I always love hitting up venues that I’ve never been to before. I like them even more when bands that I love play there. Continue reading
Tag: blues rock
Hopeless Jack & the Handsome Devil | Redwood Bar | 10/21/14 [Photos, Videos & Tacos]
There’s aren’t many bands that’d I’d see four times in one year. Hopeless Jack & the Handsome Devil is the only one that I’ll have on my list this year.
Not only are they really cool dudes, but their music also rocks. This year, I saw them twice at Ink-N-Iron and personally arranged for them to play a gig at the Garage. When they told me they had a weekday gig in downtown L.A., I didn’t hesitate to put it in my calendar.
I get pumped to see these guys live, because they have an absurd amount of stage presence. From Jack growling into the microphone, wildly dancing while jamming killer riffs, to Pete’s eye’s menacing, almost possessed, look while he smashes the drums, these guys, at least to me, embody rock and roll. As a wanna-be photographer, getting chances to shoot bands like this is a thrill. If I can capture a moment of the pure, unrelenting joy that these guys perform with … that’s something that would make my day.
I got to the venue a little early, and the fellas were our front hanging in their tour van. Jack was greeting friends and Pete was munching on a slice of pie from California Pizza Kitchen. I told Pete that I liked some of their pizzas, and he told me that he never realized that California Pizza Kitchen was an actual restaurant. He always assumed that it was just a frozen pizza. I got a chuckle out of that.
Set times were running a little late, and friends, fans and the band were getting antsy. Jack, while puffing on a cigarette, was already making plans for after the set.
“Tacos, man,” Jack said while flicking out his smoke, “I need tacos.” Taking recommendations from friends, he already had location in mind. In a Pavlovian kind-a-way, I started craving tacos too.
Got to meet some of Jack and Pete’s friends, including a photographer named Jason who was touring with the band as a friends and roadie. This was one of the dope pics he took at the gig.
The light was dim and I had put pump the ISO on my camera (even though I know that the pics always come out noisy at a high ISO with my old-ass camera), but I still think I got a couple decent shots.
Again, they rocked (check out the video clips below).
After they had packed, the band, and some of the fans, made a short trip to the late-night taco stand. While waiting to order L.A. deliciousness, we noted a multi-storied, retro-fitted building across the street that was for lease. We started talking about what we would do if we could afford to buy the classic looking building. As we sipped on horchata, and devoured out grub, we fantasized about which floor would be rooms and which floor would be the studio … but I think we were all in agreement about having the ground floor be a performance venue/club.
Dreams and tacos. A perfect end to a terrific night of rock-and roll.
Do yourself and follow them on Facebook. You’ll want to catch their live show if they end up in your neck of the woods.
VIDEOS
Heartless Bastards | Way Over Yonder | Santa Monica Pier | 9/27/14 [Photos]
To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At Way Over Yonder, CLICK HERE!
THE ACT: Heartless Bastards | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
SOUNDS LIKE:
THOUGHTS: I was really looking forward to seeing/hearing Heartless Bastards live, but sound problems at the start of their set didn’t really give me a chance really appreciate what I know this band is capable of. Granted, I only stayed for the first half of their set (I had to photograph another artist whose set had started) and, as you can tell from the Instagram video clips bellows (that I filmed as I was walking to the other state) their sound issues did get better. But, I think I’ll reserved my opinions … until I can catch them in concert again.
PHOTOS:
VIDEO CLIPS:
To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At Way Over Yonder, CLICK HERE!
Lenny Goldsmith | Way Over Yonder | Santa Monica Pier | 9/27/14 [Photos]
To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At Way Over Yonder, CLICK HERE!
THE ACT: Lenny Goldsmith | Facebook | History
SOUNDS LIKE:
THOUGHTS: Though I typically do my research before attending festivals, I didn’t do so with this year’s Way Over Yonder because I, for the most part, knew a majority of the acts that were scheduled to perform. One of the artist’s that I really had no clue about was Lenny Goldsmith. When I walked into the carousel stage area, I noticed and elderly gentleman seated behind a keyboard, back by a full band and background vocalists. I was at first skeptical of what I was about to hear, that changed as soon as he started singing. Soulful blues music filled the room and I quickly pulled my phone out to see who this man was. It turns out Lenny has had quite the history in the music industry: fronting several bands and performing records that were Billboard #1 singles, mentored by Clive Davis, was, for a time, the lead signer of Tower of Power, it all made sense. I couldn’t stay for his entire performance, but I was glad I was able to hear what I heard.
PHOTOS:
VIDEO CLIPS:
To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At Way Over Yonder, CLICK HERE!
The Barr Brothers | Way Over Yonder | Santa Monica Pier | 9/27/14 [Photos]
To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At Way Over Yonder, CLICK HERE!
THE ACT: The Barr Brothers | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
SOUNDS LIKE:
THOUGHTS: The first band that I was able to catch perform on the second day of Way Over Yonder was the Canadian folk quartet The Barr Brothers. Their acoustic sound was a pleasure to listen to during the mid-afternoon, especially with Sarah Page playing the harp on a number of selections. I mean … how often do you get to see a harp played on stage at a non-classical concert? I was particularly impressed with their instrumental arrangements and musicality.
PHOTOS:
VIDEO CLIPS:
To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At Way Over Yonder, CLICK HERE!
Cold War Kids | Sunset Strip Music Festival | 9/20/14 [Photos]
To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At The Sunset Strip Music Festival, CLICK HERE!
