one of my oldest friends from the early days of punk rock, joe baiza is the shit. from wilmington, ca - a guitar w/a voice all his own, he's played w/saccharine trust, the universal congress of... and most recently, the mecolodiacs. I can't say enough about how I feel about him, he's it.
it came time to play "contemplating the engine room" for the folks and since nels cline was busy committed to a hitch w/the geraldine fibbers, joe baiza came through to play along side me and hodges as the black gang crew for my "sticking the head out the hatch" tour '97. he took nels' cue as a springboard to get launched into my opera world. I really dig him for that. when hodges had to bail, bob lee took his place and the name was shortened to the black gang and then we did both the "hola marinaro" euro tour '98 and the "3rd time before the mast" tour '98.
believe it or not, him and jack brewer just revived their old band saccharine trust and have recorded and a new album in germany!
downtown los angeles, ca - 1985
w/saccharine trust at some furniture wharehouse
new mexico - 1997
w/the black gang crew in the van
from the "sticking the head out the hatch" tour
digital self-portrait
riverside, ca - 1997
playing at the barn at ucr
w/the black gang crew
san francisco, ca - 1998
w/the black gang crew
ready to chow at lisa & kenny's pad
san francisco, ca - 1998
w/the black gang crew
chowin' at lisa & kenny's pad
san francisco, ca - 1998
w/the black gang crew
just chowed at lisa & kenny's pad
los angeles, ca - 1998
w/the black gang crew
at the el rey theatre
photo by stephanie hernstadt
los angeles, ca - 1998
w/the black gang crew
at the el rey theatre
photo by stephanie hernstadt
los angeles, ca - 1998
w/the black gang crew
at the el rey theatre
photo by stephanie hernstadt
long beach, ca - 1998
w/the black gang crew
at jillian's
during a rare four man opera performance
loop back to mike watt's hoot gallery