NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2006
Rounding
out 2006 are some press photos of the legendary British reggae/punk band THE
SLITS. I took them after their recorded TV appearance on FOX
ROX and before their live appearance at the CASBAH (see
live photos on the collections
page) on November 16 here in San Diego. As you might imagine, it was
kind of a tight squeeze, but everyone cooperated nicely and we got some great
shots in spite of the limited time frame. One that was ripe for the picking
ran alongside an article in the SEATTLE
WEEKLY only days after the shoot. DMONSTRATIONS frontman TETSUNORI
TAWARAYA got original SLITS member ARI-UP to
pose with the article (see photo to the left). To see full-sized originals,
check out the TE
PROMO/PUBLICITY GALLERY. While
there, check out a couple new studio pics I took of THE
PRAYERS, which features most members of the recently defunct THE
PLOT TO BLOW UP THE EIFFEL TOWER. Both bands are expected to
release
records in 2007 so be on the lookout for those.
A
great new interview was
done recently by Farrah Emami for a photography class project. Since it wasn't
going to appear in print anywhere, I thought that I'd post it here for all
to enjoy.
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER
2006
Although
I missed their opening slot on the latest PEARL JAM Summer
tour due to a QUINTRON show conflict, SONIC
YOUTH were planning to come back to play an all
ages show at the House of Blues in downtown San Diego on September
27. It would be the seventh or eigth time I would see them live,
and I was thrilled as ever to see them again, especially since
I liked their new Rather Ripped album. But that was
only the beginning. 
A
day or two before the show, I found out that my old friends SKATERS were
opening and I was doubley stoked! The thunder before the storm
might have been SKATERS videos streaming on
the ECSTATIC
PEACE web, or them playing the NO
FUN FEST in New York earlier this year, but honestly
it was just something completely unexpected
(yet gladly accepted). SPENCER CLARK and JAMES
FERRARO started SKATERS in San Diego
circa 2003 and used the VOLTAIRE
CONSORT as a practice space and hosted numerous
marathon (8 to 12 hour racketeering) free music gatherings. There
are a few photographic remnants of their presence: Some of my
unpublished and unprecidented photos of their first couple shows
at VOLTAIRE (let alone one outdoors behind the then-condemned
old North Park Theatre that ended in a trecherous pie fight); JAMES
working the door with his girlfriend at the first TINAP show;
The never-seen-the-light-of-day-photo-collaboration between me
and SPENCER CLARK (with help from MIA
FERM) that I like to call the "transient nature
multi-color trash splash abstraction series." Spencer has
a knack for abstract expressionism in the 120 film color positive
photographic realm and has outwardly admired Chilean Surrealist ROBERTO
MATTA. One day, CLARK might recieve the recognition
he deserves, if not on his own than at least via SKATERS as
a conduit. Heck, if BLACK DICE/JASON FRANK ROTHENBERG's GORE (Picture
Box Inc.) collage book
can do it, then so can SKATERS. At any rate,
as a result of all this, I recieved the customary backstage pass
and got to hang out with old friends, not to mention new-ish
ones from what is perhaps the longest running, most respected
and coolest band in modern underground circles, SONIC
YOUTH. I was totally enamored, to say the least.
Also, while I scramble for my old worn copy of Dark Rye Bread,
be on the lookout for lots of new SKATERS releases
in 2007 and catch them live in the 'States before they permanently
retreat to Berlin later this year.
NEW
ALBUM ART ALERT!!! About a year ago October, CHRIS
CORSANO, PAUL
FLAHERTY and C.
SPENCER YEH were
shredding their avant free jazz chops on a double-barreled San Diego booking
at the Che Cafe followed by the Casbah. I was snapping photos at both shows
while enjoying every supple second of their fierce, spaztic performance.
