Shot this at the Good Vibrations festival 2007. I was lucky enough to get a photo pass for the entire day and shoot all the bands from the photo pit. Check out that bling!

This photo made the <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/">Triple J</a> photo competition finals. Those who don't know who JJJ are, they are the best youth radio station in Australia

A good mate holding his newborn son in his arms. Normally I don't care for baby photos so I tried something a little different. My mate and his wife were extremely happy with the results.

Robin Pecknold's brother Sean directs all of their music videos. What a talented family!

Click here for HD versions.

Check out all the video's on Vimeo.

Photo ]]> Sun, 08 Feb 2009 16:15:29 -0800 http://virb.com/hooverdust/posts/text/1077257 http://virb.com/hooverdust/posts/text/1071641
Way Cool Jnr have posted a 'Top 25 of Australian Music Blogs' and have listed Hooverdust at number 14. Frankly, I'm surprised I'm in there at all considering the talent out there. Sure it's all decided through Google rankings and what not but if you haven't already, please check out the following blogs. Lots of kids out there with plenty of great taste and talent!

1. Electrorash
2. Mass Hyperbole
3. Who The Hell?
4. A Reminder
5. Mess and Noise
6. Silence Is A Rhythm Too
7. Waves At Night
8. Fat Planet
9. Cyclic Defrost
10. Polaroids of Androids
11. Twelve Major Chords
12. Off The Record
13. It All Started...
14. Hooverdust
15. Oceans Never Listen
16. Whiteboydancefloor
17. Rose Quartz
18. Wireless Bollinger
19. Lexicon Devil
20. Before Hollywood
21. Reel Around The Fountain
22. Decomposing Trees
23. Open Your Eyes
24. Flop Eared Mule
25. Scatterblog

I have to admit that I was not overly pumped to see Miroir Noir after the very disappointing A Skin, A Night shot and directed by French-go-to-indie-music-filmmaker Vincent Moon. Typically I love Moon's Takeaway Shows but as a longer documentary, that film didn't cut it for me. Luckily with Miroir Noir, we have a different director, Vincent Morriset, who understands what it takes to make a great music documentary/concert film - show the band performing - both in snippets and in full! We get to see WHY Arcade Fire are such an amazing band live, whilst still giving us a peak into their recording process. Moon is still on camera and does an amazing job with grainy digital video, highlights include taking the band into the centre of the crowd to sing 'Wake Up', have them play in two elevators and moshing it with the kiddies. He gets unprecedented access to so many live indie bands of this era, the filmmakers had no shortage of footage to work with. I'll admit, I wouldn't mind a less grainy Arcade Fire doco down the track too, much in the vein of Sigur Ros' Heima, shot with a little more clarity and filmic camera work, but for now this will please the fans. The DVD of Miroir Noir (with additional footage) will be available at the end of March.

Frost/Nixon (2008)

Eeeeeeeeeeeeasily Ron Howard's best film since Apollo 13. And if Frank Langella doesn't win or get very close to winning the Best Actor Oscar for his brilliant performance of Richard Nixon, I will be shocked (although there's some stiff competition from Mickey Rourke of course). For the uninitiated, the film centres around the infamous TV interviews Nixon gave to British TV personality David Frost in 1977, detailing his career as president, including the Watergate scandals. Based on the 2006 play and utilising the same actors, Howard's approach to the material isn't always 100% factual but it's always gripping to watch. Langella doesn't look exactly like Nixon for the most part either, but once you start to see Nixon under pressure, he embodies the mannerisms and characteristics both physically and mentally of the former president down to the bone. Michael Sheen who plays David Frost, comes across as a highly self-involved character, until the reality of what he is doing comes into play. Once the pressure is on for both parties, the film becomes incredibly enthralling. Okay so now that Howard's done with his next film Angels and Demons, how about that Arrested Development movie?

Six Feet Under (Season 3 -5) (TV)

There might be some heavy spoilers in this review so don't continue if you've never seen this show before.

