Drew and I first shot Jimi Hendrix at The Bistro in Hayward. We had just left Buffalo Bill’s and were skateboarding around looking for stuff to blast [and a place that served something besides beer and wine –Bohan], and we heard music playing. We said to each other “Hmm, that sounds like Jimi Hendrix.” As we skated closer and peeked inside the venue we were in shock. “Holy shit! It actually is Jimi!”
We introduced ourselves after the show, and I ended up shooting them a few months later in a park. (pictured above).
Last week, we got a Facebook update that they were going to play at Lou’s Pier 47 on Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. Being spur of the moment guys, we decided it’d be fun to check them out a year later. We already know that Ralph (Jimi) can absolutely wail on a guitar, so there’d be a blast and guaranteed good music.
Lou’s is a tiny venue upstairs from an adjoined restaurant. It can get pretty packed in there, but fortunately there was still enough room for me and Drew to maneuver around and take photos.
Drew just can’t put that 300 down! I’d probably complain more if he didn’t produce such amazing pictures with it…
Brandon (right) is a major fan of Jimi Hendrix, and gave me a moment of his time for an interview.
Pitts: How many times have you seen Jimi Hendrix play?
Brandon: This right here is probably my 7th time. They never cease to impress me, and I’ll never be satisfied. It’s funny, you know, I got off the train right here and I heard Jimi. I heard Jimi goin’ and he was playin’ Foxey. Foxey was loud and proud, and I go ‘HEY! this is pretty good Foxey’…this isn’t just some white dude, you know, some novice band playin’ fuckin’ Foxey right here, he is Jimi. He’s the Jimi of 2011, or two thousand whatever, man!
Pitts: That’s how I felt the first time I saw him too.
Brandon: And it’s cool, you know, he plays with his teeth, he plays [behind] his back, and it’s not even that, man, I mean that’s cool, he doesn’t do it all the time. They have originals that kill, man! We were in Tradewinds one night, and there was nobody there because Cotati is lame, but Cotati has history. So we’re in Cotati and listening to this guy and, and, I went to school at Sonoma State so every time I… I was, I played at Tradewinds actually! A band of mine, or whatever, call it what you want, played at Tradewinds and we got to say “You know what? We shared the stage with Ralph Woodson and the gang up here. And they’re killer”
Wiser words were never spoken. Brandon is a true diehard fan, and we look forward to seeing him at more Jimi shows in the future.
-G
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