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Junius

Brian Stowell — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:47:29 +0000

Apocalyptic space/progressive-rock band Junius played in downtown Portland last night at a cafe called Backspace. The cavernous room served a proper home for the large, reverb-heavy sound of the Boston band. Currently on tour supporting last year’s incredible album, The Martyrdom Of A Catastrophist, Junius is circling the United States this fall and is certainly not to be missed.

The beginning of Junius’ set had me worried. Singer/guitarist Mike Repasch-Nieves asked the house “can we just make all the lights red?” Oh god no. I have terrible luck with Mylene Sheath bands and their red lights. They love them, I hate them. Thankfully I was surprised when the band hit their first crescendo and the lightboxes at the back of the stage kicked on, punctuating the heavy guitars and crashing cymbals. I shot these moments almost exclusively, as the bright white light from their custom boxes, mixed with the reds, oranges, and yellows of the clubs 3 LED cans overhead gave the band the epic looking yellow tinge you see here.

Click here to view photos from the rest of the show.

Red Sparowes / Caspian / Fang Island

Brian Stowell — Mon, 03 May 2010 06:45:51 +0000

I hit up the Hawthorne Theater in Portland last night for an awesome show featuring my buddies Caspian, who have spent the last few weeks as direct support for Red Sparowes. It was a night of awesome instrumental music, save for tour openers Fang Island. And of course, my best friend – red lighting made it out to the show as well.

The recently buzz worthy Fang Island opened the night to a decent sized crowd in the small theater. Fang Island received tons of praise, acclaim, and Twitter trending status during this years SXSW Festival in Austin, TX. Their quick set was punctuated with heavy yet still poppy guitars and a 4 man harmony during the sparse vocals. Though not an obvious fit with the other two bands on the tour, I can see the link between the three.

The stage in the Hawthorne was light by eight LED strips, which were set on red and left that way for the duration of the night. The only saving grace of the set up was that the lighting was evenly spaced and provided adequate front and back lighting. Unfortunately, the monochrome set up left my shots feeling very flat – a feeling not felt during the sets of wandering and expansive music.

Caspian filled the direct support spot. And, honestly, stole the show away from Fang Island and Red Sparowes. Their stage energy combined with the power, intensity, and volume of their music is a force unmatched by most every band I’ve seen live to date. I would like to note that this is my first time seeing them perform on a dedicated stage. Previously, I’ve seen them perform on the floor of a bar and on very low stages in small clubs. Raising them several feet over the crowd certainly adds to their presence. Especially Phil, who already stands at over 6 1/2 feet tall and swings and sways and sprays those of us in the front row with sweat.

I have yet to shoot a properly lit Caspian set. I’m hoping one day they can afford a lighting director to give them a visual boost that compliments their show. It’s frustrating trying to pass off these flat images as a indication of what their show really feels like. If you have the chance to experience their live show, do not sleep on it. Not only do they project power through sound, but the physical force they emit overpowering and beautiful. And when they close out the show with the closing track from last years Terita, “Sycamore” (members of Fang Island joined them for it last night!), the close out drum circle is one of the best end of shows to be had. I love those, dudes.

Red Sparowes closed out last night with an hour long set of slow instrumental rock with small hints of metal. I love their deep, sludgy, looming bass lines. And thankfully they played my favorite song of theirs, “The Great Leap Forward Poured Down Upon Us One Day Like A Mighty Storm, Suddenly And Furiously Blinding Our Senses” (holy hell what a title). They were very energetic at the beginning of their show, but faded as they neared the end. I was hoping for a big build up into something immense but was left feeling like they weren’t finished. Probably due to Hawthorne Theater’s hard curfew for the show.

The lighting challenge for their show, in addition to the red lights, was the projector playing clips from documentaries, fractals, and newspaper clippings on a small sheet behind the stage. Depending on where the band roamed on the stage, they were bisected by bright white light and deep reds and blacks – it was a tough shoot.

Many thanks to Ben and Caspian for being awesome dudes.

Click here to see photos from the rest of the show.

