Disneyland Resort's Jingle Cruise 2014

This is yet another attempt to get on a regular blogging schedule.  I say that every time, but *maybe* this year will be different. Maybe...

So, for this inaugural post of 2014, which is coming in the last few weeks of the year, I first bring you everything you want to know about:  DISNEYLAND RESORT'S JINGLE CRUISE VERSION 2.0!  Sorry.  :P

I recently decided to keep on my Disneyland Annual Passport for another year.  And another year after that, as I have recently renewed the darn thing.  My bank account cries mouse-shaped tears every night as a result.

Disneyland decided to bring back Jingle Cruise, the holiday overlay set upon Adventureland's Jungle Cruise attraction, as part of their Holiday Time offerings.  Jingle Cruise was met with criticism last year with its lack of holiday cheer and decor (e.g. it was plainly half-assed).  Feedback was obviously taken to heart, as it literally looks like a Christmas store vomited all over the beloved ride.

Since I can be a hasty person, I initially didn't read the signage throughout the queues providing a prologue of Jingle Cruise: a large shipment of holiday decorations has gone missing somewhere in the jungle.  When I experienced the attraction for the very first time, it looked messy with all the tinsel and wreaths strewn around haphazardly.  Knowing the concept makes me appreciate this special overlay more, as it ldoes indeed look like a bunch of animals tore recklessly through these missing parcels.

It may be daunting to see the labyrinthine line go upstairs and humorously wind back and forth.  This normally would be a litmus test of how insanely busy the parks are, and consequently, should be avoided at all costs.  If the friggin' Jungle Cruise line is long enough to warrant opening up upstairs, then all hope is lost and best to get the hell out of Dodge.  Surprisingly, the Jingle Cruise queue moves quite briskly.  Plus, you can check out a vantage point from this attraction that isn't very common:

Once you make your way back down and closer to the boarding area, the queue will split into two different lines.  Most of the action happens on the right, so you'll want to make sure your entire party heads this way.  All aboard:

Having been on the Jingle Cruise during night and day, it's a no-brainer that it will be easier to get pictures before the sun sets.  The lighting is darker/trickier than you may think, though.  If you ride before noon, just know that the sun will be to your right and may wash out photos of certain key scenes that don't benefit from the cover of foliage, like the rhinos and the lions. 

Jingle Cruise at night seems a bit more mysterious, as the skipper has to shine lights for most of the mischievous reveals throughout the river journey.  It'll be pretty difficult to get decent shots, but if you have a fast lens, steady hand, and quick timing, you might get lucky:

I give a "thumbs up" to the new Jingle Cruise at the Disneyland Resort.  If you can make it happen, try to ride this during the first three or last three hours of the park's opening hours to avoid crowds.  The best time is to  catch it at the sweet spot during the first Fantasmic! showing, as a good chunk of the park will also be waiting in Main Street for the nightly fireworks display that immediately follows.  I would still recommend waiting for Jingle Cruise if the line snakes upwards of 40 or so minutes, because it's so unique and not completely out of your way like another boat attraction with a holiday overlay *cough cough*.  I just wouldn't wait that long if you can help it.  This will be up during the entire duration of Holiday Time until January 6, 2015.

August 21st - 27th: Impressive Opening Bands and My Four Hours at FYF Fest 2013

Had a couple of shoots during this week where I felt the opening bands, who I had no knowledge of before, really shined. So for this blog post, I'm focusing just on these non-headliners.

Pinback's only LA area date on the new tour (for now) ended up at The Observatory, a music venue that is giving me less and less reason to venture north out of my apartment due to the sheer amount of excellent acts that come through.  Serving as two venues in one, with a smaller room called The Constellation Room tucked inside, there always seems to be something noteworthy shaking in this little industrial area.  If only the lighting inside The Constellation Room were more consistent from a photography standpoint!

Octagrape played fast and furiously, like a welcomed slap in the face.  I had heard they were good, but live they were pretty spectacular.  I failed in capturing a few jump shots, but hopefully the energy can still be seen below:

So, due to a serious comedy of errors, I was at first tapped to shoot Monterey's First City Festival, then backed out to shoot FYF Fest.  Of course, once I got confirmed for FCF and subsequently turned it down for FYF, a last minute snafu prevented me from shooting FYF.  Ho hum.

Although I didn't get to attend with all my camera gear, I was able to make it for the final four hours or so on Sunday, just before sunset.  Although only on the Los Angeles State Historic Park grounds for a brief time, I still packed in a good dose of quality festival time by:

• Visiting the medical tent immediately (after tripping and falling once I parked my car) and listening to Chk Chk Chk perform "Jamie, My Intentions Are Bass" while getting bandaged up
• Wandering around both the VIP and main backstage areas, though by this time both were ghost towns
• Grabbing a tasty slice of I Love Spicy Pie, bringing back memories of how I used them for sustenance during this year's Coachella
• Singing along to Beach House and MGMT like a spazz
• Watching security guard shower concert goers with earplugs before an intense My Bloody Valentine set.

My time really makes me re-think the whole festival experience.  I skipped the long heat, sun, and dust exposure and still had an excellent time.  Although I didn't get to shoot any bands, I managed to get my camera inside the festival for a couple of "atmosphere" shots at night:

Closing out this particular week was a show by Majical Cloudz.  Normally used to a "rough and tumble" audience at the Echo, this night was particularly serene, and once more, I walked away supremely impressed by the opening bands, namely local act My Hawaii.  Using unique instrumentation and sparse vocals, My Hawaii's sound was genteel and gorgeous.  Really great stuff.  Would have bought the new album if I had a working record or cassette player.  Guess I'm just not "hipster" enough!  Some photos below:

August 15th - 20th: Southern Culture on the Skids and the Lure of Disneyland as an Adult

My first show to shoot in my "old age" was a band I loved in my high school/college days, Southern Culture on the Skids.  Already enamored by fellow Chapel Hill, NC talent like Ben Folds Five and Squirrel Nut Zippers, SCOTS was the epitome of the hillbilly party, both on record and on stage.  It had been more than a decade since I last saw the band live, a fact I mentioned to a couple of fans at the Echo, who seemed shocked because I seemed so "young."  Ha!

Although I hadn't played any SCOTS albums in years, I instantly recognized most of the setlist that night.  Even if your only frame of reference was the two major label releases on Geffen Records (1995's Dirt Track Date and the 1997 followup, Plastic Seat Sweat), it was enough to thoroughly enjoy the show.  This might imply that Southern Culture on the Skids are "stuck" in a timewarp, but that's not really fair, as the music is indeed an ode/celebration to all things Americana/country/rockabilly/surf twisted together in a retro package.  Plus, those two albums are killer classics!

As long as you're not offended by the tossing and eating of fried chicken at the show (a tradition during "Eight Piece Box"), I would definitely recommend coming out to see SCOTS if you're looking for a good, old-fashioned time.

Here are a few of my favorite shots from the Echo show on August 15th:

Despite some "hipster" tendencies with my music/food/leisure preferences, it might be surprising to know that I am a frequent visitor to the Disneyland Resort.  Armed with a ridiculously expensive "annual passport," the parks have become an alternative when one wants to do more after work besides grab dinner and a movie.  And frankly, there's still something slightly thrilling about having constant access to something that was revered as a privilege/treat as a child

Despite the Mouse House being a symbol of greed and artifice for many, I can see the beauty in it.  There are many interesting and challenging photographic subjects to discover with the camera.  Armed with a fast lens or two, I can capture unique and lovely moments at night or inside the attractions with minimal lighting.  Chalk it up to being able to work within the parameters of dim music venues and constantly moving band members.  As I visit the parks less and less with each year, and with a renewal pending in November, I am still undecided if I will keep my pass, or at least keep it at the level it is at.  I guess we'll see if there's enough Disney "magic" left these next few months to convince me. 

A handful of favorites over the years:

Here We Go Again...

So, I failed in my attempt with the 365 Project two years ago. And if you couldn't tell, I haven't updated this thing for over a year.

Going to try my best to keep this thing up. Yes, again.  Third time's the charm, right?  I hope to use this blog as a way to share behind-the-scenes insight of the various events I attend with my camera, helpful concert photography tips, and maybe answer a few of those burning questions I get at shows, like "How did you get that photo pass?"  In addition to that, there will be documentation of my wanderlust and passion for baked goods. 

So, here we go again.  Another year, another birthday, another wish to be a consistent blogger with something of interest to say.

To kick the year off, here's a shot of my beautiful red velvet birthday cake, courtesy of Porto's Bakery.  "Happy Birthday Leslie" is written with chocolate atop a piece of white chocolate over rose petals.  Gorgeous.  Glad I got a photo in before it was immediately decimated:

Gentlemen of the Road / Monterey Stopover: August 25, 2012

OK, so I'm a terrible, terrible blogger. And just looking through the posts I placed here over the past couple of years, I sound like a wizened, cranky person telling kids to get off of her lawn.

I'm going to try this again, and keep tight-lipped on my whiny tendencies.

I am shooting more shows in my free time than I have in the past couple of years, and for the most part, I get to shoot what I like. I turned down a paying gig to shoot a local street festival so that I could drive, by myself, seven hours north to shoot a music festival for free. I think I made the right decision, even if it meant the inevitable seven hours drive south.

Here is the summary I wrote for LA Record that did not get published with my photos:

The Northern California town of Monterey saw an influx of dapper fans sporting tweed caps and jackets, as well as top hats and mustaches, both real and not. The Monterey County Fairgrounds was the last of four U.S. “Stopovers” for the Gentlemen of the Road festival curated by headliners Mumford & Sons. With the city steeped in Steinbeck, a major influence of M&S, and the venue home to the Monterey International Pop Festival in 1967, where Jimi Hendrix famously set fire to his guitar on the arena stage, the choice to have the event in a place with such rich history was no surprise.

The Monterey Stopover provided a relaxed atmosphere, alternating just eight bands on the bill between two stages so that one could potentially catch every artist’s full set. There were also lawn games, hammocks, and a fully operational carnival to also entertain the masses, the latter of which boasted rides taken from Michael Jackson’s infamous Neverland Ranch.

Mumford & Sons introduced the Stopover on the second stage and the first act of the afternoon, fellow UK group Slow Club. The Los Angeles sister trio Haim would play after, with both acts enjoying guest percussion duties from members of M&S.

The main stage, housed in the large rodeo arena, began the afternoon with Nashville’s Apache Relay, giving a chance for unofficial festival emcee Mike Harris to show off his famous guitar skills around frontman Michael Ford, Jr.’s vocals. The horn section of Mumford & Sons would later make an appearance during the set as well. San Francisco’s Two Gallants played immediately after.

The afternoon started to kick into high gear with Grouplove’s explosive set back on the second stage. Bodies were pressed tightly against the barrier, and everyone seemed to be screaming along with every word, reaching its pinnacle when the band played the raucous hit, “Tongue Tied.”

The focus then shifted back to the main stage, and the excitement could definitely be felt by all. Energetic, gypsy punkers Gogol Bordello barreled through like a tornado, and it didn’t take long for stuffed animal prizes and crowd surfers to go flying into the air. The band provided the ultimate “pirate party” before the main act of the day.

Evening finally fell upon Monterey, and it was time for the “gentlemen of the road” to take the stage. Marcus Mumford and bandmates sang from the shadows and dark in this perfectly rustic arena, starting with “Lover’s Eyes,” a new track from the anticipated new album, ‘Babel.’ Once the song’s climax was reached, the carefully placed stage lights turned on, and the band went into hit, “Little Lion Man.” The 90 minute set that combined well-loved songs and soon-to-be favorites, including new single “I Will Wait.” The set concluded with a cover of The Band’s “The Weight.”

The final act of the night, The Very Best, was now poised to close out the Monterey Stopover on the long-abandoned second stage, positioned by one of the venue’s exits. The band packed in as many high-energy songs as they could so as to not lose the momentum of their African-influenced dance party. The last song, and of the final U.S. Stopover, was Michael Jackson’s “Will You Be There.” Members of all the musical acts and working crew, including M&S, joined in to sing, dance, and celebrate their final evening together on the road.

MUMFORD AND SONS SETLIST:
Lover's Eyes
Little Lion Man
Roll Away Your Stone
White Blank Pages
Below My Feet
Timshel
I Will Wait
Lover of the Light
Thistle and Weeds
Ghosts That We Knew
Awake My Soul
Dust Bowl Dance

Encore:
Winter Winds
The Cave
The Weight (The Band cover)

There are way too many photos of this lovely day. You can view so much more on my Flickr, but here are some favorites:

PurpleStride Walk for Pancreatic Cancer: May 14, 2011

My friends started to volunteer for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network when they lost their mother to the disease last year. I had a wonderful opportunity to be one of the photographers for this year's PurpleStride Cancer Walk, which is put together by the organization. The energy and passion from all in attendance was quite overwhelming. So much so, I even started to tear up at certain points. I feel very honored to be asked to help out, and little did I know, I would end up also doing the walk!

Here are a few pictures from that great morning:

JEFF the Brotherhood at the Echo: May 11, 2011

I was told I didn't have to stay for the evening's headliners, The Greenhornes. If I had had more energy (or just lived closer), I would have stayed to check it out, and I was still debating on it, too.

When the first of *FOUR* bands for the evening took the stage, I slowly realized in my head I was getting a little too old for this. A bunch of kids quickly took to pushing and dancing, prompting another photographer to actually call security to get them thrown out.

I hadn't heard JEFF the Brotherhood before, but I was able to see photos, and I knew that it would be a pretty wild evening. There was still dancing and some pushing, which meant I lost my spot right smack in the middle and ended up off to the side. The band even asked for the house lights to go up briefly because the crowd was getting "a little aggro."

Not surprisingly, I was stepped on and shoved, and little did I know, I would later have a small chunk of my hair ripped out. Seriously. Not strands, but a small *CHUNK*.

Some photos from the evening: