Wednesday, November 25, 2009

A migration has occurred. New home, new roommates, new friends to make.



This doesn’t happen just at home, however. With every show comes the opportunity to rekindle old friendships and begin new ones. Perhaps it is because I pick which concerts to go to, but I have not suffered through any recent show that I can think of. Good music abounds and where the bands have fun, I have fun. A bit of a catch up from a couple weeks back:



Chuck Ragan and the Revival Tour at Slim’s SF, Friday 6-Nov-09

Side One Dummy Records was nice enough to grant me a photo pass for this show so I wanted to make the best impression I could. T.I. and Mother caught a bit of traffic getting up there (Bay Bridge was still closed), but we made it just in time for the grand presentation. The crowd ramps up and fourteen people storm the stage ready to blow our minds and revive our souls. As mentioned in a previous post, the artists included Chuck Ragan (Hot Water Music), Frank Turner (Million Dead/Kneejerk), Joe Cape (Lagwagon/Bad Astronaut), Jim Ward (Sparta/At The Drive-in/Sleepercar), Audra Mae, the Anderson Family Bluegrass Band, and a few others I unfortunately didn’t get to catch the names of. The show being revival-style, there were no given sets and the musicians would take turns playing, sometimes all at once, other times solo on stage or a nice duet. Everyone (crowd and artists) appeared to be having a non-stop blast and four hours later the audience still couldn’t get enough. There were no set changes, no breaks, just music, singing, a little dancing on the floor, and happiness. Because each of the artists brought his own material to the stage, it was evident where the fans of each musician stood in the crowd. For a few songs in a row, two gentlemen in leather jackets were shouting every word, arms around the other’s shoulder, and loving the moment. Other times, there were songs that sounded louder coming from the chorus on the floor than the p.a. system on stage. After it was done, the artists, obviously wiped out, took time out from packing their gear to get on the floor and talk to those who had just witnessed the Revival. Review: Oh, yes, it was good.






Maledu-K-2 (pronounced Maleducados), Grito Dolores, Mortero de Piedra, Inspector at the Fox Theatre, Saturday 7-Nov-09

The marquee on the old theatre read “Inspector” -- underneath stood only four people ten minutes after the doors were supposed to open. Not a good sign for a show headlined by the first Mexican ska band to go platinum. I was asked by Mortero de Piedra to shoot this show for them, and though I didn’t know any of the other bands, I looked forward to the opportunity. While waiting for the opening, I joked around with those in line. Four students in their early 20s had made the trek from Stockton just for this show and they looked as confused as I at the lack of people. Over the course of the show, the audience would fill in, but nowhere close to the 500+ capacity that the theatre’s website advertised. The balcony was actually closed off to focus the listeners to the floor…closed off to everyone but the photographer…. The show was fun, ranging from some light punk to full blown Rock en EspaƱol and ska. Inspector got the most crowd to the floor, generating a mad skankin’ circle, which, while fun, had a slight hazard in the form of a large drunkard who believed it was fun steamrolling across the floor. However, I personally enjoyed the sandwich bands.






Forrest Day, Still Time, Uhnstx at Downtown Brew, San Luis Obispo, Sunday 8-Nov-09

Night 3 of the marathon weekend found me with lots of driving, a somewhat awkward dinner, but more importantly another fun show. Forrest Day opened for Still Time, who I discovered while attending a Forrest Day-headlined show؟ [The author is attempting to use the newly discovered “point d’ironie” or irony mark here. However, he has found it difficult to use correctly.] Being a SLO show, the crowd was there for Still Time/Uhnstx (80’s hair band alter-egos), so while Forrest Day put on a good set as usual, I found myself one of the few to be singing along and/or grooving to the beat. Still Time pulled a quick set of their own material before disappearing behind the stage for a 5 minute wardrobe change. They reclaimed the spotlight with giant hair, green leopard spandex pants, headbands…and more spandex. The Uhnstx set contained all 80s hits, ranging from soft ballads (Take My Breath Away) to movie theme songs (Ghostbusters and Beverly Hills Cop/Axel F) to straight-up metal (Eruption/Holy Diver). The crowd loved them, the band encouraged me to shoot from the side and rear of the stage, AND I made the drive home in one piece. A weekend well spent and one I would repeat without question.






Music has been quiet the past couple weeks. Tonight seems to be shaping up with a Thanksgiving Eve performance by Tornado Rider. Grammy-award-winning cellist Rushad Eggleston leads a pop-punk trio in what always catches first-timers off guard. A common first response would be, “You can play screaming tapping solos on a cello” [The author is still having fun with newfound punctuation. What you have just come across is known as the interrobang. The Spanish version is known as the gnaborretni because it is upside-down.] Assuming lighting is nice, expect some interesting photos. Have you ever seen a crowdsurfing cellist in an elf costume? This could be your chance.

Monday, November 9, 2009

The highway is alive tonight

It's Sunday afternoon and my car is pointed south. Tonight's path is about 300 miles and I know full well that work starts at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow.  I can't help but ask myself, "What am I thinking?!?!" I'm doing what I love.  And I'm living.

