#TBT – 1996 – GRAVITY KILLS in NY!

BY: NADINE SWIGER

Welcome to a new section of the site – Throwback Thursdays. Each week we will walk down memory lane – from different shows/bands that we have covered. Over the years, we have seen some amazing shows and bands, met some wonderful people and have had a great time along the way! Hope you all enjoy!

For our first week – I couldn’t think of anyone better to kick this off but to feature GRAVITY KILLS! They were on the cover of our very first issue (for those who did know, we started out as a print publication) and they were very much a part of MPJ’s history.

Gravity Kills were one of the first shows we covered, one of the first shows I photographed. I was still in college, taking photography classes when I started up MPJ, and was still learning my camera at the time. Gravity Kills were new on the scene, “Guilty” had just hit the radio waves and they were

out on tour with The Nixons and Hog. They were starting to explode on the scene as a demo version of “Goodbye” appeared on the soundtrack for Mortal Kombat, while “Guilty” was included on the soundtrack for Se7en (featuring Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt). I believe it was their first national tour and I was front and center! Little did I know what an impact that show would have on me for years to come.

A friend of mine was working for the band, told me to keep an eye out of this great “new” band. He introduced me to the band when they came to town, and over time, I got to get to know the guys. They would become one of the earliest and biggest influences over my photography. They always were very welcoming and receptive to let me come out to the shows, experiment with my photography during their sets and just have a great time hanging out. Not only are the guys in Gravity Kills great musicians, but off stage, they were equally as awesome as people.

I remember spending one weekend traveling out of state to several shows, just to have my camera break on the first night out. The next day, when I saw Jeff, he asked me what happened. He told me to get my camera, and we sat down to take a look at it. Not only was Jeff able to fix my camera, but he took the time to show me other “tricks” and “tips” to fix/maintain my camera gear – things that I still use today. It’s moments like that are completely priceless.

So I am honored today to share with you those early photos of Gravity Kills (from 1996) as MPJ’s first #TBT.

A big THANK YOU goes out to Jeff, Doug, Matt, Kirk, my friend Chris (who introduced me to them) and their road crew!!! (plus Francine, Scott and the boys – for the countless road trips!!) You all created so many great memories!!! A glass is raised as I am sending you all, many cheers!!!

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