mikesaid

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Ainslie Wills

I received an email asking if any of the shooters wanted to cover Ainslie Wills' gig at the Workers Club. She was releasing her single Fighting Kind (see video below) with a full band. I am trying to recall what I thought of all three acts, but I'm drawing a blank... that's not to say they were bad, I think I was just concentrating on taking photos. That hasn't happened in a while.

See the AU review review here.

Shot for the AU review.

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Gold Bloom (c) Michael James Christian 2012

Ainslie Wills (c) Michael James Christian 2012

Media! OW MAI GAWD!

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Cupcakes II

As a nice deviation from shooting bands, I occasionally shoot for a friends website called Horror Sleaze and Trash. It's like the drinking basement of a 5 star establishment... and I love it.

I had shot Cupcakes before and we had been talking about another shoot for some time so it was nice to dust off the flash (read: freak out about not knowing how to use it) and finally get it done. I felt like MacGyver, I had a gas mask, a horse head mask and a HST t-shirt and I had to make something sexy from it.

d d d d d d duh do de duh d d d d duh do DE daa (I'm sure you know how it goes... no need to thank me for planting THAT song in your heard for the rest of the day)

So anyway, I had some ideas, which of course fell by the wayside. We had use of a strip club for a few hours so the setting was great.. the manager even offered to clean the hand prints off the mirrors. No chance that was going to happen...

See more here

A big thanks to Cupcakes for hanging out, not wearing much and letting me take photos.
Also to Serena for letting use that fucking sexy 85mm f1.2

Monday, May 7, 2012

Steve Poltz

Steve Poltz. I hadn't heard of him till someone told me he was coming to Melbourne and I should go and see him play. A quick Google and I found out that he co-wrote You Were Meant For Me by Jewel (and Steve Poltz), which I am sure is about as interesting to mention to him as it is to remind Dave Grohl he was in Nirvana. But above that - this guy and fucking funny. Fucking funny and he can write a great song. He wrote a song with Jewel, did you know?

So I got there to find out there were free cupcakes on the door. Not knowing if they were laced with drugs I only took one so I could still take photos.

Alas, it was just chocolate.

Steve came on about 9ish, it was fucking freezing outside which could be the reason the crowd was a bit light on it. Or maybe this guy is just too overthehipster head? We were treated to a night of laughs, great songs, bar dancing, nipple drumming and campfire singing. Where the fuck were you?

huh?

Shot for the AU review

See more on my flickr

Check my website out!

Steve Poltz © Michael Christian 2012


Steve Poltz © Michael Christian 2012

PROOF!

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Damn Terran

I photographed Damn Terran a couple of weeks ago but didn't blog it, so will include the shots in this one...

It was a rainy night, I was in Fitzroy and had just spent about 35 minutes trying to find a park - which is fucking awesome by the way, if you haven't done this I would suggest you try it. I had my usual pre gig warm up of a short black chased by a V and was ready to stand there with all the other hipsters and barely move even though the music is rocking.

First band I saw was Scul Hazzard (lady bass player which automatically gives then a 7/10 before hearing the first note) these guys were cool, awesome drummer. I remember thiking, wow - these dudes are my age - there is hope for me yet.

Hope was quickly dashed when the next band, Chicks Who Love Guns (Sydney) got on. They were probably 10 (I'm being nice) years younger than me. After the initial disappointment of an all male band we were treated to another great set - well worth checking out their show - fun to photograph too!

I have been enjoying Damn Terran since I saw them play with Ouch My Face last year, and I have been lucky enough to see them twice already this year before Saturday's gig releasing their 45. "Rebels". I'm not a critic (lies!) so I'm not going compare these guys to another band, or tell you what the lyrics are or any of that kinda thing - they are great to see live, and fun to photograph, that's really all that I care about...

shot for the AU review

See the whole set on flickr

ALL NEW INSTAGRAM

I MADE A FUCKIN WEBSITE THING!

Damn Terran (c) Michael Christian 2012

Scul Hazzard (c) Michael Christian 2012

Chicks Who Love Guns (c) Michael Christian 2012

Damn Terran (c) Michael Christian 2012

Damn Terran

Rebels 7" - Damn Terran by showoffservices

Chicks Who Love Guns

God, Love & Satan by Chicks Who Love Guns

Scul Hazzard

Scul Hazzards - Too Late by tenzenmen

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Georgia Fields

I have photographed Georgia Fields a couple of times so when she played the Famous Spiegeltent in Melbourne, I thought I'd be keen to see that show. I have seen M Ward and Reggie Watts in this famous tent - always a great venue.

A couple of things excited me even before the first note was sung - it started at 7pm, and there were no supports! Oh yea, and because I can take photos - I saw it for free!

Because of this, there was no need to get jacked up on coffee and V but I did have to endure the 5 O'clock traffic - some people have very small penises. Peni? You have a small penis.

Georgia was in fine form - full band plus mini orchestra is always an awesome way to catch her.
You should check her out!

!

Photos!

See em' all on Flickr!

Shot for AU review!

And a video!

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Jen Cloher and the End.. MERRI CREEK PICKERS

I have photographed Jen Cloher before, 89 posts ago to be exact. She was the third band I ever photographed! I have since become a fan of her music and was super happy to be asked to photograph her at the Northcote Social Club (superer happier to find out it was a matinee performance).

First up was a wonderful duo called Sweet Jean, the guy sounded like Willy Nelson (I don't know enough about girl singers but she sounded sweet too) and both of them together sounded like honey for your earballs....

earballs.

balls.

Jen Cloher is playing a few gigs with the Merri Creek Pickers. The Endless Sea had a Country tinge to it, but the Merri Creek Pickers WERE country. It was great to hear some songs I am very familiar with played differently, proving that a good song is a good song and it doesn't matter how it's played.

Photos!

New music from Jen

Some great older stuff:

Sweet Jean Shiver and Shake

Merri Creek Pickers The Farm

Monday, March 19, 2012

Charles Motherfucking Bradley

WWWWWHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY. Is. It. So. Hard.

These were the first words I heard from Charles Bradley when I followed a link from a friends' blog (see below for the video). It's not very often that I hear something and love it straight away, but this was one of those times. Five words sung with an honesty that you don't really hear anymore, no surprises that this is his (proper) debut album and reading a little bit of his story there are also no surprises that he has struggled for a very long time. No one could sing those words like that unless it was true.

Anyway, enough gushing about my new man-crush. I arrived at the Corner pumped up on a V and a short black, ready for a fight, or to photograph.

The support band, The Cactus Channel, was awesome. Ten 19 year olds playing funk/soul - it was quite the sight. Dunno why I didn't get any photos - maybe they were so young and I didn't have a Working With Children certificate?

Charles Bradleys Extraordinaries came on to the stage first and played a couple of instrumental numbers to warm everyone up, it was probably good but we just had 50 minutes of it from the support band. Then the man himself appeared - the Eagle of Soul, or Soul Eagle - whatever it was it was fucking awesome. We were treated to just over a hour and a half of real music, with feeling (and not just skinny jeans) by a real performer.

Photos were easy-peasy, it was the editing and culling that was hard.

Shot for the AU review

See 'em on flickr

Now, a feast for your eyeballs:

And now a feast for your earballs:

AND