Destroyer @ the Black Cat

Destroyer @ Black Cat
Destroyer @ Black Cat   Destroyer @ Black Cat

This band was not what I expected… I guess the name and the pedigree made me think this would be some driving, semi-aggressive indie rock, but in actuality they are basically the exact opposite… soft rock, made me think I was at a waterfront restaurant in the 80s or something. Not bad, though, and the crowd certainly enjoyed it…

OFF! & Trash Talk @ Red Palace, DC

OFF! @ red palace, dc
OFF! @ red palace, dc
Trash Talk audience   Trash Talk

This show was awesome. OFF! is, of course, a sort of supergroup featuring Keith Morris, and they were really tight musically… their set was sort of made up of mini-sets punctuated by discussion by Morris on the history of punk, the bands he and his bandmates have been in before, the state of music and politics today, etc… but don’t let that fool you, it was a blast. Trash Talk was intense too, full of energy and the singer was in the crowd pretty much the whole set. Good times. Nervous Impulse, the new band from the singer of the Goons was good too.

I had never been to the venue, the Red Palace before. It was okay, a smallish show space but they had a nice beer selection and a really cute cat who lives at the bar.

SALEM @ RNR Hotel

SALEM @ rnr hotel
SALEM @ rnr hotel

This show made me realize I am getting old. I didn’t “get” this band. I liked aspects of their set/performance but… as a whole, just didn’t get how they gelled together. But the kids there to see this band seemed STOKED, so whatever. I’m old.

Celebration, Future Islands, Arboretum @ 2640

Celebration @ 2640
Celebration audience @ 2640
Celebration @ 2640   Future Islands @ 2640

Great show. This was organized by Friends Records at the 2640 Space, a retired church in Baltimore. Great venue for a show, it’s a beautiful old building… the show was packed, too, and they did a lot of special decorations and stage setups… huge clouds made out of cotton candy (no joke!) and helium balloons floated around, lots of projectors situated around the room displayed dreamy images on the various walls… it was really impressive. All the bands were excellent, too… Celebration are playing later this month up and down the east coast with TV On The Radio, go if you can get tickets, you won’t regret it…

Taylor Momsen / Pretty Reckless

Taylor Momsen / Pretty Reckless
Taylor Momsen / Pretty Reckless

I was supposed to shoot her concerts in DC and Bmore for the Baltimore Sun and the Washington Post, but apparently at the last minute her people decided no press coverage. In Baltimore, I just didn’t go, but the DC-area one I showed up, and was even in the club when the word came down, no photos of the show… on my way out I spied a bunch of guys with cameras and was asking them who they shoot for and they were a bit evasive… I realized after a minute they were paparazzis! So I hung out with them for twenty minutes or so and then snapped these, my only examples of paparazzi photos I’ve ever done (and likely ever will do). The paparazzi guys were cool, and had some REALLY funny stories!

These photos aren’t that great, but I’m posting them just because of the story.

Robert Glasper’s RCDC Experiment, Chateau Marmont

Robert Glasper's RCDC Experiment
Robert Glasper's RCDC Experiment

Caught Robert Glasper’s RCDC Experiment at the Bohemian Caverns the other day on assignment. Fun place to see music, go here if you haven’t… This group is made out of a bunch of accomplished players more well know for working on other artist’s albums, all jamming together. Fusion jazz/hip-hop type stuff. Not my normal bag, but they sounded good and were obviously having a great time.

Chateau Marmont @ Velvet Lounge
Chateau Marmont @ Velvet Lounge

I also was assigned to shoot Chateau Marmont, a Parisian band playing as some sort of French Culture Festival in DC… at the Velvet Lounge of all places. Remember when that place was the dive-y-est spot on all of U Street? Weird to rub elbows with a bunch of internationals at this show.

The Pogues / Titus Andronicus @ 9:30 Club

the Pogues @ 930
the Pogues @ 930   the Pogues @ 930
Titus Andronicus @ 930
Titus Andronicus @ 930   Titus Andronicus @ 930

Last week, I was able to go see The Pogues for the first time, along with New Jersey band Titus Andronicus. TA was pretty fun, a really lively, together band. I understand they are about to be big, or so several people are telling me, it’s well-deserved if so.

