Ohhh boy!

 Zumbi of Zion I

 One of my favorites from the show. The Grouch himself

Aaron Woes drawing on my camera strap :D

 Aaron Woes & I

Got Rice? Bone & me with The Grouch!

past couple of crazy days...ish. Last night was the Zion I & The Grouch's show at Next Door. It was only 9pm and there was already a long line in front. I have to say this is the most crowded I've ever seen Next Door, even more crowded than the Murs show (which is my favorite by far right next to Flying Lotus).

First up was the MONARX featuring Amen Raw and AngstWoes. I swear, MONARX need to start playing more shows. They remind me of Digable Planets (one of my favorites) but their sound is a little darker. While I was filming them, these fucking haole bitches kept hitting me on my side, which fucked up the recording so I got really pissed off, pushed them and went to the other side. Have some damn courtesy. Then I remembered they were probably fucking plastered. What you gonna do?

I forgot who went first but there was this band called Sample who really impressed me. Upright bass, three-piece drumset, piano and DJ Packo and they're set. They played the classics like The Pharcyde and when they started playing ODB's "Shimmy Shimmy Ya" I went crazy. Kevin (Kwalified) was right next to me and we were just going nuts, reciting the lines. If you knew me, you'd understand that I am obsessed with ODB.

After that, the Flip The Bird camp went up (Kwalified, Tassho, Prie) and got the crowd super hyped. Sadly, I wasn't able to get photos of their set because I was in a bad spot but luckily there was another photographer on stage that got Tassho jumping off into the crowd.

It was a fucking hot box in there. I kept going outside to get some fresh air because I was so sick that night. I didn't even want to drink, that's how sick I was.

Finally Zumbi of Zion I & The Grouch finally made it to the stage. Here's the best part, I grew some balls (okay not literally) and jumped on stage with them. Okay, maybe not WITH them but I was on the side. I wasn't taking very much risk that night because I was so turned off by me having the cold but I think I made up for it that way. I was right there, taking photos of Zumbi and The Grouch, literally watching the sweat drip down their faces. I was able to see the audience's faces (and I even spotted those haole bitches) and got some awesome shots.

Everyone went crazy for them and they really did deliver such a great performance.

Every time I go out to take photos, I always have this internal debate with myself about whether or not I should take risks. Up until that point I wasn't taking photos for anyone really, just for my own personal portfolio and to put it up on RUDIFIED.'s Facebook page.

I feel like because I don't have all the camera equipment I want compared to other photographers here, I need to work harder to achieve unique shots. Especially when I go to an event and there's like 4 other photographers there, I feel the need to step up my game and get competitive because we're shooting the same thing and you don't want the same photo as the next photographer. This all includes taking risks like...jumping on stage during the set to get the shot you want.

I used to be afraid to do that kind of stuff when I first started but I realized that every time you hesitate on taking a risk, you're missing an opportunity and I'm really trying to not do that.

It's all part of the learning process. I love photography and this industry, despite its harshness. I'm constantly learning and it's something new every day.

Keeps me on my toesies.