THE SWEET NOTHINGS @ Hooligans in Winnipeg, Canada
Showing posts with label Winnipeg. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Winnipeg. Show all posts
Friday, July 18, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Wandering through the West End
Community centre on St Matthews Ave.
I could hear the roofers debating my motive for photographing as their voices carried far beyond our line of sight.
"Green Gorilla"
Best store name ever.
Continuing down Ellice Ave.
A rarity throughout much of Winnipeg during the work day (or any part of any day for that matter): foot traffic. As you head downtown it picks up.
Came upon this traffic accident as I was heading down to the radio station.
Radio State for Monday, July 14, 2008
Radio State
w/ DJs Terrible & Fuck You
Monday, July 14, 2008
10:00 PM - 12:00 midnight CST
on 101.5 UMFM Winnipeg
http://www.umfm.com
DJ Terrible will open up with a pair of punk rippers; one from NYC and the other from... France? Then some urges indulged with three blasts of psychedelic rock'n'roll brilliance, followed by a lengthy post punk set before concluding with a handful of recorded covers. DJ Fuck You is in traveling in the UK so it'll just be an hour this week.
the Testors - "Sick Of Yesterday"
the Dogs - "Boy"
the Urges - "Read The Signs"
the Music Machine - "Wrong"
Bitter Blood Street Theatre - "Ice Age Man / Portrait Of Eve"
New Model Army - "Vengeance"
That Petrol Emotion - "Mouth Crazy"
Comsat Angels - "Be Brave"
Pere Ubu - "30 Seconds Over Tokyo"
the Flesheaters - "Cry Baby Killer"
Antiseen - "Psycho Killer"
Beasts Of Bourbon - "So Agitated"
the Birthday Party - "Funhouse"
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Trying out the new camera on Canada Day...
My new Epson R-D1S digital rangefinder camera arrived in the mail the other day. I got around to trying it out as the Canada Day festivities were winding down. I slept through the day after failing to catch a bus down to the Forks so that I could catch a few of the good bands that were going to be a part of the festivities. Go figure; a sparse holiday bus schedule pared with a holiday where thousands of people choose to bus downtown. Genius. But I did get to try my Voigtlander 35mm 1.5 Nokton lens on the R-D1S and I'm pleased with my researched decision in acquiring a new setup. Nothing too special; just me putting around.
Why don't you just name your business Burning White Jetstream or Jizz'n'Jugz? I wonder what it takes to become a fluid expert.
Mr Lube is also into exhibitionism.
I think this is my favorite shot from the evening. Nothing profound; I just think the composition turned out alright. There were hardly any people walking around outside; mostly traffic which is typical for a cultureless, community-deprived, ultra gas-dependent, sprawled-out shithole of a city like Winnipeg. I want to start catching people on the street but I think I'll start off in the daytime and in more heavily-trafficked areas.
This place caught my interest. I guess I find stores selling stuff that most people have no desire for for its outdated/uselessness intriguing. Right below the tattoo studio I go to.
Double suicide? It's better than blowing your head off alone. Mutant manic-depressive Maytag repairmen.
Bor-ing. Yeah, but I'm just fooling around. I can't wait until I start getting a feel for this camera and using a manual fixed lens. Wanna try nailing some walk-by-you shots.
If only it were that easy.
Monday, June 16, 2008
KEN mode - May 31, 2008
KEN mode released their new CD/3x7", Mennonite, on the last day of May. Winnipeg's loudest band, and they finally secured themselves a roadworthy bassist, so expect them to hit the road with greater frequency.
KEN MODE @ the Royal Albert Arms in Winnipeg, Manitoba
The rest of Jason Penner's photographs from this show can be viewed here.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Condominium, Born Bad, the Sweet Nothings - May 3, 2008
Minneapolis is still a punk mecca. The only thing is that most punks don't go to shows... ever? There is a great scene developing though. It's small but yielding great bands like QUESTION, THE AGENDA and now CONDOMINIUM. Winnipeg was fortunate enough to have CONDOMINIUM come up and play UNDER PRESSURE's US tour sendoff show on May 3rd at Ragpickers. Ragpickers, along with the Rocker (both located in Winnipeg's historic Exchange District) has to be my favorite all-ages venue. That's kind of a redundant statement to make because a good all-ages show will always win over any bar show in my book. Anyhow, the bands were great and I hope this Winnipeg/Minneapolis exchange will continue.
THE SWEET NOTHINGS @ Ragpickers in Winnipeg, Canada
BORN BAD
CONDOMINIUM
American Flamewhip - May 2, 2008
Ozzies is an awful bar. It's caught in a time warp and seems to attract plenty of old, tired scummy subhumans. AMERICAN FLAMEWHIP were the only band I could get into that night. Hanging with my friends Angela and Trish also helped make the subterranean experience tolerable. Unfortunately, AMERICAN FLAMEWHIP played far too long (apparently they won't be playing out again for a long time and I guess this was reason for them to play every song they knew). The crowd continued to thin and as the last note rang out and I turned to make a hasty exit, I realized that the few familiar faces had disappeared. Panic set in. I don't ever want to return to that place again unless I have someone willing to implement the buddy system with me. Still, AMERICAN FLAMEWHIP are hot shit.
AMERICAN FLAMEWHIP @ Ozzies in Winnipeg, Canada
Sunday, April 27, 2008
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.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
the Insaniacs - April 18, 2008
The Royal Albert threw a joint party celebrating the INSANIACS 10th anniversary/one-night reunion, as well as Royal Albert mainstay Maladin's 10th year of terrorizing Winnipeg.
For a reunion performance, I thought the INSANIACS exceeded expectations and were in fine form, and it was a nice touch having original bassist Karla come on stage to play a few of the band's older songs. Johnny Nuclear is one of Winnipeg punk's great frontmen and apparently has a new band almost ready to go. The crowd was lively but not as retarded as I had anticipated.
The opening bands aren't my thing at all. QUAGMIRE have a loyal and rowdy following and scored points for covering TURBONEGRO but to me they don't come across as confrontational or as rocking as they seem to aspire to be. Maybe requesting that their singer stab me during their next set will do the trick.
KRAWTCH ROCKET features Winnipeg punk rock veterans and play the most god-awful cliche-diseased cock rock I have been subjected to in a long time. Fuck was that insufferable. Their singer Norm used to front mid-80's hardcore band THE UNWANTED and has resurrected the band recently with a new lineup. They're totally worth checking out. How someone could be involved in both of these opposed bands is anybody's guess.
THE AFTERLIFE opened the show and were the worst band I've seen since my youth. I don't even know what they are. Generic bar punk/rock with 4+ minute torture sessions of complete bullshit deprived of any songwriting. Their drummer wore a TYPE-O-NEGATIVE shirt and would randomly have outbursts of prolonged double-kick rolls. The singer/guitarist was apparently in Winnipeg's old punk band, DISCHARGE. (I haven't heard them; for all I know they might be just as bad.) I read this in a copy of Stylus that I found laying around in the Albert lobby, where I retreated to distance myself from the "music". The writer introduced the band with something to the effect of "Do you know when you go to see a band and they throw 15-minutes of improvisation at you... and it totally blows you away?" The band went on to describe themselves in the article as having MC5 and STOOGES influences. Fuck off you assholes.
THE INSANIACS @ the Royal Albert in Winnipeg, Canada
The rest of Jason Penner's photographs from this show can be viewed here.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Rip It Up Fest - April 12, 2008
Rip It Up fest... It ended up being the source of much confusion, controversy and messageboard entertainment the last few months. What was initially planned out to be a convergence of some of North America's finest short, fast and loud bands. There were a lot of misunderstandings and cancellations... What resulted was a single show that ended up being a lot of fun. The bands that ended up playing were (in order): MIND CONTROL, UNDER PRESSURE, BORN BAD, DR BENWAY (BC), THE AGENDA (MN) and THE WEDNESDAY NIGHT HEROES (AB).
Quick rundown: MIND CONTROL were new and played a competent set with a VOID cover (I think?!). UNDER PRESSURE started off okay but then blew some nasty chunks after Mike's amp stopped working. BORN BAD's set was ridiculous was it should have been. DR BENWAY played nondescript melodic crusty stuff and weren't something I could get into. THE AGENDA were sloppy, noisy and terrific. THE WEDNESDAY NIGHT HEROES played melodic sing-along punk really well but weren't my cup of tea at all. Their singer had a ridiculous amount of energy but his antics were kind of cheesy. Seem like really nice guys though and there were folks there who were into them.
Upon arriving at the venue (the Graffiti Gallery on Higgins) I immediately noticed some punks hanging out in an adjacent lot. We were entertained briefly by the junkyard of office equipment.
Da punx hanging outside the Graffiti Gallery.
Cam and I caught up with Tim and Charlie from Minneapolis punk band, THE AGENDA. Unfortunately, most of the out-of-town bands canceled their appearances at the fest but thankfully they were able to make it down.
