MBSB contributor Charles Brandon Stauft's recent piece on the Indonesian martial art Silat inspired me to look into my archives and pull out some photos I shot while in Indonesia. I believe I spent approximately three weeks in Indonesia; the following photographs were taken while in Bali. In 2009 I received a message from a friend from Toronto. He was hanging out on the beaches of Bali with people he had met there. At the time I was living in Bangkok spending most of my days training muay thai at Chuwattana Gym and recovering from training alone in my room. No internet, no furniture (I slept on a mat), no air-conditioning and I shared a bathroom with two Thai … [Read more...]
Behind The Scenes Of ‘At My Door’ By Glenn Love. A Video That I Was In.
Shooting Canadian industrial / dark electronic artist Glenn Love's At My Door video was an interesting exercise in creativity. The idea was Dyno Mike's of Mikey Brand Productions. He proposed that we work together to create a music video based in surrealism. We weren't certain what Glenn's lyrics meant but the two of us would team up to manifest a dream-like moment in time based on them. I've dreamt this Many times before. You've come again Standing at my door. I hate you - The original intent was to surprise Glenn with the video but that was eventually partially scrapped as I had completely forgotten and mentioned something to him about shooting … [Read more...]
The Montreal Jazz Saints – A Photo Series
The following photos were taken somewhere along rue Sainte-Catherine / Saint Catherine Street in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. A last minute invite to Montreal resulted in much time to wander Montreal's streets, appreciate the street art and feel the city. More photos of Montreal may be found in an earlier posted Montreal photo series. The following images struck me. They were found in a dirty alleyway, along the side of a building I forgot to identify. If you know where they may be found, please let us know! In the meantime, enjoy the Jazz Saints of … [Read more...]
Photo Series: Infa Riot + Antagonizers ATL at This Ain’t Hollywood, Hamilton
England's Infa Riot and The U.S.' Antagonizers ATL started their mutual seven day tour on July 1 in Toronto, Canada. The Toronto gig was cancelled last minute due to complications. The following photos were taken in Hamilton the next day. It was both bands' first and only Canadian show to date. Infa Riot's Bio courtesy of their official page: Infa Riot were formed in 1980 (not 1979 as published incorrectly in other biographies/CD booklets) by Barry D'Amery and Lee Wilson, after becoming friends with the Angelic Upstarts at the Lordship pub in Wood Green north London. Lee’s brother, Floyd Wilson was recruited to play Bass. Barry and Floyd were only 15yrs old at the time and Lee was … [Read more...]
Photo Series: Wolf Eyes + CCMC At MOCAD, Detroit
Detroit's Wolf Eyes and Toronto's Canadian Creative Music Collective (CCMC) played the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) on May 21 to launch the 19th annual Media City Film Festival across the border in Windsor. The night also served as a launch party for the limited edition vinyl reissue of the 1978 CCMC Volume Three, a lost recording made available as a limited edition pressing of 500 copies after 35 years. In attendance performing as CCMC were Al Mattes, John Oswald and Michael Snow. From Media City's Film Festival Guide: CCMC (Canadian Creative Music Collective) formed in 1974 as "a composing ensemble united by a desire to play music that is fluid, spontaneous, and … [Read more...]
Thailand a Go Go – Thai Molam and Beat Music from the 1960s and 1970s
What's a New Year's Eve party without some retro Thai tunes? The following is a mix of Thai and Isaan (Molam/Mor lam) songs from the 1960s and 1970s. Molam is a Laos form of music hailing from the country's North Eastern region of Isaan aka Thai country music. It's sung in the Thai Laos dialect / Isaan language. I spent two and a half years living in Thailand's North East. Molam is alive and well in Isaan - it's everywhere, on the television, emanating from homes and infecting an entire section of a city as it's blasted out of market and festival amps. That being said, Molam's current commercial manifestation differs in many ways from these treats while maintaining some structural … [Read more...]
Dreams – Nak Muay Grime’s Latest Release
What do you write when someone you know creates something incredible? Maybe I'll leave it at that. And a little bit of this: I met Grime, a nak muay, while he was passing through Buriram, Thailand. He had been training at Kiatphontip Gym in Salaya. You can read his review of the gym here. Now just hit play. … [Read more...]