Better late than never... Warped Tour 2010

So, as my Emarosa only post showed, I shot Warped Tour this summer and just got around to editing the photos.  I ment to do it on tour, but forgot the hard drive with those images.  So below are some of my favs as well as links to the full galleries.  Warped is always fun.  This year I went up to Milwaukee with my friend Carl and we did more hanging out than anything.

Alkaline Trio :: http://bit.ly/aGVUvU

AM Taxi :: http://bit.ly/9ibvGg

Every Time I Die :: http://bit.ly/dxWhPd

The Summer Set :: http://bit.ly/a1O1Iz

We The Kings :: http://bit.ly/chEEfn

Emarosa @ Warped Tour

Finally got around to editing my photos from hanging with Carl Ryan & Emarosa at Warped Tour Milwaukee.  Favorites are below, full gallery here... http://bit.ly/aLQMNn You should check out Emarosa, they're good ( http://www.myspace.com/emarosa )

On the road again...

Tomorrow I'm off to join the Jonas Brothers on tour as their tour photographer.  I'm really excited about the opportunity and being out creating images every day.  I'll be out for a couple weeks and we'll be hitting a bunch of cities around the country (and a couple in Canada).  Keep checking back for updates here and if you'll be out in any of the cities below, stop by and say hey.

8.7.10 Tinley Park , IL First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre more info
8.8.10 Noblesville , IN Verizon Wireless Music Center more info
8.10.10 Cincinnati , OH Riverbend Music Center more info
8.11.10 Burgettstown , PA First Niagara Pavilion more info
8.12.10 Bristow , VA Jiffy Lube Live more info
8.13.10 Hartford , CT Road Dogs more info
8.13.10 Hartford , CT Comcast Theatre more info
8.14.10 Hershey , PA Hersheypark Stadium more info
8.16.10 Newark , NJ Road Dogs more info
8.16.10 Holmdel , NJ PNC Bank Arts Center more info
8.17.10 Holmdel , NJ PNC Bank Arts Center more info
8.19.10 Queens , NY Road Dogs more info
8.21.10 Islip , NY Road Dogs more info
8.21.10 Wantagh , NY Nikon at Jones Beach Theater more info
8.22.10 Wantagh , NY Nikon at Jones Beach Theater more info
8.25.10 Boston , MA Comcast Center more info
8.26.10 Boston , MA Road Dogs more info
8.26.10 Boston , MA Comcast Center more info
8.27.10 Camden , NJ Road Dogs more info
8.27.10 Camden , NJ Susquehanna Bank Center more info
8.28.10 Atlantic City , NJ Trump Taj Mahal more info
8.29.10 Virginia Beach , VA Virginia Beach Amphitheater more info
8.31.10 Cleveland , OH Quicken Loans Arena more info
9.1.10 Clarkston , MI DTE Energy Music Theatre more info
9.2.10 Toronto , ON, Canada Molson Canadian Amphitheatre more info
9.3.10 Toronto , ON, Canada Molson Canadian Amphitheatre more info
9.4.10 Montreal , QC, Canada Centre Bell Centre more info
9.5.10 Daytona Beach , FL Ocean Center more info
9.7.10 Jupiter , FL Road Dogs more info
9.7.10 West Palm Beach , FL Cruzan Amphitheater more info
9.8.10 Tampa , FL 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre At the Florida State Fairgrounds more info
9.10.10 San Antonio , TX AT&T Center more info
9.11.10 Houston , TX Road Dogs more info
9.11.10 Houston , TX Woodlands Pavilion more info
9.12.10 Dallas , TX Road Dogs more info
9.12.10 Dallas , TX Superpages.com Center more info
9.14.10 Phoenix , AZ Cricket Wireless Pavilion more info
9.16.10 Chula Vista , CA Cricket Wireless Amphitheater more info
9.17.10 Wheatland , CA Sleep Train Amphitheatre in Wheatland more info
9.18.10 San Jose , CA Road Dogs more info
9.18.10 Mountain View , CA Shoreline Amphitheatre more info
9.19.10 Irvine , CA Road Dogs more info
9.19.10 Irvine , CA Irvine Meadows / Verizon Wireless Amphitheater more info

Thrice in Chicago - 06/10/10

One of my favorite bands of all time is a band called Thrice from Cali.  Last April I as able to head out to the west coast to join them in the studio while they were recording their best album so far, Beggars.  They came through Chicago in June and I got some great shots.

SXSW 2010

Every March I do my version of spring break... Austin, TX for SXSW.  Friends from around the country all meet up down south for a week of music, food, and amazing times.  Here's a quick look at some of the images I shot this year.  The past years are all up on my main site don't be scene. Some of the bands I shot this year... Broken Bells, Maps and Atlases, We Were Promised Jet Packs, Children Collide, Johnny Craig (from Emarosa), The Cab, Ha Ha Tonka, Matt Pond, Metric, Muse, & Cool Kids

Local Show at Metro

It's been a while since I've been to a local show at Metro in Chicago with bands that are younger in the scene. These bands... A Kidnap in Color, The Highlife, Draft Week, Footlight Frenzy, and Indecent Exposure played some solid sets. I hadn't heard them before but they were solid. Here are some of my favs...