BORN BAD @ the Graffiti Gallery in Winnipeg, Canada
When Matt (the soundguy) wasn't handling the levels and broken gear, he was nursing this bad boy. Shit...
THE AGENDA @ the Graffiti Gallery in Winnipeg, Canada
DEAD DOGS @ the Lipton house in Winnipeg, Canada
After the show James hooked me up with THE AGENDA's ride to an after show at the Lipton house. I'm glad I was clued in and ended up attending because it was a lot of fun. DEAD DOGS started playing as soon as Paul, Cam and myself got back from an organic munchies raid.
THE AGENDA @ the Lipton house in Winnipeg, Canada
MODERN PROBLEMS played after DEAD DOGS with an altered lineup. Not sure if it was temporary or permanent. Unfortunately, I didn't get any good shots of MODERN PROBLEMS. Steve was quite lively throughout the set and cannot fault him for not putting on a performance.
THE AGENDA were great at the fest but were even better the second time around. Singer Tim has a great explosive energy; you don't know what is going to happen next other than that it will probably end with him plowing into you. They kicked off their basement show performance with a cover of "Manimal" by THE GERMS and it was all uphill from there.
The rest of Jason Penner's photographs from these shows can be viewed here.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
the Gorgon, Search + Destroy and the Sweet Nothings - April 3, 2008
THE SWEET NOTHINGS @ the Royal Albert in Winnipeg, Canada
SEARCH + DESTROY @ the Royal Albert in Winnipeg, Canada
THE GORGON @ the Royal Albert in Winnipeg, Canada
The rest of Jason Penner's photographs from this show can be viewed here.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
the Sweet Nothings - March 29, 2008
From the ashes of THE DETENTIONS, the terrific SWEET NOTHINGS rise and deliver on providing Winnipeg with brilliant tuneful punk.
THE SWEET NOTHINGS @ Hooligans Pub in Winnipeg, Canada
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Electro Quarterstaff - March 22, 2008
I've uploaded photos from Electro Quarterstaff's free March 22nd performance at War On Music. These are my digital shots. I shot a roll of film but it might be a while before I get around to developing and printing it.
The rest of Jason Penner's photos from this show can be found here.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Friday, February 1, 2008
the Untrained Eyes, the Sweet Nothings, Tight Genes, Tony Two-Fist & the Terribles - January 26, 2008
Great show. There was a rural Manitoba band that opened things up. I wasn't into them much but they did have a fairly authentic-sounding So-Cal influence, and covered "Bloodstains" which was alright. I was expecting a spectacle with TONY TWO-FIST & THE TERRIBLES and was not disappointed. But instead of just drunken lunacy, I was given even more. Picture a happy-go-lucky GG Allin attempting to play covers mostly straying to the tuneful and post-punk side of things. The most retarded and amazing rendition of "12XU" that I've ever heard. Ditto for "Whips & Furs". It took me a while to figure that one out, but when I did I was floored. What the fuck?! Seeing Tony shake his fist to the beat, attempting to remember the lyrics before settling once again into the relief of the familiar chorus, then telling the laughing audience to fuck off was brilliant. TIGHT GENES went on next. I had only heard their early demo recordings and heard that they had been pretty sloppy live. They were tight with the new lineup although I didn't hear live what I had heard in the demos; a bit of a REAL KIDS influence. I'll check 'em out again when they next play out. THE SWEET NOTHINGS went on next and floored me. Winnipeg's scene had been lacking in one particular area ever since the demise of Jill Clapham's previous band, THE DETENTIONS. Now paired with a new and rock solid backing band, she completes the total package of superbly delivered pop rock'n'roll. Wow, the range and power of her voice effortlessly pulled off BUZZCOCKS and DICKIES covers. They're working on releases already and I can't wait to hear them. One of Winnipeg's best kept secrets, THE UNTRAINED EYES, closed the night. There had been delays earlier with a malfunctioning PA amp, which left the band with only enough time to play four songs. Then there was a fight that broke out and spilled outside, which caused me to miss about a song-and-a-half. Bummer. THE UNTRAINED EYES are also working on a recorded document; they were supposed to record the weekend of the show before instead committing to playing out. Overall, a fantastic night presenting a nice array of bands in the more garage-y end of the local underground spectrum.
Tony Two-Fist & the Terribles @ the Label Gallery in Winnipeg, Canada
Tight Genes
the Sweet Nothings
the Untrained Eyes
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