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:

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:

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:

Charles Bradley and The Menahan Street Band at the Echo: May 4, 2011

When asked by music blog Rollo and Grady to shoot Charles Bradley at the Echo this past Wednesday night, I had no idea who he was. This is often the case these days when I'm sent out on a music shoot. Frankly, the name sounded like it could belong to a basketball player. I did find out later through some research that there was a former Boston Celtics player of the same name, so I wasn't too far off. But upon finding out Charles Bradley's record label was a subset of Daptone Records, it was all I needed to know I would be in for a treat.

Living a lot farther from Los Angeles than I used to be, plus just being plain older, makes one less apt and able to grab the camera equipment for a late evening of music. With no true opener except for a DJ, I arrived plenty early to secure a spot up front for the show.

Finally taking the stage 30 minutes after he was scheduled to, the band put on a fierce, sweaty, show for the young crowd. Charles Bradley seemed genuinely moved and touched by everyone in the venue, and expressed his love several times throughout the evening.

Reminding me of James Brown, Bradley shook all that he had and then some, so much so that his knee started to bleed through his white pants!

It was completely captivating. How can you not smile when you see a man in his 60s decides to stage dive into the crowd for his finale??

Some shots from the evening: