Kim Taylor Take 2

Kim Taylor was my first act that I covered for CityBeat back in July and it was not my best work in the dimly lit Southgate House. I wanted another chance so I decided to cover her Indie Summer Concert Series on Fountain Square on Friday night. She had a full band for this show and I was able to get much better shots.

Kim is an awesome Cincinnati artist who’s latest work is featured as the theme for Oceanic 11 on Lost.

Creed in Columbus

On Wednesday, I shot Creed in Columbus. I had to face my issues with Scott Stapp, who ruined my image of Kid Rock back in 1999 so I decided to shoot the show at Nationwide Arena as the band begins their new tour.

When I arrived, I was a little surprised to see that they were almost giving away tickets outside and there were more people at the minor league baseball team next door.

I was pleasantly surprised by an opening band called Like a Storm. They were very cool with a metal edge look and sound. Their photos ended being some of my best of the evening. Check them out on myspace with their new album “Chemical Infatuation.”

http://www.myspace.com/likeastorm

Hoobastank was the second band of the evening and sounded just like I remember from the 90’s.

Creed took the stage in a pyro filled show and Scott Stapp sounded exactly the same. The band overall sounded just as I remember from 2000 when Bryan and I saw them on one of our first concert dates. Nationwide was a great venue to shoot at and I look forward to coming back for future shows.

Geisha- The Japanese Rock Star

After traveling and working in Japan many times in four years, I finally was able to arrange a meeting with a geisha in the Gion district in Kyoto over the weekend. It is actually one of the most difficult photo opportunities that I have tried to setup. Japan’s history and culture are sacred and it takes an introduction to arrange a private meeting for a photo opportunity. I was a strange case for them as a female client not looking for entertainment.

I attended a traditional tea ceremony first and then had 30 minutes to get an individual portrait session and discussion. I learned that she was a maiko, which is a young geisha apprentice in training for music and dance.

The experience was magical and well worth the wait. I always compare geishas to magical creatures like unicorns.

After my portrait session I went and had lunch at a traditional restaurant and then decided to walk around the area. I realized it was almost 6 pm which is the normal time for most geishas to go to work. I looked down the street and saw paparrazi-like crowds of photographers running after geishas walking down the streets on the way to work. Of course, I joined in and met people from France, Brazil, UK, and many other parts of the world. It was so fun. I got a few candid photos and captured the crowds outside the house where the geishas live. Overall it was an amazing day that I won’t forget as I start to finish up my time in Asia.

Langhorne Slim

On Monday, the night before leaving for Asia Pacific I was able to catch Langhorne Slim at Southgate House in Newport, KY. He and his band The War Eagles were straight off the Lollapalooza weekend in Chicago but came to Southgate House early for a portrait photo shoot with me in the green room.

Langhorne Slim is an American folk artist who’s music has been featured in the movie Waitress and has been a Rolling Stone Editor’s top pick.

His latest album Be Set Free was released September 29, 2009.

Check him out on myspace:

http://www.myspace.com/langhorneslim

Little Big Town & Jamey Johnson Ohio State Fair

This weekend I covered the Ohio State Fair concert series for CityBeat. I was able to shoot Little Big Town & Jamey Johnson. This show was extremely difficult to shoot. I thought it was going to be outside, but it was actually inside a huge barn at the fairgrounds and the stage was literally 12 feet off the ground so you had to shoot straight up.

I was pretty excited to get access to Jamey Johnson’s show at the last minute. Special thanks to the staff at the fairgrounds.

You gotta love anyone who can write lyrics like… My life was just an old routine … But I traded that for cocaine and a whore … he sings in “High Cost of Living.” I also just realized he is less than a year older than me (his DOB July 14, 1975) but he seems so much older and wiser than his age.

It was pretty amazing to hear “In Color” performed live. Johnson proves that “real” country music is still alive and well in Nashville. I can rest easy that I still have a place to go home to in TN…

Little Big Town is a band that has stayed together through life’s struggles of divorce and death since it was formed in 1998. Their music is amazing with the vocal harmonies of all four singers: Karen Fairchild , Kimberly Roads Schlapman, Phillip Sweet , & Jimi Westbrook.  My favorite song by far from the group is “Bring it on Home”  from album The Road to Here.