Music Recap...

11/14/11

Looking back – I find it interesting that my post from Friday drew more traffic from Russian networks than US networks. Hmmmm…

I had a busy weekend folks! Busy enough that writing a blog had to wait for Monday. Saturday night I headed out to a couple of local venues to get some shots of two local bands. My first stop was ThePub Davenport, to see Wicked Nature. Last spring, WN lost a key member. Their guitarist Steveo passed away and left them not only with a hole in their lineup, but in their (and their fans’) hearts as well. Their newest member, seasoned guitarist Mitch Bergeson stepped in and has found his place with the band. Mitch has been around for a long time, most recently from Mr. Tripod and Tri-Polar XXXpress. It’s good to see Mitch found a great home and Wicked Nature found a good match.

The photography – well…I decided at the get-go that I wasn’t shooting video Saturday night. After a long day of yard work, the prospect of holding a cam above my head for 5-10 minutes at a time didn’t excite me at all. I did take some still shots, and was actually pretty pleased with some of the shots of WN. The LED bar lights weren’t exactly flattering, and definitely did not provide any drama, so I wasn’t expecting what I did get. I prefer not to use a flash, but to allow the stage lighting to provide what is needed. 

11/17/11

Now it’s Thursday, and I still haven’t finished my blog from Monday. How time flies when you’re having fun, eh? Seriously though – it has been a busy week.

After ThePub, I took a swing by Hawkeye Tap. Simon Says Uncle was playing there. I’ve seen them twice before and thoroughly enjoyed what I saw. I thought maybe I could get a few shots Saturday night, and see a little more of their show. I also saw this as a great opportunity to get a feel for good camera locations in the bar for the 1^st Impression gig on November 26th. Unfortunately for me (but good for the band), the place was packed. I wasn’t able to get any good shots. The crowd was thick and the lighting was a little dark for shooting without a flash. I did get a couple of mediocre shots, which I posted on Facebook for the band and friends.

A quick catch-up on my week includes an evening at Steve McFate’s acoustic open-mic at Salute on 7^th.  I absolutely enjoy catching these when I can. Steve puts on more of an open jam than a structured open-mic. It’s never fails that some cool folks show up. This week included Shawn Harris (Andy and Zach’s nephew) of The Harris Collection, Lee Blackmon, Lyle Harris, Jackie Madunic, and Jon Moss (son of Mark Moss), among others. The younger generation of musicians showed off some crazy cool skills. And we saw some interesting combinations of musicians as well. It made for a lot of fun. Those open-mic nights are every other Tuesday, at Salute on 7^th in Moline. The next one will be November 29^th. Maybe I’ll see you there.