New York–based rock act VietNam performed at The Garage on May 8, 2013. Local support by Max Payne & The Groovies and The Breakers. I was assigned to photograph and review the performance for SLUG Magazine. The next evening as I sat down to edit the photos and write the review, to my horror, I discovered that I had accidentally formatted and reused the memory card that contained the photos from the show. There was absolutely no hope – no witchcraft, no computer trickery, no virgin I could sacrifice to any demonic deity – NOTHING was going to bring these images back.
SO… I did the next best thing. I drew pictures and submitted them to my editor:
The Breakers opened up the show with bombastic style.
Local man poses with frosty mug of Uinta Cuthtroat Pale Ale.
Max Payne’s grooves are so groovy, it’s almost painful.
Girl banging on a conga drum on stage with VietNam. Given that she wasn’t thrown off the stage, she is probably a new member, or more than likely, the singer’s new girlfriend that he met in Madison, Wisconsin last week.
Two bar girls kiss each other in a desperate attempt to garner some male attention. It’s a good start girls, keep it up!
Michael Gerner fronts a band named after a war that destroyed millions of innocent lives and was based on lies and media manipulation. So retro!
VietNam’s Michael Gerner flirts with the fine line between looking like you are really so poor and starving of a musician that all you can afford to wear is a Hello Kitty sweater, and the conspicuous consumption of thrift store goods that Macklemore has made insanely mainstream.
VietNam’s Michael Gerner gives a dramatic pause before launching into his latest epic composition, “Of nerve agent and photography”.
Gerner tries to pretend that he’s not wearing a wicker road cone on his head.
The bass player for VietNam played with his back to the audience the entire time.
The fans listen intently as Gerner emotes.
Nathanael “Lefty” Maynard rocked the violin, stage left.
Gerner sheds a tear as he sings the sad song…
Local kid loses his shit as the band roars into a crescendo of random conga hits, scratchy violin squeaks, drum beats and sick back-facing bass lines. Being the only one of his friends that have heard that there’s such a thing as “classic rock”, he also feels most entitled to be stoked out of his mind.
Gerner reaches the climax of the song, to wild applause from the audience.
An aerial shot of the floor at The Garage: The aftermath of tonight’s show.