Tegan & Sara / Steel Train

Brian Stowell — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 07:28:36 +0000

I was lucky enough to shoot my first show since moving to the west coast at the beautiful Keller Auditorium in my new home of Portland, OR this evening. The new, unfamiliar territory had me dancing in anticipation. The hall is giant and spacious and was filled with Zelda-inspired haircuts tonight for tonight’s show. I wasn’t prepared enough for tonight’s challenges, so please excuse the lack of photos from show opener Holly Miranda. She put on a great set, which included a gorgeous Etta James cover. I’d suggest looking her up.

Steel Train were in direct support tonight. Their unfortunately short set was made up in stage presence and energy. It’s been a few years since I last saw them live. They’ve made large strides from a borderline jam meets pop band to a seemingly small scale arena rock show. Their now songs are polished to a bright shine and have all the hooks you could ever ask for.

The Keller Auditorium security made sure the photographers couldn’t crouch within 3-5 feet of the stage. Add in the band’s distance from the edge of the stage and tonight’s show was a tough shoot. Equipped with only my 17-70 f/ 2.8, I zoomed as far as I could and shot at low shutter speeds. The house lighting in effect was bright and very pretty – it was the distance from the performance that I was up against.

Set changes were very quick and before I was prepared, Tegan & Sara hit the stage. Their set was washed in bright, nearly bliding LED lighting from the stage. They also utilized the house lighting for atmosphere. There were no problems in capturing shots for their set. The only obstacle in the way was the house enforcement of having to remain back from the stage.

Thank yous go out to Marc A. for the photo pass. He says he’ll eat a dumpling in my honor tomorrow. But that sounds entirely selfish if you ask me. ;D

Click here to check out the rest of the photos from the show.

SXSW 2010

Brian Stowell — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 02:24:34 +0000

I was graciously asked by my friends over at Mylene Sheath to make the trek down to Austin, TX for this year’s South By South West festival. The label was hosting a showcase on Saturday night featuring three of their bands: Junius, Gifts From Enola, & Caspian. As well as attending tons of other shows throughout the week including one offs from some of their bands. It was a crazy week for a hundred reasons – full of tons of music and almost as much barbecue.

I’ll spare you a lengthy report on the 7 days I spent traveling and shooting and get to the meat of the trip. Check out the full set of photos including some photojournalism shots of the 30 hour drive from Harrisonburg, VA to Austin, TX. You can find them all here.

Gifts From Enola played a very strange outdoor show on the side of a coffee house in broad daylight on Thursday. For a band that relies on custom, cued lighting, it was an interesting dynamic. I used the opportunity to get as many full band shots as possible – something I’ve found near impossible to do in their normal indoor venue settings.

We headed outside of the festival on Friday night out to Troy, TX so Gifts From Enola could play a one off at Troy General Store. The venue is really a barn with a stage in it. We basically played under the stars, with barbeque cooking right outside, who could ask for a better night?

Junius opened the Mylene Sheath showcase at Valhalla on Saturday night with an incredible, moving set of darkwave meets post rock. Their normal lighting set up consists of custom lights of varying colors controlled by foot switches – from what I’m told. But the odd stage shape and placement limited floor space, forcing the band to use two dome lamps controlled by foot switches. With only red front lighting the band and white back lighting the band, I had quite a challege shooting them. Though they were my most successful shoot of the night.

Second up – Gifts From Enola. Their light set up was the most flattering of the night. They brought their on stage lighting guy, LJ Stank, with them to the festival. The cued lighting seems to be a 5th instrument during their live shows. A realization we came across at Thursday’s daytime, outdoor show.

Caspian are a band that love harsh, unphotographable lighting. Seriously, dudes? Two 6″ clamp lights with red bulbs placed in the middle of the stage facing up? No front lighting at all. What a nightmare. I focused shooting from side stage, taking advantage of all the light possible. This set was a pain to shoot, but life changing to witness. They’re less of a band or show, more of a movement or experience. I love these dudes. I hope they decide soon that they like a different color light set up.

Many many thanks go out to Lindsay & Joel, and Nate, at Mylene Sheath for bringing me out to SXSW for this awesome opportunity. And many thanks to Gifts From Enola, Caspian, Junius, and the dozens of other bands I saw over the week.

Please be sure to check out all the shots from my week at SXSW by clicking here. And DEFINITELY support Mylene Sheath and all of their amazing bands.