The man on the CD is singing about the ball of flame that comes crashing down and I wonder, "Is that me?"  Based on this weekend, I would say that it's safe to say that this new path will surely drop my life expectancy by at least 20 years...but that's okay.  I'm doing what I love. And I'm living.



I could be home right now.  I could be recuperating from what has already been a memorable weekend, having shaken hands with artists with whom I'd never thought I'd speak.  I did not, however, stay home.  Already I have witnessed the golden fall colors of the vineyards. Autumnal foliage in California? Who would've thought?  Already I have crossed the same river many times and passed the oil fields of the south, the impact of which tears at the mind, yet the cyclical motion of the machinery reflects the light of the dwindling sun in a mildly enchanting manner.  The man on the CD is now singing about "saying goodbye world, I have nothing more to say."  But that's not me.  There's no question to ask.  I definitely have more to say to this world.  I'm doing what I love.  And I'm living.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Hey gang,

Sorry the blog has been a little quiet, but that’s because the photo life has been loud (or busy, if you will). Friday night found me at the Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco to witness the early Halloween spectacular that was Oona. In full costume, the captain wailed into the microphone while a vampire, a strange bunny, a doctor, and a gruesome-looking zombie complemented musically.



Also on the bill were The Hi-Nobles, Pine & Battery, and New Montgomery. Rare is the night where the whole bill demonstrates musical prowess, but this haunted event proved to be one such event. On top of that, the whole Oona fan club was there, so I ran into some friends I see twice a year! New Montgomery closed the night with a tight performance and left me wanting but lacking a demo CD. My photo bartering, coupled with friendly bands, found the group of us on the sidewalk in a dimly lit SF neighborhood at 2 am….with them burning me a demo. That’s right, the band had given all the demos away already, but they pulled a laptop out and burned me a CD before departing. That, my friends, is the spirit of sharing.

Fortunately, the club had good lighting and I’ve been figuring out how to make this magic picture box (called a camera, I’ve been told) work, so the shots came out quite well. Considering that my mission is to produce images that the bands like, I find it to be a great honor that three of the members of Oona have already selected my photos to be their Facebook profile pics. Add that to the fact that I pulled a quick off-stage between-sets requested photoshoot of the Oona bassist, Andrew, and it was a good night indeed.

You can view the whole photographic selection at slideshow or gallery




Sunday found the Photowalk Monterey County group shooting an invited tour of the Pt. Lobos state reserve in an effort to get better photos of the underrepresented areas of the park. I know I’m still processing my shots, but you might find some up on the Flickr site already.



In a week of my life spiraling (as a friend put it), not out of control, but spiraling nonetheless, I somehow found myself at an election party on Tuesday. In a last minute request for a favor from the photographer of the local weekly paper, my buddy Joe was asked to shoot the results party for Measure K in Salinas. Naturally, I went along and took my camera too, even though I wasn't on assignment. I had some experimental shot fun and he got published!

This weekend is non-stop music with the Chuck Ragan Revival tour at Slim’s in SF on Friday, my biggest invited show yet with Inspector, Mortero de Piedra, and others at the Fox theatre in Oldtown Salinas on Saturday, and the third annual 80s night at Downtown Brew in San Luis Obispo on Sunday. 80s night will be local favorites (amazing band) Still Time opening for their alter-ego, 80s Danish/Austrian/? hair band Uhnstx (pronounced similar to angst, but with an “uh” at the beginning). Rumor has it that Forrest Day will also be pulling a set that night too. Whatever happens this weekend, it will be musical, it will be great, it will be tiring (3 late nights and over 400 miles), but I will love it. Maybe I’ll see some of you there…

Monday, October 26, 2009

Woodstock wrap-up OR The grass from the other side (is greener)

Speedway meadow: we didn’t know exactly where it was, but the early morning haze of of backlit smoke that floated its way through the trees and across the street gave us a pretty good clue of our intended destination.  As it turned out, the aforementioned smoke had a delightful barbeque aroma to it. What kind of smoke did you think I was talking about?

…a short while later…




As I muddled about, still processing the fact that I was backstage with all the performers, Hendrix licks reached my ready ears. This was an organized mini-event coinciding with the 40th anniversary Woodstock West Fest in which 3000 guitarists were attempting a world record Hendrix event. Leading up to the event, I had developed worries that everyone would be plugged in and out of both tune and rhythm; however, those who knew what they were doing (including Leon Hendrix, Riki Hendrix, and Vernon Ice Black) led the performance. At this point, I came to the realization that I was allowed in the photo pit! And thus, photo-taking ensued.


I don't think the patient readers need a play by play, so let me allow you in on some of the more entertaining stories from the day:

1) A woman got excited when she saw that I had a camera and a VIP pass and asked if I was a young rock photographer. In a crowd of musicians from Woodstock, I figured the term "young" was relative, so I agreed. My buddy, 3 years my senior, walked up and she asked if he was my dad and thought it was so cool that we could share this experience. He's still hearing about that comment.... She was supposed to introduce me to a Rolling Stone photographer, but we could never find her again.