Whowouldathunkit would end up on the cover of their new CD? It's called A
Rock in the Snow (Important Records)
and its sibling LP counterpart, Snow Blind Avalanche (also on Important Records),
shares different songs from the same studio recording sessions. This ties
in nicely to the SONIC
YOUTH note
above knowing that CORSANO/FLAHERTY collaborations
with THURSTON MOORE and JIM O'ROURKE (as
the DREAM/AKTION UNIT) at various underground festivals
have proven to be fruitful, let alone dazzling. With liner notes by WOLF
EYES' JOHN OLSON (who also collaborated with
the CORSANO/FLAHERTY/YEH trio on a couple of consecutive
LA and SF shows), FLAHERTY's mild obsession with LIL'
KIM pressing her buttocks in between jail bars, and food for
thought from airport security (reference: "We
Have to Check Your Equipment for Bombs" mp3), this easily stands
out as one of the finest and most riveting releases of 2006. So... I guess
i'm pretty proud to be part of it.
DIE
PRINCESS DIE included some live picture(s) I took of them
playing at the Casbah earlier this year in the layout of their new album, Lions
Eat Lions (GSL).
With
the help of Janitor BEN DOVER from LOAD Records,
I finally permeated MOJO magazine
with a previously unpublished pic of D
YELLOW SWANS. This reminds me... I've been working on assembling
an archive of editorial tearsheets and publication covers that should be
up in the TE
GALLERY by the end of the year.
MOPA has
asked me back to teach another year and I couldn't be more delighted. Sonic
photography is something I have long been very passionate about and I think
that passion resonated with the students earlier this year (or at least resonated
on the instructor performance evaluations). I'm looking forward to a whole
new crop of aspiring shutterpunks in 2007. In fact, this time around the
class will be extended to three 3-hour sessions and promises to instantly
be a pivotal point in your otherwise drab, suburban life. SIGN
UP TODAY before the roster fills up.
JUNE 2006/JULY
2006
A
big fat juicy thanks goes out to Helen and her UK zine THE
RIDDLER for the interview she did with me earlier
on this year. The March 2006 issue is her most deluxe yet,
with its hand-stitched fabric binding and a triumphant compilation
CD to coincide. CLICK
HERE to read the interview and find out all my
secrets.
Instead
of the usual singular band pic, I've been posting nearly full collections
of concert photos on a photobucket account and linking them up from on the
front page of titaniumexposure.com for
you to steal and propigate. I'm not only posting prime photos, but also photos
of what I believe to be some of the most relevant bands of 2006. Some of
these include MIKA
MIKO, SHOPLIFTING, DYNASTY and COUGHS.
Launch into a collection today!
On
seperate occasions, photos of San Diego bands ZSA ZSA GABOR and GRAND
OLE PARTY have found their way into the SAN
DIEGO READER music section this Summer. Also some photos I took
of Hare Krishnas appear on the cover and lead story of the August 3, 2006
issue.
I'm
happy to say that END
TIMES FESTIVAL II used one of my old photos of XBXRX on
their website. The same photo appears as the definitive photo to illustrate
the band on their WIKIPEDIA entry.
London's BARDENS
BODOUR venue is displaying an even older HAIR POLICE photo
of mine for an upcoming Euro tour.
An
honorable mention also goes out to the new HOLY MOLAR DVD,
which just came out on THREE
ONE G and STRICTLY
AMATEUR FILMS. The footage is great, and although they sadly
nixed their plans to include some of my photos from the Che Cafe back in
2003, I do still make a cameo appearance with my jimmyrigged camera. If you
look on Che Cafe stage behind keyboardist Henk, the guy rolling his eyes
and occasionally yawning at the
naked guy is me.
APRIL 2006/MAY
2006
It's
official... rock 'n' roll heaven exists. Late
April found me teaching the "rock studio" photography
class to a group of teenagers at MOPA and
I had no idea how much fun it was going to
be. First of all, only girls enrolled. Second,
acting as a prototype for practice, I played
my tennis raquet like a guitar and jumped around
like a hyperactive rock star. Third, MOPA forked
over a good chunk of change. So essentially,
I got paid to hang out with teenage girls and
act like a rock star while they all itched
to take pictures of me. Serioiusly man, I don't
make this shit up. Life is good. But that's
just the short version of it. It was really
sooo much more than some rock 'n' roll fantasy
come true because it seemed like everyone walked
away with some great skills and, even more
importantly, the drive and inspiration to work
toward her own goals. And the proof is in the
puddin'. Check out the photo taken of me that
you see to the right. It was taken by one of
my students — TIFFANY PARKER — mere minutes after
the class began
.
