NO & Electric Guest @ The El Rey
NO//
Local Echo Park band with a brilliant EP release for free download found here. As one of my favorite local groups, I can’t wait to see how big these guys get in the next couple months. Many thanks to Bradley for having me at the show!
Electric Guest
of Montreal @ The Echoplex / Culture Collide
of Montreal
aka KEVIN BARNES
@ Culture Collide Festival, The Echoplex
proving why they are one of the best bands I know
Patrick Wolf @ The Bootleg Theater
retrospective.
@ The Troubadour, LA 2007
@ The El Rey, LA 2007
@ Slim’s, San Fran 2009
@ The Palladium, London 2009
@ Somerset House, London 2009
@ Santa Monica, LA 2010
@ Hollywood Forever, LA 2011
@ The Bootleg, LA 2012
@ Culture Collide, LA 2012
Patrick Wolf is celebrating 10 years of creating music and the release of Sundark and Riverlight. Being one of my favorite musicians, I was once again glad to take part in another memorable night. Here is to 10 more incredible years.
A few shots from the Culture Collide set is soon to follow.
Douglas and the Furs @ The Echo
It has been a long time coming for me to see this three piece group rock on a stage. I saw them play a few songs in their home studio back on New Years Eve, but then moved to Phoenix and had to watch from afar as they started booking show after show. So after months of waiting, I was pretty glad to see them play The Echo a few weeks back. I can’t say enough of these guys and the music they are making (regardless of personal bias). And though it may not fit in with my usual music genres, I have very little issue putting it on repeat.
Check them out and don’t miss the next show.
Facebook // Music // Music Video
HOTT MT // x2
Warning, these might be a little past due…
HOTT MT knows how to put on a show wherever they are. Check them out and I will see you at the next show.
@ Echo Park Rising
@ The Satellite
Echo Nights
Back in LA. Back at The Echo.
Wildcat! Wildcat! // Residency show with NO
the music
NO
the music
HOTT MT, EP Release Show // Pool Party
the music
More Photos
I’m Going to Graceland // Nashville
I spent a week with family in and around Nashville, falling in love with the south, and finally making the trip to Memphis, Tennessee. So, Nashville is officially added to the places I would love to live someday.
YΔCHT @ Crescent Ballroom
You know that thing when the concert photographer is singing along every word at a concert. Yea, me neither. But that was totally me at the Crescent Ballroom on Thursday night.
YACHT has been consistently one of my favorite bands since their release of Shangri-La and seeing how they masterfully perform live last fall at FYF Fest in LA and then again at Culture Collide Festival at The Echo.
Thank you so much Claire, Jona, and band for making Phoenix, AZ one of the last stops on your tour. Don’t go away for too long, see you in LA ☮Δ♥
The Head and The Heart @ Crescent Ballroom
Believe me when I say, this is a band to love. And keep on loving.
I first remember really listening to The Head and The Heart when visiting a friend in Seattle thanks to her love for their album- and I think it is a fitting memory considering they call the city their home. Since then I have had the pleasure of getting to know the band, helping out with an intimate house show, see them in festival mode at both FYF and Coachella, and play to a large Music Box crowd and now a smaller but wonderfully enthusiastic sold out Crescent Ballroom.
I am already looking forward to the next time our paths cross and I wish you all continued success.
Monika & Grant // Trash the Dress
I have learned this week that sometimes is it good to keep the wedding dress out of the closet.
I remember when Monika first found her dress, feeling that initial rush of joy, and then imagining what we could do to the dress after the wedding. Fast forward a year and luckily Monika was still up for the idea. Since fire was out of the question, we went with the next best natural element, water.
Monika and Grant tied their knots back in March and I was so blessed to be part of their long awaited day. These two have been great friends over the years and even more so now for letting me push them and their formal wear into the cold water of the Salt River.
Once again, thank you Monika and Grant for this shoot and for being two of the most beautiful people I know. Dream come true. Also, many thanks to my little sister Bethany who rocked the assistant role.
