It’s cool when things come full circle. Last night we went to see our friends Random Karma play at Long Wong’s in Tempe. Let’s not confuse things – this is not Long Wong’s on Mill. That location has long since been razed and left us with a vacant lot in the middle of the priciest commercial real estate in Tempe. This Long Wong’s is similar yet different – which is fine by me.

Greg White, Random Karma’s bassist made reference to the old ‘Wong’s and all the bands that got their start there. Dead Hot Workshop, The Refreshments, Gin Blossoms, Gloritones  - see video from Mill performance – here, Flathead – I even saw Roger Clyne and PH Naffah play acoustic post Refreshment pre Peacemakers sets there.

This was the hub of our music scene in Tempe. A hub that like everything else forms, blossoms and dies. That seems to be the natural cycle but it’s nice to feel like we are back towards the beginning of the cycle.

Random Karma rocked the small stage last night (it’s seriously the smallest stage I’ve ever seen a full band play on) and I think everyone in attendance last night would agree with me.

So, if you’re in Tempe and are looking for a place to grab a beer, some food and listen to some music don’t pass up Long Wong’s at 1639 E Apache Blvd and their solid list of local live music.

Special thanks also goes out to Random Karma for making a special announcement regarding The Music Matters Project. Your backing and support for the project is appreciated.

Growing up I spent a lot of time in skate shops and record stores. To me they went hand in hand. Record Store Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in April. (For a complete history of Record Store Day please visit their website www.recordstoreday.com) Today, Indie record store owners and artists get together and release special vinyl, CDs and promotional material that would make Barry and Dick from Champion Vinyl jealous (maybe not them since they were really snobby but you get the point.)

We live in an era of technology and I am 100% ok with that. Digital downloads, viral videos and self distribution models have changed the way the music business operates – making record stores having to adapt to survive.

I kept thinking about the microcosm of record stores and my experiences in them – going crating with friends or searching out some import etc. Reflecting on these time I kept coming back to the same question:

“Why are Record Stores Important?”

So I asked people and here are their answers.

Kimber Lanning, Stinkweeds Records / Phoenix, AZ: “Record stores are important because they are community hubs- they are creative gathering places that make people feel connected to their city or town. Music is a social art- it’s best experienced with others.”

Steve Wiley, Hoodlums Music / Tempe, AZ: “Record Stores are important for people that are deeply into music:  People like Kristian (co-owner) and I who love to have the vinyl or CD version of an artist’s album.  People that appreciate the musical art form of the album, or sound quality above that of a compressed file, or even the visual art of CDs, DVDs, and LPs.  People that like to go to a store and be involved with other people that feel the same way.”

@reply: Album artwork. Visual browsing (via twitter)

@hepnova: Bargain bins. Since I select based on record cover, pawing through bargain bins 4 discs has resulted in lifechanging new tunes (via twitter)

I couldn’t agree more. There is something to be said for holding a tangible product, looking at the album art or photography and reading the lyrics and liner notes. To me these things are important. Record stores give me a place to go to so I can talk to other people about new music, old music and nostalgia. Not to mention the networking opportunities it provides me as a music photographer.

I don’t purchase all of my music from record stores – I do use iTunes to download music and I would be lost without my iPods. With that being said to me there’s still a place in my world for the record store.

So today, April 17th, 2010 – find your local independent record store and purchase some music. Take a minute – meet the employees or talk to the owners and start to plug yourself into the local music scene. In the long run by making a purchase you will help ensure that you have a place to go to talk music and be a part of the music community.

What are your thoughts? Do you ever visit record stores or do you purchase music solely online?

Another Saturday night and music filled the air at The Sail Inn in Tempe. A great night with a great line-up of bands filled the bill for Dry River Yacht Club’s CD release party. We got there around 10pm and watched the last four bands – Black Carl, Strange Young Things, What Laura Says and Dry River Yacht Club.

I decided not to take photos (that’s not entirely true – I only photographed What Laura Says.) It was a conscious decision to just go out and have a couple of drinks and enjoy the music and be social. Kristina on the other hand – wanted to shoot photos of Dry River for The Music Matters Project. Great idea – loved it.

Not taking photos allowed me to make some observations about the music, the bands, seeing music and photographing music – so here they are in no order of importance:

1. The Sail Inn is my favorite place to see music in Tempe.

2. The Sail is a great place to learn music photography and practice (the venue is extremely photography friendly.) I saw many people with DSLRs taking photographs. Very inspiring and super cool to see people who are interested in photography and music.

3. If you are a drunk girl in a skirt or dress and have a propensity to fall on the floor – you might want to wear panties. (Just throwing that out there.)

