Tag: Live Music

Stills from amazing concerts and musicians.

Did I just see Lit and Everclear?

On Friday night, I finally saw Lit, Everclear, and Gin Blossoms in concert at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles for the Summerland tour, and it was everything I expected it to be: awesome.

A few other cool things:

  • This was Amy’s first time attending a large “rock” concert, and she really enjoyed the bands.
  • It was my first time seeing these bands in concert. Nostalgic.

Finch at The Glass House

A month ago, Finch booked a last-minute free show (dubbed the Warped Tour Pre Party) at The Glass House. I sent them a message, and Daniel got back to me. Unfortunately, he couldn’t guarantee me a photo pass since Warped Tour was running it.

At the Glass House, I was able to say hi to Grizz[1. He was running merch at the time.] and Nate. Then, I bumped into Randy. He recognized me and handed me a wrist band (photo pass). Score! A few minutes later, I saw Daniel. Good times.

Will I ever meet their drummer, Drew Marcogliese?

They had an awesome show and I got a few snaps for them.

My favorites:


Rancy (I mean, Randy) comes out wearing a motorcycle helmet. Hilarious!


The epic shot of Nate screaming

Thanks for the photo pass, guys! I hope our band gets to open for you someday. 😉

*****

You can see the photos from the concert at my main photography website, or my favorite five at Flickr.

The Ready Set and Andrew Swanson

A couple weeks ago, I met Andrew Swanson[1. Andrew Swanson also on Twitter (@swansonswanson) and Flickr.] running merchandise for The Ready Set. It was good times.

They first played at The Knitting Factory in Hollywood. After some trouble waiting for the box office to receive the list that would have my name on it, all was well.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a photo pit at the Knitting Factory. I didn’t mind too much because I hung out with Andrew at the merch table! 🙂

So, what did I learn about Andrew?

Becoming the merch guy for The Ready Set (on this tour) — Andrew was introduced to Jordan Witzigreuter (The Ready Set) by his photography. After taking photos at some of their shows, they became friends.

Travel — Until now, Andrew hasn’t been away from home for this long.[2. I was fortunate to have been able to travel a lot in junior high and high school, so you can imagine the excitement.] His blog and Twitter account tell his adventures.

The downside? You’re away from home. No home-cooked meals, your own bed, or family.

Andrew’s photography — He used to photograph with a Canon EOS 40D. He had the 50mm f/1.8 and the Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM lenses. But, he was depressed with the lack of fast lenses, so he sold it and bought a Canon G10.

After The Ready Set finished their set, most of them hung out at the merch table to meet fans, sign autographs and take photos. All of them were really cool and laid back.

When I talked to Matt, their tour manager, I found out that I could make their set the next day. So, he got me on the list again! Very cool, especially since I wanted to get some decent photos for them.

I fared better at the House of Blues in Anaheim. After signing some contract for the HoB[3. More on that in a future post.], I got in right away.

I talked to a few other photographers in the pit, including Mike McDougal (@mikemcdougal on Twitter). They were all really nice, too. Of course, I got some pretty sweet concert photos, plus some fan photos afterward.

Photos are also on Flickr: Knitting Factory, Hollywood / House of Blues, Anaheim

Thanks to Andrew Swanson, his infamous dad, Jon Swanson, and The Ready Set!

El Ten Eleven at The Roxy

I saw El Ten Eleven at Home Restaurant in Silverlake last Friday, but it was so packed I couldn’t take decent photos. Afterward, I emailed the band to ask for a photo pass on Sunday night.

Surprisingly, Kristian Dunn replied the following morning and I had my name on the list.

I got there during Xanimo‘s set, so I took several photos of them[1. Not uploaded yet, but check back later today.]. They’re pretty funky, but I like ’em.

There was a bigger crowd for El Ten Eleven. I took about 250 photos[2. Most were similar frames from continuous burst mode.], but I think these 17 are my best photos of them.

I chatted with Kristian at their merchandise booth for a few minutes. He’s super mellow and considerate. Thirsty, he left to get a drink, but not before offering me a bottle of water. “We have a bunch of them.” Rad.

If El Ten Eleven is playing anywhere near you, see them live. They’re incredible — and touring for a month.

Thanks to Kristian Dunn for a quick reply and talking to me after the show, Tim Fogarty for being a wicked drummer, and David Vine for recommending El Ten Eleven.

Official website of El Ten Eleven

http://www.zenfolio.com/zf/code/slideshow.swf

Photos of El Ten Eleven on Bryan Villarin Photography / Photos on Flickr

Update: Xanimo photos are on Flickr.

The Scarlet Paradigm at Whisky A Go Go – 2/11/2009 9:30pm

Our band, The Scarlet Paradigm, has a show coming up.

Oh, and this one is ALL AGES. Can you dig it?!

Please buy your ticket now so we don’t have to worry about our pre-sale quota — a necessary evil as we work our way into the big time. Once we sell all these, I’ll remove the “Buy Now” link and you can just buy it from the box office the day of the show. Update 2/10/2009 – We did it! Thanks everyone! Don’t let that stop you from coming to the show, though. Let’s pack it out!

The Scarlet Paradigm is a Los Angeles rock band rooted with progressive, metal, hard, and punk rock influences. Formerly composed of the members of Phantom Scream since 2005, TSP has been equipped with a new singer since July 2008.