Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Circles, moons, and bellies: They all come full eventually

I've been meaning to write this for a couple weeks now, but life has been full of all sorts of change (for the good, read the rest). Some time in mid-2008, my life returned to the world of live music. This was something I used to attend multiple times a week but had sadly dwindled down to once every couple months at its most frequent.  With this return to music, which I realized instantly how much I had missed, came photography. Of course, if you've read my other postings, you already knew this.
Early on in my new hobby, I found OONA opening up for Forrest Day at the now sadly shuttered Monterey Live.  I enjoyed both acts immensely and wanted more of each.  I can't quite remember the sequence of events, but I took video and still shots of the show, supplied them to the club and to the artists, and opened channels of communication. I became "that Monterey" fan of Oakland-based OONA and proceeded to see them when I could, including an invite to an intimate in-studio webcast. Meanwhile, Still Time, a band which I had been eager to see live, opened for Forrest Day and Kapakahi at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. It was an amazing show and I wanted more. You might be asking why I'm spinning this tale. Good question.
The story of my life and these bands have come full circle. For my last weekend in SF there were three shows (and two nights) I wanted to attend: 1) OONA, playing what would be a sold-out show at the Bottom of the Hill, 2) Still Time, opening for Kapakahi at Slim's, and 3) Forrest Day, opening for Battlehooch at Slim's on the same night as OONA.  There were more details that tie these bands together, but the bottom line is this: I'm taking big steps in my life. At the same time, my last opportunities for good music in that scene were with the bands to which I was closest; the bands that are taking big steps at the same time as I.
OONA has struck it big with So You Think You Can Dance, getting hit after hit on the show, most recently with "Remote Control" which topped out at #54 on the iTunes singles chart. They have a Japanese EP release coming soon and I was privy to other off-the-record info that may spell big developments for them.
Still Time is embarking on their first national tour, which is good for them because more people need to experience their live show. Not only that, but they're playing SXSW in March, which will give deserving musicians the exposure they deserve.  Fortunately for me, they're playing two shows in Portland in the coming weeks, so that provides me two shots to see them in my new home and two shots to introduce myself to local clubs.
Forrest Day...well, I'm not actually sure what they're up to (to what they are up? I can only use proper grammar 99.5% of the time). Out of the S.F. Bay area, these guys always get the crowd moving. Last time I saw them, they opened for Still Time (a role reversal, but more examples of full circledom) in San Luis Obispo. I spoke to their merch guy, who has been in the business for decades, and he knows they're going to make a difference.
So to sum it up: there's good music out there...and things have come full circle. My hope is for some sort of transdimensional figure-8 to arise, but I'm not sure how that will play out.  I do my part to help out the bands, and sometimes things work out for me (permission to shoot, my work displayed on band's pages)
Now, you're wondering what full moons and bellies have to do with this. Nothing much, actually, but I hopefully got you thinking. I'm hoping to try out moon-illuminated long-exposure photography. Until conditions are right, I'm scoping out potential locations. Full bellies? Part of my current mid-life crisis has me wanting to develop my culinary skills. I realize this has nothing to do with music or photography (and you probably don't care), but I wanted a third "full" item for the entry and it's what came to mind.
Until next time: be safe.