Dive: notes from the music underground

What's Coming for 2008

I've been focusing on a lot of technical aspects of starting up a blog, but after the new year, I will be incorporating regular features in addition to the Photo of the Day.

• Weekly band profiles/interviews
• Weekly media review of cds, books and dvds related to music
• Weekly calendar of upcoming shows across the country
• Monthly artist (graphics) profiles of people working in the music industry
• Monthly featured record label
• Weekly guest column on must-have records for your collection
• Monthly feature on great small venues
• Music blog of the month

Plus the occasional rant about the music industry, live show reviews, and outtakes from shoots and behind the scenes with bands. And whatever else strikes my fancy, but at least those things listed above, for a little structure and more daily content. Please feel free to comment with any other suggestions you may have.

Thanks for your support!

2007, I hardly knew ye

One week left in 2007, and what a year this has been for me. Quite the rollercoaster ride.

Even as a child, I was obsessed with photography, and with my love of music, dreamed of being a photographer for Rolling Stone. But as far too many of us know, we often get sidetracked from those dreams, and I'm sorry to say, I have not been an exception.

I almost found my calling when I got involved in photojournalism back in the 80s, but that was definitely not a kind field for women back in those days, to say the least. (Maybe still isn't, for all I know.) Without dredging all the details of that up, let's just say I became very disillusioned with the newspaper business and tried corporate PR.

Definitely not the right fit.

After a convoluted path that lead me through nursing school, I hit that classic wake up call that eventually gets us all - the ol' midlife crisis. That was 2006, and I bought my first -- and only -- digital camera. I started shooting local bands, which was very hard to begin with, to say the least. Here I was, the poster child for Social Anxiety Disorder, and old enough to be the mother of most of the bands and fans...I felt like an idiot out there. The fact that I kept going out and shooting, despite my discomfort, is a testament to how much I loved...love...the photography and the music.

This year in particular has been full of highs and lows more than any other year of my life. I had the first thrill of seeing my photos in a cd, as a poster and on a t-shirt. (I still get giddy like a little kid when I see my work used.) I had my first major magazine credit in Girls and Corpses magazine. This year will see my first cd covers (Koffin Kats and Stitch Hopeless and the Sea Legs so far.) I've met great people and people who weren't so great, but the former far outnumbered the latter, I'm happy to say. I've "partied with rock stars" and discovered said "rock stars" are just real people like you and me. Sometimes better, sometimes worse, and just as human.

I also damn near imploded here the last few weeks and nearly blew it all by attacking those closest to me  during my Annual Holiday Blues Meltdown (tm). I'm damn lucky -- and grateful -- that they have weathered the storm I created, and I've taken that wake up call to heart. There are a lot of people in the music biz -- and any biz -- that will use you and exploit you for their gain. But there are a lot of good people, too. People that are friends and have your back. And for them, I am eternally grateful.

What a long, strange trip this year has been, and I can only hope that 2008 continues the highs, but with a hell of a lot less lows. Having said that, I have my work cut out for me to top 2007. There are so many things I could count as favorite moments of 2007, but I think the winner is clear, hands down.

Seeing the Koffin Kats naked. Definitely. How the hell am I going to top that this year?

Photo of the Day - Glass Heroes at the Clubhouse

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.

Photo of the Day - The Koffin Kats

Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm always going on about the Koffin Kats.

I swore to myself I wasn't going to put up any more photos of them for awhile, and especially of Vic Victor, but I mean, hey...look at the pic, you know? This was the last stop of the Nekromantix, Koffin Kats, Chop Tops show, and I would like to say Vic outdid himself, but honestly, this is pretty much...par.

Now, a lot of people ask, is that blood real? First, let me tell you not to ask Vic that. That drives him nuts, because yes, it is real. In fact, Vic will tell you point blank the only blood you'll ever see on their stage is real -- they don't go for that fake blood shit so common in psychobilly. How does he do this? Well, the boy has been smashing beer cans into his head and has all these cuts in his scalp. So all he has to do anymore is headbutt something or smack himself in the head, and they open right up. FYI -- for those who don't know this, scalp wounds bleed VERY dramatically, and look far worse than they are.  He's gonna be okay. Really.

