Noise Damage

Best of 2012: Festival Coverage

Erik Hess — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 00:52:04 +0000

One of my biggest goals for 2012 was to get more experience with one of the most challenging rock photography venues: the outdoor festival. 10-14 hour days of slogging through massive crowds with 30+ pounds of equipment to get 5-10 minutes of photo time for each act sharing space with dozens of hyper-competitive, ill-tempered photographers [...]

Best of 2012: Special Photography Projects

Erik Hess — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 18:00:11 +0000

Although my main specialty is live music photography, this year I managed to stretch my legs a bit with fun, creative projects for a few different clients. I’ve done more and more event photography work this year, in particular, along with some interesting projects for City Pages and a few other odds and ends. Out [...]

Best of 2012: Best Instagrams

Erik Hess — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 18:00:00 +0000

Hi guys. It’s been awhlie! This year’s kept me busy – I’ll show just how busy in a future post – and various health and financial troubles have kept me away from doing the personal music coverage I compulsively created in 2009-2011. That said, I’d like to kick-start the old blog, and what better way [...]

Guitar Wolf, Transistors & Birthday Suits in Minneapolis and Fargo

Erik Hess — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 22:20:24 +0000

Nagasaki, Japan's Guitar Wolf took their "Alien Action" tour through 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis on April 8th, 2012 and impressed me so much that I traveled to Fargo, North Dakota with some friends to catch them again on the next night. I had seen their sound described as "loud, fast, dirty punk rock" and I can say that's quite an understatement. From the first songs of their 7th Street Entry set, which saw front man Seiji come out spitting (literally hocking loogies on the stage) and chugging entire tall-boys, to the 3rd-encore human pyramid of bloody moshers in Fargo, they were performing at 110% the entire time they were on stage, impeccably clad in leather pants and leather jackets sporting Link Wray and Joan Jett buttons. The three-piece Transistors (from Christchurch, New Zealand) and Japanese Minneapolite two-piece Birthday Suits opened quite capably on both nights, although I sadly missed out on Birthday Suits (one of my favorite live acts in the Twin Cities) the first night.

New Video: Numbers Not Names – “Numbers Not Names”

Erik Hess — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 05:04:21 +0000

Alexi Moon Caselle of the late folk group Roma Di Luna and driving, influential hip hop act Kill the Vultures is back with a new project, Numbers Not Names on French indie label Ici d'ailleurs. The first track to emerge from the new album, "What's the Price?", isn't too far of a stretch from Caselle's prior work with Kill the Vultures but it carries an even heavier sense of darkly hypnotic dread and anxiety-overload urgency. This is post-millenium tension at its finest. I'm sure I'm not the only one itching to see what else Caselle and his newfound friends have coming. It looks like they've got an upcoming date as part of the Festival Ici d'ailluers in early April in France and the new album should be out sometime this year so hopefully we'll be hearing more soon.

Go Do Stuff! [Pre-SXSW Edition]

Erik Hess — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 00:54:53 +0000

Lots of fun stuff going on this week, before many of us music journalist types head to SXSW for a crazy week of live music and short deadlines. Seriously. Go do stuff!

Buildings “Melt, Cry, Sleep” CD Release at Cause

Erik Hess — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 23:43:44 +0000

Buildings celebrated the release of their new "Melt, Cry, Sleep" album at Cause Soundbar on February 17th with Gay Witch Abortion and Iguano opening.

The Vita.mn Are You Local? SXSW 2012 Send-Off Party

Erik Hess — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 01:43:53 +0000

Vita.mn hosted their annual Are You Local? SXSW Send-Off party at First Avenue on Friday night with a diverse group of 8 acts in both the main room and 7th Street Entry. Astronautalis played his first mainroom set while Peter Wolf Crier, Blind Shake, Pink Mink and Fort Wilson Riot kept the big room going [...]

Go Do Stuff! [Leap Day Edition]

Erik Hess — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:41:57 +0000

This week's edition of Go Do Stuff! is the first in a long while but, hey, better late than never. We've got so much going on in the Twin Cities this weekend - and on into next week - that it may as well be spring already. So, for your consideration, here are some of the diverse gigs going on around town over the next week.

The Vita.mn Vth Anniversary Party: The Hold Steady, P.O.S. and more

Erik Hess — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 06:16:50 +0000

Vita.MN's Vth Anniversary Party at Epic in downtown Minneapolis brought a great variety of bands into a space that doesn't often see rock and roll these days. Having only been to Epic to shoot two shows so far - P. Diddy and Duran Duranback in April - I wasn't quite sure what to expect from the musical and fashion extravaganza that Vita.MN had planned on Friday night. Fortunately, the mix of Minneapolis artists didin't disappoint! No Bird Sing, Night Moves, P.O.S. and the Hold Steady proved to be a potent combination. Check out some technical notes and a bunch of seriously celebratory photos after the jump.

