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  • Sun Angle

    Here are a few new portraits of Sun Angle, shot for Willamette Week's 2013 Best New Band issue. I photographed them at Revival Drum Shop and in front of a random dogwood tree in NE Portland. For the final photo, I decided to shoot through a prism, which I made from three 6" square mirror pieces and some gaffer tape. (Idea stolen from an article on F-Stoppers). I think it turned out pretty great, but now I need to rig up some way of attaching the thing to my camera because it's awkward and heavy.

    Side note: stream their mind-blitzing new record HERE, then buy it when it's released next week!

  • Camera Obscura

    Camera Obscura have announced their new album entitled Desire Lines will be released on June 4 in the U.S. It was recorded in Portland by Tucker Martine at Flora, and I had the pleasure of sneaking in for a few hours one day to photograph them at work. This photo is published with an interview in the current issue of Under the Radar, so go pick it up if you're a fan!

  • Rhett Prairie

    Normally, Monday night shows are out of the question, but my wife and I made an exception last night because we couldn't miss the combination of Rhett Miller and Black Prairie at Mississippi Studios. Most of the show was a stellar solo acoustic set from Rhett but at the end of the night Black Prairie joined him and blasted out killer renditions of "Broadway" (Old 97s), "California Stars" (Billy Bragg & Wilco) and "Wreck of the Old 97" (Johhny Cash). They clearly enjoyed playing together, and even dropped some hints at a future collaboration, which would be amazing.

    I stuck my camera up and snapped a few unremarkable shots, just because. Sorry John Moen, you should get a drum riser or something.

  • Bruuuuuuce!

    I have to admit, before last night I was a casual Springsteen fan. I have Born in the USA, Nebraska and Born to Run, and I love those records, but I don't have all the lyrics memorized by any stretch. I haven't kept up with his more recent releases. My college friend Dan was a huge fan, and while I appreciated the music, I never quite got the obsession some people have. A couple songs into his show at the Rose Garden in Portland, however, something clicked in my head and I just thought, "Oh". I am 100% converted. The man puts everything into his performance, knows exactly what his fans want, and best of all, has an absolute blast on stage despite the fact he's been doing this for 40 years.

    This was the first arena show I've photographed, and I was a little skeptical I'd get anything good since we had to shoot from the dreaded soundboard position way the hell in the back. There were 6 of us, crammed on a little 4x8 platform next to the soundboard, and my doubts only increased once I saw what we had to work with. Fortunately, The Boss decided to crowdsurf during the 3rd song (Hungry Heart) and this happened:

    I'm not being falsely modest when I say I have to give some credit to luck and the $4,000 lens I rented for the evening, but still, this is probably the best concert photo I've ever taken and I'm pumped about it. More photos and a great write-up by Ned Lannamann can be seen on the Mercury's blog, so have a look.

  • Hey Lover

    Hey Lover are the funnest punk rock duo in Portland and I've been a fan for years. I snapped this quick portrait after their set at the Lion's Eye Tavern a few weeks ago but tonight we have a proper photoshoot before they take off on a European tour!

  • Fault Lines

    Fault Lines

    the angry orts have a revamped lineup and a new name: Fault Lines. They'll be recording a new album at Jackpot! with Larry Crane this fall, and I plan on hanging out and snapping some photos of the process. For now, check out one of their upcoming summer shows!

  • St. Johns Bizarre teaser

    I'm close to finishing up a set of photos from last weekend's St. Johns Bizarre. For now, here's a shot of the Corin Tucker Band playing the day's final set. I'm a huge fan of her music, both Sleater-Kinney and the new band, so it was great to see them play in an intimate outdoor space. Based on all the new songs they played, their new record is going to dial up the rawk, and I can't wait to hear it!

    *UPDATE* complete set of photos HERE.

  • Luz and Nick

    PDX Pop Now! held their 4th annual Make it Pop! fundraiser last night at the Cleaners. All of the artists were fantastic, but the highlight for me was several quiet but stunning new songs from a duo of Luz Elena Mendoza (Y La Bamba) and Nick Delffs (The Shaky Hands, Death Songs). Many more photos of the event here.

