FYI, this photo is of RunRunner playing at Johnny Brenda's in Philly.

Photo-wise, it was a tough set to photograph. One of the house lights ended up shutting off midway through their set, at which point I should've just put the camera away. Exposure was made at f/1.4 and mostly 1/60 - film is TRI-X 400 pushed 1 stop. You can view the rest of my photos on Flickr.

Exposures were made at f/1.4 and between 1/60 and 1/125 - film is TRI-X 400 pushed 1 stop. View the rest of my photos on Flickr.

For my second week in a row, I was checking out another Trenton-area club... this time, the All Call Inn. It's a cool little venue set in a residential area in Ewing/Trenton... by the looks of it, it must have at one point (if not still presently) served as a hang out for EMTs and paramedics. They have a decent (and reasonably priced) beer selection and a surprisingly awesome stage/performance area set away from the bar... the men's restroom, on the other hand, was not so great. Maybe it's just me, but I'd really much rather prefer not to pee in a trough. By the time I arrived, Zed Never were already more than half way through their set. Any band that has songs with titles like Pork Rinds and Amazing Fake-out at the Hoagie Take-out has gotta be pretty awesome, in my book. Their sound has been pegged as "The Velvet Underground meets Black Sabbath". It's not the usual thing I would listen to, but they were great performers. It's unfortunate that the crowd was so sparse.

Ten or so exposures in, I realized that I'd been shooting with my lens cap still on... one of the downsides of rangefinders is that you have to remember to remove the lens cap (something you don't have to worry about with a SLR). After rewinding and re-loading that roll, I only had the chance to shoot 1 song. Fortunately, the lighting at the All Call Inn is pretty decent. I shot with my 35mm lens wide open (f/1.4) and at mostly 1/125. As usual, film is TRI-X 400 pushed 1 stop.

The Vital Might is an alternative/progressive rock band from Boston. They don't look like the typical skinny guys I usually see in bands. Guitarist, Andy Milk, looks like he could put a hurt on someone real bad. If prog rock was my thing, I might be really into these guys... yeah, I'd totally pump iron to it. If you wanna read more about them, check out this recent review that was written in Northeast Performer.

Again, this set was shot at f/1.4 and mostly 1/125... the guitarist's head was right under a spotlight, so it was tough keeping him from getting overexposed. Film is TRI-X 400 pushed 1 stop.

The Timid Roosevelts play loose and lovely lo-fi indie pop that I go nuts for. They were 1 member down tonight (he was at Metallica) so I'll have to catch them again when they play as a full ensemble. I grabbed a copy of their demo CD and I'm definitely picking up hints of Rilo Kiley and Sleater-Kinney. I'll be keeping an eye out for when they release their debut LP. When I finally get my band up-and-running, this will be one of the bands we play with. Don't mess with them... they know Tae Kwon Do.

The band brought their own lighting that they clipped onto the mic stands, which worked out pretty well. It occasionally cast some funky shadows and/or overexposed their faces, but nothing too extreme. Exposure was made at f/1.4 and between 1/125 and 1/250. Again, film is TRI-X 400 pushed 1 stop.

My photos do no justice to this band. The Gay Blades are a sexy duo that abuse the audience with their brand of storytelling trash pop. No bass... just Clark Westfield on guitar and Puppy Mills on drums. The lights were turned down extra low, so my photos are pretty much crap. Oh well.

I couldn't get a single decent photo of Puppy Mills. I won't even bother listing the technical jargon regarding exposure, etc. Next time I shoot these guys, I'm bringing my DSLR and a flashgun. To get a better idea of what their live show is like, check out the video below that was taken at another show.

Video: The Gay Blades - O Shot (Live)

This band is so great live... a little tough to shoot given the lighting, but they were such a blast to watch. A lot of write-ups out there describe Kiss Kiss's sound as like an Eastern European circus of sorts... shoot over to their MySpace page and give a listen yourself. I've been sitting on a copy of their LP "Reality Vs. the Optimist" for quite a while now and I'm finally getting into it. I'll be jumping on their next album "The Meek Shall Inherit What's Left", which should be released some time soon. This band is not to be missed... possibly my new favorite live act.

Now for the technical junk... my exposure was locked in at f/1.4 and 1/30th. The violinist (Rebecca) pretty much remained in the shadows, which made her almost impossible to shoot (bummer). Film is TRI-X 400 pushed 1 stop. Results = bad ass.

DOWNLOAD:
Kiss Kiss - Machines | mp3

Honah Lee are a local Jersey band (hailing from Trenton) that play the exact kind of =w= inspired powerpop that I love (endearing geekiness and all). I had a chance to briefly speak with Tim (vocals, guitar) and we shared our mutual appreciation for Rachel Haden. I'd love to get drunk and party with these guys. Such a fun band to photograph, they kept my eye pasted in my viewfinder.

Again, my exposure was locked at f/1.4 and 1/30th... that seems to be the magic setting for McGuinn's. I would've preferred setting a faster shutter speed, but my negs would've ended up coming out too underexposed. As usual, film is TRI-X 400 pushed 1 stop.

I'm on a mission to shoot at least 30 rolls of film in the next 8 weeks... sounds like a lot, but I think it's doable. I'll just have to convince the wife to let me go to more shows. Maybe I'll give up on digital altogether... we'll see.

