Concerts – Page 32

Merle Haggard | Ink-N-Iron | 6/6/14 [PHOTOS & VIDEO]

CLICK HERE TO SEE OTHER ACTS I WAS ABLE TO CATCH AT INK-N-IRON

Merle Ronald Haggard revolutionized country music when he and his band, The Strangers, developed the Bakersfield Sound in the 1950s; a style of country music that was born in Bakersfield, California. Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1994, he has continued to record and release music since, and at the ripe age of 77, he put on a show at Ink-N-Iron that proved why his music, and sound, has withstood the test of time.

Now, I may not have the greatest knowledge of country music, but listening to him sing a song like “Workin’ Man Blues”, and other songs that reach out to the common man and their daily life, really left an impression on me. Just him and his band playing music for the people.

He played both his guitar and his fiddle, and his voice seemed unaffected by age. In fact, I’d even say that at his age, his voice, based on the early recordings of him that I happen to have on iTunes, has only matured like a fine wine. Definitely smoothed out and in control.

If someone is going to open my ears to a different kind of country other than Rascal Flatts, I’m happy to report that Merle just may have done it. Hell, if a living legend couldn’t do it, then I don’t know who could have.

I couldn’t find a setlist online, so if anybody knows what songs he performed, and the order that he performed them in, let me know in the comments, and I’ll add it there.

CLICK HERE TO SEE OTHER ACTS I WAS ABLE TO CATCH AT INK-N-IRON

June 24, 2014June 24, 2014 by dklee13 Categories: ConcertsTags: Bakersfield Sound, California, California Country, concert, Concert Footage, Concert Photo, Concert Photographer, Concert Photography, concert photos, concert review, Concert Vid, concert video, Country, country music, Country Music Hall Of Fame, ink & iron, ink and iron, Ink-N-Iron, Merle Haggard, Merle Ronald Haggard, queen mary, Review, Workin' Man Blues Leave a comment

Wanda Jackson | Ink-N-Iron | 6/6/14 [PHOTOS]

CLICK HERE TO SEE OTHER ACTS I WAS ABLE TO CATCH AT INK-N-IRON

Wanda Lavonne Jackson is known to many as the “Queen of Rockabilly” or the “First Lady of Rockabilly”. An accomplished singer, songwriter, pianist and guitarist, the success that she had during the 50s and 60s paved the way not only for women, but also for rock and roll and country music genres; and she is duly recognized by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an “Early Influence”.

I was able to get up front for her performance, joining a mixed-age crowd. It didn’t surprise me that she was able to pull kids who couldn’t have been out of their teens to her show. After all, one of her more recent albums, 2009’s “The Party Ain’t Over” was produced by Jack White (which, by the way, was her first album to break into the Billboard Top 200, peaking at number 58.

When the lights dimmed, and the band started playing, I could see a small woman in a flamboyant, pink top make her way downstage. The crowd cheered loudly as their heroine took her steps forward, and when she addressed the crowd with a, “Hello,” the concert hall within the Queen Mary erupted.

Though in her mid 70’s, Wanda Jackson, like Ray Campi, gave a performance with such attitude and passion, that I could only imagine what she would have been like back during her hey-day. She yodeled, she growled, and she punched out notes like a pro, and the audience ate up every second of it … as long as they weren’t singing along with her.

In between songs, she would tell some stories as a segue into what she would perform next. She spoke adoringly about her brief time “dating” (“If you called it that,” as she noted) Elvis before vamping into Heartbreak Hotel. She reminisced about her experience making music with Jack White and the “disagreement” she had with the uber producer about covering Amy Winehouse’s “You Know I’m No Good” before singing it.

I loved watching Wanda Jackson perform. I loved the way she interacted with the audience, marveling at their youth, and even joking about their hair color and body piercings. I loved watching the look in her eyes when the youthful crowd sang along to her classic tunes.

Towards the end of her set, she reached out to those of her fans that were lined up at the front; shaking/holding whatever outstretched hand that was reaching out to her. I reached out as well, and when she grasped my hand, and mouthed, “Thank you,” while looking into my eyes, it was a moment I’ll not soon forget.

I couldn’t find a setlist of the songs that she performed online, but I did take a picture of it (which I know isn’t the correct order, as the “You Know I”m No Good” isn’t even listed, which is included in the photographs below. If you were there, and know the order of the songs performed, please let me know and I’ll add it here.

CLICK HERE TO SEE OTHER ACTS I WAS ABLE TO CATCH AT INK-N-IRON

June 19, 2014June 19, 2014 by dklee13 Categories: ConcertsTags: c, concert, Concert Footage, Concert Photo, Concert Photographer, Concert Photography, concert photos, concert review, Country, country music, First Lady, First Lady of Rockabilly, ink & iron, ink and iron, Ink-N-Iron, Jack White, Queen, queen mary, Queen of Rockabilly, Review, rock & roll, rock and roll, rockabilly, The Party Ain't Over, Wanda Jackson, Wanda Lavonne Jackson Leave a comment

Ray Campi | Ink-N-Iron | 6/6/14 [PHOTOS & VIDEO]

CLICK HERE TO SEE OTHER ACTS I WAS ABLE TO CATCH AT INK-N-IRON

Ray Campi is often called The King of Rockabilly. At 80 years old, at Ink-N-Iron, he proved it.

Ray’s legacy in music started in 1944 and has touched numerous genres. From folk to country to rock and roll, Ray has had his trademark double bass sound immortalized on recordings with legends like Bill Haley, Buddy Holly and Gene Vincent.

I was amazed with his vitality on stage. He plucked his double bass with the kind a youthful fervor reserved for young rockers in their early twenties. The passion in him truly left an indelible impression on me.

In between songs, he would sprinkle in some stories about his life in music, but he really opened up when he talked about his other career … as a high-school teacher. He joked that we could all be his students (the crowd seemed relatively young, with an average age being- my best guess- in the mid to late twenties). Truth is, he wasn’t that far off. I think I can speak on everybody’s behalf when I say that we all learned this: Age ain’t nothin’ but a number. Ray Campi is proof of that.

I couldn’t find a setlist of his performance at Ink-N-Iron, so if you happen to know what he performance, let me know in the comments, and I’ll add it later. Thanks!

CLICK HERE TO SEE OTHER ACTS I WAS ABLE TO CATCH AT INK-N-IRON

June 18, 2014June 19, 2014 by dklee13 Categories: ConcertsTags: Bill Haley, Buddy Holly, concert, Concert Footage, Concert Photo, Concert Photographer, Concert Photography, concert photos, concert review, Country, country music, double bass, double bass sound, folk, folk music, Gene Vincent, ink & iron, ink and iron, Ink-N-Iron, Ray Campi, ray campi videos, Review, rock & roll, rock and roll, rockabilly Leave a comment

Chet Faker | The Roxy | 5/29/14 [PHOTOS]

Nicholas Jame Murphy is Chet Faker, and chicks dig him. After hearing a couple of cuts from his latest album “Built on Glass” on NPR- God bless public radio- I scoured the internet to listen to more of his work. I was instantly hooked. To me, his take on electronic music reminded me of James Blake with a more soulful edge. When I heard he was wrapping his U.S. tour with a performance at The Roxy, I jumped at purchasing tickets as soon as they went on sale. Tickets for the show went so fast that The Roxy added scheduled another concert earlier in the week to accommodate the high demand.

Chet Faker is a producer, and his performance was, for the most part, just him, his console and his keyboard. For a couple of songs throughout his set, he brought on additional musicians (a guitarist and drummer) to fill out the sound, but in the dimly lit venue, it was essentially just him and the audience. Some reviews suggest that his performance was perhaps not best suited for a live setting, but I think that sentiment needs a qualifier.

Perhaps if he was performing at the Hollywood Bowl, or a venue whose capacity exceeds 1000, the performance could have used a full band or better stage design (i.e. lighting and effects), but we’re taking about the Roxy Theatre here (an intimate venue whose capacity is only 500), and in my opinion, the intimate setting, coupled with the intimate music, with the artist performing alone to the audience, was completely appropriate, and really the only way Chet should have be introduced to his legion of new fans for the first time. In fact, I thought his cover of Jeff Buckley’s “I Want Someone Badly” (the highlight of the show for me, considering that Jeff Buckley is a major favorite of mine) could have only performed by himself.

