How the gods kill

KEN Mode are one of those bands that I've always managed to miss when they came through town ... fortunately the band seems to do a ton of touring (they're traversing North America through June, it looks like), so sooner or later they'd have to cross my path. For this current burst of activity they've recruited Therese Lanz (of Mares of Thrace and Kilbourne), who does a swell job of aiding the brothers Mathewson in their plans for world conquest and generally upping the trio's tattoo quotient.

Jesse Mathewson on guitar ... the band brought their own lights so some no-flash photography was possible.



Les Paul action!



Singalong action!



Shane mans the traps.



Blurry, shouty action!



Rhythm section action!



All my drummer shots for this show were kind of cruddy ...



Faeoff action! There was a lot of it, thus the disproportionate amount of photos of Therese's back.



Fatal action!



More Shane!



More Jesse!



Even more Shane!



Jesse breaks out the Telecaster.



Gripping action!



Rhythm section action!



More Therese!



The crowd goes wild!



Headbanging action!



The knob-twisting end!



As mentioned earlier, they'll be going hither and yon for the next few months ...

• Show reminder: Gobble Gobble, Rich Aucoin and The Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt! dance up a storm at Cafe Dekcuf; Tony Sly, Russ Rankin and Steve Rawles play Mavericks; The Polymorphines, Claude Munson, L. Poushinsky, PrufRock, Lefty McRighty and the Shameless Bastards, Wise Young and King and Train Jumpers play a benefit for Japan at The Rainbow. The Elmdale hosts Robert Farrell.