Wow, has it been hot in San Diego lately! I figured I'd be sweating like crazy when I went down to the Tin Can Ale House last week for the first time, but they had just put in an air-conditioning unit so it was nice and cool. Not bad for a dive bar!

Fkenal was up first, and they had their crazy light show going as usual.



It's not easy to shoot a band that has frenetic beats, and even harder when the lighting is even more frenetic.



They get the award for the most pedals in a band this side of Drums & Tuba.







I think they're a great band who rise above the need for a light show. Just watching the drummer shred his clear drums and the rest of the guys navigate their pedals is visually interesting enough.

I got to meet Dan Brennan of Latent Image Photography between sets. He's shot most of Fkenal's promo shots and has an excellent eye. He actually recognized me from my tilted shooting style. Maybe the eyebrows too.

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I've seen 3/4ths of Rats Eyes in their other groups before, but now I'd get to see what a hardcore supergroup sounds like.



Basically, noisy.





Getting sharp photos was out of the question. Gabe Serbian is making up for lost time after being behind the drums for years by throwing himself around the room and getting up close and personal with the first row of spectators.



You might think the safest place in the room would be behind the drums, but John Cota still got a beer poured on his head while drumming. He took it in stride.





All in all, I couldn't understand a word of it, the music was hard, fast, and loose, and it doesn't sound like Hostile Combover, Locust, Sirhan Sirhan, or the Bloodflowers. I think that's all the point.

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I missed seeing Secret Fun Club's set at the Radio Room a couple weeks ago but this show made up for it.



The crowd cleared out a bit for their dense and low riffage, so I was able to get up nice and close. Lately I've been able to get right up in the drummer's face.





These guys are a lot of fun to see and hear. The mathy stoner rock is a perfect complement to a hot summer night while drinking Olympia out of a can. And they're super nice guys to boot.



When music breaks the rules, it gives me some more freedom to break the rules too, like a long exposure while zooming in.



And it made my favorite shot of the night.