A.A. Bondy at Schubas

A.A. Bondys When the Devils Loose is probably one of the highest played albums on my ipod. Prior to last night I had only seen about half of an opening act he did for Elvis Perkins just under a year ago. I was so impressed I bought his album and have been a fan since. I had high expectations for the sold out show at Schubas. Bondy hooked me with about 20 minutes a year back, I couldn't wait to see what he did with a full set. The small Schubas room was full and silent. Bondys music demands a certain level of respect, and to enjoy it you really have to listen closely, and everyone in attendance seemed to get it. His voice isn't particularly loud, or good for that mater. But he sings with conviction and confidence.


Now that I described who he is as an artist, let me dive into the actual show. As Bondy himself said, "This is the weirdest show of the tour." Why did he say that you ask? Because everything was going wrong. At first Bondy thought it was his guitar shorting out during "Slow Parade" After violently shaking it to no avail he smashed it over the ground in true rockstar/folkstar form. Plugging in his second guitar he promptly realized it was not the issue... He then systematically went through each cord and pedal throughout the set trying to find the problem. He threw his harmonica, gave out his tuning pedal before he "fucking breaks it" and came extremely close to "Putting his boot through his amp". Did I mention the crowd loved every minute of it. In the moment of working equipment there were flashes of genius in songs such as "Rapture" and "Vampyre." All in all an amazing show full of ups, downs, and everything in between. Check out more photos here. Also a little preview of whats to come...Im shooting a portrait with Bondys label Fat Possem Records buddy Lissie this Sunday. Its gonna be awesome so check back soon.

Hello Swississippi Records!

Last night was a triple official CD release party kicking off the new Chicago Blues label Swississippi Records. The Label, which was founded by harp player and Swiss native Chris Harper, showcased three great new albums at the beautiful Mayne Art Theater in Chicago's Roger' s Park neighborhood.




The night started with Peaches Staten, who was promoting her album Peaches Staten Live at Legends. That girl can sing, no way around it. Her voice and showmanship was out of this world and it didn't hurt that she busted out a washboard halfway through her amazing set. Make sure you check out the album if you can't check her out live yourself.





Next on the bill was Rob Blaine. I'm no stranger to Rob or his album Big Otis Blues, I shot it! and as always Rob brought the heat. Blaine played with his normal band more or less with Joewaun Scott on bass, Pete Galanis on guitar and Pooky Styx in the pocket. The band sounded tight and tore through a heavy set of Blues and Rock. The night closed with a bunch of Blues Legends doing what they do best. Jamming. Chris Harpers Four Aces and Harp closed down the night with a bunch of good old fashioned Chicago Blues classics mixed in with some of Harpers originals tunes. All in all the night was a success. A bunch of good friends getting together and celebrating something amazing. Something that most people don't ever get a chance to do in their lifetime. Put out an album, and for Harper three albums. All worthy of the Swississippi label and all a officially a part of Chicago Blues History. Check out some additional shots from the night on flickr.

Bonnie "Prince" Billy

I have been a little behind on the blog so tonight its time to catch up! Last week I got to check out Bonnie "Prince" Billy at one of my favorite venues in Chicago, Lincoln Hall. I had just recently gotten into him and wasn't totally familiar with his newest album, which is where he was pulled most of his set list from that night. The stuff that I do have and know is phenomenal. Bonnie "Prince" Billy is truly an amazing American song writer, and when he sings he does so with so much emotion and and intensity. Here are a few photos from the night, you can see the rest on flickr. I also threw in a video so you can hear how good this guy is.

Guy King and His Little Big Band

Last Friday I made it over to Andys Jazz for Guy King and His Little Big Band. For being a younger musician, Guy King controls his band like a seasoned veteran. Throughout the night King played a mix of covers and originals to the packed crowd over at Andy's. Seeing that the would be birthday of Ray Charles had just passed King filled the night with Charles classics which had everybody singing and clapping along with him. This was my first time seeing Guy King in Chicago and I will make sure to make it back.


Keeping the Blues project alive I hope to get Guy and the rest of his incredibly amazing band into the studio for some proper portraits. In the mean time here's a few shots from the night. A few side notes, big ups to my boy Rob Blaine for his live acoustic XRT performance tonight, also stay tuned for photos and a review from one of my favorite new folk singers Bonnie "Prince" Billy live from Lincoln Hall on 9/29.

Jimmy Burns

This past Wednesday I stopped by Kingston Mines to see The legendary Delta Bluesman Jimmy Burns play his weekly gig in Chicago. Jimmy was born and raised in Dublin Mississippi in 1943 and moved to Chicago as a teenager. On top of an amazing performance, backed by an extremely tight band I got to talk with Jimmy about his early years in Chicago his family and his music. I really hope he will join me in the studio soon so I can take his portrait.

Macpodz/Tahini/Blues

Last Thursday I had the chance to catch up with some good ol' Michigan boys The Macpodz at Martyrs in Chicago. They were stopping through on a two night run opening for India band Ali Babas Tahini which features Jake Cinninger of Umphreys Mcgee. I first met the Macpodz guys about a year ago shooting their promo photos. They are one of the few bands I actively sought out to shoot. Before we ever met I felt their music style was something uniquely different from everything else out their and I wanted to be a part of it in some way. Since I am pretty terrible at every instrument I have ever tried playing I did it with photos. It was great seeing the guys put on a killer show setting up the night.


Ali Babas Tahini followed with a solid set showing that even though they haven't played together live in 7 years!! they still hadn't lost their groove as a live band. As all good nights should end we rolled over to Kingston Mines for a night cap, some hot wings and a bit of the Blues. Tonight I will be heading back to the Mines to check out the legendary Jimmy Burns and set up a proper portrait session with him. God I love Chicago.

The Projects Gets Down to Business

Last night I was invited into the practice space of Chicago Band, The Projects. For as much as I love music, and have seen it live, I have never been to an "Official Practice." It was really interesting to see the creative process that goes into each song. Whether its tightening up an original or twisting around tempos and verses making classic soul or jazz tune their own The Projects did it all with a sense of pride and professionalism. The creative juice was flowing "Beer", and the guys were all psyched about their debut EP which is in its final stages of production. The five song disk is due out next month and is sure to be a hit with four different singers bringing different elements to each of the records songs. Stay tuned and I will provide links to the disk as soon as they are made available. In the meantime enjoy a few photos from the evening, and look forward to photos from the Macpodz and Ali Babas Tahini which I will be taking tomorrow night.