Beck's Music Export

I spent the 3 of the last 4 nights out and about in wicker park shooting for Beck's. They put on events where the bands playing were vying for a spot to open up the Beck's New Years Eve show (which I'm also shooting) with The Virgins, Airborne Toxic Event, and Mark Ronson. It was a challenging assignment because there were not many people around and they were looking for a lot of high energy shots. But I got some great stuff and it was a lot of fun. Here are some of my favs...

In the studio with Thrice

As you probably saw from the many tweets I posted in LA I recently had one of the better trips I've ever taken.  I flew out last minute for a trip to hang with my friend Carl and my new found friend Patrick at Bamboozle Left.  I'm pretty sure I'm over festivals.  Even with artist passes and free food and drink there is just too much going on.  But I did check out some bands I hadn't heard before that I liked (aka The Jakes).  Annnnnnnnd the highlight was prob meeting the guy who signed Radiohead and discovered Coldplay... crazy.

After Bamboozle I headed out to Orange to chill and shoot some stuff with one of my three favorite bands of all time... Thrice.  I've been chatting with their manager for a while setting up shows to shoot when they come through town.  I let him know I'd be out that way and I wanted to hang and shoot and they were down.  I went out to Teppei's house where they record in a home studio and hung out and shot photos and video for a few days.  First, what I heard, in it's very rough form sounds amazing.  I'm very excited for this album.  It's less programmed and polished and more groove and guitar driven.  It's going to pwn.  The first day they played a bunch of tracks and I shot video and photo and got some great stuff.  Day two they worked a LOT on mic placement for drums, but got some great tones.  Then started tracking.  I also sat down with each Dustin, Teppei, Ed, and Riley to do a little interview action about the recording process and stuff.  The next day was more tracking, lots of shooting with Dustin writing, and helping Teppei's kid dig for slugs and scare Dustin with them.  It was the break I needed, and it was really crazy to be hanging with them shooting.  The stuff came out amazingly, a few samples below.

SXSW09

So this blog started about a year ago when I got confirmation for SXSW08.  In that time I've been slower than I wanted to be at posting updates but I've been at about one a week.  Expect that to step up this year.  I've got a lot going, starting with heading back to Austin in a few weeks to cover SXSW09.  It's an amazing time and I really enjoy catching up with friends from around the country at one week long party.  It's going to be sweet.

Music photography in Chicago

I LOVE Chicago, but shooting music (concerts and bands) in the city is quite the chore.  Sometimes I wish I lived in a minor market where I'd be the only photog.  A lot of shows these days are stacked with photographers.  Although with all that competition it forces photographers to really step up their game and deliver the best photographs they can.

good times

Some people mock me for it, but in a past life I was a HUGE dave matthews band fan.  Well, it's not so much a past life as I haven't really liked an album in a while.  However I've maintained my fan club membership since seating is based on seniority, and I make it out to a show or two every year.  I caught their show in Chicago on Friday and it was GREAT.  It's rare to see a band have so much fun on stage.  They're just out their playing what they want and having their friends come out with them.  It's great to see.  Even if you're not the biggest fan, you have a great time.

SXSW d3

Soooooooooooo I'm back from SX but I'll be updating some things a little late.  Day 3 started out slooooow.  After 2 solid days of walking around, drinking, going to bed late, and getting up early for panels I was already exhausted.  And it seemed like they fucked something up and didn't book any solid shows for the afternoon.  So carl had moved into the driskil on 6th and we crashed there for a little bit before heading out.  I was trying to catch The Frantic bc I like them a lot and their label guy is cool.  I swung by their venue but I knew I couldn't shoot bc it was SO dark and Carl txted me and said Cool Kids' line was getting out of control.  So I rolled over there early. The thing about sx is you discover bands when you least expect it.  We showed up to cool kids and they were running late and there were still 2 bands before them.  The first of those two went on and it was AMAZING.  They're a band from the UK called Does It Offend You, Yeah?  And they kick ass.  You've got to check this video out:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIR5y9jksgI  they were amazing and really nice guys.  Prob my fav band of sxsw.  After them was Flosstradamous (sp?) and it was okay.  Then Cool Kids came out and owned.  These guys are from the Chi but i've never seen them before.  If you get the chance you should.  After that we talked out way into Paramore (carl didn't have a badge or wristband).  And then The Hush Sound (we had purevolume passes but it was at capacity).  I shot that and then went outside and at the bar next door was my second fav band of sx: Dan Le Sac VS Scroobius Pip They're awesome.  Check em out.

The plan

Soooooooo, as expected my sxsw plan changed shortly before the trip.  I scored a sweet hotel only 4 miles from downtown yesterday and a friend of mine is now riding down with me.  I got a bunch more conf over the weekend including what seems like the place with the most consistent great shows the Pure Volume Ranch.  And I got my Paste/Stereogum lam in the mail on Saturday.  I've got a ton of stuff to tie up at the office before I bounce but it's going to be another rad trip to austin.  Stay tuned for the details.