2) Another woman was discussing the lack of paranoia she feels when on marijuana and pointed out the pinhole effects of her eyes thanks to a little acid. Mid-sentence in a statement about not being paranoid, she points at the sky and starts cursing about how they're doing it again. She goes off about the government spraying us with chemicals, how they would, of course, do it on the day that all the hippies were outside, that her friend had put a tarp out overnight only to find metallic dust on it in the morning, etc.  ---------- We looked, she was pointing at contrails. Sometimes, it's hard to keep a straight face when talking to people.


3) Midway through the morning, I noticed that my friend, Oona, was playing on the Rock the Bike stage. Determined to find said stage, we asked security, musicians, other VIPs, and assorted hippies. No one knew and her set time was getting closer. We ended up finding it just in time, where I made a new fan out of Scott and we both took way too many pictures. Why is it called the Rock the Bike stage? This particular stage was powered by five or six bicycles, so audience members had to take turns exercising if we wanted the band to be amplified. I took a brief turn on a bike while shooting photos, but an injured knee, unsteady camera, and an awkward situation involving a tripod strapped to my back and the book rack on the back of the bicycle cut my exercise short. For those checking out Oona, my favorite song is "Next Queen of Belgium"

No question about it, West Fest made for a memorable day. If only it were two days...or three....or monthly. The day wrapped up with a brief handing down of photography knowledge. You know me: I'm all about sharing what I have or know. A photographer friend that's new to the game was picking my brain and I did a quick demonstration of the "Rule of Thirds". I didn't even pay attention to what I was shooting, but the result was one of my favorites of the day. It nicely sums everything up: Music is timeless,  the festival brought contentment, and sometimes one needs to improvise to find a way to relax.


LOTS more pics here





Lives in parallel: Asynergic irises

Just in from the cornea, you’ll find the iris: the splash of color on a sea of white that gives each person an optical fingerprint. Having already declared that the lens is the gateway to the mind, I’ll counter myself with the oft-stated “the eyes are the window to the soul”. The iris is what people notice, what draws romantic gazes...and controls the level of light entering your eye. That’s right, photographers; the iris is your aperture setting! It’s really too bad that the apertures of our cameras aren’t more attractive, with custom paint jobs and speckled patterns, but then we would probably spend more time looking in our equipment instead of through it.


About now, assuming you read the first paragraph and didn’t just skip the intro, you’re wondering why I’m still talking about this and what it has to do with “lives in parallel” and asyner-something or other parts. An aperture that is too open blinds the viewer: You may be able to see outlines, but the details are awash in light. On the other extreme, too small an aperture results in a dark image: you thought you knew what you were taking a photo of, but now you’re just left guessing what should’ve been there.

Multiple times in the recent past, I’ve been told that my eyes were not equally dilated. I was not under any sort of chemical influence and I’ve now worried any family members that are reading this. Are my eyes following my divergent lives? My right, secure in an 8-5 day job, with pleasant coworkers, and not too much to complain about. My left, letting in a little bit of extra light, clarifying the future for me with just a touch of detail added to the picture. Recent events are quickly pulling me into my left-eye world: less secure, but with passion.

My vision is just fine.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Where to begin: The Cornea

In thinking of a name for this chalkboard of thoughts, I found the metaphor of an eye irresistibly appropriate. The term "transocular" stems from the Latin trans oculo, meaning "across the eye".  Some may think of this phrase referring to a path similar to that of a flat stone skipping its way across a placid body of water, creating radiating, yet ephemeral, circles across the surface. I, however, think of the term "transocular" in somewhat of a perpendicular manner to the pond example.

The eye is a gate, or threshold, allowing the stimuli of the outside world to access our minds. What passes through this threshold is literally going "across the eye". This applies to every being that sees with its eyes. In addition to those beings that are homeostatic, respond to stimuli, have the capacity to reproduce, grow and develop, there are inanimate objects that have the same ocular threshold to cross.

Which brings us to today's topic: The cornea
At a thickness of five layers in half a millimeter total, the cornea is the outermost part of the eye and is responsible for 2/3 of the eye's focusing power. It is just the beginning of the structure, yet without it, vision would not be functional. A camera's lens would likewise be significantly less effective with any damage to the outer glass. Unfortunately, many a photographer has experienced such hard times.

A smudge on a lens....a bad day at the office: These things leave a mark on the moments for the present and near future, but can be handled. They can be cleaned. My hope for each of the readers and photographers out there is that this is the only damage that may befall you.

Safe travels to each of you.
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Writer's Note: This was supposed to be an introduction to a photography blog. My hope is that you made it through the above one-sided discussion. Obviously, this is but a start. What was intended as a photo blog may very well become just as philosophical as photographic. I encourage public response. In an attempt to at least bring some actual photograph to the table, I give you this: light passing through a gate.