So what's the big deal? It happened years ago, right? Why on Earth would you hold someone accountable for their actions years after the fact? That's not how we do things here in 'Merica. What are you, a Communist or something?

The Las Vegas Punk Rock Music Scene has a long history of supporting violent, misogynistic, members of bands. What's the big deal about this latest incident? Just another in a long string of them. It never ends because they want it that way. Not the entire scene, per se, but just a few people who, like Facebook, just want things to be Positive and Happy all the time. No Negativity allowed. No 'Dislike' button. Fuck the Truth if it causes problems. Ignorance is the best. Just party your life away. YOLO. Y so serious bro?

Why Hell, the Scene welcomed back a guy who beat his ex-girlfriend with brass knuckles like he was a returning King of some sorts. Even the Local cool couple PC Crusty police turned a blind eye to him. Nobody called him out on it. "She made it all up." "She deserved it." "He did his time, it's old news." they all said. Makes me sick how quickly people conveniently forget things and make excuses, but whatever. It's how it goes.

So this little furor about 30-something aged band member raping a drunken, underage, passed out girl at a house party is nothing new or something to be shocked by. It happens A LOT here and you all know it.

It's not like he's the only one doing it. It's just that he's the only one who got CALLED OUT about doing it. Therein lies the difference. If he wasn't caught, I guarantee you he'd still be doing it, just like the singer from that Local band that just played a Punk Rock Posing club show is still doing it. Banging 16 year olds in the backseat of cars? Really? Classy move there 30 something year old guy. Legal but still creepy as fuck. And the funny part is, everybody seen it, everybody knows about it, but nobody cares. Ignorance rules. "I don't wanna get involved." "I don't like Drama." "It's not my problem." "What can I do about it? I'm just one person."

I love this scene sometimes. I really do.

So this little thing about the guy from the local Ska-Punk band who rapes underage passed out girls at house parties? It will quickly be forgotten, just like everything else is in this god forsaken cess pool of wasted sperm and sweat.

No wonder Punk Rock Posing does so well in this town. Ignorance truly is bliss, and a viable, exploitable commodity to be marketed and sold. Nothing changes. Nobody cares. Carry on.

I just added some photos of the Residuels (Pitt's new band) playing @The Dive a few months ago, and you can click here to check those out. I also posted some photos that All Hail Bob took of The Civilians playing @Beauty Bar a while back, and you can click here to check those out. I also posted those pictures of The New Emotives playing @11th Street Records, and you can click here to check those out, and Melanie And The Midnite Marauders (click here), which are mostly just pictures of Clay drinking and playing drums while wearing a cowboy hat.

I posted a lot of Pictures lately. I'm trying to catch up on a huge backlog of a log jam of photos. When I went to Reno with the Vegascendents, we played a gig @Shea's Tavern with The Damnit Jims (click here) and Vegas Threat (click here). That was the night Tyson almost broke his leg sky diving off the stage. The next day we played a gig @Skatehouse Skate Park with M Section (click here), Protected Left (click here), Broke Down Wasted (click here), and, again, The Damnit Jims (click here) who made a believer out of me that weekend. I know I wrote up a review on their debut 7", but guess I didn't publish it yet. Weird.

Remember the Punk Rock BBQ @The Bunkhouse gig that had no BBQ? hahaha Well, I took pictures of War Called Home playing that gig while I was standing around not eating BBQ. ;)

From the Youth Gone Mad gig @5 Star Bar in L.A: I took photos of CxA (click here), The Theadora Kelly Project (click here), and Underground Alliance (click here).

More to come...

Was it worth it? Well, of course it was. <3

Thanks to everyone that came out to The Civilians 5th Anniversary gig @ the Dive last night.

Thanks to Angie and Gravy and Kirby from The Dive for always being the cordial hosts that they are and always have been. I finally gave Kirby his Christmas present. He seemed pleased with it. :)

Thanks to F.S.P. for tearing shit up, despite some annoying technical difficulties. Legends. Enough said.

Thanks to The Astaires for killing it, despite a few new members changing their sound up a bit. That Small Faces cover? C'est Magnifique!!

And thanks to that band Critical Ways for opening up the gig. Were they supposed to have a bass player, or was that their schtick? Drums / guitar?

I'm off to slumber. I'm gonna be decompressing at Scarlet later tonight. I'm definitely NOT going to the lame ass Bad Cop / Bad Cop gig at the Dive. Fuck that.

Has it really been 5 years?

I remember it was Jeremy who got me into the band. That's usually how it worked. Jeremy would be in a band for a little bit, then ask me to come drum for whatever band he was playing with. He did it with the Vegascendents, and he did it with The Civilians. There was some scuttlebutt about me joining the band, assumptions that I wouldn't do it, but I didn't see why not. I was a huge fan of the band, back when Grandpa Spooky was playing with them, an early supporter, and a fan of the style of music they were playing, which helped. I told them I wouldn't consider it until I talked to Pete about it, sort of seeking his blessing in being in the band, and after I did to talk to him about it (there was no bad blood - he just didn't have the time), I committed to being the new Civilians drummer, and after that, we hit the ground running and haven't looked back since.

Too many crazy times, too many fun times, and, of course, a few bad times just to balance things out, and I wouldn't change a bit of it even if I could. I've physically suffered for this band, lost flesh and blood over this band, and the other guys in the band have as well, which is scary. Although it definitely doesn't feel like it's been 5 years, we've sure accomplished a lot in that relativity short span of time. Not trying to make it, get signed, or be the coolest band on the block. We just wanna have some fun and play some music that we like to play. You dig it? Great! You don't? That's cool too! Who cares? Life's too short and we're not that serious about things. We played some incredible gigs, opening up for some Legendary bands, sharing the stage with some incredible Local bands, and got to do a little traveling while making all sorts of great and lifetime friends along the way. It's been an incredibly fascinating, strange, life affirming trip so far, and I'm looking forward to the next 5 years and everything it may or may not bring. Couldn't be prouder to be making music with my friends Jeremy, Trueland, Jeff, and sometimes Matt - and the honorary Bob adding nothing and doing everything. See you at the Dive bar tonight for The Civilians 5th Anniversary show. It's gonna be a good one. ;)