4. What Laura Says is still my favorite band in Tempe. Hands down. They have a unique sound that I compare to The Beatles getting together with The Beach Boys partying and playing together. (Yes I know it’s a very random comparision but makes perfect sense in my head.)

5. Watching Kristina take music photos was more enjoyable than doing it myself. She got some great photos of Garnet from DRYC for The Music Matters Project.

6. There are lots of people into the local music scene in Tempe. The Sail Inn was packed which is great to see.

7. No music photographer should ever think they are more important than the music. If you are not working directly for the band, you do not belong on stage. (Period.)

8. Brian from Kinch is a nice guy who makes great music. I am pulling for Kinch to have great successes in the future.

9. Corey from Strange Young Things works the crowd better than anyone else in town.

10. When attending a show like this – don’t be dumb (like me) and wear flip-flops.

11. Just GO. Show up to events like this. Talk to the bands – tell them you’re a fan or that you like their music. Generally everyone who plays are cool and won’t mind chatting with you after their set.

If you were there and took photos please leave a comment with a link to your photos – I’d love to see them.

When you see live local music where you are – how do you contribute to the scene? Do you take photos? Do you buy merchandise? Do you spread the word and bring people with you? Talk to me…

Concert Photography Series:  In this series I will discuss things I have learned along the way from both my experiences and from other photographers. Topics will include lighting, camera settings, equipment and how to obtain the elusive photo pass.

Living in Tempe, AZ I am at both an advantage and a disadvantage with concert photography. Cons: we are a small market. Not every band has Tempe / Phoenix on it’s touring radar. Quite often when I research tour schedules it’s common for a band to go from Los Angeles to Dallas or to Las Vegas and skip the whole Southwest. Pros: This is a smaller market and there are not a lot of photographers specializing in live music. So there are less requests from media for credentials. We have a vibrant local music scene and the bands are very lax with photography and the small clubs are very photo friendly. We have a number of smaller venues (i.e Marquee Theater, Dodge Theater or The Orpheum) where with the right credentials you will be able to photography national acts. (Please replace the names of venues etc. with your local venues that have a capacity of up to 10,000 people.)

Where to get started? Vote on the poll and let me know where we should begin. [polldaddy poll=2434310]

To view my complete photography portfolio please visit: www.grtaylor2photo.com

]]> http://grtaylor2.com/2009/12/27/concert-photography-series-tips-tricks-and-other-notes-from-experience/feed/ 3 http://grtaylor2.com/2009/11/12/mickey-avalon-shoot-martini-ranch-what-do-you-say/ http://grtaylor2.com/2009/11/12/mickey-avalon-shoot-martini-ranch-what-do-you-say/#comments Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:41:00 +0000 GRTaylor2 http://grtaylor2photo.wordpress.com/2009/11/12/mickey-avalon-shoot-martini-ranch-what-do-you-say

“What do you say..” when you have to shoot in low light? The Mickey Avalon show Tuesday night was a tricky one for a couple of reasons. The main reason being the deceptive light. Most of the time by the eye the light looked decent but the camera was reading things all over the place. I finally decided to go with 1600 Iso and my 24-70mm f2.8 lens – with manual settings. The exposure varied during the set quite often. The other reason being that I am not used to shooting Hip-Hop shows – all things considered I got a bunch of images I really like and it was a lot of fun.

Getting out of my comfort zone was a great experience. This was a great exercise to challenge myself and get away from what I typically shoot. There is so much more movement in Hip-Hop on stage and there are misc. people who otherwise wouldn’t be on stage at a typical show. Mickey Avalon had dancers, a DJ and some guy taking photos from behind him while on stage (covering his flash the whole time with his hand.) This guy was enjoying the show from the stage in a hype man kind of way but I found it odd he was armed with a camera. Composing shots with all the movement and people was tough.

Photos can be seen at: www.grtaylor2photo.com or www.flickr.com/grtaylor

Thanks goes out to Laura and Kristine at Avid Exposure for the access to the show.

Wasn’t 100% sure about going to this show until a couple of days before. The Marquee Theater is good – but good by AZ standards. I had been there twice last week and got some security hassles on the last night so I was aprehensive about attending.

We pulled into the parking lot around 7:30ish. A van with a “wells cargo” trailer attached came screaming into the lot being directed by a couple of guys. I knew right away the opening band had car trouble – this is going to be interesting. I was 100% right.

Crowfield was the opener. Never knowing what to expect from an opener – we were more than surprised. They were great. (So good I downloaded the cd from iTunes when I got home.) A lot of energy – good lyrics, great tone, just good fun music.

Rusted Root came on about 30 minutes after the Crowfield set. They took the stage, start playing and I get to work for the first three songs (shooting photos in case you didn’t know.) Amazing night of music. Rusted Root is still that fun loving Dave Matthews meets Counting Crows while influenced by the Talking Heads band we all know and love.

