San Francisco Blog

Aaron Lazar in the hospital, from the band's MySpace page

After reading this story in New York magazine, I had to hear just what sort of music would be made by a relatively young rocker who puts his life on the line every time he picks up the mic to perform with his punk-metal band.

Aaron Lazar, frontman for Brooklyn's Giraffes, had a heart attack back in 2005 at the age of 27 (his heart stopped twice) and the guy was good as dead. But he survived with the help of a pacemaker that, under normal circumstances, requires the wearer to keep a pulse below a certain rate--a rate pushed beyond the limit when you're jumping around and screaming on stage. As the article explains, Lazar has gone beyond his doctor's orders multiple times--sending giant shocks through his body--and basically refuses to mellow out on the musical path he's set out upon.

The article is an interesting read, and when you're done you can check out the music --basic attitude-riddled hard rock with a swagger well deserved when you think about the ballsy risk inherent in creating these tunes.