I realize that I have been a bit distant from this blog. The past couple months I have been working with a local music label, shooting concerts and managing the web blog presence. RJM Blog and RJM Facebook. It has been fun to keep up my concert photography in a new city and new venues.
Quick life update- Los Angeles is once again in sight and I will back calling the Golden State home before too long.
Elliot (and Bethany)// Senior Photos
Meet Elliot everyone, the Michael Cera look-a-like who has recently found a strong liking to my youngest sister and is soon to be graduated and on his way to musical studies at University of Arizona.
You can always count on theater kids to act like this in front of a camera.
Remember that Zac Efron look you weren’t going for? Yea, you nailed it.
And since she is my sister, Bethany took advantage of the situation and her new relationship status to put down the reflector and get in some photos as well.
Senior Photo Preview// Elliot
I couldn’t help but sneak this photo. Many more of this new face soon to follow…
The Polyphonic Spree @ Crescent Ballroom
So, originally I was tired after shooting senior photos all afternoon and decided against bringing my camera into the show for this one. But, one look at the confetti canons on either side of the Crescent Ballroom stage and I knew I would regret that decision.
This Dallas, Texas choral pop group has the ability and purpose to inject listeners with happiness and a strange desire to wear white choir robes. Behold the cult of The Polyphonic Spree.
Dr. Dog @ Crescent Ballroom
The boys of Dr. Dog came through Phoenix on Monday night and played to a sold out crowd at The Crescent Ballroom, a venue which by the way absolutely holds up to all the hype I have been hearing. I am seriously excited to have a venue like Crescent in the city and I can’t wait for the next show. That being said, Phoenix is in love with Dr. Dog, seriously I think everyone in the crowd knew every single word.
Purling Hiss from Philadelphia reminded me just how good rock music felt, I blame LA’s obsession with electronic music for how long it has been since I have seen guitar solos that wonderfully out of control.
Wedding// Grace & David
I was so excited to second shoot this January wedding with Bethany Cissel . David and Grace are an incredible rare couple with a visible love between them. Plus, not much can beat an outdoor forested wedding at the Oak Canyon Nature Center in Anaheim. Thanks for having me join in on this great day Beth!
YACHT @ The Echo
*Warning: this post is long overdue*
When you shoot a lot of concerts, there are a lot of forgettable nights but there are also those few performances that just can’t seem to forget. YACHT‘s show at The Echo was one of those nights. It was the second time I had fallen in love with the duo, after seeing them at FYF Festival earlier that year. Even now, I can’t stop listening to their album Shangri-La (if you haven’t listened to it, please do).
As a concert photographer, when I love the music and the stage performance, I tend to also love the images shot. I love music performers, you know the kind that don’t just sit there and just sing a set list of songs, but the people who really perform and prove that not only they love their music but so should you. With YACHT, I find nothing left wanting each time they take to a stage. I think the fact that these are photos that even after four months I find myself still loving, just goes to show how good this band is.
I was covering the show for the now sadly departed 138 Collective, which can still be found here.
Los Angeles, I miss you daily.
Wedding// Mackenzie & Anna for a New Years Eve in Shafter
Hello 2012 and hello February. When did that all happen? I have so many posts to catch you all up on and in time they will surface, I promise.
To start off the new year blogging, I am happy to show the wedding of good friend Mackenzie and his beautiful new wife Anna.
Mackenzie was a classmate throughout college and it was such an honor to be asked to document one of the best days of his life. The wedding day was on New Years Eve, what better way to celebrate a new year than have a wedding! Mackenzie and Anna, I wish you all the happiness in your new life together and many many more laughs.
Lots of thanks to Bethany Cissel for rocking the role of second shooter and roadtripping to Shafter on New Years Eve with me. And for a day of great images, these are a few of my favorite. Thanks girl.
New York City// Travel
Hello again! I seem to be unintentionally doing monthly photo updates…so here it is as promised, New York City.
I can’t explain how much I love visiting a city to explore the streets, the people, and the culture all while capturing it all. The challenge and fun of a big city is finding the small moments and revealing a sense of intimacy.