The crowd danced their way through a set of old songs, new songs and a couple of covers. A lot of energy – with a lot people drinking water in the crowd (hint – wink wink.) I have never been to a show where the alcohol / beer line was so short.

Thanks to the jack-ass who pushed me in the back and then hid behind his friends because I politely stepped in front of him to take a photo at the end of the show. All in all – a great night of music and a show I’m glad I didn’t miss.

Photos can be seen in the LIVE Music Portfolio gallery on my new website: www.grtaylor2photo.com

Thanks for the support I receive from all of you for the blog and my photography – it is much appreciated!

I’ve heard of Lucero and heard them a couple of times so when the chance came to see them in Tempe (1/4 mi from my house) I jumped at the opportunity. Their managment was cool enough to put me on the list and set me up with a photo pass – although one wasn’t really needed.

Jack O was also on the bill. He delivered a straight rock and roll set that disappointed none. A lot people came to see Jack and Lucero was a bonus.

Lucero took the stage around 10:30 and played about a 31 song set. A nice mix of old and new stuff and they took a bunch of requests during the show. Definitely worth seeing again. Good night, great music and all on a Thursday night.

The venue was small. A little weird how they separated the over 21 crowd from the rest. The lights we tough for photos – but I came away with a couple of keeper. My favorite is a Pedal Steel Guitar Photo – click here

I ran into some friends I haven’t seen for a couple of years at the show. After talking to them for about 10 minutes it was no surprise why we haven’e spoke in so long. They are the cool kids. The cool kids that have nothing going on and you’re a sell out if you actually have a 9-5 and a career. Real interesting vibe – wasn’t feeling it at all.

Next post: Rusted Root and Crowfield at The Marquee

What a great weekend of music. Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers delivered rock and roll to a hometown crowd like never seen before.

10/30/09 “When in Rome” Highlights: The band played in full Roman gear and/or togas all night. I don’t know how they managed to do so. The crowd, many also dressed in togas loved every minute of the 2 hour upbeat rocking set. The highlights for me were: “City Girls”, “Louie Louie” and “West Texas Moon” – great set selection. The energy is The Marquee was amazing as everyone was ready to have RCPM play full shows back in Tempe.
photos of “When in Rome”

10/31/09 “Disco Nights” Highlights: Roger and the guys were dressed as The Village People and played all night in costume. At one point Roger said, “I think I found the one thing more difficult to play in than a toga,” about remarking on his chief’s headdress. This set was full of all the stuff I love to hear that isn’t always played. I love Mekong and Nada – don’t get me wrong, but this night was full of old favorites. “European Swallow” to open, “Interstate”, “Buffalo”, “Tributary Otis” and “Persephone”. Just a great night.
photos of “Disco Night”

After one long night of RCPM security started to regulate alcohol consumption and weren’t as laid back and chill on night two. That aside – it was a great two nights.

I want to thank Keara Zito from RCPM Management for photo credentials and allowing me access – I appreciate it.

If you’ve never seen RCPM – go check them out. You’ll probably knock down a few beers and a shot or two
of tequilla, forgot all your troubles for two-hours and leave saying “Here’s To Life!”

Link to my live music photos

NOTE: I saw Lucero and Jack Oblivian last night 11/5/09 and will post photos and a review. Tonight I see Rusted Root and that will follow.

This is the first time I’ve ever published my original Spicy Sweet BBQ Sauce recipe. It took me about a year of trial and error to perfect. After three years of keeping it to my self I wanted to share it with everyone. (Who knew a vegetarian could make such a mean BBQ sauce – anyone see the irony.)


UNCLE JUNE BUG’s SPICY SWEET BBQ SAUCE

There are really good things happening here in AZ. I wrote earlier about MADCAP Theaters and how they are revitalizing Tempe with the arts. Here is another: Ear Candy.

I had a chance to meet Erin Friday night and we spoke a lot about what they do and how people can get involved. Go to their website for all the details – but I’ll paraphrase:

Ear Candy collects and distrubutes musical instruments to schools for in-school education and works with programs such as The Boy’s and Girl’s clubs on after-school programming.

Music has always been a huge part of my life. I grew up with a father that played guitar and a mother who loved music. I associate various events and memories of my life with certain songs and artists. At a young age I decided to play guitar and had encouragement throughout my life.

Ear Candy also has an emerging artists series which supports up and coming musicians and gives them a place to showcase their skills.

Do you have a guitar(or any instrument) laying around that is not played? This is the way to give it a new home and give the gift of music.

If you see Ear Candy at an event (and you will) I encourage you to stop by say hello and see how you can help. (Link to Electronic Press Release Video) – Enough said…