonna Take It", or "I Want To Rock", for that matter. But I will always be a huge fan of their first two records.....
Adiós, Muchachos!
One of the best Punk Rock shows I've ever been to. Period. More photos on the way!
Last night I had the opportunity to photograph Social Distortion, who played the first show at the just renovated and truly spectacular Fox Theater. Unfortunately the release I had to sign prevents me from posting any of my pictures at this time, but I can say that this might have been my favorite Social D show ever, and I have probably seen them close to a dozen times of the years. Photos and review coming soon!
After suffering through six so-called "metal" bands during the previous 28 hrs, I needed a dose of real metal more than the junkies across the street from my house need their methadone. Fortunately, Meshuggah hit Slims' stage at precisely 10:26PM last night, and proceeded to give me a fix of some of the most brutal metal I have witnessed in quite some time, and aside from "Holy Fucking Shit".......... I was left speechless.
With the duel 8 string guitar assault of Fredrik Thordendal and Mårten Hagström, Meshuggah created a sound that, although was as heavy as fuck, was built on layers upon layers of sound. The vocals of Jens Kidman
were totally brutal, and as he screamed out "Combustion", which is in a
way the bands tribute to early Bay Area thrash, all I could do was
stand there and watch in total awe. There wasn't a split second of lull
in the set, but if I had to pick high points they would have to be
"Rational Gaze", "Lethargica", and of course "Bleed", which, with the mind-blowing drumming of Tomas Haake,
was one of the heaviest songs I have ever heard live. The set was 90
minutes of pure metal Armageddon, and when it was over I couldn't help
but think that Amebix now has some serious competition for my show of the year. Be sure to check out reviews of the show by Umlaut and Hard Rock Chick.
Meshuggah Trivia!- While preparing for an interview with the band that unfortuneatley never came to fruition, I learned that guitarist Fredrik Thordendal was not only a member of XXX Atomic Toejam, but also played bass on Memorandum's New Primitivism album. Both are two of my favorite Cold Meat Industry bands, and are a precursor to much of today's "Industrial" music.
After a less than stellar experience at Coachella in 2004 {with the exception of seeing Kraftwerk}, I decided that no band was worth the unorganization, traffic, parking, heat, scheduling conflicts, douche-bags, and $8 beers that comes along with the now three day festival. Then I find out that Throbbing Gristle, Fucked-Up, Brian Jonestown Massacre, and My Bloody Valentine are all playing on day three this year. I think I may just have to forgive Coachella for the shitty-ness that was 2004, and try again.
Check back at this space in December, and I'm pretty sure that I will have ranked Amebix as my "Show Of The Year", or at the very least in my top three. Yeah, it's only January, and I will probably hit AT LEAST another 40-50 shows this year, but Holy Fuck, Amebix just blew me away last night.
They may not have been the loudest band I have ever seen, but Amebix may very well have been the heaviest. The thunderous bass and evil snarl of Rob Miller would have made Cronos of Venom whimper into a corner, while the plodding guitar of Stig just chugged away like a locomotive heading straight for your fucking face. If I had to pick a high point of their set it would have to be "Axeman", which was like Celtic Frost, Crass, Mötorhead, and Discharge all forged into a giant wrecking ball. Unfortunately it was also the song which I decided to bail from my spot against the barricade, because the punks were starting to go a bit nuts, and as the beers, limbs ,and entire bodies started flying, I was beginning to fear for my camera. I've stuck it out through some pretty violent shows through the years, but decided to use some common sense for this one, and got the hell outta Dodge.
As I watched the rest of the set {which also included Jello Biafra on stage for some backing vox on "Largactyl"} from the back of the room with a Newcastle in hand, I couldn't help but feel a bit of a sense of comradery in the air. As stupid as that may sound, there was a vibe in the place last night that is unfortunately absent from most of the shows I attend these days. It felt like everyone who was there was a genuine fan, and had their eyes glued to the stage knowing that they were witnessing something special. There was no posing or "holier than thou" attitudes, which is rare here in San Francisco, especially at a punk rock show. Without getting all emotional and shit, it was a pretty damn special evening, and I was stoked to be part of it. Be sure to also check out reviews by friends Umlaut and Crow.