The other week, I caught King Tuff at the Golden West in Hampden… fun show courtesy of Unregistered Nurse Booking.
Tag Archives: joshsisk
Celebration Weekend Tour with TVOTR.
Celebration went on tour with TV On The Radio, I shot them in both Philly and Baltimore. (Read the SPIN review of the TVOTR Philly show here). The Philly show at Electric Factory was cut a little short, or seemed to be, but the Baltimore show at Rams Head was absolutely great. Packed house, sold out, great sound for Celebration’s set, friendly audience… a great show. Both shows showcased how together they are as a band and how the new “Digital Tarot” material they have been releasing online (and their new record) is really starting to shine live. Go see them!
- View all of the Celebration tour photos here!
- Buy Prints from these shows
- Listen to and purchase Celebration’s excellent new album on Friends Records here.
Also : come to my Photo Show friday 4/15 at the Windup Space in Baltimore. Photos of Celebration and many other artists will be on display.
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
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…
(personal) Best of 2010
Every year I like to pick (with a little help from friends and readers) my best photos of the year. I’m posting it a little late this year, but it’s a fun tradition and a good exercise, looking through a whole year’s worth of output. I recommend it to any creative/craft type person. It’s also a good excuse to present my newly launched photoshelter page, where you can buy prints of mine (this set is the top gallery/slideshow there).
So, that out of the way, on with the post!
Lemz, promo photo
Janelle Monae, 9:30 Club
Fucked Up, RNR Hotel
DJ/Rupture, Big Ears Festival
Near Croakeye, North Dakota
Billy Idol, HFStival
Joanna Newsom, Big Ears Festival
Lords of Acid, Bourbon Street
Andrew WK, Big Ears Festival
Usher, Verizon Center
Dope Body, Whartscape
Arab On Radar, Whartscape
The Spark, CCAS
Paramore, Merriweather Post Pavilion
Bmore Original Crew, promo photo
Dancer, Deep Sugar
Double Dagger, Whartscape
Burning Car, Mount Vernon
Slayer, First Mariner Arena
Lake Isobel, Colorado
Benny Stixx, promo shot
as i mentioned above, you can buy prints of all of these at my new photoshelter site.
if you are really curious, here are all the photos i considered for inclusion here.
also, here are my best of lists from:
The Ex / DJ /Rupture / S PRCSS @ Black Cat
I love the Ex. I am a late-term fan, I first saw them with the new line-up, so a lot people may think less of them now with their more guitar-oriented sound… but I think they are terrific, and they are always spectacular live… this was definitely one of the best shows of the 60 or so shows I have seen so far this year.
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
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.
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.
Double Dagger @ Floristree.
The best rock band in Baltimore. This show was great, their shows are always great. See them when they play near you.
The Pogues / Titus Andronicus @ 9:30 Club
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.
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.
Detroit rapper Black Milk.
Outlaw country star David Allan Coe.
California pop punk band Vanity Theft.
Rosie Ledet & the Zydeco Playboys.
Arboretum & Secret Mountains @ the Ottobar.
Integrity + Haymaker @ Sonar (+ Pizza crowdsurfing)
The other day I was able to see Integrity, a band I have loved for years, play at Sonar with Haymaker, a Canadian band I’ve liked for years, and who apparently have never before played in the States, which seems crazy to me! I also caught the above photo of a gentleman crowdsurfing WHILE eating pizza. Amazing.
Deep Sleep.
Promo shot I did for Baltimore band DEEP SLEEP, to promote their new record. Contact me if your band needs promo shots.
Portrait Session : 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.
Universal Order of Armageddon, Regents, The Gift.
I wrote a little thing a couple of weeks ago about this show. Read that after the jump. Continue reading
Dismemberment Plan Reunion Kick-Off + Secret Show!
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.
Matthew Dear @ U St Music 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!
Hume @ the Black Cat
DC band Hume, playing as part of the Sockets Records showcase last week at the Black Cat.
Read the Washington Post review | See more in my January 2011 shows set
Dave Nada’s Moombahton Massive @ U Hall
Last week I had the good pleasure of catching the assignment to shoot Dave Nada and his second Moombahton Massive party at U St Music Hall. It’s not often you get to go hang out with an old friend for work, so I relished the opportunity. I have know Dave since he was a member of Medic, a thrash/metal/hardcore band whose record I put out more years ago than I want to admit. Since those days he has been on a steady rise as an internationally-known DJ and producer, a career arc which this year hit a new high with his creation/discovery of Moombahton, a new genre of dance music that fuses elements of Dutch House and latino culture. It took the dance music world by storm and it’s momentum is still building…
Read the Washington Post Review | See the Moombahton Massive photo set