I’ve been listening to Barenaked Ladies since I was about Eight years when my parents brought home a cool little cassette tape of what is probably their biggest album, Gordon. I was hooked, along with most of Canada. The folk festival itself was also quite interesting, and an article will appear on ABORTmagazine later this week with my thoughts on that. So until then, enjoy the photos!
I’ve been shooting Ninjaspy for a decade. That still hasn’t sunk in quite yet. Ten years of photos, ten years of friendship with these talented musicians. June 24th 2017 marked their tour homecoming and official release of their new full length album Spüken, and the locals could not have been more welcoming.
I may have shot way too many photos at this show, but I was more than a little excited to be there to show my support.
It’s been a few weeks since news came to light that Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip came forward to advise his fans that he faced, and has been facing a particularly nasty bout of Cancer. Unfortunately the cancer diagnosis is not good, and will likely take Downie’s life in due course. Such dire news, however will not stop the band from performing one last tour with as much energy and love for their fans as they have in the past. I am happy to have had the opportunity to photograph this eccentric man on two separate occasions. I’m also happy to share some of my favorite photos.
I had the great honor of shooting Motörhead twice in the last six years, and while it wasn’t always an easy shoot, with Lemmy spending a LOT of time with his face in the mic, it was always a fun shoot. I was able to meet the man while we interviewed him for ABORT Magazine in 2009, and he was quite the character. No bullshit, exactly what he was thinking is what he would say. A true class act if there ever was one.
Rest in Peace.
It’s been about six and a half years since Scott rocked the Commodore Ballroom with one of his solo projects. The man lived and breathed music, and that was more than evident through the powerful presence he commanded on stage. The music should be his legacy, not the demons he knew all too well.
Fred Penner. What can I say about Fred Penner. First, he is exactly the person he portrayed on television. A true positive force if there ever was one. Having shot both the Dalai Lama and Fred Penner, I can say without exaggeration, that they exude positivity through their every pore.
I had been a big fan of Fred since I was a young lad, and have no problem saying that when he was singing to the kids, I was sitting there on the floor there with them loving every minute of it. Perhaps appreciating it more in my “old” age. It was amazing. I shot a lot, but want to share a few while I can. I’ll probably share more in a portfolio later on, but found it important that these go up now.
Enjoy!
Pretty self explanatory about what happened here with the title, but what you don’t know is this is the first time that the legendary group have been in the city. It was also one of the few concerts I have shot in the last while. I would like to shoot more, but it’s been exceptionally busy in the last year or so with running ABORTmag lately.
I’ve worked with DJ Eclectik for the past few years, but this was the first time during his work as a world class DJ. He runs Mount Pleasant Optometry by day, and is an exceedingly talented musician by night. He gets the crowd going, and has a LOT of fun doing it. When I shoot DJs or clubs, it’s usually a departure from my regular style, but all images are still straight from camera.
Over the years I have been fortunate enough to photograph Snoop three times in concert, and once, quickly during an interview after the only show in Vancouver I haven’t shot in the last six years. The first was when I was still cutting my teeth, and my first BIG hiphop star back at the Commodore Ballroom. He came again, to the Pacific Colliseum, and didn’t sell out, so next time it was back to the Commodore twice in two years, and to the past outing, reincarnated as a Lion, at The Malkin Bowl in Stanley park, which I have usually covered acts in pouring rain. No such luck this time, though the rain came later that night.
After looking through the archives for an image I needed to update, I came across a show I particularly enjoyed, and figured I would dust off some of the images and share them. This set is from New Years 2010, and features an eclectic Vancouver band, The Dreadnoughts. The shot I was looking for to update is at the end of the post, and remains one of my favorite concert catches.