Speaking of fans, they were a mix of crazed young females who occasionally screamed, “I want to lick your beard,” to drunk frat boys who were trying to flirt with the girls who were fixated on main act. I could have done with the loud drunk frat boys (ok, maybe not frat boys … but definitely college aged kiddies who had no concept of how to handle their booze) as I actually had a 5 second stare down to get one of them to shut the hell up during one of the songs, but the show was everything good that I anticipated.

Chet Faker is scheduled to perform at the sold-out FYF Fest in Los Angeles, August 23rd, and I am able to find- god, willing- a tickets, I’ll be anxious to see how his set then compares to what I saw at The Roxy.

Edit this setlist | More Chet Faker setlists

The photos below were taken with a DSLR camera. As per usual at The Roxy, I found it difficult to get the shots I wanted with the equipment that I have. I’ll master my gear eventually … hopefully … lol.

I could only find one video of Chet Faker’s performance at the Roxy, so I included some other videos of his live performance for your viewing pleasure. If you know of another video clip of Chet Faker performing at The Roxy, please let me know in the comments so I can add it to the post.

June 18, 2014 by dklee13 Categories: ConcertsTags: 1998, Australia, Built On Glass, Chet Faker, concert, Concert Photo, Concert Photography, concert photos, concert pic, concert pics, concert review, I Want Someone Badly, I Want Someone Badly Cover, jeff Buckley, Jeff Buckley cover, kcrw, Live Music, Nicholas Jame Murphy, Nick Murphy, NPR, Review, Roxy Capacity, Roxy Theatre, set list, setlist, sounds like James Blake, sounds like Tom Krell, the roxy Leave a comment

Ink-N-Iron Festival | The Queen Mary | 6/6/14 – 6/7/14

For the past eleven years, The Queen Mary has been the host of the annual Ink-N-Iron Festival: a weekend inspired by a culture of tats and cars, embodied in their display of pristine vintage cars, three levels of tattoo artists booths, live music, burlesque acts, art displays … you name it, they’ve got it.

I first got turned onto the festival last year to catch a band from Texas that I really like, Girl In A Coma. Even though I don’t sport any ink on my person, I really enjoyed the whole vibe of the festival. It was clean, the people were all courteous, it was a family affair, tickets were reasonably priced ($80 for a weekend pass) … and the music rocked.

When I saw the line-up this year, I jumped on getting a ticket. Although I couldn’t attend the festival on Sunday due to work obligations, I was able to catch a whole bunch of quality acts while hanging out with friends, old and new. Below is the list of the acts that I was able to see perform. To see the pictures that I was able to snap (and video embeds of the performances I could find online) of each of the bands that performed, CLICK THE NAME of the act to get redirected to the blog entry.

June 6, 2014

June 7, 2014

Hopeless Jack and the Handsome Devil– yup, I saw ’em twice
The Briefs
Fear
The Damned
Nick Waterhouse

In the meantime, below are some of the pictures that I snapped from the festival. I would have included more pictures from the burlesque show, but I’m trying to keep this blog PG rated. 😉

June 17, 2014July 6, 2014 by dklee13 Categories: ConcertsTags: cars, concert, Concert Footage, Concert Photo, Concert Photographer, Concert Photography, concert reivew, custom cars, Fear, Hopeless jack, Hopeless Jack and the Handsome Devil, ink & iron, ink and iron, Ink-N-Iron, Lee Ving, Merle Haggard, music festival, music festival in long beach, Nick Waterhouse, punk rock, queen mary, Ray Campi, rock and roll, rockabilly, tatoos, tattoo, tattoo festival, tattoos, The Briefs, The Damned, The Queen Mary, vintage cars, Wanda Jackson Leave a comment

The 28th Annual JazzReggae Festival | UCLA | May 25th & 26th [PHOTOS]

Every Memorial Day weekend for the past 28 years, UCLA has hosted a music festival called the JazzReggae Festival. Originally, the first day was devoted to Jazz and the second day was devoted Reggae. Though the first day has morphed to a “Jam” day, the festival has always been able to pull in outstanding talent for the price of admission. If you are ever in Los Angeles during the Memorial Day weekend, and looking to enjoy a music festival at an extremely reasonable price, I suggest that you check out the lineup to see if any artists you like are on the bill.