The Pogues… were good. I’m glad I saw them. But Shane Mcgowan was pretty hard to watch… he sort of shambled onto stage, clutched his mic stand for dear life and sort of mumbled his way through their set. The rest of the band was animated and put on a good show, and Shane did… okay. Just sad to see someone who was once so talented and full of life just sort of be an echo of their former self.

Herb Alpert @ the Birchmere.

Herb Alpert and Lani Hall.

This was a fun show. I was probably the youngest person in the room by several decades, besides the Birchmere staff. Herb was in a great mood, and great form. Him and his wife performed a variety of original duets, spanish ballads, and traditional classics. Totally not a show I would normally go to, but fun!

february assignment round-up.

Black Milk.

Detroit rapper Black Milk.

David Allan Coe

Outlaw country star David Allan Coe.

Vanity Theft.

California pop punk band Vanity Theft.

Rosie Ledet & the Zydeco Playboys.   Rosie Ledet & the Zydeco Playboys.

Rosie Ledet & the Zydeco Playboys.

arboretum.   secret mountains.

Arboretum & Secret Mountains @ the Ottobar.

Odd Future / OFWGKTA / Tyler The Creator

Odd Future / OFWGKTA
Odd Future / OFWGKTA / Domo Genesis   Odd Future / OFWGKTA / Tyler The Creator
Odd Future / OFWGKTA / Tyler The Creator

I scored the assignment of shooting the up and coming hip-hop collective Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All’s sound check at the U Street Music Hall. This was the same day as the announcement that XL Recordings would be releasing Tyler’s next record. It was pretty funny to watch these guys soundcheck… whatever greater success is coming their way, at this point you can tell the whole thing is just a huge amount of fun for them. They raced around the empty venue goofing off, played almost a full set during sound check, and generally horsed around the whole time. Fun experience, cool kids.

EYEHATEGOD at Sonar.

EYEHATEGOD.
EYEHATEGOD crowdsurfing.   EYEHATEGOD crowdsurfing.

Last week EYEHATEGOD played a blistering set at Sonar. I’ve seen this band a half dozen times but they are always awesome… one of my favorite bands that are still playing. Brutal, dissonant, nihilistic sludge metal. Highly recommended. Weirdly enough, TONS of people were stage diving, I guess because it’s fairly easy to in the club room. Not the kind of music I normally associate with stage diving, but it was a fun show anyway.

Portrait Session : Rogue.

Rogue
Rogue

A couple of weeks ago I did a portrait session for Bmore Original recording artist Rogue. It was a lot of fun, I haven’t been shooting as many promo shots or portraits lately since I have been going to so many shows… it’s something I need to start doing more of again. Pictured are a few shots from the session.

Dismemberment Plan Reunion Kick-Off + Secret Show!

Dismemberment Plan @ Black Cat
Dismemberment Plan @ Black Cat

I covered the Dismemberment Plan reunion tour kick-off at the Black Cat for SPIN, and it was a really fun show. Sold out, of course, and they played a stacked set, with a lot of attention to Emergency and I, their most revered album, as well as a lot of other tracks… They were totally together too, without any of the minor technical foibles at their secret preview show the previous week (more on that in a sec). Really cool band Bluebrain opened up, too…

I was also lucky enough to be able to shoot a secret, invitation only show at the Galaxy Hut in Arlington, VA a week before the tour officially started… this was a great experience, 60 or so people crammed into a little cafe area, a feeling similar to what I imagine D-Plan shows in DC were like in the late 90s.

Dismemberment Plan Secret Show.
Dismemberment Plan Secret Show.   Dismemberment Plan Secret Show.

Matthew Dear @ U St Music Hall.

Matthew Dear @ U Hall

Matthew Dear and his band swung in last week to do a make-up show after their show at DC9 got canceled due to the death that occurred there last year. I got to chat with them a bit, a nice bunch of guys. Matthew is touring with a live band, and the sound is a lot different than what you might expect if you know him from his Audion or False records… more of a dark, new wave, Gary Numan type of vibe… but good. I wish I could have stayed for the whole show!

Read the Washington Post review | View all the photos