No. Anger. Control

No Anger Control has got to be one of my favorite punk rock bands in Charlotte right now.

 

 

 Raw, real music. They came about as an effort to reboot When it Hits (another favorite).

 

 

Formed as a three piece with original music, meaning...separate from When it Hits. They played together a few times and decided to audition a vocalist only member. So Tiff, who was formerly in the Bamf's, auditioned and then tore up the stage at her first show.

 

 Has anyone noticed No Anger Control is veritably a punk rock super group?

 

 

One of my favorite things about talking to these guys was their sense of humor. They, despite their name, almost never stopped laughing. They have a particularly funny story about a show they played at the Money. Or whatever it's called now. It was a Christmas show and the venue had set up a laser light show and smoke machines. They said to turn that shit off when they played. Tiff stood on the speakers and heckled the crowd. Levi, after explaining that it was the "Punk Rock Christmas Party" and they were the only punk rock band, decided to turn it all the way up.

 

He jumps and lands right in front of the drums. And rolls his ankle. The joke here isn't that he hurt his ankle. It's the quip that was made that he now has no ankle control...and has to wear high tops while playing.

 

 

 They're pumping out recordings. They have koozies. Tall boy koozies. I see them everywhere and they haven't sold one yet.

 

 

They're working on a tour, maybe. So, my outside of Charlotte friends, keep an eye for these guys at your local venues. Or even better, hit 'em up on Facebook and get them to your favorite club.

You can listen to them here. 

There's more photos of them on my photography page.



All Rise, y'all

Way back in the days of Myspace a band called All Rise got together. You've probably seen them. If you're a punk in Charlotte, NC. Or if you frequent dive bars and pizza places between here and Hollywood. If you know them you're familiar with their particular form of debauchery.

 

I was lucky enough to have them sit and tell some of their funnier stories. Specifically to share with you. Brace yourself, these dudes know how to tell a story.

 

 Their first show was at the Milestone with the Toasters. But they all met on eHArmony. Wait...I mean MySpace. That's how Tyler met Richie, anyway. They found Dan on Craigslist. When he started with the band he was going to practice after school. Talk about extracarricular activities.

He's got a few stories he wasn't too happy to share, but I'm glad they did. It seems on their first tour he got banned from driving, still. For falling asleep...or passing out. Head against the window, rumble strips activated. Asleep. Oddly enough, he was chosen to drive because he could see clearly. At least when he covered one eye...

Choosing, one night, to sleep on top of the van rather than in a tiny apartment with a tranny and a bunch a dudes (and some wandering cats), he was mistaken for a dead body by some tenants. Seems he fell off the van and half under it. A neighbor called tho police and they woke him by kicking his shoulder, guess they didn't want to touch the body.

There's some pretty good stuff about a tranny door guy in Texas, a bathroom in Wisconsin and a bottle of Xanax, but I hear his mom wasn't a fan of that the last time it ended up on the internet.


"I got to drive out of Manhattan on shrooms."

 Richie was in a southern rock band when he joined All Rise. His 1st impression of Tyler was seeing him in front of the practice space in camo shorts and crocs.

He swims in fountains. The best part of this story, which took place at a patio bar in New Orleans, was that he first asked one of the bartenders if he would be thrown out if he jumped in the fountain. After being told "Oh honey, definitely." He began to strip and jumped in.

After spending what I'll assume is the entire day drinking, this is New Orleans we're talking about, they went to a bar called the Dungeon. Maybe you've been there, maybe you have stories. If so, I'd be interested to hear them. Sounds like quite a place.

But I digress. At the Dungeon Dan drinks from a pint of whiskey he bought with the last bit of money he had and Richie took a nap in a room similar to a jail cell. Only to be woken up by a bartender, because that room is not for sleeping.


"It was dumpster pizza..."

Tyler hails from New Orleans. He knows pretty much everything about it. So he knew that penniless and hungry, they could get a pizza from any place that sells by the slice. With Dan missing and Richie passed out (this time in the van not the room at a bar that folks use to...*ahem...bone) Tyler went on a heroic journey to find their missing bass player and put food in tummies. Turns out these pizza places will put out uneaten pizza in cardboard boxes for the homeless. Remember that if you're ever hungry and broke in NOLA.