WOW! Seriously, fucking wow! I mean, people told me the finale of the show was emotional but I couldn't have prepared for what was to come. To say I was a complete wreck for days afterwards is a massive understatement. That finale rips apart your very soul and throws it into a million pieces. But even early on in Season 4 when Nate buried Lisa, I was already sobbing away on the couch. The episode of David being kidnapped and tortured was also very difficult to watch. At times, I felt like the writers might have stretched the realms of possibility a little too far but they quickly pull into check towards the end. Watching Claire become a total bitch once the drug taking and ego kicked in was slightly predictable but again, the writers make it all too believable. What I loved about the writing (and directing) is that all the characters get more or less equal screen time to develop and as I've said before, despite all their 'flaws', the writers give them respect because after all, they are human and humans make mistakes all the time and learn from them. This would have to be the finest drama series ever made by HBO, perhaps surpassing The Sopranos at times and that is saying a lot. A show about humanity, life, death; a show that can never be repeated; a show that will stay with you loooooong after the credits role, and one that leaves you blubbering like a 3 year old when you realise you've grown to like these characters and will never see them again. *Sniff*

Ghost Town (2008)

So this is Ricky Gervais' first more-or-less lead role in a US comedy vehicle. Does he succeed? Yes definitely. Does the film? Not overly. It's a slightly confusing film that attempts to be a romantic comedy of sorts but never really lands the romantic punches. I can see why this film never really took off in the US too. People in America still have no idea who Ricky Gervais is and what's more, aren't comfortable seeing a narcissistic, British character in the lead of a rom-com. If it were Tom Hanks, Brad Pitt or any other A-lister in the role, it would have made the producers much happier. But I'm not here to evaluate the film's box office predictions; I'm here to critique the film itself. The performances are actually quite good, with Gervais doing what he does best (I'm a fan so there might be some bias towards his performance), and Greg Kinnear and Tea Leoni lending decent support. If you want a purely Hollywood rom-com experience, this isn't it but if you're looking for a slightly off-beat bit of fun and don't mind Gervais' sense of humour, then you'll enjoy this one.

Lost: Season 5 (first 3 episodes)

Again spoilers below for Season 5 so read with caution:

I always knew that once the writers of Lost were aware of when the show will end, that they would start to explain various mysteries of the island and bring closure to everything that has come before. Therefore, it's very clear in these first three episodes of Season 5, we are already finding out about time travel, the origins of the 'others', who Penny's father really is, and that it's all coming down to a gripping conclusion. We know that Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sun and Sayid all have to go back to the island, which brings about all kinds of interesting questions such as "how" and "why?". The writers have never lost that sense of "What the hell just happened?" yet providing us with enough answers to tease us along the grapevine. Having just watched the entire series on DVD again, so many more things become apparent and it all makes sense. So to any of you who complain the show makes no sense and is frustrating, get the DVDs and you'll be highly rewarded. So far in Season 5, it's thrilling viewing.

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If you've yet to see Bon Iver live, get yourself a ticket because you will not be disappointed, that I guarantee.

Setlist:
Babys
Flume
Lump Sum
Creature Fear
Beach Baby
Skinny Love
Re: Stacks
Blood Bank
Simple Man (Graham Nash cover)
The Wolves

ENCORE:
For Emma, Forever Ago

So there comes a time in every lucky actor's career when they make reach the pinnacle of their craft. Typically, it is a film that is tailored for the actor completely and director Darren Aronofsky clearly set out with this intention for actor Mickey Rourke. The two gel perfectly in The Wrestler because both let each other do their job which is to give the character of Randy 'the Ram' Robinson humanity, feelings of desperation and loss without overstating and overacting his role. Rourke who is phenomenal here, at no point feels like he's 'acting' per se. He's 110% believable in the role and it's a credit to both him and Aronofsky to give us such a real, battered human being looking for redemption. Comparisons to Rocky and Raging Bull are inevitable, more so Rocky in terms of style, character and storyline which isn't a bad thing considering how great the original Rocky is. However Aronofsky goes for a documentarian approach and it feels more immediate somehow. Marisa Tomei, in a revealing supporting role, is not to be over-looked too even if she is wearing the 'stripper with a heart of gold' badge. Anyone could have played that role but Tomei at least gives the character some gravitas. Finally, it's worth noting the kick-ass 80's soundtrack (clearly Aronofsky loved the 80's) and the title track by Bruce Springsteen. Fans will lap that soundtrack up good.

