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
The suspense has been killing you, yes? You've been waiting long enough, and now, I am happy to announce the contest has come to an end, the votes have been tallied, and the winners are about to be revealed. On behalf of Chris, Jackie, and Rico, I'd like to thank you for your participation! We had over 100 judges out there participating (both on the blog and in-store), which was a much bigger showing than our first competition, and which totally exceeded our expectations. We hope you enjoyed being a part of this contest, and that you'll come back to more of these in the future.Alright, on to the results. For the second straight competition, I have been bested by my friends. But in an interesting twist, so was Rico. Yes, I'm pleased to announce that the two winners across the five categories in play are Jacquelynn Buck and Chris Uller! Congratulations, my friends.Here, again, are their winning images in each category:"Spiral" category:
Spiral C - Jacquelynn Buck
"Black & White" category:
Black & White B - Jacquelynn Buck
"Stairs with a Human Model" category:
Stairs with a Human Model C - Chris Uller
"Interpretive Stairs" category:
Interpretive Stairs D - Jacquelynn Buck
"Iron" category:
Iron C - Jacquelynn Buck
Do you remember which ones you voted for? For a limited time, you can also swing by the Last Drop Cafe in Claremont to get a look at the winning prints, up close and personal. And, conveniently, you can enjoy a sandwich and a cool beverage as long as you're there. Thanks again to Mike and everyone at the Last Drop for hosting our show.Feel free to drop any comments you wish here on the blog. We'd be interested in any feedback you have about our little contest. Also, please hit me up with any ideas for future contests you'd be interested in seeing.
Psych had already been green-lighted for season five by the time I inquired with my friend Steve about making a trip to spend time with him on the set of the popular USA Network show. The offer had been made years before, but now the timing seemed right. We'd be able to fly up to Seattle, spend a couple days, maybe get a rental car for the trip into British Columbia, Canada. Then again, we could always fly into Oregon and drive from there - Portland looks fun. Ah, why don't we just do a long road trip and see the Pacific Northwest? Sold! So we ended up taking a 10 day trip, including stops in northern California, Oregon, Washington and Vancouver, B.C. We had a great time and brought back a ton of photos. I think the best way to share them will be in small installments. Here then, is Part 1 of our vacation. Please enjoy.
Here we are starting out in the stretch of northern California just beyond Chico. Erin, being much better traveled than me in this part of the country, promised logging trucks every ten feet. She wasn't far off.
South Weed was much closer, but, let me tell you, it was worth the wait for what Central Weed had to offer.
A very common scene while climbing into southern Oregon - lots of open road and misty, lush greenery.
This is a very small community outside of Portland known as Tobacco Town. Seriously though, this struck me as interesting - not something we see in practically-smoke-free Cali.
Portland, Oregon. I got the impression of a very colorful, unique, and friendly city.
Erin, grinning along the bank of the Willamette River, with the Burnside Bridge and the greenish spires of the Oregon Convention Center in the distance.
We had watched enough of the Travel Channel's Man vs. Food to know that no trip to Portland would be complete without a stop at the original Voodoo Doughnut.
Erin didn't seem so sure of my decision to go with the bacon maple bar.
I had the utmost confidence in my choice, and proceeded to "hang a fang" on the delicious sweet and savory treat.
Voodoo Doughnuts has plenty of eye-catching decorations, lighting fixtures, and stickers.
Delicious!
Erin, seated back in the car, urging us forward on our journey. Next stop, Seattle!
"While you may be able to at last take the metal band off the deserted island, apparently you can’t take 20 years of exposure to 80’s pop out of the metal band. Prepare to have the line between pop and metal blown to smithereens and pour yourself a shot of Rock Sugar." - quoted from the Rock Sugar StorySound familiar? It really shouldn't. This story is anything but common, and Rock Sugar is anything but your common rock band. These guys put on a show that must be seen to be believed...and even then, you may have to rub your eyes. Rock Sugar, who was headlining the House of Blues Sunset when I caught their show, is known for their unique mashup of 80s pop and heavy metal songs. They bring with them all the things you'd expect from an 80s glam metal band - from the wild hair, flowing scarves, and leather attire, to the jewel encrusted guitars, tatoos and chains. They even have their girlfriends up on stage with them, dancing along in the wings! But they also bring a few surprises, like their take on 80s pop songs that rarely have any business at a rock and roll show. And when was the last time you saw a band that ordered pizza delivery during the show - not only for themselves, but for the whole crowd in attendance!? You can throw all the rules out the window when these hard rockers take the stage. 
Jess Harnell effortlessly belts out the vocals
The talented Chuck Duran nailed every riff, and made each song come to life
Johnny Five - Still alive, and featured on bass and vocals
Alex Track, rockin' in the cool blue light
Band wives? Girlfriends? Groupies? Who cares!? They're hot chicks up on the stage!
It was pizza night, and everyone in the audience was invited up to the stage for a slice!
Johnny and Chuck, pouring some sugar on the Hollywood crowd