Armed with a photo pass for the event, I was able to take pictures of the artists listed below. Click on the link to check them out!

May 25th, 2014:

May 26th, 2014

June 12, 2014 by dklee13 Categories: ConcertsTags: 213, 420, acid jazz, alternative soul, band, billie jean, black eagles, Black Uhuru, bob marley, california gurls, Caribbean music, Christopher A. Smith, Coachella 2014, concert, Concert Photo, Concert Photography, concert photos, concert pic, concert pics, concert review, Concert Vid, concert video, cover, denroy morgan, Derrick Duckie Simpson, Derrick Gong Simpspon, disco, Drop It Like It's Hot, Earl Sweatshir, Electronica, Emergency on Planet Earth, Feel Good, Frank Ocean, funk, funk music, GAP band, Gin & Juice, Gin and juice, Grammy Awards, gramps morgan, gramps morgan concert, gramps morgan photo, Here Comes The King, hip hop, hip hop soul, hollywood, I need a dollar, I'm a Stoner, Irie, jamaica, jamiroquai, jazz, Kevin Lyttle, kevin lyttle concert, kevin lyttle photos, Ky-Mani Marley, Kymani Marley, late ’90s neo-soul, left field hip hop, Live Music, live review, Lodi Dodi, Matt Martians, Memorial Day, Memorial Day Weekend, Michael Rose, music festival, neo soul, Odd Future, OFWGKTA, Outstanding, P.I.M.P., Patrick Paige, Purple Naked Ladies, R&B, rap, Rasta, reggae, Reggae Legend, Reggae Legends, reggae music, reincarnated, robbie shakespeare, Sandra "Puma" Jones, setlist, sly dunbar, Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, snoop, snoop dogg, snoop doggy dogg, So Fly, soca, soca artist, soca music, solo reggae singer, Soul Calypso, Syd the Kyd, Tay Walker, The Internet, the man, Trinidad and Tobago, trip hop, Tyler The Creator, UCLA, UCLA Jazz Reggae Festival, Vincentian, wake me up, We’re Too Young To Die, Weed, west coast hip hop, west coast rap, Who is Black Uhuru, who is gramps morgan, zouk Leave a comment

Ky-Mani Marley | UCLA Jazz Reggae Fest | 5/26/14 [PHOTOS]

Bob Marley had a number of children. The Bob Marley official website acknowledges eleven children. Of those eleven, 7 of them are musicians. One of them closed out UCLA’s Jazz Reggae Festival: Ky-Mani Marley.

Ky-Mani’s set was filled with the good vibes that everybody who came to the festival expected. It was also a family affair. No, none of Bob’s other siblings dropped by for an unexpected performance, but Ky-Mani did have his son join him onstage for a song or two, infusion a little hip-hop into the reggae dominant set.

Fans left the festival feeling irie, the way it should be. UCLA did a good job of procuring talent for the Memorial Day weekend. Hopefully next year’s lineup will be equally impressive.

I couldn’t find a setlist for Ky-Mani Marley’s performance at this event online, so if anybody happens to know what it was, please post it in the comments so that I can add it into this post. Thanks!

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT OTHER ARTISTS I WAS ABLE TO SNAP PICTURES OF AT THE FESTIVAL!

June 12, 2014June 12, 2014 by dklee13 Categories: ConcertsTags: bob marley, concert, Concert Photo, Concert Photography, concert photos, concert pic, concert pics, concert review, Concert Vid, concert video, Irie, jamaica, Ky-Mani Marley, Kymani Marley, live review, Rasta, reggae, reggae music, setlist, solo reggae singer, UCLA, UCLA Jazz Reggae Festival Leave a comment

Black Uhuru | UCLA Jazz Reggae Fest | 5/26/14 [PHOTOS]

If you are into reggae, there are two acts you need to know: Bob Marley and Black Uhuru.