Yesterday I finally bought Leibovitz’s book “At Work” and opened the first page to read this, “Every single time I went out to take a picture was different. The circumstances were different. The place was different. The dynamics were different. Every single time. You never know what was going to unfold.” New York City proves this exactly, with a chance to see something new and different everywhere you turn.
#OccupyWallStreet // Photojournalism
Last week I visited the great New York City and couldn’t leave without stopping by Zuccotti Park and witnessing the origin of the Occupy movement. What I thought would be a quick visit, turned into a whole afternoon spent taking in everything happening in the small public square.
I talked to many individuals who had been camped out since the first week of the protesting, who had no intention of leaving. They had grown accustomed to this new life and their passion for the “cause” only seemed to be increased. The tented camp functioned like an organized city, with street names, stocked library, table top conversation area, meditation and silent protest circle, food kitchen, medical tent issuing flu shots, energy supplying bicycle riders, and most importantly, the barriers closing it off to the world.
All in all, although I am still not convinced Occupy has once unified message or summarize-able call to action, I am now convinced they don’t need one. Why not let the man trying to educate the world that cars can run on water protest as long as he wants? Or the man who wants to raise money to save all abandoned pets in New York. Or the girl just trying to get out of New York and get back home. Or the 65-year-old who is just happy to have another reason to bring out his vintage wardrobe and reminisce about the 60s…?
A little over 24 hours after I was in the park, police forces emptied Zuccotti Park and made hundreds of arrests to ensure that all Occupy residents were removed from the place they have called home these past few months…I am just glad I was able to spent a few hours among them. But like many told me…”the end of this story is far from over, we are just getting started, keep watching.”
More New York photos to follow soon…
Diving In// Portraits
As you may be or may not be aware, I love taking photos of my beautiful friend Chelsea (who is now engaged!). These were taken a while back in September when we decided to jump in the pool for a late night shoot.
Also, as usual, I am so so very behind on blogging. So, I decided I will just post completely randomly with pieces of the things me and my camera have been doing these past few months. So, keep your eyes out for them.
Active Child // Concerts @ The Echo
Last night I visited The Echo once again to see this man perform and realized I never shared these images. After seeing Active Child during their month-long residency in August, I literally couldn’t listen to anything else. And the more you listen to it, the better and better it gets. After a week of the album on repeat, I returned to see the last residency show the end of August and see them off on their album tour. Last night, the band returned home to L.A. and to The Echo and I wasn’t going to pass up the chance to see him again.
Pat Grossi is a musician who is an unbelievable harpist and a former boys choir vocalist with a shocking tenor vocal range. His music causes you to get lost in the song’s emotions and your own. I can’t help but dream to hear him perform in a cathedral someday, but then again, that may just be too incredible. Thankfully Pat is an L.A. based musician, because seeing him three times just hasn’t been enough.
Do yourself a favor and go buy the album now (go vinyl for this one).
If you haven’t bought the album, this video should convince you.
Patrick Wolf Night II // Concert @ Hollywood Forever
After Patrick Wolf’s Tuesday night’s performance, I immediately bought a ticket to the next night. I couldn’t pass up a chance to see more of Wolf’s brilliance on the stage.
Calpernia Addams, the opening act for both night’s, graced the stage much more comfortably and opened the set with a beautiful violin arrangement of “Amazing Grace”. I loved hearing her religious pieces and soft auto harp tunes fill the masonic lodge venue.
The second show was an entirely different feel for Patrick, as he smoothly and quietly played a completely new set of songs. He revealed to the audience that he had prepared over 35 acoustic altered songs for the tour, not wanting any show to be similar. To me, that is a musician who deserves respect and appreciation.
Most surprising to hear on Wednesday night was “Childcatcher”, which is very rarely performed as I always understood the reasoning behind. However, he appeased the requests of the crowds and delved into songs that I am sure he wouldn’t have otherwise wished to have return to.
I reviewed both shows at Hollywood Forever for 138 Collective. Go read the review here.
Patrick, please return to us (me) soon.
