Acts Of Sedition, Nordic Waste, Search+Destroy, Modern Problems and No Fun - April 26, 2008

For some reason I was in a bad mood, but I decided that moping about the house wasn't going to do me any good, so I caught a bus down Portage and made my way down to the Preston Manor. I arrived early and visited with the folks who were already gathering for the show. It wasn't long before the out-of-towners arrived (ACTS OF SEDITION from the Bay area and NORDIC WASTE from Duluth), and after they settled in and got some grub from show promoter Andy Bloom, some introductions were made.

The moment Dan approached me I recognized him from his other band SURRENDER. With that band unable to tour, he dropped everything he was doing to pick up guitar and hit the road with ACTS OF SEDITION. My band had played a squat in Oakland back in 2005. It would be nice to finally catch the band live again. Dan's a conversive guy and we ended up chatting about everything from fantasy author Steven Erikson to growing older in the punk scene and observing how everyone handles an evolution or abandonment of lifestyle in their own way, and that can be difficult to understand or deal with at times.

Me? Why, I still go to shows. In many cases, it's because I love the bands. Something that's given me a reinvigorated passion for live punk music is the pursuit of my photography.

The dark, chaotic environment of a punk--particularly a basement--show is a challenge for me, and when I hit the mark, it's a rush. Some say that a photograph captures someone's soul, and as cheesy as that sounds, I think there is an element of truth to that. I provided homecare for a guy named Don Watkins. Now about five years after his death, I see a lot of him in me. The stubbon, irrational behavior... the answers to questions that don't match up like they do for others... He enforced upon me that shooting a camera is like shooting a gun. Surely the ritualistic use of a firearm is some serious soul-sucking, so why not for a camera?

I'm 32 now. I'm appreciative of those who've stayed dedicated to the live music scene, and I can get a charge of the enthusiasm of the younger generations. It's hard to relate to many of the younger kids at times but holding a camera allows me to be content as the silent observer. The only problem is that I'm not always content in that role. That's fine, because I have my bands for an aggressive outlet...

This wandering trail of thought isn't going anywhere, just so you know. And the photographs I took this night aren't very good at all. Still, something was captured, so here's a few shots that got away but still left their mark.


NO FUN @ the Preston Manor in Winnipeg, Canada


SEARCH+DESTROY




NORDIC WASTE


ACTS OF SEDITION


Dan from ACTS OF SEDITION recruits local Ari to... make some noise while a bandmate deals with a technical difficulty.