Late last year I wrote a two-page spread for Forte magazine in a contribution to their “Essential Young Musician’s Guide” series. Forte is the music street press for the Geelong and western Victoria region.  They’ve only just recently made the issue available online, so I can now reproduce it for your enjoyment.

Key points I covered included:

• The band photos used in the bio, and CD artwork, can be a deal breaker. They need to be professionally shot.
• Presenting amateurish photography is almost as much a backward step as presenting amateurish demos on Myspace.
• Effective live gig photography is not easy, and requires a real knowledge of light as much as an understanding of stagecraft.
• A Myspace page is not enough. Whilst it has it’s purpose, you need a professional web presence.
• Find a photographer with creative vision that aligns or compliments your own.
• Ask questions about experience, charging, contractual rights, numbers of images, gear and recommendations

Attached is the article itself. If you have an interest in hiring a photographer (hopefully me!) or you’re dabbling in the idea of rock photography yourself, then do yourself a favour and add this to your reading material.

The Essential Young Musicians Guide – Part 4 (Forte Magazine, Nov 20, 2008)

Apologies for the typos throughout. I can’t do everything myself, as much as I would like to, so typesetting fell into the hands of the publication itself. 

What do you think?

Just for a bit of fun, and to find out who’s reading this far into my article, here is my initial suggestion for an advertisement I took out in the same magazine, and following is their final proof supposedly based on mine. Quite a bit different.  Tell me which one you like best, or none if you think they’re both rubbish.

My proof - sent to Forte for them to use.

Advertising proof put together by the Magazine

The lineup was enticing – tributes to AC/DC, Kiss, Def Leppard, Van Halen & Skid Row. And with a Sammy Hagar tribute joining the expected David Lee Roth show I was genuinely chomping at the bit to see what quality would be paraded on stage.

I wasn’t disappointed. This was a fantastic night of showmanship, musicianship, and outright 80’s nostalgia, and I loved it!  With only one or two small issues – Def Repplica had an off night, possibly initiated by the fact that their opening track (Let It Go – my favourite!) was marred with no guitars in the house PA – I went home with a smile and 500-odd shots.

Thanks especially to Jason for his professionalism in not only performing with Van Hagar, but also stage managing the entire night and keeping every band to a very strict schedule. I know how difficult that task is.  Kudos to Enzo and Jim for their immense workload.  Jim drummed with X-Halen and played bass with Van Hagar.  Enzo seemed to be everywhere! He played the perfect Eddie Van Halen for both VH tributes, as well as pulling off a most credible Bruce Kulick in the Kiss “all-star” tribute.  The Kiss band was lead by “Paul” from Kisstroyer (well, I’m not sure if he’s still in the band or not) who seemed to be much more comfortable off the leash and without having to think about moves, makeup and a costume that must have been the largest Paul Stanley costume ever made.

After watching Enzo most of the night, I decided he looks more like Brian May on stage. I was also amazed at how far he has come since I first saw him jamming with In-Halen years ago when I was fooling around providing keys for those guys.  The guy plays like a freak, and looks so cool whilst doing it.

Following are a few of my choice images to wet your appetite for the rest of the gallery.

Skid Row Tribute – The lead singer was a female, which was more of a curiosity than anything else. She did a great job and entertained us well, but you can’t replace Sebastian Bach.

AC/DShe – The incomparable Josie Jason, my favourite Australian rock artist, was a surprise guest vocalist, stepping in for their regular female lead for the night.  As always Josie stole the show and had the crowd combining head-banging with hysterics for the entire set.   I knew she was struggling to remember all the lyrics so made sure she could read my lips throughout all my favourites.  Josie told me the following week she actually did just that at times.

Van Hagar - I was most interested in whether “Sammy” could really match the man himself. He could! From the opening electric drill of Poundcake, Enzo powered through the more polished era of VH and “Sammy” effortlessly covered the vocals.  When they finally played Dreams the crowd was in raptures, and I was truly impressed.  I’ll be seeing these guys again!
 
