Black Rebel Motorcycle Club To Tour U.S. In Spring

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club will head back out on the road for a short American tour in the spring. I am very happy that they are using a photo I took of them this past October for the bands tour print and website ad.(photo at left) I will be photographing them again on one or more dates. If you haven't purchased the album, Baby 81 or the Ep, American X: Baby 81 Sessions--I highly recommend them both.

One of the hardest working bands out on tour lately, a staggering 171 concerts played in 2007! B.R.M.C. always give it their all playing long sets, excellent stage shows and touring relentlessly gaining more fans with each concert. B.R.M.C. have released four albums and four Ep's since 2001 and several singles.
They put out a lot of power for a three piece band.








More photos: Here

http://www.blackrebelmotorcycleclub.com/

MP3 B.M.R.C.-Hardest Button To Push-(White Stripes cover-live at Reading Festival 03)

Masterpiece: No Country For Old Men

I was mesmerized by this movie. It is hard to go and see a film these days and love every single second and frame. This is no ordinary thriller. From the first few minutes you know this is going to be a special movie. Based on the book of the same name by Cormac McCarthy, the story revolves around three central characters, Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin), Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) and Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), criss crossing west Texas in a cat and mouse game involving mexican drug dealers, stolen money, a psychotic hit man and a sheriff on his way to retirement. The very beginning of the film sets the tone, with a wide shot of the Texas wilderness. The deliberate pace of the movie was another thing I really liked, it wasn't slow but filled with tension. The lack of back round music added to the omninus tone. It doesn't give the audience cues when to feel a certain emotion. You could hear everything going on as far as the gunshots, footsteps down the hall, doors closing, phones ringing. It added to the stillness and anticipation of moments to come. My favorite character was Anton. Javier Bardem will get an Oscar for this role for sure. He plays a hit man with an odd sense of fair play. He has no real morals and bases many of his decisions on chance. The man is the grim reaper with a strange haircut and sinister voice...completely terrifying. If you haven't seen it go see it. It will be coming out on dvd in March. This might be the Coen brothers finest film.

http://www.nocountryforoldmen.com/

This is my favorite scene....friendo.

Artists I Love: Daniel Lanois

No one can create the musical atmosphere Daniel Lanois can. Besides producing musicians like, U2, Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel, Willie Nelson, Emmy Lou Harris--He has also created beautiful solo albums.
His first album-"Acadie" came out in 1989 and remains probably my favorite still. Daniel Lanois has recently released his newest album "Here Is What Is" a soundtrack to the
film he made of the same name. He released the album via the internet, and I believe is the first cd to be able to be downloaded in true high resolution format 643 MB vs. 9O MB (mp3 format) both are DRM free. I highly recommend buying this cd from him and his has his other work listed for sale direct from the artist.

http://www.redfloorrecords.com/HereIsWhatIs.htm

Here is a great site to get to know Daniel Lanois if you are unfamiliar with him. Lots of information and videos.

http://www.squidoo.com/daniellanois

Sivert Høyem

I've been listening to alot of Madrugada and Sivert Hoyem lately, I guess in anticipation of the new Madrugada cd "Madrugada" coming out this month. Sivert Hoyem is the charismatic lead singer of Madrugada and singer of his own band Sivert Hoyem and the Volunteers. They released a superb cd last year entitled "Exiles". It sold well over 100,000 copies in Norway. You can read more about him and Madrugada in the previous post. I found the video for one of my favorite songs of 2007 "Into The Sea" on Youtube...thought I would go ahead and share. Pick up the cd if you can find it...all their stuff is semi-difficult to find in the states.



Download-- "Into The Sea"

Bands I Love: Madrugada

Madrugada. One of my favorite bands most people don't know anything about outside of Norway, Greece and Germany. Madrugada is a Norwegian rock band formed in 1995. The band sing in english and have released four albums and seven EP's to critical success in their country. I really love Sivert Hoyem's baritone voice and Robert Buras guitar playing. Unfortunately Robert Buras passed away at the age of 31 this past July at his home in Oslo, Norway. He released two albums with his other band -My Midnight Creeps. Madrugada has a self titled album coming out this month with material recorded before Robert died. Madrugada will be continue playing live without Robert, as far as I know. They have released the single "Look away Lucifer"with the b-side "Caravan" last month. Sivert Hoyem has released two solo albums, "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Opposition" in 2004 and "Exiles" in 2006. He continues to tour with his other band, Sivert Hoyem and the Volunteers.
The term "Madrugada" is Spanish/Portuguese and means "dawn"--the blue hour.

Recommended if you like: Tindersticks-Nick Cave

Blood Shot Adult Commitment

Hands Up I Love You

Majesty





Download: Norwegian Hammerworks Corp.

Download:Only When You're Gone (Live/Acoustic 2001)

Artists I Love: Tom Waits

If I was marooned on a desert island and could only pick one musicians full discography to have with me...it would be Tom Waits. No matter what my mood I can listen to him. Once I start I usually keep going for a few days. It would be hard to pick a favorite album of his, but If I had to recommend just one to someone that hadn't heard of him, I would select "Rain Dogs". The middle album of a trilogy. It has a little of everything that makes him a great storyteller and singer. I have been lucky enough to see him live on three different occasions, and it was incredible to say the least, each time I was within ten rows of the stage and saw the great man up close. I've included some videos showing how damn funny he is and a hard to find live version of "Empty Pockets/Broken Bicycles".

