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July 14, 2009

Memorial Shows for Gunther Jose Frank and Donkey in Bellingham This Weekend

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 The Trucks ::: photo by Gunther Jose Frank

As promised, we wanted to keep you updated on memorial events for the beloved and missed Gunther Jose Frank and Donkey, who were lost at sea in early June. Bellingham’s best will be coming out to perform in memory of Gunther and Donkey this weekend, including a reunion by The Trucks. All proceeds from the memorial shows and auctions will benefit Donkey and Gunther’s families.  

If you can’t make it to Bellingham this weekend to celebrate the lives of these amazing men and artists, a fund has been set up in their honor and to help their families. Please send all inquiries to Lindsay Craven.

Friday, July 17 @ Boundary Bay Brewery (1107 Railroad Ave.):

     – Music by Sugar Sugar Sugar, All-Nighters, and Ladies of the Night.      – Silent auction featuring deluxe donated goodies.      – Music will start at 8ish or so, although bidding on silent auction items starts a few hours earlier.      – All-ages until 10pm, then we kick the kiddies out.

Saturday, July 18 @ Nightlight Lounge (211 E. Chestnut St.):

     - Music by The Trucks, A Gun That Shoots Knives, Guinness and the Reps, the Daffodils, and Go Slowpoke.      – Slideshow of Gunther’s and Donnkie’s lives and art, as well as raffle of more deluxe donated goodies.      – DJ AbbyNorml will spin between sets.

Suggested donation for each of the Boundary/Nightlight shows is $5. Proceeds will go to benefit the Frank/Mansfield families.

Sunday, July 19 @ Bellingham’s Skate Park:

     – Skate Jam feat. the sweet skate stylings of whoever wants to throw down.      – DJ’ed music by DJ Moonboots.

June 20, 2009

In Memoriam: Gunther Jose Frank

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guntherself

Gunther Jose Frank (a self portrait)

It is with great sadness that we share this news with you.

On June 5th, one of the Pacific Northwest’s finest concert photographers and an all around wonderful guy, Gunther Jose Frank was lost at sea.

Gunther, and his in your face, instantly recognizable fish-eye photos were a huge inspiration to Sound on the Sound,  as he was to many people in the creative communities that he touched and lit up with his presence and flash. 

We’d like to share a press-release (and short bio) of Gunther, that one of his dear friends wrote and we were asked to post.  It encapsulates the zany, fun, creative side of Gunther that was so appreciated and beloved:

Gunther Jose Frank was a world famous photographer and a total baller, whose photos were featured in the Stranger, Seattle Weekly, Spin.com, Sound on the Sound, and Seattle Sound.  Based out of Bellingham, Gunther specialized in live band photography, and photography involving beer, fire, toy clowns, and his friends. Gunther photographed many local bands, including the Trucks, Federation X, and A Gun That Shoots Knives. If he ever took your picture, chances are you still remember it.  In April, he showed some of his most recent work at the Smith and Vallee Gallery in Bow Edison. Gunther’s other interests included sailing, bmx biking, working on his 74 Charlie Brown VW van, speaking Spanish, and your maggot collection. Gunther was lost at sea during a sailing expedition on June 5th 2009.  We love you Gunther! You’ll be doing bike tricks in our hearts forever. There are several benefits and memorial events being planned, for details check donkeyandgunther.blogspot.com

We will try to keep updated information about memorials and benefits for Gunther (and his dear friend Donkey, who was also lost at sea) and how you can support their friends and families in the wake of this tragedy.

We would also like to extended our deepest sympathies to Gunther’s friends, family, and the bands that he worked closely with — you’ve been in our thoughts and will continue to be.

Please take a moment to browse some of our favorite photos of Gunther’s, there’s a reason why we declared him “our favorite photographer in Seattle and/or traveling the USA by bus”…he was a brilliant photographer that created larger-than-life images and will be deeply missed.

Gunther’s Photos of A Gun That Shoots Knives Gunther’s Photos of The Trucks Gunther’s Photos of Black Eyes & Neckties

May 29, 2007

Hooray! For the Best CD Release Party, Ever

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A Gun That Shoots Knives have me firmly convinced that everything’s a little better when dressed in a ridiculous costume. The band’s triumphant homecoming and record release at the Blue Moon on May 19th was like going to the best house party, with a full bar and not having to worry about the clean up. After limping back to Seattle at 4:30 am that morning after a harrowing national tour courtesy of their van, AGTSK played two raucous sets, rocking The Moon well past 1am…. never once letting on how exhausted they must have been. The guys did let us know they were broke though, when “The Wheel of Decision” (more on that soon) landed on “buy the spinner a shot!” the boys said in utter seriousness… “that’s not happening man, we have five dollars to our name.”

full band agtsk

The Blue Moon was packed and looked much more like Halloween then mid-May. As revealed on the show’s kick-ass poster, the evening was not only a concert and a record release, but also a costume contest for the audience. The audience delivered, with at least a third of the full house in costume. If you’re curious, I went as a cow (complete with udders) and Josh went as a Moustache Rocker (in honor of WE who played the middle set of the night), including a freshly shaven molestache.  The band has often told me that they wished their audience would always dress up and as much fun as the audience seemed to have for the release, I hope the trend sticks. To add to the circus like feel of the night, there was a contraption called “The Wheel of Decision.” From time to time an audience member would spin said wheel, the band would hold their breath, and their fate was quickly sealed. The Wheel of Decision provided one of the best moments of the night, A Gun That Shoots Knives landed on “Swap Lyrics” and played a rendition of their song Literate Man with the words to the Theme from Gilligan’s Island. If there was a decent video recording of it from that night, I guarantee you it would be an overnight success on the YouTube.

 wheel of decision

Since being introduced to A Gun That Shoots Knives on New Years Eve, I have attended close to 10 performances and this was the boys at their very best. After a few weeks of touring the band was impossibly tight and their back-up vocals were sounding better than ever. Their two sets featured all of their favorites, and the audience merrily sang along to each and every one. I was also pleasantly surprised by We Wrote The Books on Connectors set, I’m loathe to admit that I just didn’t get or enjoy my first WE experience. But tonight, I got what all the buzz was about. These guys have so much fun on stage, it’s impossible not to have fun with them. They are magnetic to watch, each guy going slightly crazier than the next. Hooray indeed!

WE

One of the most memorable, enjoyable nights I’ve had in a long time. And all to celebrate a kick-ass release, by a kick-ass band! To see more photos of all the wonderfulness… continue reading.

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