Foster the People (View from the Backstage)
One of the best new bands to emerge in the last couple of years is Foster the People. Their song. “Pumped up Kicks” has been on the charts for the last 12 months and has hit #4 recently despite being recorded awhile ago. The band was formed in LA by Mark Foster hence the name “Foster the People”. The band was originally called Foster and the People but the name Foster the People stuck. I had a chance to check them out live in San Diego this week and they put on an incredible show at SOMA. The songs are incredibly singable and the whole place was jumping and singing the songs along with the band. I was particularly excited because they gave me a photo pass to the show so I got a unique vantage point (right up front and back stage). You can check out the gallery of all of the photos in my Music gallery.
http://www.frankiefoto.com/Music/Foster-the-People/19737548_6zRdQM
Cults Play San Diego
My niece Madeline McKenna formed a group with her boyfriend Ryan Mattos (phenomenal songwriter and musician). They exploded on the indie music scene over a year ago with a single they recorded in their apartment in York called “Go Outside”. The single was meant to be played just for their friends and they uploaded it on the internet. Within weeks the single had gone viral on the internet and was even picked up by Perez Hilton who claimed that this was the next big group. Well he was right and The Cults went on to sign on with a major record label and began to tour the world non stop since they launched.
Just this last week, I had a chance to watch the Cults again as they played one of their largest shows I had seen. They were playing with another indie group – Foster the People and the place was absolutely packed. I was thrilled to watch her and they even gave me a coveted “Photo Pass” which allowed me into the photographers pit and also back stage. It was a phenomenal night and I loved every minute of it. Check out the band photos for the Cults on the link below.
http://www.frankiefoto.com/Music/Cults-San-Diego/19660799_Zp3F6C
Unfinished Business
My brother has been playing in straight edge punk bands since he was 16 years old. Straight Edge is an alternative movement in punk rock which was more or less popularized by bands such as Minor Threat in the 1980’s Patrick’s latest band “Adult Crash” holds on to those straight edge values and delivers a super tight punk sound. The benefit of playing in a punk band for 20+ years is that Patrick and Tim’s band (the founder) can out muscle the other bands in terms of sheer talent and the wall of sound that they deliver with the help of their better equipment. I went to see and photograph a couple of shows of my brothers band in small clubs here in San Diego and were hard driving and fast. I took a picture which captured the level of passion and aggressiveness of his band. As you can see from the picture below his hands are chaffed, raw and close to bleeding from the pounding he gave his drum set that night. Pretty incredible.
http://www.frankiefoto.com/Music/che-cafe/18178236_NbzM9K
Roseville for a Wedding
I just got back from Roseville after spending a weekend up there for my friends Chris and Vanessa’s wedding. Chris is one of my very good friends from college (we were dorm mates), and his wife is a very nice girl that is a Librarian just like him. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful event that they organized at a small hall called “Portuguese Hall” near Auburn. I got a chance to see the beautiful wedding but also to see the historic town of Auburn which is a great place to shoot for weddings or portraits since the town is very old and beautiful. The wedding pictures will be up within a week and I am looking forward to sharing them.
http://www.frankiefoto.com/Portraits/Chris-and-Vanessa/19604464_KG5hgB
Catamaran
It’s amazing how the Golden Hour can really help make a mundane subject look much more than it is. I took this picture of a Catamaran that we passed by as it sat on the beach, and with the right amount of lighting and color you might have a hard time telling where in the world this is. This was taken at the Catamaran Hotel on Mission Bay. It is right in the heart of Sail Bay – the part of the Bay that has the longest stretch of free sailing than any other part. Sail Boats traverse the long stretch back and forth and on any given weekend you might see hundreds of boats out there.
Autumn Moon over Mission Bay
If you have ever walked around Mission Bay at night you have probably noticed how the lights from the buildings and houses that surround the Bay glisten on the still water. Tonight when we were taking a walk around the Bay we turned to the left and were surprised by what we saw. A beautiful Autumn moon that was appearing right over the horizon. The moon in October is exceptionally big and bright. It was an amazing sight to see.
Fountains of Wayne in San Diego
Fountains of Wayne is an excellent group out of New York City. Now they are not your hippest NYC band given that they were formed in 1996, but there list of awesome songs and original material is impressive. I started to listen to them in 1999, after there initial album release and I have always considered them some of the most talented song-writers in the industry. Lucky me as I discovered that they were playing at Anthology in San Diego last night. I scooped up two tickets and saw one of the best shows of my life. It was a great night. I like photographing live shows but it is actually a bit difficult. The lighting keeps changing and you are often limited to pictures based on where you are seated. From my experience it is always best to bring your longest lens because the closer the better as far as I am concerned. Unfortunately I didn’t heed my own advice and only brought a lens focal length to 85MM which isn’t enough even when you are sitting close. In any case, a great show and a great band.
http://www.frankiefoto.com/Music/Fountains-of-Wayne/19496766_sLJ4dj
Scripps Pier at Sunset
One of the most beautiful places in San Diego is Scripps Pier in La Jolla at Sunset. If you have not had a chance to experience you should. Take a short walk north along La Jolla Shores about 1 hour before Sunset and watch the birds, surfers and other people strolling along the shore enjoying the magnificent sunset. It is one of the most beautiful places in San Diego.
