Max Steiner’s , Long Beach, CA

Saturday, December 1, 2012 
By Bill General 

Since December 2010, I have had the chance to see and document over 150 different bands/artists in the L.A. / O.C. area. I’ve been to hotspots such as Tiki Bar in Costa Mesa and Doll Hut in Anaheim, to West Hollywood’s Viper Room, Roxy and Whisky A Go Go. I have then gone eastward to Silverlake’s Los Globos, Silverlake Lounge and Satellite (formerly Spaceland…as seen in the movie Yes Man). North of there I’ve seen bands play in North Hollywood’s Skinny’s, and then over to Old Towne Pub in my hometown of Pasadena. 

I don’t have anything but the upmost respect and admiration for all these people – musicians – I have seen and met over the past two years. 

I have seen all kinds of bands, ranging from punk, indie alternative, hardcore rock, funk, classical, and so on… (I’ve even photograph stand-up comedians from time to time). Most of these groups are local and unsigned and some are signed to smaller labels. I’ve even documented a few major label bands such as Missing Persons, Berlin, Pearl Jam (actually in 2009), and the few bands that feature the guys from Pearl Jam, such as Brad (Stone Gossard), Flight To Mars (Mike McCready), RNDM (Jeff Ament) and even Eddie Vedder solo.

 I actually saw Matt Cameron play drums with Soundgarden in the mid-nineties, before they broke up. This being said, my main job is to shoot these bands play and then showcase them all on my website. Yes it is true there are other people who like to photograph bands, and they might even have their own websites also, but as for me, although I haven’t done this very long, I consider myself the one of the eyes of the local music scene in Los Angeles, giving a visual account of what people see when they see these bands play….

As for last Saturday, this was my second time going to Max’s Steiner in Long Beach. It’s a cool little bar on Anaheim St. Like most bars it has a huge bar in the middle of the room, pool tables, a video jukebox, and a small stage in the corner for music acts to rock the house, which is a basic summation this past Saturday night (12/1/12). 

The first band I saw upon my arrival was this two-piece band from Sam Pedro, Slig, with Kit on drums and April on guitar. Simply put, they are instrumental only…I don’t know if they do have any songs. That being said, their sound is best described as atmospheric novo prog rock (as stated on their Facebook page) and although there wasn’t a bass to go along with the rhythm of the percussion, the two were able to hold their own. Since I arrived during their set, I wasn’t able to get too many shots, but the ones I did get will suffice. I’ll just have to check them out again…which I will someday.

The next band is my buddy Sky’s group, A Bleeding Sky. This local band packs quite a punch. I was able to get a few hundred shots from all angles. Being that the eyes can’t hear what was played, I only hope the images I captured are able to tell that tale. Unlike Slig, this group has a bass player added to the mix, and with the combination of fierce drumming, ABS ain’t nuthin’ to fuck wit (a little Wu-Tang Clan reference). This mix of punk and hardcore surf rock leaves the crowd wanting more. Traces of Jimi Hendrix were evident as Sky fell to the ground, continuing to pound out chords and riffs to our delight. They even played an instrumental, “March of the Pharos,” to which I actually filmed and placed on YouTube - http://youtu.be/QoRDb0qk2l8 This is definitely a band to check out.

The third band, Sister Black, was next. For all you Echo and the Bunnymen, Joy Division, Cure, and Christian Death fans out there, this band is one to put on your list. This three-piece outfit from Downey really fit that bill. Along with hardcore punk, I am also enamored by the dark and morbid sounds of the aforementioned bands, and after getting a chance to witness Sister Black, my desire for this style is only magnified. With all the crappy rock we’re forced to listen to on KROQ, and that is only my opinion, SB, A Bleeding Sky and Slig bring you back to when rock was actually good.

To see more of Bill's work, visit www.billgeneralphotos.com

1. Slig – 2 piece band from San Pedro
Genre – Novo/Atmospheric/Hard Rock/Progressive
Members – April (guitar)
Kit (drums)
About – atmospheric, novo prog rock
facebook.com/theSLIG

2. A Bleeding Sky – 3 piece band from Long Beach
Genre – hardcore/punk/alternative/surfer rock
Members – Sky Lee Vague (guitar/vocals)
William Partnoff (bass guitar)
Robert Gallegos (drums)
facebook.com/ableedingsky

3. Sister Black – 3 piece band from Downey
Genre – goth/shoegaze/alternative rock
Members – Eddie Martin (guitar/vocals)
Steven Slade (bass guitar)
Dustin Soto-Smith (drums)
Influences – Christian Death, Sisters of Mercy, Misfits, Celtic Frost, Duran Duran
facebook.com/sister-black
(All information on bands from Facebook.com)