Well, the cuts anyway. As for what is actually going through his head, rather than bleeding out of it -- the jury's still out.

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.

Photo of the Day - The Relics at Red Owl Saloon

(This is actually the Photo of the Day for yesterday...fell a wee bit behind, plus came home from work and crashed till about 3am.)

This was the same show as the Dollyrots, and was a big show with about 12 bands. As much as I would love to shoot everyone, the backlog of processing I always run makes it impossible. I already pretty much work the "real job" and spend all my spare time working on what I do shoot.

But when I'm out at a show, if I hear a new band I like, I'll always try to shoot a few. Funny thing was, after I shot them, I discovered I actually know the bass player, Dean, from the band Adam's Evil. I didn't even recognize him as he had cut off his long hair and was wearing sunglasses.

Small world, ain't it?

Photo of the Day - The Dollyrots at Club Red

This photo was shot a few weeks ago here, and it occurred to me that instead of putting up older photos, I should go ahead and choose one shot from each show I shoot to put up right away, then later do a complete blog on the myspace page after I finish all the processing.

So I will put up photos from the Nekromantix, Koffin Kats, Chop Tops and Creepsville here in the next few days, then proceed the way I outlined above in the future. So that means you'll at least get a little appetizer right after shows, to hold you over till you get the main course.

Seems to make better sense to me, anyway.

BTW, this is Luis -- those Dollyrots are nice kids. You really should go check them out when they come through town.

Photo of the Day - Zombie Ghost Train, Club Red

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.

All photos copyright 2007 DianaPrice.com. All rights reserved. No use without permission. (All images can be clicked to open pop up of  full size image)

Photo of the Day - The Limit Club promo, circa 2006

All photos copyright 2007 DianaPrice.com. All rights reserved. No use without permission. (All images can be clicked to open pop up of  full size image)

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 Gag Reel -- Nekromantix, Koffin Kats, Chop Tops after party

"The Gag Reel" is going to be a new category of outtakes and behind the scenes shots, and will go up...whenever I feel like it. And have material.

And oh LORD do I have material from Sunday night. And some of it I can even show in public. ;-)

We went to the Kats' hotel after the last stop on the Nekromantix/Koffin Kats/Chop Tops tour. Several locals in attendance, including Johnny from Stitch Hopeless and the Sea Legs, and their manager, who graciously hosted all of us drunken buffoons; Nick and Juan from the Limit Club; and Paul Roman from The Quakes. Sinner from the Chop Tops popped in for a bit, and of course, the Koffin Kats and their road guys Joey and Michael (E-Ball Walls little bro.)

Let me explain what I didn't know before this. We had a band in Tucson named the Demon City Wreckers, whose singer, Jason Blood, passed away about a year ago. Apparently one of the ways the boys pay tribute to him (and there are many) is to drop their pants? I don't know why, as I never met the man -- DCW were on my list of bands to see...but I never made it in time. But suffice it to say there's a hella lot of love for the guy around these parts. And that it is often expressed in very strange ways still a mystery to me.

So, here are a few of my favorites of the night:

Oops...just realized Tommy was sort of exposing himself in the deleted photo. My bad.

A few observations:

This was just wrong. You have a beautiful girl on the bed, posing provocatively, and the boys are...horsing around, oblivious. Guys...what's up with that?

Vic was really impressed with the strength of the guy lifting him. None of the rest of us were.

Every time I get out my camera, someone in the Koffin Kats starts taking clothes off.

And I think we know the REAL reason Vic likes to head butt things and make himself bleed -- chicks dig it. And he digs that they dig it, from the look on his face.

All photos copyright 2007 DianaPrice.com. All rights reserved. No use without permission. (All images can be clicked to open pop up of  full size image)