Learn more about Tom Waits - Tom Waits on Wikipedia

Hang on St.Christopher

Fernwood Tonight

Hold On


Tom Waits - "Empty Pockets/Broken Bicycles (live) mp3

Eastern Conference Champions

New video for "The Box"

Eastern Conference Champions in cartoon form. We think of it as a cross between "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and the classic and remarkably 80's A-Ha video that you probably danced to in front of a mirror at some point in your life.

Check out their debut album "Ameritown". I saw them twice in concert last year, they put on a great show and are really nice guys. Here are a few photos I took.





Single Sedative mp3

My Year In Concert Photography: Gogol Bordello

I photographed Gogol Bordello on Halloween of 2007 at Liberty Hall in Lawrence KS. I hadn't had the chance to catch them live when they came though the previous year, so I didn't know what to expect. I heard the famous gypsy punks put on a great stage show so I was eager to see them. I would say probably half the audience was dressed up in costumes of some form which helped with the party atmosphere. They had a barrier up which was cool because I was the only photographer that was shooting that night besides someone for the band using a video camera. On a side note I will say that Liberty Hall's security guys were the nicest of the year by far. There were a lot of people crowd surfing and flying over my head, I only got my glasses knocked off twice! Not bad. Eugene Hutz of Gogol Bordello puts on an amazing show along with the rest of his group. They were all over the stage singing and dancing and provided me with a great opportunity for shots. Afterwards I went to the after-party at The Bottleneck and spoke to Eugene for a few minutes and snapped a couple of photos. Read more about the concert in a review from The Pitch Weekly.

Gogol Bordello Review









Here is a clip from the movie "Everything Is Illuminated" in which Eugene Hutz starred. If you haven't seen it yet, go rent it! One of my favorite movies.



Full Gogol Bordello Set Of Photos

Gogol Bordello-Alcohol

Coolest Video Of The Year

This is the coolest video of the year....and most interesting back story. It is rare when a song and video mesh together so well as they do here, fluid movements mix together with a smooth song.

This is the video for Rjd2's "Work It Out" Added: July 25, 2007 This is the video for Rjd2's "Work It Out" from 'The Third Hand' (XL Recordings). The vid features Bill Shannon who was born with a degenerative hip condition. His legs cannot carry his own weight and so he has lived a life on crutches. He has developed a new way of moving through life on his skateboard and the crutches. Though this may look like a recreational hobby or a debilitation, it is simply how Bill maneuvers throughout the day. In time to Rjd2's song "Work It Out" we follow Bill as he makes his way around. At the slow start, Bill is descending the courthouse steps in downtown Brooklyn. It's difficult, but he makes it down and the rest you'll just have to watch to understand. Rjd2 plays several extras which you can try to spot as well. The video, directed by Joey Garfield, is one continuous single shot for the length of the song.

mp3 "work it out"

Bill Shannon

rjd2

My Year In Concert Photography: Maximo Park

This was a secret Myspace show at The Record Bar in Kansas City MO on July 18th 2007. With not much notice the crowd was pretty sparse, which was fine by me. It was a chance for me to see two great groups--The Cribs and Maximo Park.

Here is a link to an interview/review and some more photos I took of the show.

Maximo Park Interview and Review from The Pitch









Going Missing-Live at Glastonbury 2007 Video


Mp3 Going Missing (acoustic)

Cox Across America!!!

I can't wait to see "Walk Hard:The Dewey Cox Story"! John C. Reilly played some concerts across America recently in character as Dewey Cox. The man is talented and so damn funny, he has one of those faces that just cracks you up looking at. Here is a trailer from the movie and a clip from his concert in NYC a couple of days ago where a shirtless, fist pumping "Dewey Cox"covers the Beastie Boys song "Sabotage". I like how he says "We learned that one today, for you motherfuckers"





Rocklikecox.com
Check out the hilarious photos on the main page and then click "Dewey Memorabilia"

Flight Of The Conchords

The first season of Flight of the Conchords is available now on dvd at Amazon for $24. I highly recommend picking it up. The New Zealand duo's show on HBO was one of the best this year. HBO has ordered a second year, I can't wait! Here is a vid in which Jermaine tries to cheer up Bret.

Mp3 Jenny-(live)

My Year In Concert Photography: The Veils

My year in concert photography continues with one of my favorite bands of 2007, The Veils.



