photography | The Che Underground

Harold Gee expands his archives

September 4, 2011May 25, 2011 by Mmrothenberg

Happily for anyone who’s interested in San Diego underground culture of the ’80s or insightful photography of any stripe, San Diego expat Harold Gee wrote to inform me he’s warming up the scanner to add more images to his definitive Flickr set.

One of the great things about Harold’s collection is all the comments he’s amassed over the years from peers who’ve recognized themselves and their friends. Hence, he’s starting with this group shot from March 1985 and hoping that the folks in the photo will help set the scene.

Sean McMullen, Dave Doyle on photography

January 6, 2011July 18, 2010 by Mmrothenberg

It’s not just for bands any more: The pending Che Underground Rock-‘n’-Roll Weekend will also celebrate two photographers whose work has captured San Diego music for decades.

The first night of the event — Friday, July 30, at Lestat’s Coffee House in San Diego — will feature a joint exhibit of concert photos by Dave Doyle and Sean McMullen. I caught up with each of them to learn a bit more about their respective photographic visions and how San Diego has shaped them.

Che Games for May: Take your best shot!

December 11, 2017April 24, 2009 by Mmrothenberg

Attention all shutterbugs: The Che Underground’s quarter-century reunion weekend is on track for May 29-30 (advance tickets at the Casbah Web site). Besides the fun of getting the bands back together (not to mention our oldest, dearest friends), some of us are excited about do-overs for the historical record.

Between the primitive technologies of the early ’80s and a youthful lack of focus, many great performances went unrecorded. We’re hoping to capture some high points in May, and we’ve got videography and audio pretty much nailed for the events.

But we’re still hoping skilled photographers will volunteer for the Che Army.

Creative outlets

December 18, 2017January 31, 2009 by Mmrothenberg

“It’s interesting that most everyone seems to be as creative (and in most cases, maybe even more creative) than in our formative years,” Toby Gibson observed in a recent thread.

“Definitely we need a topic on how everyone is venting their creative bent these days. I’ll leave it at that and save the long-winded rant for the actual thread.”

Abridging my own long-winded rant, Toby nails another great topic. Nostalgia is a rich vein indeed, but this group is more than the sum of its memories. From Toby’s own writing to Patrick Works’ and Dave Doyle’s photography to Todd Lahman’s tonsorial stylings to the welter of punk-rock chefs in the house — to the folks who are still making music, of course — there’s a lot of creativity here (both money-making and otherwise).