Dateline House of Blues, Sunset Strip - part two in a series. Having enjoyed a few earlier bands on the night, it was time for a very different band to take the stage. A band with boundless energy. A band with great enthusiasm...a band with more than a little bit of leather to go around. Enter Orange County rockers, Stereofix! Fronted by brothers Ray Alexander (lead vox) and Kamren Alexander (guitars/vox), and held firmly in place by Mark Allan (bass guitar) and Anthony Hainsworth (drums/percussion), Stereofix describes themselves as a rock/pop band reminiscent of 80s and 90s New Wave combined with more modern sounds. They began their recent HOB set with the kind of showmanship that would make you swear U2 was about to launch into "I Will Follow." With the lights totally in blackout, all that could be seen was the illumination of a few strands of string lights, carefully hung around the amplifiers. The first tune began with instrumentation only, and at just the right moment, Ray came dancing onto the stage with a mirror-ball-glass studded megaphone. "The best days of your life...the best days you're out tonight!" And the crowd was into it from the first few notes. These guys have studied their favorite bands, and they understand the finer elements of a strong performance - including what to do while they are playing, as well as what to do while they aren't. And no, the earlier U2 reference was no mistake. The Stereofix sound, and indeed even Ray's vocal characteristics have been compared to the great Irish rock exports U2 and Bono, respectively. And while there is certainly plenty to distinguish these bands from one another, the comparison is a good one for all the best reasons.
Stereofix recently walked away from this year's prestigious OCMAs (Orange County Music Awards) with a win for Best Alternative Band, and are being heard on various MTV, VH1, and E! soundtracks including The Hills, The City, and The Real World-Cancun, among others. Check their website, Myspace, or Facebook pages to see where they'll be performing next, and plan to make the trip.Here are some of my favorite images on the night, taken from the apron, most shot with a Canon 50mm f1.8 lens, wide open at high ISO.
Ray Alexander starts up the crowd with his mirror balled 'phone
Mark Allan, connecting with the fans
Kamren Alexander contemplates his next solo.
Mark grooves with drummer Anthony Hainsworth (not seen, due to crappy drummer-unfriendly sight lines)
I got another chance to hang out with Stereofix at a recent charity event called "Eat. Drink. Pink!," where the band performed to a crowd on hand to promote breast cancer awareness. Got some cool shots of the band that night, as well as many of the supporting vendors and attendees. Look for that in a future post. Hey, I might have even taken a usable shot of the drummer? Until then, I hope you've enjoyed this musical and photographic glimpse. Rock on.
I was determined to get into a recent show at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip. I heard that there would be six amazing indie bands on the bill, and I badly wanted to hear (and shoot) them all. After exhausting a few contacts and being told that there would be no media passes granted for the evening, I decided to take matters into my own hands. And by taking matters into my own hands, I mean asking one of the bands for a free ticket and taking a chance that the girl at the door wouldn't notice my camera. My plan seemed to work perfectly.I had an amazing night shooting and watching some memorable performances. Too much to share all at once, so I'm going to space these out in separate posts...please stay tuned and enjoy!The first band I'd like to present here is Fullerton's own, The Steelwells. These guys are climbing in popularity, and Orange County is taking notice. They walked away from this year's prestigious OCMAs (Orange County Music Awards) with not one, but two wins - one for Best New Artist, and another for Best Song ("El Capitan"). The tune is light, bright, and upbeat, despite it's greedy subject matter. Reminds me of a cross between Guster and the Jellyfish, and made me dance in my chair while listening on YouTube a few days before the show. The OCMAs awarded the band with their own music video for El Capitan, and it is now released. Watch it here!I had a terrific time photographing these guys from the front row, and I hope you enjoy the images. Mostly, I hope you will become a fan of The Steelwells. They perform on December 2nd at the Fold Silverlake (AKA Silverlake Lounge) in Los Angeles.Thank you to Andrew from The Steelwells for securing a ticket to the show for me!
Joey Winter
Billy Kim
Andrew Eapen
Jonathan Bradley
Robbie Gullage