 

 

If you see them around you should buy them a PBR and talk to them. They're super friendly, funny, and open. Like all the punks in this town. They had stories from every stop along their tour. They almost gave up at the second stop because they didn't have the scratch. Lacking funds and merch is a hard start to a tour, but it sounds to me like they made the best of it. 

 

 

In Texas one of them got a blow J from a tranny. In Madison, Wisconsin they crashed a guys house. Filled his toilet with vom and pinched a bottle of pills in someones asscheeks. They got video of several guys peeing on a girl, her idea. In Hollywood they bought an entire case of King Cobra. They set Dan's toes on fire and spray painted DSC on his crotch. In pink.

 

 In vegas one of the guys on tour with them got head from an elderly lady. Cleanest head in Vegas? In New York Tyler Side swiped a semi truck. There's even something in there about a blow torch.

 You can hear them here or here. See them in person at the Milestone (with a video debut!) or opening for the Casualties at Tremont.
You can see more pictures from this interview here and more of my photos here.

 

This Girl...

Let me tell you a bit about my friend Emily. Not only is she gorgeous and funny but she has the biggest heart of anyone you will ever meet. I know people say that all the time about people. You get it right? She's cool. No, I'm serious...she's the most generous, friendly person you will meet.

Emma Pants

To prove it to you let me tell you about her birthday. Given the occasion and our community it's fairly common for people to put together shows to celebrate. Well that's what she did, but with a twist. This party wasn't for her. It was for the Childrens Autism Society.

She made this birthday mean something. Not only to her but to a bunch of kids who will probably never see her face. That's what makes Emily happy, though. The idea of making other people happy or giving them something they didn't previously have is what keeps her going.

She invited Birds with Teeth, Modern Primitives, the Thoughtcriminals, and the SouthSide Punx to lure in a crowd.


SouthSide Punx

the Thoughtcriminals

She also threw together a raffle. As with all raffles people paid for tickets and won prizes. Her raffle? A few gift bags with lots of fun goodies and gift cards (read: cash) and a Playstation 3 (plus a PS move). Yep. Things people actually want. Like...crave. Things people see in stores and go..."Man, I wish I had a little extra cash. I'd totally buy that." Somebody went home with those things. She did it not only to raise more money for the Childrens Autism Society but also to give back to her friends and the people who came out in support. Who else does that?

Just this girl, that's who.

This show raised a thousand dollars and she didn't keep any of it. She gave all to those kids. She gave away cash and prizes to the people at the show and she helped our favorite club raise a little money for themselves.

Modern Primitives

Most people these days can't stop thinking about themselves long enough to consider helping someone change a tire or get something down off a high shelf at a store. Some people think about the people in their life and help in any way they can. Some people give to charity and to homeless people. Emily wants all those people to have all she can give.

If you see her out buy her a drink. I can promise you she'll get you back and you'll probably laugh together and talk. You'll leave knowing you've made a new friend.



And maybe she'll buy you a corn dog.

The World Famous Milestone is an inspiration

I know I promised a post about about my amazing friends. However, St. Patrick's day got the best of me. It's coming and it will be worth a read. Promise.

Let's talk about the place these awesome people go to do their drinking. It offers all the best things a ghetto fortress can and all the best people in the entire world. On any given night the amount of friendly faces will overwhelm. If you don't know the people there you soon will. They will welcome with all the warmth of your grandmothers house with about 300 times the booze. Good music will play and then you'll warm up to the bar but not before being warmly welcomed at the door.

Maybe I'm biased but this place is family. I noticed recently, while spending a fair amount of time there after all the bands were done and the everyone had gone home, that it's the place, the actual building that inspires me. It's always been a fantastic place to take photos. Almost any photographer in Charlotte will tell you that. The lighting, the people who understand your mission and will let you move around them seamlessly, it never ending, never boring walls.

I've decided that in addition to being inspirational and helping to create art it also is a magnet for extremely talented people. Extremely humble and fantastic human beings who make it the home that it is to so many people. That being said I should share some of those faces.