 
  
  

X-Halen – With Enzo still at the Eddie helm, and Jim back on drums, in strutted “Diamond Dave”.  Now that Enzo has mastered the VH chops, this was the best performance from these guys to date. It’s hard not to enjoy music this good when it’s played and performed this well.
 
 

Kiss Tribute – Enzo now shone as Bruce Kulick, and the crowd continued to grow and be satiated with many of the Kiss standards. Not a life-changing performance from these guys, but a helluva lot of fun all the same.
 
 
  

Def Repplica – The final act, and unlike their last gig which went very smoothly, this one was not so good. You win some, you lose some.
 
 

Go straight to the full Rock Gods II gallery here.

Wednesday night presented an opportunity to go see my friends in Asleep In The Park at the Brunswick Hotel.

Max in her trademark colour

Not known for it’s stage or lighting setup, I wasn’t expecting to shoot much, but of course I brought my camera just in case. Well, the lighting was well improved, and although the place was completely red I still managed to shoot some images I like.

The band rocked the house – they’ve improved out of sight since I last saw them. Very tight, new drummer, better song arrangements and production. Thanks guys for trimming down on the chaotic madness your music was getting lost in, and getting back to showing how good your song-writing is.

Rotation of duties

Marty goes without

Nomes in the engine room

The stage is huge, there is a snarling King Kong complete with fists in broken chains above it, the sound is perfect, the drum kit is huge and has a gong, and there’s a huge Ace Frehley neon Gibson out the front. The place is perfect except for the price of the beer.

To top it all off, the musicians are awesome. What seems to happen is that locals are recruited to form the basis of most of the bands, with a bit of a rotating thing happening. Every now and then a genuine tribute band plays there, but otherwise it’s the “house” band playing hard rock and metal covers, or pop/dance songs in a hard rock style. Every singer has been incredibly good, and there are two girls in particular who are just amazingly good. One is tiny (see the pics) and is not unlike Janis Joplin and Vanessa Amorosi’s love child, with an awesome level of power for such a tiny frame.  Postscript: You can check out Zea’s profile at http://www.myspace.com/Zealasa. I think she may have moved on from Rock City since I was there.
The other I thought was a guy wanting to be a girl, but it turns out she is definitely female and a lesbian. Her voice is stunning! I’m hoping to film some over the next few nights.

Forgive the less than ideal shots. This camera is no good for live stage work.

Singing “Daddy Cool”

Apparently this guy is “direct from America!”

I was so close to jumping up and joining in once I saw those keyboards. I’m looking for a band that plays Mr Crowley or Jump so I can guest. Hey, even SOS or Mumma Mia will do if I get the chance.

For a minute I thought this guy might have been the bass player from Hush. Maybe he was? I should ask him tonight.

The club is owned and run by a mysterious European ex-rock star. Apparently he’s played with a few very successful bands, but he wouldn’t tell me who. I’ll work on it this week.

If only the rest of the War Pigs boys were motivated enough to play here. Wouldn’t be any money in it, but it would be an amazing experience.
OK – I’ve got 30 minutes to get some food and get back to the club for a KISS tribute band plus more.  Got to go…

Postscript: I’ve now made the entire Rock City set available online.  I hope to be going back in June 09 with my pro photography gear to capture it all as it should be.

Does anybody remember Taste?

It was the mid-70s, and Aussie rock was exciting! Taste was dubbed Australia’s answer to Queen, and after two albums really looked like taking the next step. Their sound was sophisticated with big harmonies, and they didn’t present banal lyrics about parties & girls like so many others did at the time. Something went wrong, and after “Tickle Your Fancy” and “A Little Romance” coloured the radio waves, Taste disappeared. Their drummer, Virgil Donati, went on to be one of rock’s most respected and well-known drummers, whilst the other three band members continued their own musical paths separately, but quite successfully in their own right.

