by: Losillë
Introduction:
Burn.Heal.Scar = The most fun you can have with men with your clothes on. They are gorgeous, talented and fun! Getting them organized can be a little like herding cats, but when it comes time to work they are very professional.
Tony Revels, Martin Bianchini, Skyler Witt, Quentin Garcia, Shaun Eachus
Sometimes people ask me if a I think a band will make it. I can't tell you who will. There are too many variables involved. One thing I can tell you is that when I was working with bands that had made it, there was one thing they all had in common. They enjoyed each other off stage, they "fit" like puzzle pieces. BHS has that "fit". Unfortunately for the person trying to deal with them it is like being in a tag team match. You are there on the canvas alone and the 5 of them are tagging each other. Keeping up is damn near impossible. They are quick, clever and things are constantly changing. I laughed so much while taking photos I am surprised they aren't blurry. It is impossible to hold the camera still while laughing.
In keeping with the true mission of this website...these are very CFM men.
Tony Revels - drums.
This man could be a model. He has perfect bone structure and bedroom eyes.
Shaun Eachus - guitarist, professional headbanger. He has great CFM hair.
Check out Shaun's instructional video at the top of the page. On their MySpace it says, "headbang in the shower". I don't recommend it, I have perfect headbanger hair and I still can't get it right. I fall face forward. God knows what would happen if you have the wrong kind of hair.
Quentin Garcia (The Mysterious Q) - bass
The Mysterious Q has that "James Bond" thing going on. I would like to photograph him wearing a tuxedo, holding a martini and a gun. (He would be wearing the tux and holding the martini. I would be holding the gun to make him wear the tuxedo.)
Martin Bianchini - quitartist
Martin would make a great centerfold.
Turn ons: Cuddling, puppies, walks on the beach, sunsets,
big feet, women with lots of arm pit hair and chocolate chip
cookies with
extra chocolate chips
Turn offs: He had trouble coming up with anything that turned him off, apparently he is pretty much open for anything, but finally with help came up with b.o., too much facial hair on a woman's chin and people that eat all the chocolate chip cookies with extra chocolate chips. ( Ok, I might have made up turn ons & turn offs, you will just have judge for yourself.)
Skyler Witt - vocals
So gorgeous, soo hot *sigh* sooo young...
Anything I would say about Skyler would just get me into trouble.
Skyler cracked up while I was photographing
him. I don't EVEN want to know what Martin was doing behind me.
Taking the Photos
Cheriene and I met them at
Off Limits. It was was only a block away, but I
am too lazy to walk, so I drove. When we arrived I gave them the chocolate chip cookies
with extra chocolate chips I had backed for them.
This was the first picture. They set it up. I am sorry that I didn't react faster and pull out my 35 mm for a better shot. Entertainers are fun to photograph, they are spontaneous and all you have to do is point the camera at them. They do all the work.
The Mysterious Q, Martin, Shaun, Tony, Skyler
Notice there is a big yellow star on the side of the building.
The evening was chaotic, the five
of them were an explosion of energy.
They were so distracting that I forgot to redirect my flash when they crawled up into
the bubbles.
The guys look great, but the hot spot from the flash ruins the shots.
It was really nice of the MOD at Carl's Jr. to let them get inside the
play equipment, they sorta exceeded the maximum height.
(The play area was empty, no children were harmed during the photo shoot.)
When they were in the bubbles at Carl's Jr. Cheriene was laughing and saying, "This is sooo not metal." She was right, it wasn't a "metal" photo shoot. It was them, being them. These guys are open and honest about who they are. But...isn't that what "metal" is suppose to be about, openness, honesty, no pretentious bullshit?
They were creating such a fuss Superman stopped in to see what was going on.
Tony, Skyler, Superman, The Mysterious Q, Shaun.
The guys settled down for a serious photo with Superman.
Is it just me or does it look like Shaun has his hand in Superman's trunks?
(Have you ever noticed you never see Martin and superman at the same time?)
Burn.Heal.Scar is one the best band names I have come across. I absolutely love the name. Why? Because it is original. It says, "Metal". The words are concise and everyone can identify with them. Shaun said the name was from lyrics to a song that Skyler had written. I toyed with the idea of asking a few serious questions, but changed my mind. I want to know what the lyrics mean to Skyler, why he wrote it and how the decision was made to make it the name of the band. We were rushed and I wanted to have the conversation at a more relaxed, less hurried time. Hopefully, the next time I see them I will be able to sit down and have a real conversation with each of them.
The Music
It is a music website so I will add this. On MySpace they are listed as a Metal/Hardcore band.
They are talented musicians, Skyler has a strong voice. Put it together are they a good metal group?
Not a clue!
Let me explain -- No, there is too much. Let me sum up.
I am not going to write a review for three reasons:
One, I don't know diddly squat about metal music. I listen to R&B, Hip Hop, a smidgen of country and just about anything except metal. When Cheriene asked me to go with her, it never occurred to me that we would be going to a metal concert. I checked out MySpace for the bands that were playing that night, every one of them had "sounds like" bands that I had never heard of. BHS had the most interesting "sounds like": "tito puente meets cannibal corpse meets the spice girls mixed with satan and a splash of chaotic fury blended with roses and other happy things. enjoy". I thought that was clever.
Two, I like them as people. I have lost my objectivity about their music. I met them before I heard them play and I liked them instantly. Sometimes band members are so in love with themselves that their personalities made it difficult for you to enjoy their talent. Not true with these guys they are genuinely nice people.
Never having been to a "metal" concert I didn't know what to expect, but thoughts of motor cycle gangs and Satan worshiping flitted though my mind. Don't get me wrong, I am ok with the Satan worshiping and motorcycle gangs as long as I am not the virgin being sacrificed. BUT! It's a good thing I didn't look up Cannibal Corpse before we went. It would have confirmed by worst suspicions about metal bands. Burn.Heal.Scar was the first group we interviewed and it turns out they weren't the angst ridden assholes I had expected.
Third, I don't discuss a songs unless I have the lyrics in front of me. I am very lyrics oriented. If I were going to discuss their music at all, it would have to be about the lyrics. For me to really connect with a song, the lyrics need to give me a good visual image, speak to me personally or convey a universal truth. I am so bad when comes to understanding lyrics, it is a family joke. So, I have to actually see the lyrics. I asked Burn.Heal.Scar for lyrics and I didn't get a response. So pffttttt....
Click on the photo to see a short video from their performance at 98@The Boardwalk. To save a copy of the video right click Save Target As. The video starts part way into the song. When I am photographing a band I don't really listen to the music. When something penetrates my brain I hit record on the camera. It isn't a high quality video and I had to hold the camera up in the air and just point it.
The Ending
It was cold, it was fun and I wish there had been more time. Remember the yellow star in the picture up there. I said, "I wonder if Burger King sells lattés" One them, I am not sure who, said, "Probably, but we are at Carl's Jr." Someone else pointed out that big yellow star on the building in front of me was a clue that we were at Carl's Jr. Normally, I take complete responsibility for being a little scattered brain, this time I completely blame Skyler. He was in the front seat when we drove over to Carl's Jr. and that distracted me. After I put as much blame on Skyler as I can, I blame the other four, simply because they are guys and they were there.
When we were driving away Martin was standing in the parking lot juggling chocolate chip cookies.
Check Burn.Heal.Scar out on MySpace or their official website BurnHealScar.com.
Burn.Heal.Scar Merchandise Page
