When I was in high school spending my weekends discovering and following local bands, there was a band that I encountered one weekend that blew my mind. That band was Brutal Juice. Their music was an angst filled teenagers wet dream and they are now considered a legendary, integral part of the Denton - D/FW music scene of the 90's. Lead singer Craig Welch's on stage antics were the definition of insanity; smashing bottles on his head and snuffing out cigarettes on his tongue, dancing around like a mad man on LSD, and gazing into the eyes of audience members with an intensity that would burn through them. All of this going on while a pummeling force of music was churning behind him like a blender full of nuts and bolts set to pulsate. Brutal Juice was acid punk fueled by rage, narcotics, and hysteria.

In 1995 the band released their only studio album, Mutilation Makes Identification Difficult and toured all over the country with fellow local band The Toadies, Gwar, and Neurosis. Unfortunately in early 1997 the band broke up. But all hope wasn't lost. Between 2000 and 2012 there were one off reunion shows here and there and they were every bit as fantastic as the shows in the 90's. In late 2012 they officially reformed, were rumored to be working on a new album, and are once again regularly playing shows across North Texas.

This show at Lola's was the first time I had seen them in at least 5 years, but this Brutal Juice was just as fierce and chaotic, although looking a little older, as they were in the 90's. It made the 17 year old inside of me emerge and fist pump and scream along the entire night.

As a tribute to their 1994 live album, I Love The Way They Scream When They Die, I decided to edit these all in black and white. Plus it helps cover up the bruising and bleeding.