The Chop Tops at the Clubhouse
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Photo of the Day – The Chop Tops
When I first started shooting rockabilly and psychobilly, I was
enthralled with the new tricks I saw. I would say to people, "Hey, the
guy was standing on his bass!" and people would be like, "Oh yeah, they
all do that." Or I’d say "Hey, the bass and guitarists switched
instruments!" And of course, the response was, "They all do that."
Well, dammit, they don’t all set the bass on fire. So there you go.
I had to stifle the urge to yell "Great White!" What can I say, I’m a
sick fucker.
Three Bad Jacks at the Clubhouse. Brett has since moved on, and this
is no longer part of the show, but I’m hoping it will come back…
Photo of the Day — The F-Holes
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.
Zombie Ghost Train at Club Red, 2007
Captain Reckless and Stu Arkoff at Club Red, Tempe Arizona, 2007.
I always have a dilemma when I shoot — the question of color vs
black and white. I started out shooting black and white, processing and
printing everything the old fashioned way, and that sort of stuck with
me. Plus I developed a love for the great documentary photographers,
such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Frank, Diane Arbus, James
Nachtwey…an image in black and white has such a timeless quality to
me.
And yet, when people wear vibrant red coats like Stu’s that night,
or when I have beautiful colored stage lighting, I get a little
intoxicated in all that color. But I eventually go back to my roots.
I had Vic Victor put in a word with Stu about shooting some stuff
for Zombie Ghost Train, when they played together shortly after the KK
naked shoot for Girls and Corpses and shortly before this show. So Stu
calls me to chat about doing photos, and asks me, "we don’t have to
take our clothes off, do we?"
I’m never gonna live that shoot down.
Stu and Reckless trade a lot of banter on stage, and they are one of
the funniest bands to catch live. Also of note: Stu has quite a hard
time keeping his tongue in his mouth, as anyone who has seen photos of
him can attest to. And Reckless is one of the fastest damn bass players
I have ever seen.
The Limit Club Promo, circa 2006 (my very first!)
This is a blast from the past! My first promo shoot, with The Limit
Club. Like most of my first bands, the lineup has changed since then
(new drummer,) but this one will always have sentimental value. I’d
scouted this great location, and did some test shots with beautiful
sunlight on the church, turning the sky almost black and the white
church practically glowing.
But of course, it was rainy and overcast THAT day. Here in "The Valley of the Sun."
One the things I’ve always done is push myself out of my comfort
zone, again and again. I had no idea how to do a promo shoot, or direct
people — especially people I really didn’t know at the time — but I
just sort of…did it anyway.
Glad it wasn’t too much of a disaster. Aspiring photographers: make
sure you pick good subjects. They’ll save your ass and occasionally
make you look good.
The Quakes at Chasers
Here in Phoenix, not only are we lucky enough to have The Quakes
come through on their rare tours, but to have Paul Roman as a resident.
That means seeing him at pretty much all the local psychobilly shows.
He comes out to hear — and support — all the local and national
psycho acts coming through, and we had a brief discussion last night
about how many people came out for the Nekromantix…that we never see
at the other shows.
For those who love bigger bands like the Nekromantix, and only go to those shows, remember this:
At one time, those big bands were little unknowns, playing shitty
dive bars for a handful of people. But somewhere along the line, they
must have found a group of people who came out to see unknowns, liked
what they heard, and supported them through the tough years.
This is important people — you MUST come out and
support the smaller acts. Without doing that, there will be no new
bands you like. Without the diehard local supporters, there would be no
Nekromantix, or Tiger Army, or whoever the hell you like. And think
about this: think about what it would have been like to discover a band
like the Nekromantix or Tiger Army before anyone else really did. To be
able to see new bands and get to know them in intimate venues, and
follow them through their rise to a national audience.
Support your local music scene. Or it will die, along with the next…[insert name of your favorite band.]