Tonight was my first time at McGuinn's Place... being so close to home (on the border of Trenton and Lawrenceville), it definitely won't be my last. And, amazingly, the lighting isn't terrible. I showed up early for the Princeton School of Rock to catch one of my photography cohorts perform and I stuck around until about 2 in the morning to watch Jersey's own The Gay Blades close out the night. The crowd consisted of lots of locals doing shots or otherwise getting hammered. It was a nice change. I was back to my normal anti-social self and generally avoided making eye contact with anyone, though. Promoting the show was Trenton's own Dead Scene Productions, who I'd just learned about days earlier. I may never have to leave Mercer County ever again to catch a show... well, not really, but it's great to know that somebody in Central Jersey is booking good shows.

Anyway, you already know what the School of Rock is all about... kids melting faces with their renditions of classic rock tunes. Don't knock it - these kids aren't just playing power chords. It was fun watching them enjoy themselves on stage... no powerslides to speak of, but still a pretty decent performance (especially for kids).

My exposure was way off for most of the roll, but I was still able to salvage a few keepers... the bright white billboard advertising Jager Bombs and SoCo Lime shots was throwing off my handheld light meter. I shot these with a 35mm lens wide open (f/1.4) and within +/- 1 stop of 1/125 on Tri-X 400 (pushed 1 stop).

I gotta say, Philly really represented tonight. On the bill were 3 local bands; however, none of them were of the flimsy throw away variety. From the openers (Jotto) to the headliners (East Hundred), it was a solid night all around with no half-ass performances. Tonight was also the first time I was able to test out my new faster fisheye lens... I'm likin' it a lot. My buddy Eric also shot the show and put up a very groovy East Hundred photo montage here. Another cool photog, Joe Longo, was also at the show. Shouts to Chris from Pattern Is Movement and Amanda from GANG of whom both I was able to meet/catch up with. It turned out that this evening was a departure from my usual anti-social show-going experience. Go figure.

I'd first heard about East Hundred last year when they competed in (and won) the Philly Sound Clash at World Cafe Live. Tonight, they were playing to a sold out crowd at Johnny Brenda's and celebrating the release of their debut LP "Passenger". With its moody and dramatic lighting and more intimate feel, Johnny Brenda's is the perfect venue for East Hundred to play. Beril Guceri's crooning vocals were backed by a perfect blend of soaring and atmospheric instrumentation. Despite the underlying theme of heartbreak in their songs, you can tell that they're still having fun on stage and they put on a truly tremendous show. The only criticism I would potentially have of this band is that their model good looks are distracting and make me feel self-conscious... as far as I'm concerned, they might as well be the Cullens (my apologies for the gratuitous Twilight reference). However, if their video for Slow Burning Crimes (see below) is any indication, they look like a fun and friendly bunch. Beril seems like she's that girl we all knew in high school... you know, pretty and popular and yet she still hung out with you anyway and even let you take her to homecoming that one year even though you were the biggest dork. That's not just me, though, right? Anyway, this band is gonna be HUGE... just watch.

Video: East Hundred - Slow Burning Crimes

If you're in the NYC area, you can catch East Hundred when they play The Trash Bar in Brooklyn on 3/14. Stay tuned for a CD review and interview with the band.

Gildon Works | Photo Gallery

Opening up were 2 other excellent Philly bands, Jotto and Gildon Works. No exaggeration, these bands were great! Check out their MySpace pages for some tunes and don't forget to visit the photo galleries. William did a particularly kick ass job on the lighting tonight! Gotta love the new hanging beads left over from a Bollywood shoot too.

Jotto | Photo Gallery

If you head over to jottomusic.com, you can download Jotto's new EP for free. If you're in Philly, you can catch a free Jotto show this Friday night (1/16) at the North Star Bar (21+).

DOWNLOAD:
East Hundred - Slow Burning Crimes | mp3

>>Read previous - Philly Sound Clash 2008

.:: Allie Lawn (cellist from Ra Ra Riot) @ Johnny Brenda's in Philly - for a couple reasons, this is probably my favorite photo from this year. Technically speaking, it's not the greatest (for one, the mic stand is distracting); however, I still love the way it turned out. I shot this on film using my beloved old-school Canonet QL17 G-III compact rangefinder (cloudy viewfinder and all). (blog post)

.:: GANG @ World Cafe Live in Philly - I LOVE this band! (blog post)

.:: Explosions in the Sky @ Starlight Ballroom in Philly (blog post)

.:: King Khan & the Shrines @ the South Street Seaport in NYC (blog post)

.:: Emmy the Great @ the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn - because I <3 Emmy :) (blog post)

Favorites from SXSW:

.:: Tracy double-fisting on Day 1 of SXSW (blog post)

.:: Tim Fite - albeit a very short set, this was my favorite performance all year (blog post)

.:: Ra Ra Riot (blog post)

.:: Man Man - this one got published in Skyscraper Magazine #28 (blog post)

.:: Maki Rinka (blog post)

.:: Holy Fuck (blog post)

.:: Islands - this one got published in Skyscraper Magazine #28 too (blog post)

.:: DeVotchKa (blog post)

And that's that, 2008... see you all in '09!

>>Read previous - Best Albums of 2006 | Favorite Music of 2006 | Best Albums of 2007 | Best Shows of 2007

>>Read previous - Little Boots @ CMJ

DOWNLOAD:
The Carps - All The Damn Kids | link
The Carps - Veronica Belmont | link

Video: Little Boots - Ready for the Floor

DOWNLOAD:
Little Boots - Stuck On Repeat (Fake Blood Remix) | mp3

DOWNLOAD:
Starfucker - Florida | mp3

Video: Passion Pit - Sleepyhead

Video: Ponytail - Beg Waves

>>Read previous - Emmy the Great @ SXSW 2008