This shot tickles me to no end. The funny thing is, in this crowd, these guys were looking at me like I was from another planet, being a conservative looking middle-aged woman. Everything is relative, as they say.
The venue was the defunct Cypress Lounge, and this was the same night as the Glass Heroes and Vibrators show.
Good shows and good times. *SIGH*
It only seems natural to follow a POTD of Calabrese with Zombeast.
They almost always play together locally, and are pretty much linked up
in both sets of fans minds. Actually both groups are pretty much one
and the same.
This was Halloween 2006, and I’m happy to say this blood was fake. I
mean, jesus, we’re talking Helter Skelter here, you know? I also want
to point out that one of my favorite things about this photo is that
Ashley is in the lower right corner, and she is hands down their
number one fan. Getting a shot of her rocking out is mandatory at any
Zombeast show. This was one of those photos that I knew was winner as
soon as I saw it on my camera review screen.
And btw, the similarities you may be noticing to Danzig are not
coincidental. They make no bones about their love of and homage to the
Man.
Boy, does this photo have sentimental value.
This was the first show I had shot in a small venue and the first of Calabrese. It was almost the last.
I wanted to leave the venue before the show even started. I felt
old, self-conscious — I was old enough to be the mother of about
everyone there. A fact confirmed by the owner of the venue, working the
door. He thought I was one of the mothers for The Limit Club, also
playing that night.
I can laugh about it now, but then…yikes.
But I forced myself to stay, and when The Limit Club was playing,
quickly realized in this small venue, I would have to use flash. Not so
bad during the Limit Club set, as I was able to still stand back. But
when Zombeast came out, the crowd moved in, and I had no choice but to
get right in front, with my flash a-firing right in their faces (and
drawing far more attention to me than I could handle.) So I slinked to
the back of the venue.
I saw Bobby Calabrese watching, and got up the nerve to say hello (I
had been on the band’s message board, but had never met any of them in
person.) I told him I probably wouldn’t be shooting that night, because
of the flash, and he was like, "No, go for it."
So I did. And so began this long strange trip I’ve been on.
The photo is Jim Calabrese’s classic "bad ass" look. I was afraid of
him at first, because I only saw him when he was playing, and he pretty
much always looked like this. It wasn’t till later that I discovered
how far this look is from Jim’s real personality.
But that is a story — and photo — for another day.
I sorta got a thing for red. Okay, more than sorta. If it was up to me, I’d shoot everyone on red.
This was one of my first promos, done in my tiny little former
apartment, with barely enough room for this backdrop. I would have to
completely rearrange the place (translation: tear it apart) to clear
the living room for a shoot.
I like Sharon’s expression in this one, as well as most of the shots from the session. A sort of cool indifference.
The first time I saw this band was at the Stray Cat Bar and Grill,
and it was a somewhat…mellower set. And when you hear their recorded
work, it’s a totally different feel than what I learned was their
typical live set — I got to see that at their CD release party. That
girl has some pipes, let me tell you. A much rawer sound live than what
you expect. And much louder.
Another prime example of why you have to come out and hear bands live. It just ain’t the same on a little silver disc.
Not too much to say about this one, except it’s one of my favorites
of the band. One of my favorites, period. These guys are pillars of the
Phoenix punk community and have been around a long time. They put on
the annual Joe Strummer benefit here each year, which is happening Dec
27 at the Rhythm Room. They are also getting ready to release a new
album, with some photos by yours truly.
Check out the new music and details about the Strummer benefit at their website.
The F-Holes are based in Flagstaff and Chris, pictured above, is
about the nicest guy on the planet. When there’s a show in Flagstaff,
the bands always have a floor to crash on and beer to drink, and he
always invites the rest of us along, too. As a bonus, you are
guaranteed a rowdy crowd, as their other specialty, besides music, is
"f-ing" shit up in the pit. But that will be an upcoming post for The
Gag Reel.
Several, actually.
These guys have been opening for a lot of bands like the Koffin
Kats, Three Bad Jacks…and pretty much anyone who comes through
Flagstaff. (Hopefully Tiger Army?) They are definitely a band to watch,
and listen to.