If you don’t know who Russian Circles is, make yourself familiar. They’re a great band.

For fans of Explosions in the Sky, Red Sparowes, Isis, etc.

Have you done yourself a favor and listened to Sparrow Love Crew? I’m proud to say I consider them homies and their music is amazing! Take a listen and buy the album on iTunes.

For the last couple years I have been informally taking pictures, mostly music related stuff. It’s a sweet hobby.. and I love that I can call it a hobby. I’ve decided not to accept compensation for anything photo related I do, keeps the projects very fun. The other artistic endeavors I am involved with, like my day job, are also fun. I’m sure you can relate, when you’re getting paid things are just different.

Anywho.. let me get down to business right quick.

I was asked to take photos of Oderus Urungus (front man of Gwar) tomorrow morning. I’m not going to lie, I am not a die hard Gwar fan… in fact I heard about Gwar for the first time when they were featured in one of my favorite movies, Empire Records, and frankly thought they were supposed to be comical. With that said, I’m not taking tomorrow lightly, I am very excited to have the chance to take pictures of this guy… supposedly it’s going to be a once in a lifetime sort of event. The pictures are being shot during a commercial he is shooting, they’re for use in HM Magazine, a mid-sized indie rock print zine.

I will post some stuff as soon as I’m allowed to.. Wish me luck!

Spike Jonze has always impressed me. The fact that he’s writing and producing what will be one of the best movies of all time, Where the Wild Things Are, has a lot to do with it. This Kanye West video is filmed in the style that a lot of Spike’s videos are, one constant take. It’s a beautiful representation of what looking like you have a low budget can do. I don’t care if you like him or it, it’s undeniable Kanye West continues to reinvent himself each and every album and on every single video.

Spike Jonze has created some other amazing pieces of work. Check out his critically acclaimed Girl Skate Video, Yeah Right!

I wanted to post this link to the brand spanking new video for “Myriad Harbour” yesterday, but I failed about 3 times in a row. The closest I got was some good text, duplicate pics but one was massive and the other tiny, and the link didn’t work. I’m giving it another shot today though, because I love the song (and now video) that much. Plus, I’m in the office and it kills about 20 minutes. If you’re not familiar with The New Pornographers, this song is a great place to start. It’s off of 2007’s Challengers LP, and I always thought it was the stand-out track of that record. Dan Bejar’s meandering vocals, plus that Lou Reed-ish acoustic rhythm riff makes me want to take the day off from work just to go into a local record store and ask for an American music anthology. That may make more sense after hearing the song. It’s very wistful and sincere, and it’s great to listen to if you ever wake up still drunk from the previous night’s partying session. EASILY ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONGS OF 2007.

So click here to see the beautifully animated Dan Bejar and his bat-shit crazy hair spawning more New Pornographers.

Courtesy of Matador Records.

Last night I went to see Drive-By Truckers at the House of Blues, Anaheim. This was actually the first show of a 38 day tour that’s going to eventually lead them to the Bonnaroo Festival, with supporting acts North Mississippi All-Stars and The Felice Brothers joining the trip as well. I whole heartedly intended to take pictures of the performers, especially DBT. I’ve been quite fond of their alt-country/southern rock stylings for a couple years now, and while the show totally rocked and rolled, especially opening act North Mississippi All-Stars, my friend Roubi’s camera was not working properly. I think we might’ve gotten one decent picture of DBT and that’s it. THAT IS IT! (Ricky Bobby). I can’t complain too much though; Roubi got me into the show for free and hooked up free drinks throughout the night so I’ll let the lack of photos slide. This time. I did get an idea for a blog post to make up for my would be Drive-By Truckers scoop. The guitar player of the North Mississippi All-Stars brought out his cigar box guitar for one song, and it was tuff. Yeah, tuff not tough. That’s how tough it sounded. I looked into these unique, southern born instruments a few years back, and while I found that they are relatively easy to make, I ended up just wanting to buy a pre-made one. For the record, I never bought one either. That might change after last night though. If you want to learn how to make one of these suckers I’ve found a site that seems to be pretty extensive and knows what they’re talking about.

So check it out, if you have time for a project such as this in your life.  

It’s far from often when you see a new artist come on the circuit with a certain, unpinned and original power. Dallas Green of City and Colour possesses every single piece of energy that every sweaty high schooler lives by. I can almost remember my first and fake loves through this CD. Its ambition to be something different is so noticeable that it starts out so ahead of most of what we listen to today. I was fortunate enough to be able to tour with Dallas and his other band, Alexisonfire, a few years back. I can honestly say he’s one of the most genuine and nicest people I’ve ever met.

I wish that everyone, starting tomorrow, had this CD. It’s a beautiful representation of a young singer-songwriter with so much more to say than what we’ve already heard. With meeting the man behind the music, it’s even harder to come up with something to say. It’s certainly for me, a lot easier to be critical. For this CD, it’s impossible. It’s a beautiful piece of work that will live far longer than you and I.

Click here to purchase on iTunes.