The Day The Earth Stood Still (2008)

Bahahahahahaha. Uhhhhhhhhhhhahahahaha. Sorry I just had to stop myself from choking on my own laughs. Okay well let's put it like this. If you endeavor to make a Boxing Day special effects blockbuster about the demise of planet Earth, at least have in your mind that you can deliver something on par or better than Independence Day or Armageddon. Those movies aren't brilliant by any means, but they have destruction galore, cheesy excitement and make it worth paying $15 to turn off your brain and how some explosive fun. What happens with The Day The Earth Stood Still is over 100 minutes of essential bore. The visual effects are weak, the premise is interesting but executed in such an incredibly dull fashion that one wishes the projector would stop and they'd slip in any of the two former movies mentioned. Keanu continues to sleep-walk through yet another role but I doubt he cares with the all the money he's milking from the sci-fi genre. Little Will Smith aka Jaden Smith's character (the next Karate Kid btw) is likable enough but surely his Dad could have found better material for him than this.

Six Feet Under (Season 1 - 2) (TV) (2001-02)

Okay well "yes", I finally succumbed to watching the entire series from beginning to end just like I succumbed to watching Dexter after countless friends recommendations. After the whole initial shock of seeing Michael C. Hall in a completely different light, the show has me hooked. But that was always going to be the way since anyone who reads these reviews and my site knows how much I love HBO. These first two seasons essentially give us all the depths to the characters - Nate, David, Ruth, Claire, Brenda, Rico, Keith, and of course their father (played to perfection by the always great Richard Jenkins). All of these characters have their flaws but what creator Alan Ball does so brilliantly is enables them to make mistakes, live with them and try and become better people. They aren't all necessarily likable at first but you grow to understand the choices they make, the choices they HAVE to make in order to live life to their fullest. Comparisons to American Beauty of course are there since it's the brainchild from the same person but having a continuing hour-long series enables us to get under the skins of these characters even more and show that progression of character you can't get from a 90-minute film. As always, this is addictive viewing and I'll no doubt finish the entire show off very soon with another review when it's all said and done.

Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)

You know, for all the shit that Kevin Smith gets as a director, sometimes I wonder if it's just. He knows he's no Stanley Kubrick, he knows he's visually fairly limited with his camerawork and he knows how on the Internet, people have shat on his face more times than he can count. He can't stop that. But what I admire about him is that he essentially came from nothing, made a great little indie flick at the time called Clerks, made several other films over the years with varying success, ADMITTED they weren't all masterpieces but kept making movies the way he wanted to. After all, isn't that the dream of any filmmaker - to make movies their way without too much studio pressure? So now he's made a new film called 'Zack and Miri Make a Porno' which when released in the US initially caused all kinds of issues with marketing due to the word 'porno' in the title. Theatres wouldn't advertise it; it was the subject of an MPAA rating war (they wanted to give it an NC-17 (or R18+ here) initially). But it eventually got released with an American R rating (M or MA here) and off it went into the cinemas. Problem is, it didn't do too well at the box-office. It stars Seth Rogen which should be enough to draw in a decent crowd, especially teens, but it just didn't do very good business. Whatever the reason might be, the reason why it didn't do it for me was quite simple - the structure of the script. The dialogue was great, one of Smith's best features as a director and writer, but the last third of the film felt unresolved and abrupt. When it got overly dramatic, the performances also felt a little too forced and awkward, especially between Rogen and the always delightful Elizabeth Banks. Over time, Smith will probably get better at directing dramatic performances, but right now he's got a long way to go. However, if you can excuse those elements, there's quite a bit to enjoy and laugh about with Zack and Miri Make a Porno.

Let the Right One In (2008)

I'd heard about this Swedish vampire flick when all the top 10's started to hit the web and I remember seeing it as Harry from Aint-it-cool-News number 1 film of the year. Vampire films excited me a great deal in my teens but as I got older, the interest started to wane. When done right of course, they can stand the test of time such as the original Nosferatu, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and yes even my soft spot for Fright Night but then we got crap like the Blade and Underworld series and it cheapened it all. What the filmmakers have accomplished with Let the Right One In is a very beautiful, unique drama about the relationship between a 12-year old boy, bullied a school and a 12-year old girl who just happens to be a vampire living next door. As silly as the premise is, it's extremely well-paced and carefully realized. Visually the film is breathtaking, the camerawork is a collection arresting shallow depth-of-field work and the two lead performances are incredibly strong, particularly that of little Lina Leandersson. You don't have to enjoy vampire films at all to love this one and I can't imagine the Hollywood remake (in the works) will come close to capturing the essence of what makes this original picture so good

I'm no illustrator so I didn't go the complete custom job but I've always preferred the simpler, minimalist designs for posters and flyers. The theme is more-or-less 'diving into one's 30's...'

So if you are one of my lucky friends, expect one in the post any day now :)