The Chop Tops are one of my favorite psychobilly bands and if you get the chance to see them live, do not miss them! They are coming out with a new cd April 2, "Deadly Love." Never fear, I'm already touching bases to give you a preview a little closer to release date, but this is one of those bands you get giddy over when you hear there's a new record coming out, so I couldn't wait to put some buzz in your ear.
And I haven't even seen them since Brett (Three Bad Jacks
) took over on bass for The Chop Tops
. I'm hoping he still sets that thing on fire...literally.
PS. For those who don't know my photography work, psychobilly is near and dear to me. You can check out my portfolio here:
Ink and Iron is THE premier tattoo/psychobilly fest, hosted on the Queen Mary in Long Beach California. If you are even thinking of going, I recommend you reserve your room, because this sucker books up early. The Queen Mary is supposed to be haunted, and I can tell you it can be a bit spooky in the wee hours when there is no one around. And very difficult to find your way out. At least when you are hungover.
If you guys haven't checked out Steven Blaqart's "Blaqart Radio" and "Action Time! Radio," you need to tune in post haste. He has some great interviews and playlists of songs you probably haven't heard of but definitely should have.
This particular show features Vic Victor of the Koffin Kats, and they talk about yours truly a bit as well...
This Thanksgiving I gave thanks by airing an interview I did with Vic Victor of The Koffin Kats!! We talk about everything from their brand new album Forever For Hire
to naked photo shoots with Diana Price to self afflicted entertainment.. this show also includes archived clips from The Quakes and The Limit Club!!!
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.
When I first started shooting rockabilly and psychobilly, I was
enthralled with the new tricks I saw. I would say to people, "Hey, the
guy was standing on his bass!" and people would be like, "Oh yeah, they
all do that." Or I'd say "Hey, the bass and guitarists switched
instruments!" And of course, the response was, "They all do that."
Well, dammit, they don't all set the bass on fire. So there you go.
I had to stifle the urge to yell "Great White!" What can I say, I'm a
sick fucker.
Three Bad Jacks at the Clubhouse. Brett has since moved on, and this
is no longer part of the show, but I'm hoping it will come back...
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.
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.
to naked photo shoots with Diana Price to self afflicted entertainment.. this show also includes archived clips from The Quakes and The Limit Club!!!
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