Posted by Nate on April 27, 2010 at 10:20 pm
Its kind of funny to me that there’s a genre on wikipedia (yeah, I know, it’s wikipedia) called Folk/Punk. The author credits the great Pogues as founders. I credit Bob Dylan, probably, for kick-starting this genre, if it really does exist. You could argue that its origins are within blues or even southern rock – but I always tend to lean toward the great Joe Strummer. The Clash were legends: punk as hell – brutally honest, smart and snide social commentary, no doubt. But it’s Strummer’s late work that really turns up the passion and the wisdom. His worldliness shines in the Hellcat Records discography. Go get these records immediately.
But get this album, too. I stumbled upon Frank Turner’s music recently while researching The Revival Tour, a group of veteran punks that just plain kick some acoustic ass. Same vigor, same angst, but acoustic. Epic story tellers, I gotta say. Turner is bold and grouchy, but insightful and often times gutwrenchingly beautiful, too. I purchased The First Three Years from iTunes almost immediately after stumbling upon Turners MySpace page and listening to all of the sample tunes there. 24 solid, soulful tunes for 8 bucks. Thank me later.
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Posted by Nate on April 24, 2010 at 2:27 pm
When it comes to discovering new things, I’m like a crazy heroin addict. I think it’s the definition of living. My dad always said (ad nauseum while on vacations) to “expand my horizons” and as a teenager, it drove me nuts. Now, I’m a father… and I get it.
Did you ever hear a song, read an article or a book and go, “How did I NOT know about this!?” I do it all the time. 2 or 3 times a week, lately. So, I’m starting a new string of blog posts called “New To Me” and it’s about people, organizations, bands and such – that are newly GREAT to me. I hope you like it.
This first post is about a photographer who changed the game for me. Bobby Model passed away last fall, and I can’t learn enough about him right now. My introduction to the National Geographic photographer and adventure-seeker came from another magazine, American Photo, who featured him in the July/August 2009 issue. I relate to Bobby Model in a couple different ways. I love extreme, off-the-path places, risk vs. reward photography, and I’m from Wyoming, like Bobby.
Model was named an Emerging Explorer by National Geographic last year, where he was quoted:
“I grew up in Wyoming, one of the most isolated areas of the United States,” he explains. “So hanging on ropes and moving around mountains just came naturally. It’s also why I’ve always found it easy to relate to ordinary people who work the land. I really respect and appreciate those individuals and their stories.”
Wish I could have bought that guy a drink, was my first thought, when I learned of his passing.
I talked to an Award-Winning fine-art photographer Steve Campbell from Las Vegas-based Casey’s Cameras last week at our Vegas Photoshop Users Group meeting. We discussed fisheye lenses. He said he sells them to “extreme sports photographers,” mostly.
I can’t help but think of Model as a pioneer in this genre – he shot adventure photos before there was an “extreme” label, and before it became commercial.
The next time I’m shooting an oncoming race car doing 180mph, a mosh pit or a KO’d kickboxer hanging above me on the ropes, I’ll think of Bobby Model – who shot in ice caves, waist-deep snow, hanging from ropes, and on mountain bikes. My kind of office.
Learn a thing or two at M-11, Bobby Model’s portfolio website. I did.
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Posted by Nate on April 2, 2010 at 5:23 pm
For my second photo assignment last night, I shot the new series of Unsigned: Bands On The Rise at Ovation inside Green Valley Ranch. I was excited to see it was old friends, Slow To Surface on the bill for this, the third installment of the local and indie showcase that the Station Casinos Entertainment Team has lined up for a couple Thursdays a month inside Ovation.
The last time I caught a show at Ovation, I was impressed by the venue. Actually, I made note of it on my blog post for Station Casinos. These photos will show that there’s a very impressive presentation for these bands. Great for photography! This time around, I had my gear, and I hope you like the results as much as I do.
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Posted by Nate on April 2, 2010 at 5:09 pm
I had the pleasure of shooting Michael Burks last night at Boulder Station’s Railhead. I highly recommend you catch as many Boulder Blues sessions on Thursday nights as you possibly can. I can’t believe it’s a free show. $2.00 beers will get you loose if the smokin’ hot blues doesn’t do the job.
Here are some photos from the show. Be sure to check the lineup over at boulderstation.com and I hope to see you at the next show.
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