Today, 30 years on, Taste has reformed with a young gun on drums to replace Virgil, and an awesome album that blows away much of what we are fed on rock radio these days. “Rock Is Dead” is a must-own, and Taste as a live band today more than lives up to the legacy of their history.

Click to view the rest of Taste’s photo gallery

I’m very excited. The reason? I shot for Juke Kartel late last year when they opened for Noiseworks. They loved my shots enough to use them on their new website, and what great timing! Juke Kartel has just been signed by Emporium Records, and is about to relocate to the US to continue their already exploding career.

You may know Juke Kartel as the band in which Toby Rand plies his trade. Toby reached the final three in Rock Star Supernova (Fox last year, and impressed Tommy Lee and the boys so much that Juke Kartel was invited to tour the world with them. I saw the Melbourne gig, and have to say that JK rocked the pants off the headliners. Similar reports have been coming out of the US. The Ferntree Gully gig with Noiseworks was one of the all time great pub gigs – hot, sweaty, heavy, tight, loud, rockin’. I’m really looking forward to seeing where these guys take it, and let’s hope they continue to take me on their ride!

Check out the Juke Kartel web site for more.

Director is a hot young band doing the hard slog around Melbourne’s pubs right now. Their style is borrowed from ballsy Rolling Stones cuts with an injection of Slash, Beatles & Aerosmith into the song-writing, played with today’s energy a la Jet via a rockin’ triple guitar attack. Their stage show is powerful and exciting, with all members very aware of their stage presence and the need to entertain. Like Kiss many years ago, Director plays to their audience as if they are in their thousands, for they believe you should get what you came for.

These images came from a shoot at the Noise Bar in Brunswick, where the lighting was challenging at best, but I had perfect access to the band. I love the grittiness of this image, and after all I am a fan of electric guitar. Just wish I played it!

http://www.rockportrait.com.au/bands/070614-director/index.htm

http://www.rockportrait.com.au/bands/070624-director/index.htm

The absolutely gorgeous Nat Allison has, in my mind, a lot more going for her than just a visually magnetic stage presence. She has a crystal clear voice to die for, one of the most amazing and dynamic drummers I have ever seen in Dayne Lawless, the best guitarist a girl could ask for in the legendary Josie Jason, and one helluva spectacular Gibson ES something or other. You thought Suzi Quatro had a big bass, well wait until you see Nat and that stunning gold glitter machine.

Nat’s music harks back to the golden years of Sweet heavy rock (no, not Ballroom Blitz, Blockbuster et al – more like the album stuff you’ve probably never heard), mixed with a modern take on the type of material Josie used to do with the Argonauts. It’s no surprise we can hear a touch of Sweet in there, as I believe Mike Chapman (Blondie, The Knack, Sweet, Baby Animals) helped write some of the material.

Unfortunately, Australian pub crowds are yet to lock onto Nat’s show, although this is no surprise to me as I am constantly astounded at the strange choices we Aussies make about our music. Perhaps I am just living in the classic rock era, but I’ll just never understand how shoe-gazing, discordant, barely coherent, talent-lacking noise-merchants can command large crowds, record labels and a place in the charts of today, when quality abounds elsewhere. I just hope the continued return of true rock takes Nat along for the ride – Josie missed out the first time, so it would be fitting if that travesty was reversed this year.

But enough of the ranting – Check out the Nat Allison Band (minus Dayne for this one) supporting the Screaming Jets at the Chelsea Heights Hotel in July 2007.

It’s time to do what every good web marketing guru out there tells me to do.
It’s time to regularly post images and commentary from my photography activities so that you, dear rock-star and reader, have good reason to come on back and check out my work.

I’ll begin by posting a few older shoots with my thoughts at the time, just to flesh things out a little, then I’ll keep adding as I go. As time progresses you’ll find fascinating photography, tall tales, and plenty of personal opinion. I hope I can keep you interested enough to come along for the entire trip…