Pink Fuzzy Animals in Arizona

I waited a week before sitting down to write this.  I wanted to make sure that I was well rested. That what I put in this was the absolute truth. I wanted to give myself the time I needed for the high of being at a show to wear off. I think you all deserve that much from me.

I spent last Saturday evening at the Rock Bar in Scottsdale, Arizona with the band Pink Fuzzy Animals (referred to as PFA for the remainder of this post). I went to this show for a lot of reasons, but mostly, I went because I missed the guys from 100 Monkeys. And getting to see even a few of them in my state was not an opportunity I was going to miss.

But, I also went because something has been seriously bothering me. See, there used to be a handful of really great photographers that frequented 100 Monkeys shows, and now that the band broke up and partially reformed as PFA, I don't think a single one of those photographers have been to a PFA show. Granted, some have new obligations (like being a tour manager/photographer for Not a Planet) and truly cannot make it. But I wonder about the others. Where are they now? I really hope that they are happy wherever they are. I'm not pompous enough to think that I am one of the "greats" that used to be around. But, I would like to think that I fit somewhere in the "good-ish photographer" group that used to shoot 100 Monkeys shows.  In light of that, I was not going to let this chance pass me by, the chance to photograph the band and share those pictures with all of you.

Here's how the evening went:

When my friends and I got to the bar an hour before the doors were set to "open" there wasn't a soul outside waiting to be let in. The only person inside the bar was the bartender, and after inquiring, we were told there was no need to go back outside and wait.  A short time later, the guys came in with Graupner's puppy, Pepper, in tow.  Pepper came straight up to us to say hello, and after a quick chat with the guys and helping them find a nearby gas station, my fiends and I sat back and waited until it was time for PFA to take the stage. Over the next few hours, we all listened to the opening band, stopped to chat with the guys a few times, and pondered the laid-back atmosphere we were all indulging in. It was weird.

Sitting there, we compared our previous experiences with the ones we were having this night. How throughout the course of the evening, there was never a line to wait in to get in. Fans trickled in while the opening band played. There were no crazy girls flocking to and smothering the guys despite the fact that they spent the entire time just hanging out. There were a few respectful fans who took some time to chat, but no one hounded, no one clung, and no one annoyed.  We talked of how the dance floor cleared between the opening band and when PFA took the stage. Or how, for the first time ever (photo pit experiences aside) we didn't have to stand for hours just to secure positions near the stage. Like I said, weird.

I have to admit, when PFA took the stage, I was really nervous. I wondered if I had set myself up for failure. If hearing the new guys sing my beloved songs would be too much to handle. If I'd be able to do the new guys justice in my pictures, knowing that there was a part of my heart that just wasn't in it. My emotions were having a jolly ol' tug-of-war, chastising me for not giving the new guys a chance to prove themselves and then chastising me for enjoying the fact that they actually might. I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that the Ben's would rock the stage, but would the new guys fall short of my expectations? Could they possibly live up to them?

And then I caught myself.

Mat and Rob aren't "new guys." Or if they are, then they are all new guys, even Graupner and Johnson. Because this was a new band. I was at a PFA show, not a 100 Monkeys show.

And when I actually let that sink in, I discovered it was easy to just let go and listen to the music and take my pictures. I owed it to PFA to give them a chance. I owed it to myself to have a really good time. And I owed it to all of you to take the best pictures I was capable of taking. Heck, I'd spent 15 minutes with the bar's "light guy" making sure the lighting was as good as it could get for the performance, why not take advantage of it? (Selfish motivations brought that conversation about - they'd used red lights on the opening band, and red lights suck when it comes to concert photography)

PFA played two sets, mixing our old favorites (Shy Water, Smoke, Sleeping Giants, The Monkey Song, Wandering Mind, Orson Brawl, Future Radio, to name a few) with a rousing cover of Spencer Bell's Strangers, and a few PFA original songs like Shooting Star and Wicked Little Things. Ben Graupner even crooned a bluesy improv called Truck Stop Lovin'. And it rocked. It really, truly, seriously rocked. Rob and Mat must have spent months working impossibly long hours learning all the 100 Monkeys songs, and all those hours really paid off. The group sounded tight, together, and terrific. And more than anything, they had a fabulous time. Between sets, we stood around on the bar's patio talking with the band. When the second set ended, rather than the customary curtain call / group bow, the guys huddled by the drum set and indulged in a group hug instead.

Once the gear was stored safely in the band's vehicles, the guys returned to the bar and stayed until closing, hanging out, posing for pictures, and engaging everyone who was still there in spirited conversations despite how tired they must have been. There were conversations about wine, zombie pictures to pose for, hugs passed around more than once, talks of travelling, and magic tricks to be performed. And in that time, any tiny little piece of me that might have held back during the show, refusing to accept that the Ben's had new band-mates, dissolved, completely surrendering to the charm and wit of Mat and Rob.  All this leaves me happy to announce that, despite the strange name, I am officially a Pink Fuzzy Animals fan.

So, what does all this mean for the future of my photography? Same thing as always, of course. I'll continue to work with clients locally, but when I am able, I will be in the audience at future PFA shows. Who knows, maybe I'll even get to see you there!

If you want to see all the pictures I took at the PFA show, you can check them out on Facebook: Serenity Inez Photography . Here are a few to whet your appetite.

© Serenity Inez Photography

The copyrights are held by the original holder, Serenity Inez Photography, unless otherwise noted. No reposting, commercial use, or derivative works are allowed without the express consent of the copyright holder.

IF you would like to post these pictures somewhere, please email me at serenity_inez_photography@yahoo.com.