The Goondas “Chud” 7″ Release Show at 7th Street Entry (09/24/2011)

Erik Hess — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 18:23:21 +0000

The Goondas, admittedly one of my favorite Minneapolis bands, tore up 7th Street in front with a sold-out crowd and some killer openers, including Pink Mink and Bloodnstuff.

You might realize that this is the first post in awhile on Noise Damage. While my freelance work - lots of photography for the City Pages Gimme Noise Blog and some video work for MPLS.TV, among other things - has kept me busy I don't intend to let this blog languish. Get ready for more regular photos of Minneapolis bands this Fall and Winter!

Har Mar Superstar, Slapping Purses and Seawhores at 7th Street Entry (05/05/2011)

Erik Hess — Wed, 11 May 2011 00:01:07 +0000

Har Mar Superstar, Slapping Purses and Seawhores performing at 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Seawhores Slapping Purses Har Mar Superstar

P.O.S. at Spring Jam 2011

Erik Hess — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 01:32:06 +0000

Minneapolis, Minnesota's P.O.S. (with Plane Ole Bill DJing) performing a "noon-ass rap show" outside at the University of Minnesota's Coffman Union as part of Spring Jam 2011.

SXSW 2011: Vita.mn Are You Local Day Party

Erik Hess — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 20:42:40 +0000

Dozens of photos from seven of the eleven bands that performed at Vita.mn’s Are You Local day party at Beauty Bar including The 4onthefloor, Mayda, The Book of Right On, Idle Hands, Doomtree, Haley Bonar and Pink Mink. Despite the fact that I had shot two of these bands already (Doomtree and Idle Hands) I [...]

SXSW 2011: Asobi Seksu

Erik Hess — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 18:51:40 +0000

Asobi Seksu performing at the Luster Pearl for the Dickies day party during SXSW 2011. I took a short break from the vita.mn day party at Beauty Bar to hop on my trusty bike catch up with Asobi Seksu at the Luster Pearl about a mile to the south. Something about bands and performers that lose themselves in their music totally captivates me - particularly music with wave upon wave of distortion, delay and reverb. Live performances from bands like NYC's A Place to Bury Strangers and Minneapolis' Gospel Gossip tend to leave me breathless and wanting more. Even with their decidedly lighter, more airy sound, Asobi Seksu is no exception to that. After seeing a stellar show in at 7th Street Entry back in late '09 I've been wanting to catch another one of their sets. I was worried that the transition from a dark, hole-in-the-wall bar to a sunny outdoor tent would dull their impact but the slight etherial side of their music went pretty well with an early afternoon outdoor slot. Worth biking over for, for sure.

SXSW 2011: Hollerado

Erik Hess — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 16:28:27 +0000

Hollerado may be one of the most outright fun rock and roll bands out there. My first time seeing them, when they opened for Free Energy at the 400 Bar the mix of fun-times rock flavors was so awesome that the 400 Bar almost collapsed in on itself. See my dusty old photos with Leslie Kruempel's great review) at the TC Daily Planet - it was awesome. When fellow MSP photographer Stacy Schwartz told me they were playing a bunch of shows at SXSW (some of which she shot very well) I knew I had to make it to at least one. I'm so damn glad I did. Hit the jump to see why.

SXSW 2011: A Place to Bury Strangers

Erik Hess — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 23:05:18 +0000

A Place to Bury Strangers performing at SXSW 2011 in Austin Texas as part of the Rumble Room day party. Or: A case study in ultra-wide, high-shutter-speed, guitar-swinging, brutal-shoegaze mayhem.

Uncapped Live: Birthday Suits, Teenage Strangler, Bombay Sweets at 7th Street (04/09/2011)

Erik Hess — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 22:32:36 +0000

On Saturday, April 9th, Vice Magazine and Vitamin Water brought their Black Lips curated Uncapped Live series to the 7th Street Entry. The ‘Lips picked some Minneapolis ragers to perform – Bombay Sweets, Teenage Strangler and Birthday Suits – and they didn’t disappoint. The branded rock party thing is pretty unusual in Minneapolis, particularly in [...]

SXSW 2011: Odd Future at MWTX

Erik Hess — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 06:35:28 +0000

Odd Future performing at MWTX during SXSW 2011. This was unexpected. Odd Future were originally slated to play the smaller stage at Mess With Texas but got bumped to the big stage at the last minute. The chaos of the insanely hyped up (and notably older) Dead Milkmen fans filtering out while Odd Future’s rude [...]

Acid Mothers Temple and the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. and Shilpa Ray and her Happy Hookers at 7th Street Entry (04/05/2011)

Erik Hess — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 18:57:05 +0000

Japanese psych rockers Acid Mothers Temple and the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. performing at 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis, MN. Shilpa Ray and her Happy Hookers opened. This odd pairing turned into a remarkably good show. Acid Mothers Temple and the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. melted the faces of their many hard-core fans quite appropriately, given their [...]