IPHONE PHOTO ROUNDUP: GET STUFFED! TAXIDERMY AT THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, GOLDEN GATE PARK, SAN FRANCISCO, CA.

Recently, I was in the beautiful Bay Area to shoot the fab Burger Boogaloo, but also made the trip into a mini family vacay, and we ended up in Golden Gate Park at the impressive California Academy of Sciences. Now, any normal parent would be talking about all the cool exhibits with her teenagers and learning all about science stuff. But instead, I (relatively quietly) hooted and snorted and grinned like a mule eatin' garlic when I came across the gorgeous horror of native dead preserved animals. While others were soberly reading about the exhibits and doing nifty science projects on pretty blond wood tables, I was taking close-ups of birds, reptiles, and others, frozen in time with expressions they probably never exhibited in the wild, forever aghast or judgy or angry, or stunned, or pensive, or just plain loopy. This is how I cope; I used to cry buckets over taxidermy when I was little! The pathos was just too much.

But now, hey, I see it as they live on, people can appreciate them or see things that went extinct, and support conservation in a time of destruction of our lovely world. Also, these make great social media avatars, so, you're welcome. Click to enlarge and please to enjoy.


PHOTOS & REVIEW: THE BACKYARD BUNKHOUSE BBQ BRAWL & ROCK N' WRESTLING RAGER, SISTERS AND BROTHERS BAR, SEATTLE, WA. 7/15/17 (NSFW)

(I couldn't be more proud and excited to have worked on this post with none other than my oldest son, Evan Spellman -- he did the explosive write-up and I took the photos! Thank you, Evan! Workplace readers and sensitive souls {like me}, please note: a few of the images near the end of the post are very graphic and display some pretty shocking and gory stuff... and also there is quite a large fake phallus being tossed about indiscriminately. PS. Everyone is A-OK now, so don't worry! -- Marianne)


The Backyard Bunkhouse BBQ Brawl & Rock n’ Wrestling Rager turned Sisters & Brothers Bar into Lovers & Fighters last Saturday with electrifying performances and devastating dropkicks. One full year in the making, rock n' roll World Champions Stallion hosted the event, uniting punk rock and wrestling for an unforgettable day of champ-class, top-flight entertainment, powered by the good folks at Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, and ending in a wild, end-times battle that Seattle will not soon, if ever, forget.



PHOTOS & REVIEW: BURGER BOOGALOO 2017, DAY TWO, 7/2/17, OAKLAND, CA., WITH JACUZZI BOYS, LA LUZ, NRBQ, FM KNIVES, SHANNON & THE CLAMS, X, AND BUZZCOCKS!

At last, you patient punks: here's my coverage of Day Two of Burger Boogaloo 2017 in swingin' Oakland, Cal-i-for-ni-a! When we last left off, it was the end of a very full and exciting Day One (<-- CLICK THAT to read all about it) which included thrilling sets by the likes of Redd Kross, Guitar Wolf, and (OMG) Iggy Pop, and the far-less-enjoyable Fence Incident™. Said Incident had Your Indomitable Photographer moving slowwwwly on Day Two, which led to me not being able to cover the first three bands of the day on the Gone Shrimpn Amphitheater stage (Patsy's Rats, who are going to be at Seattle's Capitol Hill Block Party July 21, the glamorous Glitter Wizard, and cool cat Roy Loney), and then later in the day, the fab and far-out Quintron and Ms. Pussycat). I regret these omissions and encourage all of you nice people to check out their music and buy their things! Well, only the things they want to sell you like music downloads and t-shirts; don't show up at their homes trying to get a deal on a pencil sharpener or duvet cover or dining set, OK?

By the way, every music festival should have John Waters as host and a giant billboard with his face on it.



PHOTOS & REVIEW: BURGER BOOGALOO 2017, DAY ONE, OAKLAND, CA., 7/1/17 WITH IGGY POP, GUITAR WOLF, NOBUNNY, REDD KROSS, BLOODSHOT BILL, LOSIN' STREAKS, BABY SHAKES, WOUNDED LION, PERSONAL & THE PIZZAS, VERTIGO, AND CAR CRASH!

I'm going to start this multi-day post about Burger Boogaloo 2017 with a video that properly illustrates my deepest feelings about the 8th annual Oakland, California garage/punk music festival. Also, it may inspire you to dance along while you read this, I fervently hope. (Also, this may take forever to load with all the pictures, so dancing is a healthy way to deal with your frustration.)


PHOTOS, VIDEO, REVIEW: STALLION VS. RED RIBBON @ 2017 NWA ROCK N ROLL CHAMPIONSHIP, SEATTLE + PREVIEW: BACKYARD BUNKHOUSE BBQ BRAWL AND ROCK N WRESTLING RAGER!

While all you lazy, good-fer-nuttin' slackmeisters are getting your summer on, all greased up with fancy French sunscreen and playing with $100 vintage recalled Jarts in your frou-frou flowery backyards, Seattle's very own Rock n' Roll Champs™, Stallion, have been "destroying and demolishing as always," brutally wresting aside any competitors on their way to claiming the NorthWest Alliance title of World Rock N' Roll Champions! The belt match was held on June 16, 2017 at Seattle's esteemed Timbre Room where one "Emma Danner" and her band Red Ribbon took on the Trio of Triumph in a nailbiter. Some backstory: