I’m touring with Dremm and Bring A Gun (BAG), documenting every day through photography and videography. Both bands are local to New Orleans. BAG consists of Gregor Rankine (vocals and guitar), Caleb Meyers (bass), and Sam Lewis (drums and backup vocals). Dremm is Ethan Pye (guitar and vocals) and Evan Baham (drums and vocals). BAG was formed in October 2022 and Dremm was formed in July 2020. I met Dremm back in September of 2023 at Parisite Skatepark. It was my first time taking pictures at a local show. Then I met BAG in October 2023, also at Parisite. It was their demo release and my second time taking pictures at a show. Dremm just so happened to be on the bill as well. Since we met, we all just kept supporting one another and here we are. The tour took place throughout the Southeast for two weeks over July and was “the biggest homie moment of all time.”
DAY 1 (NEW ORLEANS)
The first show started off at the Fred Hampton Free Store. Local band Doctors opened up and it was insane. I convinced my dad to come out to the show and he said Doctors was one of his favorites from the night. I feel like the energy we got to see tonight was exactly what we needed to get us ready for the road. Being surrounded by nothing but friends and family was so surreal but so needed. After Doctors was a secret set by TWEAKHONEY, a local duo that makes digital hardcore music. Domesticatrix (Francine), from Birmingham, Alabama followed. This was her first show in New Orleans and I’ve got a strong feeling it won’t be her last. Domesticatrix makes industrial noise music and is traveling with Alyssa, an archivist that is filming every band’s set. They’re gonna be touring with us until the 20th. No surprise, BAG and Dremm did their shit. During the Dremm set, Evan was just talking about how thankful he was to be here. It had been a year since Dremm started doing shows. Watching my friends do what they love and getting such an amazing reception is huge. It was so inspiring, too. After the show we spent a good bit of time saying our goodbyes and our get-home-safes. Dremm went back home to get one last good night’s rest before hitting the road. Caleb also went back home for the night. Sam, Gregor, Francine, Alyssa, and I went back to the BAG house. At 2 a.m., Gregor, Alyssa, and I started watching bullshit rap freestyles in Gregor’s room. It’s 4:45 right now and we gotta get up in about four hours to go to Memphis. Tomorrow we go see some of our nation’s treasures, The Bass Pro Shops’ pyramid and Cook Out. I’m pretty sure Gregor just finished packing for the tour.
DAY 2 (MEMPHIS)
Tonight’s show was at the Hi Tone, the walls of the room that the show was happening in had a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles mural. There was a wall in the room that looked like a brick wall and performing bands were encouraged to write their names on a brick with a permanent marker. Someone wrote Pearl Jam on a brick. The first band, CALAMITY, is local to Memphis and they did a six-minute set but it was more than enough to get the vibes where they needed to be. We stepped outside for a bit and we were just talking about what’s next, what’s to come. Sam brought out a box of Hi Tone’s cheese pizza. It had a thin crust, a little oily, but it was solid. When BAG [pictured above] went on they did something new: Sam got a vocal mic. This was the first time in BAG history (to my knowledge) that Sam got a vocal mic. It’s so funny because Sam got it just to have literally one time where he used it. I also noticed that he put this Neil Young hat that he had been wearing on the kick drum of his kit during the set. The last band on the show was getting ready to play and one of the members took a wrong step off of the stage and went down. Apparently he messed up his leg pretty badly and had to be walked out with the help of others. The show immediately ended after that, so we just loaded the cars and headed to the place we were crashing at. On our way, we decided to stop and grab Cook Out. At the place we were staying, we sat in this room for hours just talking about how surreal being here is. Sam told Gregor, “You’ve got a lot of gumption,” and it was the funniest shit ever. We probably didn’t go to sleep until like 5 or 6 in the morning.
