1986 - Pittsburgh Punk
PTD (Prepared to Die) show at the Electric Banana in 1986.
Kent State Show - 1986
My Best Friend Jim Lawless (for real, that was his last name) - 1986
This was the smartest kid I knew in high school. He was in the "gifted" program and his IQ was way off the charts. By the time I met him in 1983 he was running the school districts computer systems. He even taught me Latin! He had a really wild streak though, and together we crashed into the late 80's punk scene, which make living out in the sticks very "interesting."
Pittsburgh - 1986
Pittsburgh - 1986
Half Life @ The Electric Banana
Pittsburgh - 1986
Pittsburgh - 1986
Half Life @ The Electric Banana
Pittsburgh - 1986
I think this was in 1988? I had been letting my hair grow out and had stopped dyeing it. I was trying to leave the party scene and focus on art school. I still have that jacket somewhere. I couldn't afford patches so had to hand paint the art onto it. I used old model paint from when i was a child to do so.
PTD (Prepared to Die) show at the Electric Banana in 1986.
Kent State Show - 1986
Johnny - Owner of the Electric Banana
Pittsburgh - 1986
Pittsburgh - 1986
Pittsburgh - 1986
Half Life @ The Electric Banana
Pittsburgh - 1986
Electric Banana Pittsburgh - 1986
Half Life @ The Electric Banana
Pittsburgh - 1986
Half Life Performing at The Electric Banana
Half Life plays to a very full throttle slam dance pit. We'd drive down from the sticks north of Pittsburgh to go to these shows. I remember how thrilled and anxious I'd be as we’d get closer. I always expected to get in a fight, and sometimes did. The pure adrenaline of trying to deal with the fear of getting my ass kicked kept me coming back for more. I found a place where the music beat to my own frenzied soul and I could "war dance." It was the most chaotic period of my life as I tried to define the right direction I should take in life. While I left the slam dancing and the pit behind it built within me a steel core of defiance and a will to push onward. In the earliest days of my career as an artist, when I'd starve my way to 145# trying to get a toe hold on life, this hardcore would sustain me. I didn't need a funny haircut, or cool tattoos to mark me. I was going to try to make my own mark instead.
I'd just graduated high school in Butler, PA. We lived on a rural road towards Chicora back then. I don't recall for how long we'd been there when this was taken. It was the house of my former step-father, and we were still learning how to cope with one another. Fun times that! That's Cindy Dumi with me. We were good friends for a while until I acted an ass one night. I've not seen her since then, so Cindy, if you ever stumble upon this, know I am truly sorry for the way I acted.
Members of Corrosion of Conformity in 1986 outside of a club in Kent State. I shot this that hazy (in memory) night in 1986 using a Canon t50 + FDn 50mm f/1.8 + 400iso film.
Pittsburgh - 1986
Pittsburgh - 1986
Henry Rollins with Black Flag at some location I can't recall in Penn Hills, just outside of Pittsburgh. I shot this 1986 using a Canon t50 + FDn 50mm f/1.8 + 400iso film.
Electric Banana Pittsburgh - 1986
Electric Banana Pittsburgh - 1986
Half Life @ The Electric Banana
Pittsburgh - 1986
Half Life smashing out a grinding set at The Electric Banana. I shot this on some random night in 1986 using a Canon t50 + FDn 50mm f/1.8 + 400iso film.
Henry Rollins singing for Black Flag. Pittsburgh 1986 Canon t50 + FDn 50mm f/1.8 + 400iso film.
Steven Turner
on February 10, 2021Great pictures. Brings back great memories for me and of the Banana. I was probably at every show you posted here in 1986. The venue Black Flag played at was Shady Skates. What a great show!! Thanks for posting these.