Da Weekend 9/10,11&12

This past weekend was productive. An amazing shoot with Pete Carey of dmTNT with a little help from Peggy Pliscott and Samantha of Ford Models, Xavier Rudd at the Vic Theater (which was amazing, unfortunately no photos to show) the Bears game (a wins a win), and a roof top party with non other than the great Erwin Helfer, and Kathrine Davis.


The weekend started proptley with the Pete Carey/Samantha shoot. My good friend and talented hair and makeup artist Peggy Pliscott did her magic making this an amazing shoot. Here are a few images, the rest can be found on facebook.


The next night i got to see one of my consistently favorite acts Xavier Rudd, at the Vic Theater. Rudd is Australian native and is currently touring with an aboriginal rhythm section who also have some of the best backup vocals I have seen live. Sunday morning was spent with Bloody Marys and the Bears Lions game. The two worst teams in football. This time the Lions made more mistakes....kind of.......and the Bears won. Following the game we went over to a rooftop party, hosted by our friend Henry honering the great blues pianist Erwin Helfer.



There was great food, great friends, and great music, preformed by Erwin Helfer, and Katrine Davis. Here are a few shots from the night. I forgot my flash so I jacked up the iso and made the best of it. Stay tuned for my next post about The Project, their upcoming CD and a peek into their practice space.

North Coast Music Festival

This weekend I got a full dose of amazing live music with the North Coast Music Festival in Union Park. It was a three day fest showcasing music of multiple genres, from Electronic, Hip Hop, and Rock, to New Orleans Jazz. There was no shortage of variety over the long holiday weekend.


Day one featured Paul VanDyke, Pretty Lights, and Chemical Brothers. It was my first time seeing the Chemical Brothers and I have to say they fucking ruled. It was both audibly and visually one of the most stimulating shows I have ever seen. I took a short video, which I should post in a day or so.

Day two was long. We started early with Chicago Band Strange Arrangement. These guys can really play, and do, all over Chicago, so catch them if you can. One of the weekend highlights was Grace Potter and The Nocturnals. Every time I see these guys it blows me away how much energy they have, and how much fun it looks like their having on stage.

It then went onto back to back Electro-Rock with The New Deal and Future Rock. Two three piece groups that know how to make a LOT of sound and work the crowd. Way too much fun.


The night wrapped up with performances by Jay Elecronica, and Umphreys McGee. Both of which were amazing. Umphreys brought the heat as they usually do, to a packed Union Park audience.


Following the Festival I headed over to Kingston Mines for just a little more music, by a little I was there until about 4 watching some of Chicagos best, including Joanna Connor tear up the Blues.


Sunday was rough. This was my first "real" Festival in my home city and I always thought how nice it would be to sleep in my own bed and shower. It just makes it harder though. After a crazy night when your camping you really have no choice but to say fuck it, lets do it again. It's a lot harder to get up out of a comfortable bed take public transportation and do it. So kudos to all of you who made it all three days!


My Sunday was spent hanging back in lawn chairs and re-hydrating when I wasn't shooting more photos for www.livemusicblog.com. We started our Sunday shows with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band from New Orleans. They turned out one of my favorite shows of the weekend. I then caught Benny Benassi who had the entire crowd at his fingertips. I had never seen him or really heard him, but was really impressed by the energy he brought to the show.


Next was Mayer Hawthorne...I'm not gonna lie I was a little skeptical going into his show. A white kid from Ann Arbor singing old soul music, but he did it. And he did it really good too! Vocal harmonies were right on, band was tight. I was impressed and will be sure to catch him next time he comes through.


The night closed with two amazing Hip Hop acts, Lupe Fiasco, and Nas and Damien Marley. Lupe's set was insane! He had a killer band backing him and probably lost 10 pounds running back and forth on the stage.


Nas and Damien Marley closed out the weekend with an awesome set and lots of people. The had an official Jamaican flag waver. How do I get that job? All in all great weekend. Check my flickr for all the photos. I will be uploading in the next day or so.

BLUES Backyar BBQ

After a great weekend in Detroit I drove into Chicago and headed straight to BLUES on Halsted for their annual Backyard BBQ. With amazing weather, food, (Some of the largest burgers I have EVER seen) and music preformed by Rob Blaine, Carlos Johnson and many more it turned out to be a great night, enjoyed by all who attended. Here's a few photos and a video from the night. Enjoy..

Amazing Carlos Johnson Solo from Chris Monaghan on Vimeo.

Mike Wheeler

Yesterday I had the pleasure of shooting Mike Wheeler, a staple guitarist in the Chicago Blues scene. Mike and his wife stopped by the studio for a quick portrait session, helping me inch towards my project goal. What an incredibly amazing couple they are. We didn't have much time together, but I hope to get to know them better over the duration of this project. Thanks guys, Enjoy.

Chris Harper

This past Friday I got to see Chris Harper and his band up at Rosas Lounge on Armitage. I arrived a little late, missing the first set, which was OK considering the quality and length of the second. Heres a few quick shots from the night. Now, I'm off to edit Farm Fest450 photos from Saturday. What an amazing little festival it was. I feel lucky to be there with such a great group of people.

Dan Carelli

Just time for a quick post from my shoot this afternoon with Dan Carelli. Thanks Dan! Off to Rosas Lounge for Chris Harper, Rob Blaine and a drink with Dan.

Wendy Hayes kicks off the Blues Project!

A special thanks to Wendy Hayes for helping me officially kick off this Chicago Blues portrait project! Wendy is an amazing Bass player and singer and it was a great working with her. I think we got some great photos, here's a quick look at a few of the shots. Expect more soon. Guitarist Dan Carelli will be stopping in this afternoon as well for a quick portrait session. Along with Rob that makes 3. If I can keep this pace I may just be able to hit my goal! Also this weekend is the second annual (my first) Farm Fest 450. Headlining this year is Backyard Tire Fire, along with Chicago Farmer, Jaik Willis, Miles Nelsen, Ernie Henrickson, Bubba Fats,and the Herbert Wiser Band. Looking forward to documenting this amazing little fest!