THE ACT: Cold War Kids | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
SOUNDS LIKE:
THOUGHTS: Honestly speaking, I’m not very well versed in Cold War Kids discography. I was a big fan of their singles back in 2007, but for one reason I stopped following their music. Their set at the Sunset Strip Music Festival put them back on my radar. I still need to educate myself and get caught up on their catalog, but watching them perform “Hang Me Up To Dry” was all I needed to bring me back.
PHOTOS: The lighting was really tough do deal with. Because there were so many photographers, we were broken up into groups of two. I was stuck in group two, set to shoot songs 4 – 6. It looked like the lighting was going to be decent as I noticed bright, clear lights flashing throughout the opening of their set. By the time I got into the pit, the lighting design went predominantly purple. Oh well. I guess thems the breaks.
VIDEO CLIPS:
To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At The Sunset Strip Music Festival, CLICK HERE!
Little Hurricane | Way Over Yonder | Santa Monica Pier | 9/26/14 [Photos]
To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At Way Over Yonder, CLICK HERE!
THE ACT: Little Hurricane | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
SOUNDS LIKE:
THOUGHTS: This was one of my favorite sets at Way Over Yonder. This duo’s dirty blues rock was pretty damn awesome. They’ve got a little bit of a White Stripes vibe, except the drummer smiles a lot more. I definitely need to catch this band again when they’re up in Los Angeles performing.
PHOTOS:
VIDEO CLIPS:
To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At Way Over Yonder, CLICK HERE!
The Record Company | Echo Park Rising | 8/17/14
To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At Echo Park Rising, CLICK HERE.
THE ACT: The Record Company | Facebook | Twitter | Website
SOUNDS LIKE:
THOUGHTS: The Record Company. Seeing them perform at Echo Park Rising marks the 5th time I’ve seen them live the past year and a half. Needless to say, I’m a fan of their sound. You can read my thoughts about them here, and here, and here … and … here. A week after Echo Park Rising, I was at First City Festival when another photographer stopped to compliment The Record Company t-shirt I was wearing and agreed that they were a hell of a band. If you are a fan of blues rock, you should probably check them out.
To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At Echo Park Rising, CLICK HERE.
Hopeless Jack and the Handsome Devil | Ink-N-Iron | 6/7/14 [PHOTOS & VIDEO]
CLICK HERE TO SEE OTHER ACTS I WAS ABLE TO CATCH AT INK-N-IRON
Fresh off their late-night gig in the Queen Mary’s bar the night before, Hopeless Jack and the Handsome Devil took to one of the main stages at the festival to bring their raucous sound to the masses. I could recognize faces from the night before, and they filled the previously empty hall with the others who joined in to catch them play.
Their performance from the night before must have been a warm up, cause they took it up a notch for their late afternoon set, and tore the stage up. Their music was loud and rocking; their energy relentless and unstoppable. As they played their set, more and more people kept trickling into the room. Clearly, it was the music that was drawing them in.
Now, I love taking pictures, but I’m far from a “professional”. I still tinker with settings during sets, and I end up taking tons of pictures – thank god there’s digital, or I’d be spending a years salary on film. I’ll kick myself in the ass every once in a while when I miss a shot. The featured shot of this blog post was a shot that I almost didn’t get. Granted, I had to mess with the photo’s setting to enhance certain aspects, but of all of the “imperfect” shots I’ve ever taken, this is one my favorites.
At that moment, the crowd was going nuts. It was the last song, and the crowd was whooping and hollering all throughout, watching the Handsome Devil standing over, and smashing, his drum kit. The finale reached its climax when he mounted his drum kit- all while playing – and on the last beat, jumped into the sky. I could feel the room hold its breath. Everyone’s eyes were fixated on the tatted up drummer leap through the air, and there was a collective exhale when he landed, followed by instant cheers from fans old and new.
To me, that moment was surreal. This two man band commanded a stage that 10 piece bands had occupied the other day, and they filled the room with an insane energy that people couldn’t keep talking about after it was all said and done.
I overhead people in the audience proclaim,”That was the best thing I’ve seen in a while,” and “That’s got one of the best sets of the weekend”. I wasn’t going to disagree.
Follow them on Facebook. They’re my favorite band that you’ve never heard of. I want to see if I can change that.
CLICK HERE TO SEE OTHER ACTS I WAS ABLE TO CATCH AT INK-N-IRON
Hopeless Jack and the Handsome Devil | Ink-N-Iron | 6/6/14 [PHOTOS & VIDEO]
CLICK HERE TO SEE OTHER ACTS I WAS ABLE TO CATCH AT INK-N-IRON
The first time I saw Hopeless Jack and the Handsome Devil perform live, it was Ink-N-Iron in 2013. I saw them perform one other time since Ink-N-Iron 2013, so when I heard that they were playing TWO sets this year, I knew that I had to catch both of their sets.
The first set they played was a late night, after hours gig in one of the bars of the Queen Mary. In fact, it was so late night, that it was literally the last act to perform that day. Drunk festival goers who were lucky enough to book a room on the ship had all congregated to the bar to top off their buzz. They were in for a treat.
Hopeless Jack and the Handsome Devil ripped into their set and bar patrons took notice. Heads at the bar turned as soon as the loud blues/roots rock blasted through the speakers. The music must have attracted others from the down the halls of the legendary ship as more and more people kept filing into the room to join the party.
I spent most of their performance enjoying the show, so I didn’t take that much video or snap too many shots. I figured I’d make up for it, as they were going to be the first band that I checked out the next day.
Do yourself and follow them on Facebook. You’ll want to catch their live show if they end up in your neck of the woods.
CLICK HERE TO SEE OTHER ACTS I WAS ABLE TO CATCH AT INK-N-IRON
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