Don't Mess with Texas

I had to skip the Drums and Gang Gang Dance because of a family trip to Sugar Land and Houston, Texas. Here's my favorite photo:
Kinda crazy, right? As a urbanite who doesn't know how to drive, I felt extremely out of place there. I always forget how spacious America is and how that space is often poorly planned. How many strip malls and cul-de-sacs does this nation really need? I know it is unrealistic for every American to subscribe to high-density city living, but I couldn't help but be disheartened by the urban sprawl and car culture I encountered in the southwest.

Late List-o-Mania: Best Shots of 2009

Late to the party! Here are my favorite shots (and some honorable mentions) of 2009. I was going to shoot the Drums and Gang Gang Dance next week (and christen my Canon 5D Mark II!!) but I have to be in Texas

Many shots are familiar since I don't post entire sets here, but it's nice to have these pics in one place...

10. The Rakes | Bowery Ballroom | April 19

They broke up. I remember being completely underwhelmed by this show because I felt like front man Alan was just going through the motions. It's easy to speculate about reasons that led to the split, but in this moment, they look like they're having fun.

9. Phoenix | Rumsey Playfield, Central Park | September 25

I always like these little moments of pensiveness.

8. Peaches | Terminal 5 | November 14

I'm fond of this photo because there are great details. Talk about hair piece. The show was entertaining but it was drawn out awkwardly; there were multiple encores, and by the time Peaches left the stage, the crowd had waned considerably. There were also a lot of confused, half-naked people because at one point, Peaches asked people to disrobe. (She later ran off stage with the clothes tossed on stage, joking saying that she always gets new clothes at each show.) A half-full venue with shivering people in various states of undress - a bit disconcerting.

7. Fever Ray | Webster Hall | September 29

Fever Ray was incredibly hard to photograph because Karin Dreijer performs in the dark. Essentially. As soon as I saw how horribly back lit she was during the "brighter" moments in the set, I knew I needed to get a silhouette shot.

6. !!! | Terminal 5 | September 5

That front man was dancing around the photo pit, and I tried desperately to avoid him so I won't be sweated on. Read the piece for Sup Magazine here.

5. Sonic Youth | Music Hall of Williamsburg | May 16

You can't see his bloodied fingers from this angle.

4. Mew | Music Hall of Williamsburg | August 24

If I were doing a top ten concerts of 2009 list, this concert would be, unequivocally, the best concert. Their lighting situation is also somewhat difficult -- the band uses tons of visual projections and they are often back lit. Check out the interview and photo shoot for Sup Magazine here. I knew I had to get an atmospheric shot to capture the ethereal dream state that is the Mew experience.

3. The Decemberists | Terminal 5 | September 19

Oh, Colin Meloy! My camera was somewhat sputtering at this moment because I was taking a slew of photos -- I was so afraid that I didn't catch this! (That is another reason why I'm upgrading.)

2. Peter, Bjorn and John | Webster Hall | November 9

I almost didn't go to this one, so I'm particularly glad I caught an air shot. Write up and more photos at Sup.

1. Pissed Jeans | Music Hall of Williamsburg | October 3

This photo is not particularly well-composed and it's pretty disgusting, but it is sensational. I've had friends randomly bring up this photo, only for me to mention that I took it... Anyway, I've grown to like this band. Prior to seeing them live -and they're a great live act- I was pretty apathetic about this band's brand of sludgy rawk. But no, they're great! If you were wondering, the drummer later told me that he had bad Indian food that night.

Honorable Mentions

Mew | Music Hall of Williamsburg | August 24


Lykke Li | Webster Hall | July 30

I was so jet lagged at this concert. I just flew in from Hong Kong late in the previous evening. I was supposed to shoot this for Interview online but I just couldn't make it through the show. (Knowing that Kanye would make a surprise appearance couldn't assuage my brain dead state.)

Erin Wasson | WBAR BBQ, Barnard College | April 26

I decided to go "street style photographer" to humor some friends who are fans of this model. This photo has been getting a lot of views on my Flickr (considering that I am very selective about how I share my photos).