Black Uhuru is a Jamaican reggae group that was founded back in 1972. Though the lineup has changed over the years, there is still one original member still playing with the band: Derrick “Duckie” Simpson. Though perhaps not as beloved as Bob Marley, music lovers need to know that Black Uhuru won the first Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 1985 and really raised the profile of reggae music to new levels back in the 1980s.

When I heard that they were playing at the UCLA Jazz Reggae Festival, I knew that I had to seem them while “Duckie” was still fronting the band (To note, Derrick changed his name to Derrick “Gong” Simpson”). To be honest, it’s one of those opportunities that I, as a music lover, needed to take advantage of. Not to be morbid or anything, but if I’m going to see a band that’s had such an impact on music, generally, I at least want to see them perform with at least on of the original member on vocals.

I can only imagine what it would have been like to see the line-up of Derrick, Michael Rose, Sandra “Puma” Jones, Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare performing their hits back in the mid-80s, but at this point, in 2014, I’ll take what I can get. To be up close to the stage to see one of the reggae’s major influences performing was something that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.

I couldn’t find a setlist for Black Uhuru’s performance at this event online, so if anybody happens to know what it was, please post it in the comments so that I can add it into this post. Thanks!

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT OTHER ARTISTS I WAS ABLE TO SNAP PICTURES OF AT THE FESTIVAL!

June 11, 2014June 12, 2014 by dklee13 Categories: ConcertsTags: black eagles, Black Uhuru, concert, Concert Photo, Concert Photography, concert photos, concert pic, concert pics, concert review, Concert Vid, concert video, denroy morgan, Derrick Duckie Simpson, Derrick Gong Simpspon, Grammy Awards, gramps morgan, Irie, jamaica, live review, Michael Rose, Rasta, reggae, Reggae Legend, Reggae Legends, reggae music, robbie shakespeare, Sandra "Puma" Jones, setlist, sly dunbar, Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, solo reggae singer, UCLA, UCLA Jazz Reggae Festival, Who is Black Uhuru Leave a comment

Gramps Morgan | UCLA Jazz Reggae Fest | 5/26/14 [PHOTOS]

Roy “Gramps” Morgan has reggae music in his blood. After all, Denroy Morgan, a founding member of the Black Eagles, is his father. Though he’s only release two albums, his most recent album, “Reggae Music Lives”, was well received and peaked at #12 on the Billboard Top Reggae Albums list.

His set was was filled with passion and he definitely had the crowd vibing off of his energy.

I couldn’t find a setlist for Gramps Morgan’s performance at this event online, so if anybody happens to know what it was, please post it in the comments so that I can add it into this post. Thanks!

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT OTHER ARTISTS I WAS ABLE TO SNAP PICTURES OF AT THE FESTIVAL!

June 10, 2014June 12, 2014 by dklee13 Categories: ConcertsTags: black eagles, concert, Concert Photo, Concert Photography, concert photos, concert pic, concert pics, concert review, Concert Vid, concert video, denroy morgan, disco, gramps morgan, gramps morgan concert, gramps morgan photo, live review, rap, reggae, reggae music, setlist, solo reggae singer, Soul Calypso, Trinidad and Tobago, UCLA, UCLA Jazz Reggae Festival, who is gramps morgan Leave a comment

Kevin Lyttle | UCLA Jazz Reggae Fest | 5/26/14 [PHOTOS]

Kevin Lyttle is a Vincentian soca artist who had a worldwide hit back in 2004 with his collaboration with Spragga Benz on a track called “Turn Me On”. Soca, also known as Soul Calypso [SOul CAlypso], is a style of Caribbean music originating in Trinidad and Tobago. It is a style of music that incorporates elements of disco, rap, reggae and zouk. Kevin’s first album went gold, and his last full length studio album was released in August 2012.

His set was the perfect appetizer for the rest of the day. His music, with its rhythmic and danceable beat had the crowd moving to the beat.

I couldn’t find a complete setlist for Kevin Lyttle’s performance at this event online, so if anybody happens to know what it was, please post it in the comments so that I can add it into this post. Thanks!