In my efforts to network and establish myself in the artistic community of Boise, I met K.C, the frontman for the band Velvet Hook.  We respected each other right away, and he paid me to shoot their upcoming gig.  I enjoyed working with him.  He had a very down to earth attitude, and gave me no instruction on what to do.  

I arrived at the Crazy Horse – an iconic music venue that hosted many 90’s punk and alternative bands.  It finally closed down in 2015, about a year after this performance.  I got instant Seattle grunge vibes, and I loved it.  As I suspected, lighting was bare bones, and I couldn’t pull audio from a mixer. I set up a room mic, and stationed 3 cameras around the stage, while I roamed with the 4th.  I started experimenting with a blue LED flashlight I had in my pocket.  I held it just barely off camera, shining it at the lens, to create a hazy glow.   

The drummer was a charismatic character.  The concert pre-dated the pandemic by ten years, so he wore a mask as a stylistic choice.   During certain songs he’d sit there motionless for long stretches, incense burning around his kit.  Then he’d suddenly explode with a burst of insane rhythms, like firecrackers going off in the street.

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All these years later, I’m sitting in a rooftop bar in southwest Florida.  As I work on the write-up for this show, it’s impossible for me not to reflect on my time in Idaho.  A lot of traumatizing things happened to me there.  Shows like this help me remember the good.  I’ve probably listened to the last song 60 times.