What exactly is the KISW Rock Girl Gala? I can tell you this much, the title doesn't even begin to describe it. I arrived at the WaMu Theater in Seattle, expecting to shoot 3 bands, Fair To Midland, The New Originals and Puddle Of Mudd. I had a vague notion that this Rock Girl Gala (sponsored by Seattle's Rock station KISW) entailed some sort of contest for girls wanting to be a "Rock Girl". I had no idea that it was pretty much a full fledged beauty contest/drool fest . All of the elements were there. Booze, girls in bikinis, and lots of good music. To be a Rock Girl is a coveted thing , you get to be in a calendar, promote the station, attend shows etc..

Like I said, I really had planned on being there to shoot the bands, but I got a lot more than just music. It was hard not to hear the vulgar profanities from the intoxicated men behind me. This was their chance to scream all of the things they'd like to do to the rock girls, and not get slapped for it. This was their free pass to gawk and show their appreciation for women who were scantily clad. Kinda like being at a huge strip joint, but no nudity. I was not offended, I was amused. It definitely brought a different vibe to shoot under.

The first band to play was Fair To Midland. Unfortunately most of the crowd was in another area getting drunk or high , so not many were there to watch. The few who were, obviously came for the music. The rest would eventually straggle in after they had achieved their buzz. The only way I can describe this band is to compare them to a heavy metal Incubus. I noticed that half of the people were in to it, and the other half were socializing. The Dallas based band had the odds stacked against them, but they played like it was a full stadium. Towards the end of their set, more and more people seemed to ooze in to see what who was making the pretty kickass music.

In between sets, the girls would come out and strut their stuff on the runway. Some knew exactly how to get the crowd cheering by shaking various body parts, others looked slightly nervous, not knowing how to stimulate the testosterone filled whistles and applause. Next to play was The New Originals. Ricker is a DJ at the station, and this was his band. They played cover songs and had guest singers and musicians.It was very entertaining and they were actually good. My favorite part was when the bagpipe players came out. It was when one of them showed their horns to the fans, that I actually let out a chuckle. Only because the kilt and bagpipes seemed to contradict a metal gesture. It was cool nonetheless.

After The New Originals had finished playing, it was time for more Rock Girl stuff. The time had come to announce the finalists. All of the girls were lined up and the chosen ones were announced. I was surprised when a couple of the girls who were chosen were met with disappointment from the crowd. One girl actually got boo'ed. I felt sorry for her , she was obviously excited at being picked, but you couldn't help see the hurt from being boo'ed at.

It was finally time for the stage to be cleared and prepared for the headliner, Puddle Of Mudd. The last time I covered the band was at Bumbershoot in 2005, so I was looking forward to hearing their new material. Their new album comes out July 24th, 2007 and is rumored to be better than anything they have done. After hearing a few of the new songs, I would have to agree. Lead singer, Wes Scantlin's vocals were flawless and the band seemed to be at the top of their game. After playing a few songs, Wes noticed that the special VIP pit was basically empty. This pit was close to the stage and reserved for those who paid the extra green to be there. I'm not sure why it was empty, but it was. Everyone else was behind the barricades and in the bleachers. Wes stopped playing and apologized to security before telling the fans to jump the barricades and come up front. The fans obliged with massive enthusiasm and rushed the stage. The pit had approximately 10-12 security guys before this, and basically doubled within a few seconds.

I think the 2 highlights of the bands set , were when Wes announced a "Special treat for the Seattle fans" and started playing Nirvana's song "Breed". They did a fantastic job of it and a few times I closed my eyes and actually thought it could be Nirvana up there. I found it a little ironic as I took photo of Wes a few years ago and the resemblance to Kurt Cobain was eery. The second highlight was during their final song "She Hates Me". As the crowd was singing along, everyone noticed that Wes was not singing the usual lyrics, instead he threw in "Summer Lovin". I'm not sure how or why it worked, but it did and I loved it. I'm hoping they re-release the song with the new bits in.

Overall, the night was about rock and roll. The music, girls, and the radio station that promotes them both. The crowd seemed very satisfied with the evening and all of it's events. I found myself getting more than I had bargained for, and enjoying every minute of it. It's good to be on your toes and have your expectations thrown for a loop. That's what rock and roll is also about. Yes?

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