Gifts From Enola / Caspian / A Cosmonaut’s Ruin

Brian Stowell — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:39:14 +0000

above: Caspian

Am I the official Gifts From Enola photographer yet? I’ve seen and shot them about 8 times in the past 6 months. Crazy. Last night the usual GFE crew and followers convened, yet again, at Blue Nile in Harrisonburg for another incredible show.

Mere days after seeing them this past Sunday, A Cosmonaut’s Ruin destroyed most of our eardrums with another crazy set of math rock and metal. Their sets are tighter and louder every time I see them. With harsh, High on Fire-inspired vocals and intricate guitar work, they’ll impress and decimate you all at once.

Caspian were up second. I can’t decide if this band wants to be photographed or not. The entire stage was lit only by two 6″ clamp lights fitted with red bulbs and one 6″ clamp light with a yellow bulb (positioned over the drum kit). It was a tedious affair to get good shots. Even worse than when I saw them a couple months ago.

Shooting post-rock/instrumental music forces me to shoot almost entirely in wide angles. Zooms are nearly unnecessary as there’s no vocals to focus on and, what I think is my favorite part of the entire genre – there’s a lack of celebrity. Bands are actually considered collective wholes, not individual pieces that may or may not be greater than the sum of their parts. And Caspian are one hell of a collective. Their live show is as energetic as it is loud, and my ears are still ringing nearly 24 hours later. They close their sets with Sycamore, the epic ending track off last year’s Tertia. The track ends with a bombastic drum off, reflected in the live show by the entire band banging on drums for a solid 30 seconds. But not in Harrisonburg. Last night, most of Gifts From Enola joined Caspian on stage for the end of Sycamore and sped up the rate at which I’ll become deaf:

I’m becoming a pro at anticipating the lighting cues for GFE’s live show. That familiarity with their live show is definitely paying off. What’s even better is that last night Gifts played another new song from their upcoming album. One we hadn’t heard yet. Unfortunately, due to a faulty wire, their set ended after “Aves”. No encore for us last night. That’s fine, I’ll save the remnants of my eardrums for next weeks’ shows at SXSW.

Click here to view photos from the rest of the show!

Mouth Of The Architect / Braveyoung / A Cosmonaut’s Ruin

Brian Stowell — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:36:01 +0000

above: A Cosmonaut’s Ruin

I caught an earful of metal and drone last night at Random Row Books in Charlottesville. Post-metal heavyweights Mouth Of The Architect stopped in town and delivered one hell of a heavy show.

Charlottesville-local band, A Cosmonaut’s Ruin opened the show with a powerful show with grinding guitars, heavy drums, and plenty of growling. The stage at Random Row Books is pretty small, forcing the two guitars and bass onto the floor in order for drums to set up comfortably. Pair that with the three cans providing light and there’s going to be some visual issues somewhere. I rocked my 17-70mm for most of the set, but crouched down in front with my 50mm f/1.8 near the end to catch some screamy vocal shots.

Braveyoung finished off their recent 12-day tour in last night. I was lucky enough to see them last week as well. Their live show is less of a show than it is an experience. A life-changing, moving one at that. Many of us in the crowd were a little teary eyed near the end of their powerfully undulating performance. Unfortunately, their harsh lighting set up, all two light bulbs of it, could use a little work.

Also forced to play mostly on the floor (due to the immense drum kit they brought along), Braveyoung were entirely back lit by a bright yellow light. I think I spent the entire set at ISO 1600 and shooting somewhere around 1/6-1/12. It’s pretty rough and grainy. If you get a chance to see them live, however, do everything you can to see them.

Mouth Of The Architect finished out the late show with heavy, post-metal. Featuring two guitarists, three sets of vocals, and some keys, the band bounces around the entire sound spectrum, filling Random Row Books with large, booming and echoing resonance. And of course, the band was split up between stage and floor, forcing the front men to stand in darkness while drums and bass were washed in bright, glorious light:

Click here to view the rest of the photos from the show.

P.O.S. / Dessa / Astronautalis

Brian Stowell — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 07:55:39 +0000

above: Dessa

Saturday March 6, 2010
DC9
Washington, DC

I don’t see enough hip-hop shows. Not because I don’t love the genre. I just don’t go to many. To be honest, I was nervous about tonight’s show, as I’ve never photographed one. I wasn’t sure what challenges I’d face, trying to find shots based around individuals and their microphones. The stages feel so empty without an arsenal of equipment. But sometimes you don’t need all of that.

