The Steelwells - Live at the House of Blues!

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