I spent a wonderful two years in El Paso. Almost exactly a year ago, I upgraded to a more capable camera and began shooting a lot of the bands that either came through town or were apart of the local scene. Within a few months, UTEP Prospector graciously allowed me to cover both Neon Desert and Street Fest for online publication.
El Paso lays near perfectly between Austin and Los Angeles on I-10. Because of this, the city is a perfect stopping point for bands on tour.
Local festivals hosted downtown like Neon Desert and Street Fest are beginning to draw larger bands and crowds. In 2015, Street Fest booked Rob Zombie and Weezer, arguably the biggest gets in its history, and Neon Desert expanded to a full fledged weekend festival.
Newer mid-sized venues like Tricky Falls are starting to attract the bands that would draw a crowd too big for a bar but to small for a stadium, but the real magic of this scene is in the smaller venues.
Bars like Monarch host incredible local musicians as well as touring bands of the Burger records ilk for low to no cover. A few outlying venues such as Las Cruces' Trainyard (RIP) and EP's Sandbox and LoveSprout have kept small, fun punk shows rolling.
Here are a few shots that I've always dug.
They mostly span from 12/14 to 06/15:
Trainyard
Trainyard
Holy Wave at Monarch
Guantanamo Baywatch at Monarch
Dream Chasers Club
Nalgadas at Mother Of Pearl Vinyl
Peach Kelli Pop at Monarch
Peach Kelli Pop at Monarch
Cypress Hill at Neon Desert (full set here)
The Drums at Neon Desert (full set here)
Earl Sweatshirt at Neon Desert (full set here)
Rob Zombie at Street Fest (full set here)
Weezer at Street Fest (full set here)
Pookie & The Poodlez at Monarch 10/15