I saw these four guys headline a show at the Slaughter House in Oakland. I went to shoot Laudanum and ended up shooting all four bands. This is often the case. It was far less crowded than previous experiences at the Slaughter House, which is good for the photographer, but can be abrasive on your ego if you're band is playing that night. I interrupted these guys before their set with something stupid (What's new?) and they proceeded to fuck with me. I'm not easily insulted so I continued my cross-examination and found myself quite impressed with the depth and quality of their musical tastes. Now, this is totally biased and subjective on my behalf to judge the character of someone based on their musical tastes, but it's been rather effective for most of my life and I'm narrow-minded. Besides, it's not everyday that you meet someone who'd been at the same Engine Kid/Caspar Brotzman show at the DNA Lounge way back when?! Dead Horse fans, too. Matter of fact, I can't say I could stump them with any noise-based obscure rock band. Thus, I stuck around to see what they sounded like and take a few pictures. They are all very talented musicians and they play a very difficult and technical type of Thrash/Metal. I wouldn't say I took the best pictures of their set, but I did what I could within the circumstances. The lighting is not ideal (I'm being kind) and there was a small problem with the one of the guitarists 'falling' on me while I was crouched down trying to get some low-angle shots. Admittedly, the stage was tiny and one could easily 'forget' that it terminated abruptly. Being an entertainer he continued to play the song even as I dumped him back on the stage. This brings up an important point: It doesn't matter who/how/what got fucked up, so long as you keep playing like it was all part of the performance. People will laugh, and I'll probably take a picture of it, but they won't lose respect for you if you keep it together and finish the song. Irony aside, I like this band's sound. It's tight, heavy, technical and CHUNKY.

Update: So, it's August 2005, and a lot has transpired since first seeing this band a little over a year ago. I saw them in Sacramento with Kylesa and took a handfull of shots. That's when I scored a copy of their first CD, which I totally dig. A few months later, I get an email with a link to pdf file for the artwork to their latest (soon to be released) CD, "Twelve Guage Solution." Turns out, they chose a couple of my shots for inclusion in the packaging of the artwork for this latest release. Having heard it, I'm only more pleased because it slays. Having my art associated with music that I respect and enjoy satisfying beyond words. http://www.blessingthehogs.com