She was kind enough to give me a print and
boy was I surprised. I have so few photos of
myself that I have occasionally been known
to forget that I exist, and indeed, have a
past. Another student ó CORI ZARAGOZA ó made
her own website and posted a number
of her sonic photos on it. Of course, everyone
in the class showed promise as far as I'm concerned.
I didn't see a single head obstructing anyone's
field of vision. Excellent work!
Additionally,
Spring must truly be an inspiring time of year. Somehow, out of nowhere,
talented artist and musician FRANK MELENDEZ was moved and
motivated to paint his interpretation of one of my ARAB ON RADAR photos
from 2001 (see the TE live performance
gallery for the original pic). I almost didn't believe it when he told
me, but it quickly worked its way into existence with his careful, impressionistic
brush stroke. I am completely enamored by it and immediately hung it prominently
and proudly in my living room as soon as he gave it to me. Kind gestures
like this don't happen every day and I am quite honored that Frank would
see such value in my photographs. Thanks Frank!
Got
the chance to revive one of my old photos of THE DEAD C on
the tinymixtapes.com website.
FEBRUARY 2006/MARCH
2006
Oh
man! The new year has positively spawned so many amazing creative
offerings that I actually forgot to utter my usual "beware
of the Ides of March" to creep out all those who have crossed
me. February's art show with MATTT MONSTER turned
out to be a smashing success with bundles of bodies showing up
for the opening and both of us were glad to sell some of our
work. I've posted
a few pictures from opening night for those of you
who were there (and like looking at photos of yourself) or simply
for those who were unable to make the month-long event. MATTT
and I collaborated on a limited edition art zine for the opening
that I have made available to you via mailorder (click the STIMULI navigational
word to your left). It's the second in a limited edition series
I call "Restraining Training" and they're almost all
gone. You can also find the first-ever TitaniumExposure.com sticker
on your guitar case or car bumper if you act fast and send me
a self-addressed stamped-envelope. They're screen printed on
the finest glitter paper known to mexican food restaurant vending
machines.
Next,
I've got a few photos of KILL
ME TOMORROW and SOME
GIRLS on the forthcoming BIRTHDAY PARTY tribute
2xLP/CD. It's called Release the Bats: The Birthday Party as Heard Through
the Meat Grinder of Three.One.G. It will be available to the public
on April 4, 2006, but you can check out the cover art and pics right now
in the TE
ALBUM ART/TOUR POSTERS GALLERY. Also new to the TE
PROMO/PUBLICITY GALLERY will
be some shots of GROUND UNICORN HORN, a(nother) supergroup
of sorts featuring members of THE MOVING UNITS, THE
LOCUST, THE PLOT TO BLOW UP THE EIFFEL TOWER, and JOSH
TAYLOR'S FRIENDS FOREVER. Look for a seven-inch out on THREE
ONE G sometime in the near future.
Furthermore, K8
WINCE from KILL
ME TOMORROW has been bustin' her hump for years on getting
together a website for her BLOOD
AND GUTS CLOTHING line of artistic wear-ables. Last year,
I took some studio photos of her designs and I'm proud to see that she
has used a ton of them on the finished website. Some long-deserved congrats
are also in order for ZACK WENTZ's first published novel, The
Garbageman and the Prostitute finally out on CHIASMUS
PRESS. K8 has a drawing for every chapter and, well, if you
haven't alreay figured it out, the book acts as a compendium to the KILL
ME TOMORROW album of the same name.
In other news,
I've been interviewed again! This time it's for the March 2006 issue of THE
RIDDLER — a British fanzine that has quite interesting
and creative packaging, and a wax stamp seal to make it official. I haven't
seen it in print yet, but I'll post a link to a transcription of the interview
soon.
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