The absolute best thing about this place, other than all my favorite people being inside it, is the awesomeness of the message it sends. The walls are covered in messages. Little things people want you to learn. I think this lends to the energy. A sort of inspiration by osmosis or something. Knowledge that you didn't know you were gaining just by walking in the door.

Or this little gem:

One thing is blatantly clear. This place is magic. It makes magic and magical people come here.

I hope if you've never been there that you soon change that.

Pimpin' the world one smile at a time.

I like seeing people smile.

If I hear someone I love say they aren't enjoying their day, I want to change it.
But my favorite...my absolute favorite, is getting a good smile in my viewfinder. A real genuine, happy smile.I know I say it a lot but capturing a true, honest moment is kind of what I love about photography. The world seems so simple when the image shows the true nature of the time.

My favorite nights in this little adverture of mine are here at home, with the best of all the people I know. Sitting around our kitchen table and discussing all the silliest and serious things we experience. But we never stop smiling. All conversations lead to jokes and all my friends (read: family) are funny. Any given moment will be an all out laugh, or a sneaky little grin.

The strangest thing I've noticed while living in this house, something that caught me sort of by surprise. Is how few pictures I have of people just enjoying conversation. People get so self conscious when the camera is around they become serious. Sure they smile, they laugh and pose. But the real smile, the one that happens when you let your guard down. Thats a hard creature to capture.

My most favorite, though is the full on belly aching laughter. The one where your head goes back, or you have to cover your face. Cross your legs or pull them up from laugh seizures. Where you can't remember yourself because your entire body is enveloped in this laugh. Being happy isn't a state of mind, it's a series of moments where you allow yourself to forget you and just be. These moments happen so frequently in this house. It never ceases to amaze me.

In the next few days I'm going to do a post featuring these beautiful people and our favorite past time... In honor of St. Patricks Day. 

Learning me

I decided that my first post should be an introduction. I've learned over the past few years that I didn't really know me, I imagine most of you don't either.
I'm a photographer..but I like to think of myself as more of a picture taker, a capturer of moments.

Gotcha.

I love snapping when people are telling a story or a joke. Something that delights them genuine emotion can't be replaced with a posed portrait. I think this must be the reason that children and animals photograph do well. The ability to forget yourself and just be really allows for a good picture. Anxiousness and nerves translate, maybe this is why I don't photograph well. Maybe.

No idea, but I'm sure it was a hilarious joke...

I have also been told, from a seemingly reliable source, that making lists really makes life better. I make lists of things I love, things I've learned, people I love, and even things I list. It's a real stress reliever.
I want you, my avid reader, to expect things from me as a writer/picture taker/maker of lists. The first is of course pictures.

The refection really makes this. Although, she had no reservations about having her picture taken.

The second would be for me to seek adventure; provide you with funny stories and experiences to back up these photos.
And, of course, lists.
So without further ado, to better know me, a small list of facts about me.


* I'm a lover of all animals. Except bulls. Those things are massive. Like a dinosaur.

That's not the bull...I was too scared to get close to that thing.

* I'm allergic to flour. But I love it. Most off the things I miss aren't what you'd expect though, like cake. No. I miss flour tortillas and bagels. Grilled cheese sandwiches and pita bread. Mmmmm

* I have a new found love for Utah. Who knew such a boring sounding state would be so beautiful. Also I have apparently thought Utah was Arizona for like, my entire life.

So beautiful. I practically hopped with joy when I crawled out of my tent and saw this.

* and last but best, I have an incredible family. A circle of the absolute best people in the world. The tops of all these people is my hubs. He makes me gluten free pancakes and makes me listen to bands because he knows I'll love them.

B



First Post

Hello, friends.

I've been attempting to get a blog going for over a year now. This is my welcome to you. I hope you enjoy and I intend to make you laugh and show off my photos. Feel free to contact me if you want any pictures done. I'm extremely reasonable with pricing. deadendjen@gmail.com



Here's a photo to start and there is lots more to come.

Sister Fister, February 26th, 2012. The Milestone.