I saw them twice this year, once on June 19th at The Grand Emporium in Kansas City MO. and on August 1 at The Replay Lounge in Lawrence KS. Their album "Nux Vomica" came out overseas in 2006 and in the U.S. in 2007. Technically I put this down as an 06 release. It is probably in my top 25 records of all time. When I saw them in June it was a low turnout to say the least. Lead singer Finn Andrews actually asked all the audience members their names at one point. I was glad they played as if it was a packed house. Finn said at the end of the set he would be in the back if anyone wanted autographs or an acoustic set, half joking. I took him up on it and with three others went and asked for that acoustic set. He seemed kind of surprised but he grabbed a guitar and we went looking for a suitable room. First we tried a utility closet...to small, we ended up in the ladies bathroom where he sang three songs by himself with Liam and Heine standing in a stall watching. It was cramped in there but I thought it was very nice of him indeed. I took some photos and found out a couple months later it was even brought up in a radio show in Portland Oregon...not bad, I actually created some news. The second time I saw them on August first was not so much fun. Unfortunately for The Veils, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs were playing a block away, so they pushed back their set until midnight. Not to many people showed up because of the heat (100 degrees that day) and the YYY concert. The band remembered me and I gave Finn some Tom Waits bootlegs which he said was the best gift he had gotten on the tour. Liam the keyboard player had quit since the last concert due to the pressures of touring. The sound didn't seem the same and they only played seven songs. There was some weird Mexican kid with a semi mohawk and braces jumping around in the front throwing up the devil horns yelling "The Veil". He asked Finn if they would play at his brothers birthday party...it was a bit odd. A very small venue with the stage only a foot off the ground...they seemed annoyed. I wish there would have been a better turnout for them for both shows. I fear they won't want to come back. I will say it was one of my most listened to cds of the year by far. Here are a few photos from both shows.







The Veils-Advice For Young Mothers To Be



Mp3 The Veils-Not Yet


Mp3 The Veils-State Trooper (Bruce Springsteen cover, live lowlands festival '06)

My Year In Concert Photography: Arctic Monkeys

My first in a series of posts of groups I have photographed this year. First up is, Arctic Monkeys. They played on September 13th 2007 at the Uptown Theater, their first trip to Kansas City. I had seen them twice previously on the first American tour, in Chicago at Metro and in Austin at Stubbs. I got to the venue a few hours early to get in line in case my photo pass was not there. I checked at the box office...and of course they didn't have it. A really nice guy from the label finally came out and took me inside to look for the tour manager. While he went backstage he left me on the corner of the stage while Arctic Monkeys were doing soundcheck. It was strange because I was standing there for ten minutes and there was no one else in sight except me and Arctic Monkeys...I was staring at them and all four of them were staring back at me. So after Voxtrot opened up I went to the side of the stage to get ready for my three songs in front of the barrier. The light was pretty low and I had less than ten minutes to shoot but I think I got a few good ones. Once I packed my camera up I got my place back in the front row and watched the rest of a great concert. It seems they have become an even tighter band live and put on a show where everyone around me were singing every single lyric along with the band.






Video for "Fluorescent Adolescent"-----clowns! scary! run!


This House Is A Circus (Live 4.13.07 Astoria)

The Lemonheads-Live Concert Photography

Concert photos of The Lemonheads taken at The Record Bar on December 9th, 2007

The Lemonheads--Evan Dando....Bill Stevenson (Descendents, Black Flag) and Karl Alvarez (Descendents), put on a nice short set at the Record Bar on a cold icy Sunday night. I talked to Evan for a few minutes and he told me about the deluxe-reissue of "It's A Shame About Ray",which will include bonus material such as b-sides, demos and dvd footage from the era coming out in March on Rhino Records. A month or two after that, the new Lemonheads album should be out. They are going to start recording in January.







Full Set Of Photos

Here is a song from The "My Drug Buddy" Single.

The Lemonheads--Shaky Ground mp3

thelemonheads.net

A band you should get to know: Glasvegas

Get to know one of my new favorite bands, Glasvegas.

"The Bomp and Brilliance...Of A Glasgow Band"

From:Glasgow, Scotland

Sounds like: Early Jesus and Mary Chain, Fuzzy guitars, Dramatic Orchestral Backdrop, 60's Girl Groups, Agonizing Emotional Lyrics, Velvet Underground, Spector-ish wall of sound.

They are currently unsigned...but don't expect that to last to much longer with fans like Dirty Pretty Things and Ian Brown.

"I won't be the lonely one/sitting on my own and sad/A 50 year old reminiscing what I had/forget your dad/he's gone"

http://www.glasvegas.net/

http://www.myspace.com/glasvegas

Daddy's Gone
mp3

VHS or Beta Live In Concert Kansas City MO.

Great concert from VHS or Beta on Friday, December 7th. Lead vocalist Craig Pfunder told me that the band was a bit sick and had a long drive from Denver. I thought it might not be that good if they were tired and sick, but I was wrong...they played a great set and I think were feeding off the energy of the crowd even though the set was cut short by three songs due to the venue closing. VHS or Beta didn't hit the stage until after midnight. Local bands--Roman Numerals and Lights and Siren opened up the show. Both were impressive, especially lead singer and keyboardist, Anna Cole. (pictured below)




I asked Craig Pfunder for his top three favorite albums of the year. 1. Radiohead-"In Rainbows" 2. Iron & Wine-"The Shepard's Dog" 3. Foreign Born-"On The Wing Now"

http://www.myspace.com/vhsorbeta

Video footage from a fan at the concert...look close and you can see me (my big head and flash) taking photos in the front row.



Full VHS or Beta photo set at my Flickr page.