Yesterday, we published the first part of a two-part B List penned by HT photo editor Jeremy Gordon in which he shared five of his favorite photos and the stories behind them. Today, Jeremy returns to tell the tales of his other five favorite shots. Take it away, JG…
6. The Forgotten Photo
[Coca-Cola sign Times Square]
It was my first time photographing the Disco Biscuits and, man, was I excited. This was going to be the biggest band I had shot up to that time, and only the second time I had shot at the Nokia Theatre in Times Square. I got there early and talked to a few people, including some other photographers. Then I grabbed a few shots of Simon Posford as he spun discs for the crowd. Finally it was time for the Biscuits to take the stage leading to three songs and about 15 minutes of me running around looking for angles, trying to grab focus, and guessing shutter speeds against the pulsating lights, all while the crowd was screaming behind me.
Later in the show, I was invited side stage to get some more shots before adjourning backstage for a slice of Famous Ray’s and a beer. Then it was on to the aftershow to catch Bassnectar at B.B. King. So where does this photo fit into that long and rambling story? It ended up being just one of three shots taken after a friend and I left the concert and headed to Times Square in search of an ATM. There, at 3:00 in the morning, workers were repairing the Coca-Cola sign. For one reason or another I wasn’t happy with the shot, and it sat untouched for eight months until I finally got bored and worked on this forgotten shot. I’m glad I did.
READ ON for four more amazing photos and the stories behind them…
For this week’s B List, we present a two-part series penned by HT photo editor Jeremy Gordon in which he shares his ten best photos and more importantly the stories behind those photos.
Someone once said, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” and perhaps it is. But often a photo without context conceals the greater story behind it. A couple of months ago, my editor at Hidden Track, Scott Bernstein, asked me if I would like to share the stories behind 10 of my favorite photos. I jumped at the chance, hoping to impart my tale and perhaps a little wisdom to our readers and my friends. What you’ll find below is mostly true and mostly accurate, so take it all with a grain of salt.
1. 15 Minutes of Fury
[The Flaming Lips at Central Park SummerStage]
Generally, three songs or 15 minutes is all you’re going to get in front of the band. In that time you’ve got to get close-ups of each member of the band and hopefully shots of them together, interacting with energy and excitement. Sometimes the lighting just plain sucks – there’s actually a joke that the bands purposely under light the first three songs because they hate photographers – or the bands are uninteresting to watch and it becomes a frustrating mess. But then you get to shoot The Flaming Lips.
The show begins with the band being born out of a giant light – or a replica of a vagina – on stage before the lead singer jumps into a hamster ball to crowd surf the venue. Dancing girls are dressed in alien costumes (if dressed at all), giant bears and fishes join in on the fun, and confetti streams down from the rafters as 20 to 30 photographers push, shove, and run around trying to get a photo of anything they can think of. It truly is 15 minutes of fury and, except for almost going berserk on a fellow photographer, I loved every minute of it.
READ ON for four more exquisite photos and interesting stories…
Under African Skies is the seventh track off Paul Simon’s classic 1986 album Graceland. We have previously done The Boy In The Bubble Cover Wars here at Hidden Track, but because of stupid IMEEM shutting down, a lot of those old editions no longer have audio embedded in them, rendering them a bit useless. At some point in the future we will go back and fix these old posts with direct audio embeds. But enough about that, on to the covers…
The Contestants:
Brock Butler, who also appeared in The Boy In The Bubble Edition, kicks us off with a killer solo rendition. Source: 12-30-2005
[audio:https://glidemag.wpengine.com/hiddentrack/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/brockskies.mp3]Video from Amberland 2008 with a little help from Ayinde:
READ ON for the scoop on the rest of this week’s contestants…
For a first time festival site, Predaine in Freehold, NJ was a welcome oasis for the fans at PetZoo Festival 2010. From easy entry allowing cars to drop off their camping gear – though they couldn’t car camp – to a cheap air-conditioned bar on site and a grassy amphitheater, it seemed that festival goers comfort was given the utmost attention. And with many having taken the long drive up from Florida to join the Heavy Pets at their annual party, it’s easy to understand why!
[All Photos by Jeremy Gordon]
PetZoo rewarded fans, from near and far with a few special treats. Starting with Zac Lasher of U-Melt sitting in with Newton Crosby for a full set on Hammond B3 organ (if you missed this set you can check them out at The Gig in the Sky) . Later in the evening The Brew kept things going with covers of Zepplin’s No Quarter with Dave Drouin on vocals and the Allman Brothers’ Blue Sky. U-Melt showed renewed energy and excitement in one of their final New Jersey appearances with blistering guitar solos on Clear Light and a wink to the neighborhood with Bruce Springsteen’s, Atlantic City. Friday evening was closed by none other than The Heavy Pets who showed everyone exactly whose festival it was, coming out hard and strong.
Saturday was just as exciting with the day starting out with an adorable performance by a local children’s dance squad. Local favorites, Bearin’ Peace’s set was perfect for waking up the crowd with an Island feel to it and Spontaneous Underground still managed to sneak in a great cover of The Beatles’ Tomorrow Never Knows into their short set. As the afternoon continued, The Heavy Pets surprised the 21+ crowd with an impromptu set in the bar between Long Miles and Cabinet. Toubab Krewe’s two hour set was welcomed by the fans and the amazing Funtown hoopers and fire dancers who used the African beats to entrance the crowd. As The Heavy Pets took the stage for the final set however, a bit of trouble ensued as the main stage was temporarily shut down due to noise complaints but luckily with organizers to the rescue, things were settled quickly and the show went on into the early morning hours without a hitch.
READ ON for more on the PetZoo Festival…
What do you get when you combine large doses of jam, untz and prog with a dash of Broadway? Look no further than U-Melt’s latest album – and first for Harmonized Records – Perfect World. The group’s third studio album shows off the strong songwriting, unorthodox harmonies and instrumental prowess that are the hallmark of U-Melt’s sound.
Last Week’s Sauce is a recurring column featuring recordings of shows that took place the previous week. Thanks to NOLAfishwater for the photo.
Artist & Title: Furthur – Viola Lee Blues > Cumberland Blues > Viola Lee
Date & Venue: 2009-09-20 Fox Theater, Oakland CA
Taper & Show Download: Unknown
The much anticipated Furthur shows took place last week and the tapes are out there for everyone to listen to. Furthur has no future shows scheduled, but everyone wants to know if they will play again. This section is pretty sweet, I haven’t listened to much – but the band definitely sounds like it has got some serious potential. Most common feedback I’ve heard is that everyone was hoping “Fake Jerry” had gotten more time singing lead.
[audio:https://glidemag.wpengine.com/hiddentrack/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/furthursauce.mp3]READ ON to hear tracks from the likes of MMW and Stephen Kellogg…
U-Melt hit the stage in front of a sadly sparse audience (Woodstock on a Thursday night is not what it used to be), but lived up to their name by liquefying those who were there with a molten hot evening of music.
