Stand behind his drunken amp
Stand behind his light of love
Hear him yowl his bloody tounge
Hear him yell 4 blood and war….

Well, there wasn’t a war.  But enough people to have a war.  Sonic Youth at the House of Blues….I had the pleasure of shooting them for Bakotopia at the House of Blues in San Diego.  And this was a great show.  I tagged along with my friend, Jeff, a huge Sonic Youth fan who had me rolling all night with his stories of  past Sonic Youth shows…particularly, a show in New Orleans where Thurston Moore tackled him and took his camera and shot pictures from the stage…bloody and bruised, Jeff was elated only to have his camera stolen out of a back of a taxi before the end of the trip.  Somewhere, someone has some really kick butt photos of that show.   If you don’t know who Sonic Youth is, well, from their Wikipedia, formed in 1981, they were associated with the  No Wave art and music scene in New York City. Part of the first wave of American Noise Rock groups, the band carried out their interpretation of the hardcore punk ethos throughout the evolving American underground that focused more on the DIY Ethic of the genre rather than its specific sound. As a result, some consider Sonic Youth as pivotal in the rise of the alternate rock movement.

Kim, Thurston, Steve, Lee, and Mark did not disappoint this night.  As I imagine they never do.

Special thanks to Matt Munoz, the House of Blues for being accommodating, the fans for letting me crowd in their space, and my friend Jeff…for hanging out, and sharing some much needed laughs.  Here are a few from the night…