:: THE BENEFITS OF A TOURIST ECONOMY ::

A bunch of friends from North Carolina came streaming through NY and DC over the last few weeks.

:: LIVE HARD, LIVE FREE ::

(photos from a week of weird randomness, which is a good reason why I love my life)

Just as I thought I was going to have a week to prepare myself and get my life in order before I strike out on some new adventures for August, Matt & Kim pop up out of nowhere and make me an offer I can't refuse to go on tour with them. So dammit if I'm not about to hit the road again with the always-adorable duo of Matt & Kim, this time accompanying The Go! Team and old-time favorites of mine CSS. I'm not sure if I'll get to photograph much, since I'm going to have actual duties, but we'll see what I can sneak in (hopefully).

When am I ever going to find the time to ride my bike across the country (like these guys, or these guys)? I've been hoping to do that for years now. I know, not even the tiniest violin is gonna play squat for me on this one.

List of dates of the Matt & Kim + The Go! Team + CSS tour I'll be on below:

Jul 30 2008: First Avenue - Minneapolis, Minnesota
Jul 31 2008: Turner Hall - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Aug 2 2008: Grog Shop - Cleveland, Ohio
Aug 5 2008: Phoenix Theatre - Toronto
Aug 6 2008: Bug Jar - Rochester, New York
Aug 7 2008: The Trocadero Theater - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

MP3:

Before there was Casiotone For The Painfully Alone, there was. . .

- Television Personalities - You Kept Me Waiting Too Long Long

A band's place in myspace.

:: DECIDE TO FAIL, AND HAVE FUN WITH IT ::

(photos from the F*** Yeah Fest Tour show in Brooklyn at Club Exit, featuring The Circle Jerks, Dillinger 4, Matt & Kim, Paint It Black, Monotonix, and Team Robespierre, more photos here)

Sort-of-secret Japanther and Team Robespierre show tonight in the city. 132 W. 3rd at Less Artists, More Condos, 9pm.

MP3:

You know I like a song if I'm posting an acoustic version of it a few months after I put up the original.

- Sam Sparro - Black And Gold (Acoustic)

A band's place in myspace.

:: LONELY LOW-LIFE LOSERS LOVE TOO ::

(Crystal Antlers)

And I totally forgot to post the videos I shot at the Matt & Kim at McCarren Pool show. Doh.

MP3:

It's got a mix of sides of Spank Rock and Plastic Little that I like. Put your panties on, put your pussy away.

- Pase Rock - Lindsay Lohan's Revenge

A band's place in myspace.

:: GIMMICKS HELP IT GO DOWN EASY ::

(Team Robespierre at McCarren Pool)

One of the main reasons why I can't wait till the NYPD has tasers.

MP3:

Patti Smith covers Nirvana. . . with some poetry thrown in for good measure. Hmmmmmm.

- Patti Smith - Smells Like Teen Spirit

A band's place in myspace.

:: SOME THINGS YOU DO FOR MONEY. SOME THINGS YOU DO FOR LOVE. ::

This is a project I've been working on for the better part of a year. It's got nothing to do with art or music. It's about love.

Jason Andrades spends most of his time on a street corner on the border of Williamsburg and Bushwick. He grew up there hustling drugs, although he's spent about half of his life in jail.

At the height of their dealings, Jay and Mikey used to sell thousands of dollars of drugs a day. Everything from heroin to crack to cocaine to ecstasy would pass through their hands. These days the only legit work they can get offers a mere fraction of what they used to make.

Around the same time Jay started dealing, he also started using. He first tried hard drugs because he heard it would make sex better. Now he's been addicted to heroin for about 15 years. He's maintained a healthy appearance because he would snort it rather than shoot it.

After years of working the corner, Jay knows just about everyone in the neighborhood. He jokes with the young kids and helps out the older folks.

Jay smokes a tobacco laced with PCP. He has cravings but tries his best to stay away from heroin.


Gladys is Jay's savior. They fell in love two years ago and it changed Jay's life. He lives with her in her project apartment. However, Gladys is well-educated and empowered. Though they have very different moral backgrounds, they balance each other well.

For the first time in his life, Jay sought out treatment for his heroin addiction. He goes to a methadone clinic everyday and receives 100mg.

On warm days, Jay opens the fire hydrant on his block and washes cars for $10 each. He doesn't mind hard work but he's never really had a regular job.

Jay sings to Gladys on one knee. Jaheim is his favorite singer because Jaheim was also in prison.

Nevaeh is Gladys's granddaughter and Jay has taken on the role as the primary male figure in her life.

Jay often tells Gladys that if she were ever to leave this earth, he would leave with her.

Please watch the audio slideshow of Jay telling his story. He says so much more than I ever could.