DAY 3 (ATLANTA)
We overslept again but it worked out anyway. On the way to Atlanta we listened to Tha Carter IV and after a little bit, we were there. Sam said he thinks Lenox Square mall is the most dripless place in America. The venue we’re going to is called South Bend Commons, a space on the corner of an intersection in a neighborhood in Atlanta. The “stage” where the bands set up had a black-and-white checkered tile floor, and a bathroom with a door that doesn’t lock. When we were trying to set up we realized the doors to the spot were locked, so we had to contact the owners and then we found out the owners didn’t even know the show was happening. BAG just received their tour-exclusive cassette tapes which were a reference to Charli XCX’s Brat. The tapes were lime green with the J-card being that same shade of green as Brat with “bag” on it instead. While waiting outside for the owners, an older Black dude approached me and Evan. He asked us how many bands were on the bill, and when we told him there were four bands he started juggling while saying, “That’s what I like to hear!” A little bit after he encouraged us to look up a YouTube video of him freestyling and doing headstands. He goes by Birdman and according to the locals, he frequents the shows happening at SBC. He came in during the Dremm set and was doing headstands, I think that was the staple to his dance moves. Birdman told me he was outside and heard the opening band, Officer Down, and said he knew it was going to be a good night. And he was right. Officer Down is one of my favorite bands I’ve seen on tour so far. They’re gonna be on the show we do in Birmingham so I’m stoked for that. I took a picture of Oscar, the vocalist of Officer Down, jumping and kicking at the camera. Apparently, Oscar had been throwing kicks for a while hoping someone would catch it and tonight, I did. After Officer Down was Gothlantastan, they’re the only local band on the bill. BAG has been covering this song “Tic” by Helmet and the execution for the cover is fantastic. BAG’s energy in Atlanta was seismic, especially when they played “Tic.” There’s a part in the song that Gregor played while drinking a beer. If that doesn’t show his gumption, I don’t know what does. There was a band added to the bill last minute called Black Market Kidney Surgeon and they went on last, around 1 in the morning. Their set was about 10 to 15 minutes of crust punk. I bought a cassette from them that had a red translucent tape. I just noticed that Evan started putting a sticker from each show on his throne, he said he wants to cover it entirely over time. After the show we drove about 40 minutes to the place we were staying at, some friends of friends. About a week before this, In Poor Taste Records made a post saying “Bag and Dremm plus a photographer need a place to stay for the night.” Sometimes all you gotta do is ask for a place to crash and there it is.
Officer Down at South Bend Commons (Atlanta)
DAY 4 (BIRMINGHAM)
We woke up at like 4 p.m. which wasn’t intended but it worked out in our favor anyways. Evan came across this electronic drum kit that was in the living room of the house that we were staying in and he started playing it. Ethan asked one of the people who owned the house if he could plug in a guitar so he could play a bit. Everyone in the room drew their attention to Ethan and Evan as they improvised a new song and played some older ones. This went on for at least 15 minutes. They were so in sync it was surreal watching this happen, especially after just waking up. Eventually we had to load up the cars and head over to Cracker Barrel. We had just woken up so we were still pretty set on having breakfast despite it being 5 or 6. So far, Cracker Barrel is one of the better things we’ve had to eat. After that we parted ways with the dudes whose house we crashed at the night before and we headed to Birmingham. This next show was at this spot called The Hatch, which was in someone’s basement. We pulled up as Officer Down was getting ready to play and they were so loud I could hear them outside of the house. We went in through this door that led to the basement, hence the name “The Hatch.” There were a couple couches in the basement and they had a VHS player and someone was watching Shrek on the TV during the show. After the show we went to this Mediterranean spot called Al’s and it was so fucking fire. Al’s was packed, like the line was almost out the door. I saw that as we’re in the right place at 12 in the morning. We sat down and ate for about an hour and then we headed back to The Hatch. Before going to sleep, though, we played Quiplash for a bit. Tomorrow we’re headed to Mississippi for a show and we’re gonna sleep at the BAG house after.
DAY 5 (HATTIESBURG)
When we got up, we headed over to this coffee shop in Hattiesburg called Kaffeehaus. We stopped at this gas station to get some food and all they had was Arby’s. Huge mistake. Nothing we got was worth a dollar, if I’m being real. This show was taking place in the backyard of the coffee shop. It was nice seeing some friends from back home who pulled up to see us. The turnout wasn’t bad at all despite it being a show that started a bit earlier and ended a bit earlier. I’ve been looking at the pictures I’ve been taking and it’s so dope seeing all the different band shirts from bands that come from all over. After the show we stood in the parking lot while listening to Gregor and Ethan make a Western song. We were all huddled up in a circle while Gregor was doing the guitar and vocals and Ethan was whistling as a substitute for the harmonica. Tonight we’re gonna sleep at home before the next show. On the way back to the BAG house we stopped at this gas station and I went to explore it a bit. I picked up a lighter with an American traditional tattoo snake on it. The gas station had an arcade, a laundromat, showers, and even a lounge room. What a time to be alive.
Dremm at Kaffeehaus (Hattiesburg)
DAY 6 (BATON ROUGE)
Last night was the first time since the tour started that we hadn’t stayed up super late with Ethan and Evan because they also wanted to head home for the night. Today we’re headed to Mid City Ballroom in Baton Rouge. I’ve never been before so I’m excited to see what’s to come. Our friends from back home, Knife In A Gunfight, are opening up for BAG and Dremm and it’s their first bigger show. They made a post on their socials telling everyone that’s coming to the show to bring pool noodles. When we made it to Mid City Ballroom I was super excited because I didn’t know that they had a music store in the venue. There were guitars, shirts, vinyl, and a bunch more for sale. I ended up buying the Minecraft soundtrack on vinyl and this MSPAINT shirt for my dad as a souvenir. There was a room in the store where Ethan was holed up for a bit just playing guitar on one of the amps. The lighting in Mid City Ballroom is so good, too. The pool noodles were everywhere and even some of the people performing were getting hit by them. The lighting during BAG’s set was a beautiful blue and during the Dremm set the lights were set a bit low and red. It complemented the Dremm aesthetic pretty well. We got to see the strobe lighting during their set and it was so fire. After the show we went to the BAG house again for the end of the first half of the tour. On our way home, we stopped to get some food at Brother’s. If you’re unfamiliar, Brother’s is a corner store with a kitchen in it. Brother’s rarely disappoints. Tomorrow we’re going to Florida and it’ll be our first time sleeping in a hotel on tour.