Talib Kweli | Columbia University | April 18

This printed very well on the front page of the Columbia Daily Spectator. The reason this isn't in the actual top ten is that this is too Columbia-centric; If it weren't for the reflection of Low Library on Talib's sunglasses -something any Columbia student would recognize- this would just be a decapitation.

Vampire Weekend | Low Library Steps, Columbia University | April 18

This was the same concert as the Talib Kweli gig (Vampire Weekend was opening). I still can't believe how big they've gotten. 100,000+ friends on Myspace! I remember when they were playing the dingy basement of the now-demolished Barnard student center. Took this side stage.

Have a happy and healthy New Year!

stellastarr* / The Postelles at Bowery Ballroom

The Postelles

stellastarr*

I think this is the last concert I'll photograph with my Canon 30D. It's time to move on to the
Canon 5D Mark II. (I'll have to sell my 30D to recoup the hit on the bank account, even if I won't get that much.) Good-bye friend.

Taken for House List.

Arctic Monkeys at Terminal 5

Photographed for Sup Magazine. More pics & words here. Sup y'all.

Pissed Jeans / Yellow Tears at WBAR

Just hanging with the dudes, taking their pictures and stuff.
Pissed Jeans (top) and Yellow Tears (below) played a WBAR Barnard College Radio show last night. It got pretty raucous, as it usually does for any Pissed Jeans shows. I was afraid the Lerner security personnel, who ominously stared down at us from the stairwell, was going to pull the plug on the show. (Lerner Party Space is in the basement level.) Luckily, they didn't! Eli's band Old Men opened.

For the entire set, go here.

(Jamie, I think time to time, for a long while, I'll bring up the concert conflict of Mew at Webster Hall vs. Pissed Jeans here... but I'm glad I chose the latter.)

Pissed Jeans / Yellow Tears at WBAR

Pissed Jeans / Yellow Tears / Old Men show at WBAR.
CHANGE OF LOCATION: Now at Alfred Lerner Hall Party Space, 115th Street and Broadway. Take the 1 train to 116th Street - Columbia University. It is the glass building.

There will probably be WBAR t-shirts and totes on sale, proudly emblazoned with the fun image above (which I took during the Pissed Jeans (Halloween Show) at Le Poisson Rouge show).

Buy your ticket at the Ticket and Information Center at Lerner Hall. If you are not a Columbia / Barnard student, email your name to wbarshows@gmail.com so you can get in.

Julian Plenti at Bowery Ballroom

Julian Plenti a.k.a. Paul Banks from Interpol played Bowery Ballroom last night.
Shot this for House List -- more there...

Peaches at Terminal 5

Shot this for House List. More shots there ...

Peter, Bjorn and John at Webster Hall

The other day, a Swedish friend of mine casually joked that everyone in his tiny country of 9 million knew each other. Makes sense, I thought, when I noticed that Peter, Bjorn and John chose fellow Scandinavian El Perro del Mar (née Sarah Assbring) as the opening act. I didn't know, however, that the evening would be Peter, Bjorn and John AND friends. I later learned that this Webster Hall show was the third in a month-long birthday tour featuring surprise guests at each stop. Anyway, Spank Rock and two other rappers (didn't catch their names, sorry!) stopped by to drop some beats. Andrew W.K. flailed his arms around for a "dance" number. Though unexpected choices for guests, the appearances provided pleasant counterpoints to PB&J's honey sweet pop. As expected, El Perro del Mar shared vocals with main man Peter Morén for the 2006 hit "Young Folks," a delightful ditty that got the crowd jumping and the floor shaking.

PB&J took on the supporting slot for Depeche Mode's North American tour this past summer. (Curious pairings appear to be a recurring theme for these pop pros.) Those arena gigs must have taught these guys a few tricks - they charmed the crowd with oomph and ease, tearing through a tight set complete with crooning and guitar shredding alike. Morén mentioned that this birthday tour marked the band's 10th year together. May there be many more!

Taken for Sup Magazine. They rock. Check it out online.

Fuck Buttons at Bowery Ballroom

Photographed for the House List. Listen to "Olympians" below, a sublime track from
the new record Tarot Sport.