:: THE ROUGHNESS IS PART OF THE FLAVOR ::

(portraits I shot while on the F*** Yeah Fest tour, more here)

Just thought I'd toss these tour portraits in the mix, cause apparently all my photos look the same.

MP3:

The subject of much homage.

- The Magnetic Fields - California Girls

A band's place in myspace.

:: IN THE TRENCHES SO LONG YOU DON'T TRUST THE SUN ::

(These Are Powers playing at Silent Barn after their Siren Festival show)

Still trying to regain my feet from the marathon of work for the Cinders show. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to catch one of my favorite new bands playing nearby (see above). Although even just the thought of Siren Festival was simply to much for me.

MP3:

A good cover with nice rough edges.

- Knyfe Hyts - Running Free

A band's place in myspace.

:: TRY TOO HARD, IT'S AMUSING ::

(Matt & Kim performing at McCarren Pool, full gallery here)

Damn I am wiped out. I woke up with another "sober hangover" (ie. a combo of exhaustion and dehydration). The opening for Slow Dancing To Slayer was fun, and I got to see a lot of friendly faces, including Matt & Kim, The Death Set, Monotonix, and These Are Powers (who are playing a secret show at Silent Barn tomorrow night. . . shhhh). I also got some press about the opening, which was really great. Check it out below:

The Village Voice's "Voice Choices"
The NY Times "Urban Eye"
Style.com
Juxtapoz
Gothamist
The World's Best Ever
Time Out NY
Art Moco
NY Art Beat
Art Slant
Art Lovers New York
Art Cal
Razor Apple
Metromix
Have Faith In Worthless Knowledge
Le Jean De

PS. This is the 200th posting on the Fecal Face/NYC blog. I love that people still don't realize it's two different people doing it though.

MP3:

"You can put yours right between my eyes honey, if you promise to pull the trigger."

- Jane Vain And The Dark Matter - C'mon Baby Say Bang Bang

A band's place in myspace.

:: A SWATH OF TERRYCLOTH AND A PITCHER OF SWEET TEA ::

Here's a little bit of NY from June.

:: JAPANESE MONSTER SMASH ::

A few months ago I shot a assignment for Wired.com about Kaiju. It's like professional wrestling in a Japanese monster movie.

:: YOU GONNA STEP TO THE CUDDLE CUTIES? ::

(Ninjasonik, Japanther, Juiceboxxx, and the So So Glos at Williamsburg Music Hall, more here)

Ninjasonik not only held down a venue as big as the Williamsburg Music Hall, but they wrecked it. The stage was a dancing/moshing mob scene, crowd surfers diving right and left (and breaking my flash, thanks guys), and then they capped it all off with a drum line performing on stage with them. Kinda wow.

Too bad the bouncer the WMH had working was such a asshole. If he wasn't hitting on girls trying to go backstage, he was taking people's drinks off the edge of the stage and throwing them on their feet. Yeah dude, I'm talking about you.

MP3:

Juiceboxxx was telling me to check out this band Occasional Detroit on the subway home after the show.

- Juiceboxxx - Thunder Jam 3

A band's place in myspace.

:: OHIO IN MY SOUL, BROOKLYN IN MY BLOOD ::

(the invitation to my first solo photo show, full version here)

I am happy to announce that I will be having my first solo exhibition of photography this month. Slow Dancing To Slayer will open at Cinders Gallery on July 17th, and will run until August 9th (by appointment only after that). Preparing the work for it is currently kicking my ass because I was a bit irresponsible and ran off on the F*** Yeah Fest Tour when I should have been here focusing on the show. But interestingly enough a couple images from the tour made it in to the show, so I guess that's just how it works. If you live in NYC I hope you can check out the show. My next one will be in Maine, and that's a considerably longer trek than Brooklyn.

MP3:

This is so this summer.

- RZA - Good Night Kiss

A band's place in myspace.

:: ALWAYS F*CKIN WITH MY DIGNITY ::

(photo by Ed Zipco)

Pretty crazy weekend of music coming up. Here's hoping I have a handle on the work for my solo show (coming up) by then.

Friday:
Ninjasonik EP release party at WMH.

Saturday:
F*** Yeah Fest in Manhattan at the High Line Ballroom.
Late night F*** Yeah Fest after party.

Sunday:
Matt & Kim and The Breeders at McCarren Pool.
F*** Yeah Fest in Brooklyn at Club Exit.

