Express Live
Columbus, OH
If you’ve ever enjoyed a song by an opening band so much that you had to listen to them and find out what that song was, then you know how I was feeling.
The Newport Music Hall
Columbus, OH
Sleigh Bells took on the role of the skilled demolitions expert at the Newport Music Hall in Columbus, filling the venue with blasts of light and sound that can hardly be captured in photographs.
This year, Rock on the Range takes it up to ELEVEN. May 19th, 20th, and 21st at Columbus Mapfre stadium (home to the Columbus Crew MLS team) will be the 11th season for the event that seems to be breaking records year after year.
Woodland's Tavern
Columbus, OH
I don’t know how this band was able to come together for a love of such classic and retooled sounds. I think they do it as well as anyone ever has. JD McPherson is three years younger than me, so it is easy to believe we must have shared a similar experience in a younger America.
A P-Funk show is not a concert in the conventional sense. What George Clinton delivered at Express Live! on February 18, 2017 was closer to a traveling city: densely populated, governed by its own logic, with something happening on every corner at every moment.
Express Live
Columbus, OH
The things I go through to photograph a good performance! I had been waiting to photograph this band all day! And it was a long day! I left work a squeak early to get on the traffic-filled roads which still made me too late to capture one of the three opening bands.
Waterfront Park
Louisville, KY
Have you ever marveled at the improbable stacking of smooth and heavy rocks by an artist? It takes planning, balance, and an understanding of how to make them all fit together. It’s amazing to see everything come together in such harmony. That was Louisville, Kentucky’s Forecastle Festival this year.
I first met Joey and Tanner of To Kill a Monster heading back to our cars in the rain outside of Rock on the Range. They gave me their card and we made arrangements for me to photograph one of their performances.
The sun shined in full force as 17-ear-old Daya performed at the Rose Music Center at The Heights on Friday July 1st to a sold out crowd. She’s the voice behind the Chainsmokers current #1 Pop and EDM hit “Don’t Let Me Down”.
Their voices are strong and distinctive, working together like all the different scents of a Thanksgiving dinner. You may have your favorite, but together, you get something that is worth celebrating.
Part of what makes them such great performers is how genuine they are. They love the crowd, and are pleased to be out there working the fans. This is work for them, and it never seemed laborious.
Turner is the kind of performer who makes audience participation feel inevitable rather than engineered. He set the thing in motion and let the crowd find its own level. Nobody sang alone.
For a massive 3-day rock event of this size, there was a lot more going on than what you saw on those three stages.
When you see an artist perform live, they often throw in only one or two heartfelt tunes. They opt for the crowd-pleasers and more upbeat selections. Fortunately with Dawes, their music is all three.
You don’t have to believe in magic to appreciate Ellie’s 90 minute, 21-song performance, but everyone in attendance left a bigger fan than when they arrived. Which is saying a lot.
Bebe has been working on her vocals since she was 4 years old. She’s had success writing for Eminem (“Monster”), Gomez (“Like a Champion”), and recording with Cash Cash (“Take Me Home”) and David Guetta (“Yesterday” & “Hey Mama” also featuring Nicki Minaj). The success of those songs has lead to the start of her own solo career.
Most of the time, if something rocks, it just rocks. There are different genres and flavours, and sounds (Try telling that to Gene Simons or Ice Cube). At Columbus’ A&R Bar, Slaves and Wolf Alice proved to be the perfect combination to cover all bases for all rockers.
Dr. Dog has been touring long enough to know what a room needs. At the Newport Music Hall on March 29, 2016, what the room needed was light — and they delivered it.
Photographing Angela Perley, Chris Connor, and Billy Zehnal 3 times in the last 2 years has created a sense of community and friendship with the artists and the fans. Before even arriving, Angela heard I was going to attend her show, and surprised me by added me to the guest list. The fans recognized me, and doled out the compliments.
I was invited to a special holiday CD release party for Angela Perley & the Howling' Moons on December 8th. I had to see Star Wars late the night before to make this happen. It was a good decision. The entire show was great.
