music

Somebody I know got their long lusted iPhone this summer. My bookmark’s on the table. It is recognizable to the scholars among us.

I decided one morning that making photographs of the bees might be a good idea. You can’t really make them out here but I promise they are there.

Okay, that’s a personal favourite. Fuck the haters. You’re jealous and you want to be me.

Something is always missing from the standard flower photographs.

“Human beings must have had a lot of courage to colonize cold regions.” You can’t read it but if I printed it large enough you would. Or if you read that book. (which you should)

I guess I was someones passenger. QQ the SLR times. We do what we gotta do when the Leica quits us like a lady.

Such as, take photos of the ground. It’s the shoegaze of photography.

In August I met the father and the lady for lunch. Pretty without any attempt.

While we sat there, music was playing on the street not 20 yards away. Of course I was tempted hither with glass and acetate.

This band is called DRMHLLR. They left an impression, or I guess I would not have left the patio table to steal their souls.

Those digital adjustments were inspired by deviantart. Wee!!!!

There’s a special secret objective to this, you’re not allowed to know.

Hey, check out that ice cream truck. They wanted me to buy an ice cream REALLY bad. I said that’s way too much sugar. They said today is a great day for ice cream and sugar. I said fuck that shit, nigga!

She almost hit me in the head with the street hockey ball.

Maybe I lied, I think we’ll introduce the horse next time.

watch out for mogwai.

no feeding.’

Tonight it’s someones birthday. Mission: get drunk and see a good band.

Yes, it’s JAPANDROIDS entry 2.0. This time at the Rickshaw Theatre. If you don’t like Japandroids you have some boring scrolling to do. Sorry.

As you can tell I’m working on a project involving diversity in live music photography.

Enjoying coffee with Kev-bo and Tanya.

The following day I ran up behind them and HYPERFOCAL’D their asses. Once again demonstrating that I’m all about photography of great depth.

Here’s Kevin demonstrating how well he can focus on my shoulder/a bag of garbage. Come to think of it I’m a little disturbed that there is a bag of garbage on the counter. Here’s Randy demonstrating that he knows how to pose for spontaneous portraits.

We met with old friends that we don’t see so often.

I had a quick draw contest with Kevin in the kitchen. He’s holding a ‘retarded-bright’ EDC flashlight. 180 lumens for the nerds who care to know.

He asian’d the shit out of everyone in the house for the nerds who care to know.

Still dreaming about this show. The ticket’s on my desk next to me.

Guest guitarist on Talking In Figures. I didn’t know his name actually, but he did a beautiful thing.

Rock and roll. Over and out.

Back in June, it was time to have a birthday. That morning I hadn’t much idea what to do but I knew there was an independant music festival in the city and my friend Tyr was participating by playing a solo show at a book store just off East Hastings, an area known for its charisma and the Godspeed You! Black Emperor track of the same name.

One of my favourite aspects of this performance was Tyr’s capitalization on his cramped quarters as he coaxed spastic sounds from the keyboard up against the window by smacking the headstock of his guitar down against.

When you’re sitting on the floor in an overcrowded bookstore there’s not much you can do to vary what frames you can get aside from getting your finger in there.

I kept my birthday a secret but I let it out afterwards when we were standing infront of the shop. He conducted a singing of happy birthday with random people who wondered who the fuck is this guy anyway.

We decided we were going to travel back up Main Street to catch the Japandroids spot for the festival. I’m tired of moderating so I’m just going to post every bad shot I made that night. You can go to www.japandroids.com and stream the video of a previous live show while you read this entry, if you are cool.

Japandroids is a band I’d heard of but made a conscious decision to avoid (reading about or listening) until I got a chance to see them play a live show. Sometimes it’s great to introduce yourself to a band that way and fortunately Japandroids are from Vancouver making that effort a little easier.

It was an idea I didn’t regret.

That one might be my favourite just for the expressions of the listener and drummer. That’s what is called juxtaposition.

After Japandroids Chris and Holly and I spent a while chasing Tyr around the city as he schizophrenically decided that ne needed to be at every venue. It was kind of fun, and we made some nice walks.

These guys were outside the Funky Winkerbean.

And him. Everywhere you go there’s always someone who wants to make sure you realize that you’re shooting a Leica. It’s nice to have a reminder sometimes, but I’m always at loss for what to say besides make a photo. Leica shooters? What do you say to those people?

Actually that dude there was pretty cool and he made good conversation with me beyond the obvious so cheers to you, random Leica appreciating brother.

Around that time I also made some camera porn with the Beard.

So Tyr and Japandroids weren’t all I enjoyed in June. Only a few days later Isis was playing with Mamiffer and Helms Alee.

This is Mamiffer, who radiates beauty in multiple senses.

Gosh, heh.

I had a poor spot to see Helms Alee so I didn’t shoot much.

Isis.

.

I don’t know if I’ve ever actually been so pleased with concert shots. The Isis stuff turned out exactly the way I saw what I was shooting that night.

The crops from neg scans are not ideal though unfortunately.

Wanted at least one shot of him even though I didn’t really have the angle.

I think that’s a good way to end a blog. Next entry will have a just slightly less ancient history factor.

If you take a dollar every day and put it in a jar it will just take 20 years, kids.

In February Tenant played at the Anza Club with Bridges Out, Ninja Spy and Callahan. I didn’t get up to much shooting that night but thanks to the alcohol factor it seems I became somewhat artistically inspired.

I ran into some dA gallery admin at the show. We recognized eachother and nodded but it was way too loud to have a conversation. In lieu of verbal conversation I decided to play a game with him to anticipate his shots. He was running around shooting with a remote off camera flash and so I went to bulb mode.

It was a silly idea because the venue was really well lit unlike most places but I guess I could a couple cute results. A lot of them became more esoteric in nature…

I guess it wasn’t long before we’re getting some 1am fast food at Wendy’s.

Looks like Andrew also found some timbits. I’m trying to remember if that was the night where there was this disturbing old man in a wife beater, shorts, a baseball cap but with the most prolific body hair and all of it was white. It was so dense that it puffed his undershirt up from his chest and back. He had some odd behavior and seemed to be harassing customers or the staff from time to time and always returning to the counter to ask for more of something useless. He was also the guardian of the front door which was not swinging shut automatically and so every time someone walked in or out of the place through that door he would adopt an exasperated look and stand up to close the door again. When at last we stood up to leave we walked past his table and he was eating from 4 tins of  sardines. We walked out the door that didn’t shut properly.

Yeah, it wasn’t the same night but oh well.

Tenant was also playing at the Media Club. That might be the Media Club. If it isn’t the Media Club then it is the Biltmore but I think it is the Media Club.

Over the winter there were a number of these Denny’s trips. Usually after clearing Naxxramas.

Visiting at my fathers with my sister and my nephew.

One of my favourites.

For reading break Kevin came back to Vancouver.

Somehow ending up back at Denny’s again with John.

One day someone was playing with cards in the window seat at Slickity Jims.

Difficult to determine at this size I guess but the cards are of Hooters and feature the female body.

Inside Slickity Jims it looks like this.

The mens room at Foundation.

One morning that came with beautiful light, someone was sleepy.

And eventually awake, for my dads birthday party we made Super Mario Brothers power-up mushroom cookies.

We ground fine sugar with this mortar and pestle that Kevin once gave me as part of a greater  joke. I bet he never imagined I’d find a practical use for it. It felt like some kind of profound victory.

He thought to put out the candles on his birthday cake with the dust buster.

But he was forced to do it like the rest of us.

The Vancouver Darkroom Co-op where I used to print held a gallery show next door at this space. It was interesting to see what other members were printing in there.

I guess I’m getting in trouble here.

But I’ve always been a very smooth talker.

He’s kind of like a horse here but his snout is a beer glass. More about horses in a later entry…

Eventually Tenant played another show where I again I didn’t make much use of the camera.

But that weekend we celebrated Norms birthday and played some Beer Frisbee League in the back yard. It was dumb we didn’t start sooner because he was difficult to see the frisbee. As dusk passed I think I made that one at f/2 1/8th.

Teaching pool.

We spent most of the night outside where I enjoyed some Laphroaig and we passed around the hookah and cigars.