Details below:

:::

Friday, July 11th -8:30PM @ THE MUSIC HALL OF WILLIAMSBURG

|| JULY 11th NINJASONIK TIGHT PANTS RELEASE PARTY!

|| NINJASONIK
|||| Japanther
|||||| Juiceboxxx
||||||| The So So Glos

|| dj Dirty Finger

[ THE MUSIC HALL OF WILLIAMSBURG ]
66 N. 6th St @ Wythe | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
L - Bedford | -8:30PM- | 18+ | $10

Tickets here:
http://www.musichallofwilliamsburg.com/calendar/show/1677/
RSVP here:
http://www.going.com/ninjasonik

[ organized by Chief Records ]

YOU ALREADY KNOW...
Brooklyn's crunk--punk duo Ninjasonik never fails to get the dance floor jumping. Individually, DJ TeenWolf and Rev McFly have been spinning records and rocking parties across NYC for years. And now partnered as Ninjasonik they bring a whole new type of hip hop to the scene. With their raucous, dance-party live shows, Ninjasonik has grown to be infamous in the Brooklyn DIY community. Dirty dancing, booty dropping, crowd surfing, freestyle improvisation, and audience participation all make for a live Ninjasonik show. And with the release of their "Tight Pants EP", it's official: Ninjasonik has arrived!

:::

F*** YEAH FEST TOUR 2008:

Saturday, July 12th – New York City, NY - EARLY
w/ Circle Jerks, Dillinger Four, Matt & Kim & Team Robespierre
+ comedians Hannibal Buress & Josh Fadem
@ Highline Ballroom
431 W 16th St, New York, NY 10011
$17 / 6:00pm / All Ages
http://highlineballroom.com/bio.php?id=532

Saturday, July 12th – New York City, NY - LATE
w/ Monotonix + Crystal Antlers
@ Loft Party TBA

Sunday, July 13th - Brooklyn, NY
w/ Circle Jerks, Dillinger Four, Matt & Kim, Japanther, Team Robespierre, Monotonix + special guest. + comedians Hannibal Buress + 1 more
@ Club Exit
147 Greenpoint Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222
www.toddpnyc.com
advance tickets here
http://larecord.com/news/2008/06/09/f-yeah-fest-pre-sale-tix-club-exit-nyc/
$16 / 7:00pm / All Ages

:::

The McCarren Park Pool Parties with The Breeders and Matt+Kim and The Whip
Sun Jul 13, 2008

2:00pm / All Ages

McCarren Park Pool
780 Lorimer Street
Brooklyn, New York, 11211

:::

MP3:

This is from a nice little YouTube video in which Little Boots does this cover with a tenori-on. It's pretty neat, and worth a look, but YouTube doesn't let you take it with you on your iPod, so I thought I would fix that. Very pretty.

- Little Boots - Ready For The Dance Floor

A band's place in myspace.

:: ROMAN CANDLES WILL LIGHT THE WAY ::

Here's a little bit of Independence Day.

:: NO MORE FREE RIDES, THIS DONKEY IS TIRED ::

(the last of the photos from F*** Yeah Fest tour 2008)

I recently received a couple emails asking about traveling tips. I thought I might share my response, even if the majority of this is mostly "no-duh."

TRAVEL TIPS:

- A V8 a day helps you feel about 50% better, especially when touring.
- As far as road food goes, stick with the Subway veggie subs.
- Never leave home without earplugs (silicon), helpful for sleeping in loud places (buses, people's living room floors, etc) even if you're not going to see a lot of live music.
- A small pack of travel "Wet Ones." Good for preventing/curing swamp ass, and also if no toilet paper is available.
- Get an inflatable neck pillow and stuff a shirt in the hole in the middle. Poof, you have a pretty comfy pillow that disappears when you're not using it.
- Comfortable shoes are essential, grab some cushioned inserts for good measure.
- Never leave without: a knife, flashlight, cell phone + charger, garbage bag or other rain cover, medicine, sewing/repair kit, small braided rope (or even just extra shoelaces), this plus everything else (clothes, toiletries, camera gear, etc) must fit in to two bags that can be easily carried on foot for ten miles.
- Canvas webbed belts are better than standard buckle belts because they can more easily adjust in the event of noticeable weight loss (or gain) and can also be used to lash things down.
- It's more comfortable to take the cushion out of a chair and sleep on it on the floor than to try to use the whole chair (unless it's a lazy boy, then you are all set, and in style).
- Bath towels made an acceptable blanket in a pinch.
- Get a lightweight cotton flannel shirt. It will be a lifesaver, working as an extra layer, a towel, a pillow, and a mosquito net for your face when sleeping outdoors.
- Dumpster-diving Panera is good, even if it's not that good for you.
- No tips for hitch-hiking because no one ever picks me up.
- If someone is in the bathroom and you need to get going, just brush/wash up in the kitchen sink.
- Bucket-bath, self-explanatory.
- Dr. Bronner's multi-use soap. It works for your body as well as dishes and is biodegradable. Get some and transfer it into smaller bottles with secure caps (I like travel mouthwash bottles the best).
- Always have a land line phone number memorized in case you end up in jail. Cause you never know.
- Hand-sanitizer is a luxury, but nice at times.
- Make travel eating utensils by cutting 1/3 off of the handle on a fork and spoon and then drill a hole at the end of each so as to allow them to be attached and not easily lost.
- Carry a spare photo ID and credit card (if possible) to be kept separate from the others in the event of theft or a lost bag.
- If traveling in dangerous areas carry a decoy wallet with some cash, a fake ID, and a canceled/expired credit card (like the fake ones you get in junk mail sometimes) to hand over in the event of a mugging.
- Always have drinkable water with you.