    P.S. thanks unknown iPhoneographer for the lighting assist!

  • I ♥ PCP

    The Portland Cello Project, photographed in inner SE Portland for their upcoming tour in support of their new album Homage.

    Their fearless leader Doug wanted a more gritty, urban setting than most of their past photoshoots have used. Since the forecast called for rain that day (imagine that), and cellists are not fond of raindrops on their instruments, we decided on shooting under the viaducts on the east end of the Hawthorne Bridge. Plenty of grit, and cover from the elements, so it worked out well on short notice. We also lucked out and got a little sunbreak so I asked them to lug their cellos over to this mystery factory on SE Main. I shot a few photos of them playing, but the raindrops started again so the cellos immediately went into their cases. Of course the sun popped right back out and briefly bathed the building in some sexy magic light, so I had them line up and lean all cool on their cases and shot this last frame of the day, which turned out to be my favorite.

  • PDX Pop at school

    PDX Pop Now! descended on J.V. Beach K-8 school in Portland for a day, bringing workshops for music, screenprinting, animation, and looping, as well as a free concert from Radiation City and Wild Ones. I'm pretty sure every adult in attendence said "I wish we had this in my school" at least 10 times. With music and art education in the dire situation that it is - battling constant budget cuts - programs and events like these are essential to keep kids interested and engaged in the arts. For more photos from the day click here.

  • the angry orts part 1

    The angry orts at PALS Clubhouse, playing their 2nd show with their new-look lineup featuring Molly on backup vocals and Emily on bass. I shot these on my Canon AE-1 using Ilford Delta 3200 film. It was dark and my manual focusing skills are rusty as hell, but I love the naturally imperfect results you get with an old film camera with technical limitations. Holga photos coming in the next post, so stay tuned!

  • Deer or the Doe

    Deer or the Doe have made a new record! They need a little help to properly release it, so help out if you can because it is going to be great. This is a shot from a recent portrait session I had at their practice space in SE Portland. As you can see from the balloons, it was tons of fun. My sihouette makes a 1-second cameo in their Kickstarter video, so look closely and don't blink.

  • We All Raise Our Voices...

    The Decemberists released a live album this week, and I'm thrilled to have several of my photos featured on the front and back of the record, as well as all over the insides. I had the privilege to shoot their 2 night stand at Edgefield last August, at the end of their massive world tour and the beginning of the dreaded "indefinite hiatus".  The following shots are the ones you'll find in the album art (in living color!), but if I have time I hope to share some outtakes sometime soon. Huge thanks to Jeri Heiden at Smog Design for the beautiful layout and design. 

  • School of Rock

    The Portland Chapter of the School of Rock recently put on a hell of a show at the Crystal Ballroom, featuring the students playing a slew of great songs from some of Portland's finest artists. Even better, some members of the "real" bands joined the kids onstage to help them play their own songs. Not that they really needed the help. I have to admit, before the show I expected at best a fun show with kids playing these songs as well as they could and gosh darn it'll be cute. Wrong! They can fucking play, and I grossly underestimated their chops and fearless stage presence. It was a blast, and I look forward to seeing another show in the future. Check out the rest of my photos here.

  • Decemberists live album

    The Decemberists are releasing a live album on 3/13/12. I shot the cover photo (that one up there!) at Edgefield, just outside Portland, during the final show of their most recent tour. More specifically during "The Mariner's Revenge Song". See more info and the tracklisting on their website.

  • This Charming Man

    If you listen to OPB Music, you are familiar with the smooth voice behind their "In House" program, Jeremy Petersen. In addition to hosting the finest radio program in Portland, he moonlights as the singer for a Smiths tribute band by the name of This Charming Man. I took these photos with my Holga at The Woods' annual Halloween party. Really bummed that I didn't bring enough film for the costume/dance contest later in the evening though.

  • Black Prairie

    Black Prairie

    I finally caught the last set of Black Prairie's October residency at the Laurelthirst Pub in Portland. Despite the little red & green lights that make the band look as though they've contracted some kind of laser pox, the low lighting looked pretty cool in the small space. See more photos here.

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