Tag: ink & iron

Nick Waterhouse | Ink-N-Iron | 6/7/14 [PHOTOS & VIDEO]

When retro-soul is done right, I love it. Last year, I was unable to catch Nick Waterhouse’s concert on the Santa Monica Pier. When I heard that he was scheduled to perform at Ink-N-Iron, I was thrilled. Some may argue that a “kid” in his mid-twenties, couldn’t possibly know about retro-soul. I’d have to disagree with them.

Dressed in a dapper suit, and his trademark Buddy Holly glasses, Nick Waterhouse and his full band took to the stage and the anxious crowd roared. They had waited eagerly to hear some music that harkened back vintage 50 and 60s soul, and they got it

Accompanied by backing vocalists, horns, drum, keys and bass, Nick managed and conducted his band through a set of music that really breathed a new kind of funk into the retro-soul genre. The only thing “modern” about the set were the iPads that the horns used for their setlist and (I’m assuming) score.

The band was terrific. Obviously a tightly knit group of players, each instrumentalist played off each other with the kind of synchronicity you would expect from a seasoned Motown band. Hidden in the not so apparent details, Nick Waterhouse’s musicality was on full display. His orchestration, and his musical arrangements, was proof positive to me that his retro-soul sound is no fluke. He may be young, but he’s got it, and he’s got it in spades.

I loved the set. I was grooving in my spot the entire time, and looking around to see how others were reacting, everyone… and I mean everyone … was doing the same. Towards the end of the set, uninvited concert goers even snuck their way onstage to dance and groove to the music. I seriously look forward to hearing- and seeing- more music from him.

I couldn’t find a setlist of his set online, so if you attended the event and know what his setlist was, please post it in the comments, and I’ll add it to the post.

I’m particularly proud of some of the photos I took during Nick’s set. I hope you enjoy them too.

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The Damned | Ink-N-Iron |6/7/14 [PHOTOS & VIDEO]

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Formed the year I was born, 1976, The Damned are a rock band from London, England. I was particularly interested in checking out there set as they are known to be one of the forerunners of the “gothic” music genre: a music style that is a mix of post-punk and alternative rock. I was especially excited that they were playing Ink-N-Iron because I couldn’t recall the last time they toured the United States.

Though their line-up has changed up over the course of their existence, three of their original members performed on this night on the Queen Mary: lead singer Dave Vanian, guitarist Captain Sensible and keyboardist Monty Oxymoron.

Dave Vanian’s performance was particularly impressive. His dark (dressed in black, with sunglasses and gloves) and mysterious stage presence was quite a contrast from Lee Ving’s performance. He performance demonstrated an understated bravado that really demonstrated, to me, a terrific command of the stage.

The audience, who had just before been moshing with reckless, and violent, abandon the set before, was now bouncing about with more fun and freedom. 37 years after they had formed, it appeared to me that they still had plenty in the tank, with their classically punk attitude in full form.

I couldn’t find a setlist of their set online, so if you attended the event and know what their setlist was, please post it in the comments, and I’ll add it to the post.

Immediately below are some videos I found of The Briefs performing at the festival and also the Ink-N-Iron pre-party. If you know of any other videos that are online, please post the link below in the comments so that I can add it to the playlist.

 

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Fear | Ink-N-Iron |6/7/14 [PHOTOS & VIDEO]

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California hardcore punk took shape in the late 70s and early 80s. Heavier and more abrasive than regular punk rock, bands like Black Flag, the Circle Jerks and Fear were the seminal bands that helped paved the way that particular sound and style. Fear’s music and live show is known to be aggressive and confrontational . Their performance on Saturday Night Live back in 1981 is the stuff of legend, as they invited a pack of skinhead slam-dancers on-stage resulting in costly studio damage and even on-mike profanity. That story alone was enough to make me curious enough to catch their set.

I got the stage after the band had already started, but I’m glad that I wasn’t up close to snap pictures. Mosh pits had formed and I’m assuming that either me, or my equipment, could have easily been broken. lol.

Fronting the band is Lee Ving; the only original member of band since its formation in the late 70s. His sharp tongue and vocal thrashing of the mic was still on par. For a man in his mid-60s, his band’s music elicited from the crowd a teenage abandon of angst and straight up punk. Just watching the swirling pits got my juices flowing.

I couldn’t find a setlist of their set online, so if you attended the event and know what their setlist was, please post it in the comments, and I’ll add it to the post.

Immediately below are some videos I found of The Briefs performing at the festival and also the Ink-N-Iron pre-party. If you know of any other videos that are online, please post the link below in the comments so that I can add it to the playlist.

 




 

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The Briefs | Ink-N-Iron |6/7/14 [PHOTOS & VIDEO]

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The Briefs are a punk rock band from Seattle, Washington. Critics have described their  brand of punk rock as a throwback to 70’s British punk and early 80’s L.A. bands. However you may want to classify them, their music rocks.

I tried doing some research about the band before the festival to learn more about them, but other than their Wikipedia entry and their Facebook Fan Page, there wasn’t much press I could find about them. Based on what I could glean, the band took a little hiatus sometime around 2007 as one of their members joined a new band.

Notwithstanding the little info I could find about them, and based on what I watched and listened to on youtube, I decided I’d check them out. I’m glad I did.

Rapid power chord progressions with catchy hooks, and performed with a cocksure attitude, these guys were a fun kind of punk that really got me ramped up. I may not have been keen on their lyrics (as I was basically being  exposed to their music for the first time), but what I heard was good enough for me to make me want to check out there music some more.

I couldn’t find a setlist of their set online, so if you attended the event and know what their setlist was, please post it in the comments, and I’ll add it to the post.

Immediately below are some videos I found of The Briefs performing at the festival and also the Ink-N-Iron pre-party. If you know of any other videos that are online, please post the link below in the comments so that I can add it to the playlist.

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

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Hopeless Jack and the Handsome Devil | Ink-N-Iron | 6/7/14 [PHOTOS & VIDEO]

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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.

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Hopeless Jack and the Handsome Devil | Ink-N-Iron | 6/6/14 [PHOTOS & VIDEO]

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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.

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

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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.

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

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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.

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

 

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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!

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

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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

  1. Ray Campi
  2. Wanda Jackson
  3. Merle Haggard
  4. Hopeless Jack and the Handsome Devil

June 7, 2014

  1. Hopeless Jack and the Handsome Devil– yup, I saw ’em twice
  2. The Briefs
  3. Fear
  4. The Damned
  5. 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. 😉

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