MP3:

Apparently the Violent Femmes are still kickin'. Here they are covering Gnarles Barkley.

- Violent Femmes - Crazy (removed at the request of the label)
* Available on iTunes and on limited edition vinyl.

A band's place was way before myspace.

:: WHEN MAYHEM REPEATS ITSELF ::

(more photos from the F*** Yeah Fest tour)

I am just now finally recovering enough from the tour to get back to normal life things. Damn you guys wrecked me.

- Cracking myself out staying up all night on the long drive from Tampa to Pensacola working on editing photos and writing these lovely posts. Considering the amazing caliber of bands on this tour you can see why the bulk of photos would take me all night to get through.
- Running out of fuel on a small rural road south of Pensacola.
- While we were stuck trying to figure out how to get some diesel (turns out AAA won't help you out with diesel. Their advice? Call the cops), a group headed to a nearby diner. While they were there a local headed to a nearby methadone clinic offered one of our crew some OC40. She returned to the table and mentioned it, to which people responded "Um, yeah!" On her way out of the door to find him, she turns back to the table and says loudly enough to be heard across the room, "Wait I don't buy drugs! You buy them, I'll give you money." And then realized she was standing about ten feet away from a table where two cops were now giving her a rather funny look.
- The breast milk incident is repeated at Sluggo's again. And Pete still acts like he doesn't like it.
- Completely passing out in a booth in Sluggos, and then later on the Homestead's porch.
- Catching up with Corey from the raft. Talking about the recent brutal attack on our friend Lost in NOLA, squatting and HUD housing options around Pensacola, and the potential to set up an artist collective. Similar to what is happening in Braddock, PA right now.
- The very belligerent and drunk guy foaming at the mouth and harassing me for taking photos during Matt & Kim. He was so persistent that Johnny from the Death Set had to step in to get him to back off. Later he found Johnny and threatened to "knock your block off." Do people say that anymore?
- Baton Rouge has a lot of attractive people who like to party.
- Going on a 4am grease run with Johnny while he was bumming from getting cock-blocked.
- Waffle House, McDonalds, or Jack In The Box: which poison would you pick?
- Almost losing one of the crew when they took off on a bicycle while we were stuck in standstill traffic on the highway.
- After leaving the venue in Houston our trailer full-on breaks. As in the yoke just snapped in half. So we do an emergency unload in the middle of the street (with most of the crew drunk), call for friends with trucks to come help, and move all the gear back to the venue. The bus heads to Bret's parent's house while Phil and Steven stay with the trailer waiting for the mechanic to come claim it's broken hulk. At this point I realize that the past two late nights of grease runs and trailer tragedies were sending me straight to sick central. The next day I woke up not only feeling like hell, but with my back all messed up too.
- Austin is fun, and ends with a drunken late-night bridge show followed by swimming/hot-tubbing till the sun comes up with Ty trying to land a booty-call while stuck in the suburbs.
- I am so sick by the time we hit Ft. Worth (kinda sketchy little town) that I lay down on anything any chance I get. The space is hot and windowless, with people's sweat condensing and dripping down off the florescent bulbs.
- I get dropped off with the Death Set, Sean, and the NY Times reporter at a hotel and desperately scramble to get an hour of sleep before I have to head to the airport for my 7 am flight. Somehow I make it, and aside from passing out under chairs waiting for my connecting flight, make it home successfully albeit utterly miserable.
- Upon arriving home I pass out instantly and don't stir for two days. The F*** Yeah Fest tour f***ed me up. Thanks guys!

MP3:

Dry desery wind bathing you under red stage lights while howling psyche rock swirls around you.

- Crystal Antlers - Vexation

- Crystal Antlers - A Thousand Eyes

A band's place in myspace.

:: WHEN PUSHING BUTTONS IS SO MUCH MORE ::

A couple weekends ago I went down to Charlottesville, VA to nerd out the Festival of the Photograph.

Mary Ellen Mark. Joel Peter Witkin. Jim Nachtwey. My kinda stars.

Stopped by the river.

Audio slideshows at an abandoned warehouse.

Nachtwey talked with MaryAnne Golon, Time's photo editor. It was pretty heavy. This talk from last year was also really powerful.

National Geographic photographer David Alan Harvey had parties at his house every night. Here another Geographic photographer William Allard Albert raids his fridge. Allard is a 70 year-old badass that was tossing back bottles and still charming 22 year-old girls when we left the party at 4am.

Back to NYC, humbled but inspired.