DAY 8 (PANAMA CITY)
Today’s show is in Panama City Beach at this pizza joint called Mosey’s. One of the greatest things we heard on tour was that tonight, every band on the bill gets a free pizza. The pizza at Mosey’s was at least in the top five best pizza I’ve ever had. This show was one of the bigger ones thus far. Tonight on the bill was Dremm, BAG, Blind Tiger, Second Impact, Baxter D., Machinist!, and the HIRS Collective. Afterwards, Sam was buying an Xbox from our friends in Knife In A Gunfight, just so he could play EA Sports College Football 25. They pulled up from New Orleans to catch this show tonight. They went to get the Xbox from the car and when they came back they realized they didn’t have the car keys with them. So they were looking everywhere and couldn’t find them. They came to the conclusion that the only place they could be is in the trunk of the car. They had to call someone to pop the lock and once they did that they realized that they couldn’t get into the trunk from the inside because there was a huge guitar cabinet right on the other side of the part of the seat that leads to the inside of the trunk. While the dude was trying to open the car from the outside, I took a group photo of everyone next to the dude. It was so funny seeing how once again, multiples of us got the same T-shirt from the same band. Tonight, most of us got the white Second Impact shirt. Eventually, they decided that the next best thing to do was take the backseat out entirely and it worked. After that we all left and met up at the beach by our hotel. It was like 2 in the morning by the time we made it to the beach. We were just super hype to be where we were. “Rock brought us to Florida.” Tomorrow we’ve got an off day so we plan on being at the beach way longer than we probably should be. But it’s just what we need.
DAY 10 (ORLANDO)
Today we got a show at someone’s house, in their garage actually. The space is called 407 House, it’s located in Orlando. On our way there we made a couple stops. We stopped at Wawa to get some hot food. Wawa is a gas station that is mainly located in the northern part of the U.S. and the rest of their locations are in Florida. For most of us, it was our first time having Wawa’s hot food and it was pretty fire. Then we pulled up to the 407 House. On the door to the garage were stickers from multiple bands. I’m pretty sure I came across some stickers from a band or two that have done shows in New Orleans before. The opening band was fingerswoventogether and since hearing the name a few days prior, I had been waiting to see them. During their set some people got a bit rowdy and this one dude started jumping at the crowd and it reopened this massive hole that was in the wall. The dude who owns the house seemed unbothered by it. He said it wasn’t the first time that happened. And I don’t think it’ll be the last, to be honest. After the show we got one last hotel, just for the night, because after tomorrow’s show, we’re headed home. Tomorrow will be the end of the tour. We made sure we had one last homie moment tonight. I don’t think any of us looked forward to not being able to do this tomorrow. The thought of not being able to hang out after the show made us sick.
DAY 11 (JACKSONVILLE)
Last show of the tour tonight. Before we started to go to the venue, we went to the beach for a bit. One last homie moment at the beach before we gotta go back. Some kids were selling water and all of us went and supported their hustle. I wasn’t even dressed for the beach though. While I was trying to collect seashells I took my slides off. The water was a bit higher than my ankles and then I realized that my slides were getting pulled into the water, they were about to drift out to sea. On our way to the venue in Jacksonville, we stopped at Publix to get hot food. None of us have ever been so this was one of those things where we were stoked to try it. And to no surprise, the hype is real. Now tonight is definitely one for the books, though. The show is at this spot called Island Tropics, a Jamaican restaurant with a room sectioned off just for shows. I love when restaurants do shows during store hours. The show’s got a seven-band bill which is huge, meaning it has to start a bit earlier, which is cool when done right. This bill was a bit more on the mixed side but it was so fun seeing everything. What I like about the Florida scene is how young some of the bands were. There were a couple of straight edge powerviolence bands on the bill tonight and they all looked like they were under 18 years old. I’m glad the youth have that space in the scene where they’re doing shows often. I want to see stuff like this back home, hopefully sooner than later. While on the nine hour ride on the way back home I had so much time to reflect and try to sleep in the car. I just have been so grateful to experience something this huge with my friends, hopefully this won’t be the last time we can do this together.
Dremm will be at the Fred Hampton Free Store on October 12. For more info, check out @b.a.g.504 on Instagram and dremm.xyz. For more tour photos, check out @aimingattheblackstar on Instagram.