This is Astronautalis. One man, a laptop, and a microphone. He speaks and rhymes with a growl that matches Tom Waits. I’m not sure how someone can keep that up for a half hour or more. Even going as far as freestyling for 5 minutes around topics the crowd shouted out. Truly impressive, if you appreciate that sort of thing.

Tonight’s show was a sell out. Which, in tiny DC9 terms, means about 200 people. But it was a hot, sweaty, close crowd. The cata-corner stage was washed with several cans of yellow, blue, and of course, red. It took a few minutes of trial and error and chimping to find the sweet spot. But once found, the subjects and shots were mostly easy catches. Lots of poses and nice close ups.

Meet Dessa. She makes up 1/9 of Doomtree – a hip-hop collective out of Minneapolis. She recently dropped her long overdue and highly anticipated solo record, A Badly Broken Code and set out on this tour to support it. Not only do I not see many hip-hop shows, but the amount of female artists I get to see numbers in the single digits. Her presence on stage and the attitude she gives off while performing is powerful and hypnotic. And she loves to curl her lip a la Billy Idol.

I really enjoy the attention Dessa gives to both rhyming and melody. Many of her songs often have her giving equal time to rapping and full on singing. She has a wonderful voice and incredible flow.

P.O.S. makes up another 1/9 of Doomtree. He’s seen lots of recent success thanks to last year’s hit album Never Better. His set was double, even triple, the pace of Dessa’s. And the small space inside DC9 was hot and muggy by the end of his first song. The enthusiastic crowd swayed and jumped with his beats, spending almost as much time in the air as they did standing.

The hardest part about tonight’s set was combating the over use of red wash on the stage. Lot of post-production work was required to restore details in the shots above and below. But I am thankful for the extremely short set breaks. There was no equipment to dismantle and load out. Just a quick microphone change and a couple minutes of waiting were all that were required between each set. A welcome change I can only dream for at the rock shows.

Click here to view more shots from tonight’s show!

Gifts From Enola / Braveyoung / Nigredo

Brian Stowell — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 03:19:38 +0000

pictured above: Braveyoung

Gifts From Enola / Braveyoung / Nigredo
Saturday February 27, 2010
Harrisonburg, VA

Last night I made the trip back to Harrisonburg for my 7th Gifts From Enola show. Shooting at Blue Nile is always a huge challenge. The stage is normally lit by a few clamp lights, but the post-rock bands that I see there prefer atmospheric lighting to match their tunes. Case in point: band #1 Nigredo

Their set was backlit by one red light set behind the drumset and dim, yellow lighting over the audience. I had no choice but to push my little Rebel to it’s limit at ISO 1200 and shoot at 1/6-1/10. Action shots were a no go. Luckily I was able to grab a couple of the band’s absolutely insane pedal boards. These things are probably worth what I made last year.

Braveyoung were up second. The four man group produced the sound and energy of an entire orchestra. What an incredible set. But again with the harsh lighting. Two light bulbs placed underneath the drums were the only source of light for their set. It made for beautiful, yellow back light. But also for dark, grainy photos.

Gifts were last. They’ve been playing sets of almost entirely new material from their upcoming album. I can’t decide if they’re purposefully becoming heavier with each set or if it’s a progression I’m slow to catch on to. They’ve done away with many of their technical, intricate samples and loops, opting for a more raw, organic feel. And I love it. And thankfully they’re still using their custom lighting with action cues by their lighting guy, LJ Stank. Most of the set is washed in reds and blues and greens. But the monumental moments explode with bright white blinding light. I’m becoming used to the challenge that is shooting their set. The trick is just to spin the dials back and forth and hope for the best.

Click here to view more pictures from the entire show.

Gifts From Enola

Brian Stowell — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 18:24:36 +0000

Monday January 18, 2010
Blue Nile
Harrisonburg, VA

View the entire set, including photos from Rosetta and Battlefields on their Translation Loss Tour by clicking here.

Gifts From Enola

Brian Stowell — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 16:18:45 +0000

Gifts From Enola
January 8, 2010
Random Row Books
Charlottesville, VA

Click here to view the rest of the photos from the show including shots of The Great Eastern, A City Safe From Sea, and The Summer Pledge.