So I have to break the mold of pretty tame posts here and happy smiley couples to show you the wild side of things. One of my many jobs is a pretty killer one – I get to photograph for Gibson Guitars! I have been lucky enough to have photographed some pretty big names as well as some up and coming groups…but one of my favorites so far has got to be April 7th’s show at the 9:30 Club. Little did I know what a surprise I was in for on a Wednesday night here in DC.

Remember the days of Def Leppard, Motley Crue and Whitesnake!? YEAH (Well I was only about 5 yrs old but STILL) Those guys knew how to rock, and aquanet their hair!

I got to photograph all thats right with heavy metal and rock and roll with the riotous STEEL PANTHER. These guys were insanely fun to hang out with pre-show and even more fun to watch up close and personal from the pit while photographing the show. STEEL PANTHER is: Michael Starr, Satchel. Lexxi Foxxx and Stix Zadinia. Killer stage names, right? Wonder what my Heavy Metal Stage name would be? Any suggestions?

In honor of this crazy band I put together a little slideshow of their on-stage antics. I have to warn you though, in the slideshow I used the CLEAN version of one of their hits and even though it’s *clean* it’s, well, not the fluffy rainbows and unicorns you usually see on my blog. If you are easily offended… then avert your ears and turn down the volume because this song will kick you in the butt. (Oh an if you are heading on over to their site prepare yourself for things far worse than the word ‘butt’)

Here’s a totally over-the-top slideshow from their live performance….INjoy!!!!!!

Prior to the show I was able to get some posed shots of them. I certainly didn’t have to tell them what to do – these guys were pros. Maybe its the tight pants or something….

And Michael practically grabbed the camera out of my hands and insisted that I have my picture taken with Lexxi and Satchel. Who was I to argue? But I did feel terribly under-dressed, or under-styled maybe I should say?

ROCK ON!

So blog posts have been missing the past two weeks you say….well it’s because I have been busy with one concert shoot after another! I have a few to share with you here, and even more to come in another post, so take a look!

I’ll start with Mat Kearney and Ingrid Michaelson, who played a double bill show in Baltimore at the end of March. If you aren’t already a fan of one, or both you might recognize their music from Grey’s Anatomy. They both have been played on the show, Ingrid here , and Mat here and Mat again here….And I think they’ve probably been played a dozen times more on that show than I even can find online! But even without the Grey’s Anatomy reference both these artist would be great. Mat has such a soothing voice, and his lyrics lend themselves to so many real life scenarios. Ingrid is a bit quirky and fun, but has a beautiful voice as well, and was a riot to see on stage as she jokes with the crowd in between every song!

Just two days after Mat and Ingrid I got to photograph SPOON at the 9:30 Club in DC. I have to admit when I first heard Spoon was playing I thought it was Sponge, and I mean Spoon, Sponge, both items in the kitchen right? Both one word ‘S’ name bands…but yeah anyway, it was Spoon NOT Sponge. Not to worry though turns out I like Spoon too, and they put on a kick-ass show! Scroll past Mat and Ingrid’s pictures to see some images from their show. (Ok well don’t scroll past, look at them all ok?)

Here’s Mat:

And now on to Ingrid:

Next we have Spoon…and I just had to snag a picture before they even got on stage of this retro band-aid box they had on top of a guitar pedal. I guess playing on stage is a hazard, and they like to be prepared?

I only was able to get the first three songs at the Spoon show, and i was nudged in between bunches of fans, so I could get a great full band shot, but I was excited with how the shots I was able to get of their lead singer Britt Daniel turned out.

Next up in the world of music will be Pat McGee, Midlake and the amazing metal hairband STEEL PANTHERS. Catch them in the next blog post

I have a few more posts to put up about my trip to Vegas and California last week, but I thought I would put a quick post up about a band I photographed a few weeks ago, The Script. If you readers out there haven’t heard their new single ‘BreakEven‘ it’s really not just a catchy tune, but a great song about how hard break-ups are, because there’s always one person hurt more than the other. I love the line ‘What am I supposed to do when the best part of me was always you, What am I supposed to say when I’m all choked up that your ok’.

Ok everyone raise your hands if you are thinking ‘been there, felt that!’ (Everyone, right?) I just adore when music illustrates the way we feel in the best times and worst time of our lives and while I am happy to say this song does NOT speak to my current situation, it still speaks to me because of times past, and because its just a really catchy tune!

Anyway it was super cool to get to photograph these cute Irish boys in such an initmate setting over at the Gibson Showroom in Chinatown DC, and hear them live!

PS- If you’re diggin the music shots….check back next week for more shots from 2 big shows I have over the weekend! Mat Kearney and Ingrid Michaelson are coming up first…then Spoon!

The day before Inauguration was the most celebrity filled day I have ever been witness too! (Perhaps the day prior to that at the ‘We Are One’ concert would have trumped it had I been granted a press pass but alas, no luck on that) Don’t get me wrong, I am certainly not complaining as I was given the rare opportunity to cover some really memorable and star-studded Inauguration Events!

The first was the Feeding America Hunger Rally held outside in the chilly weather (but no one minded) in the street in front of the Martin Luther King Jr. Library here in DC. Appropriately enough, MLK’s son; Martin Luther King III was a speaker at the event! In addition to him, were remarks by David Arquette and Ben Affleck, followed by an amazing live performance by the very talented Josh Groban, and the legend Herbie Hancock. (I must admit I have a bit of a crush on Josh Groban, so I was particularly excited to be able to not only hear him live, but capture it permanently with some photos!!)

So you would think that event would be good enough for one day, but no! After things wrapped up at the Feeding America event, (and before my fingers froze into permanent position over the shutter button) I then headed over to the Gibson showroom to photograph an exclusive event for Rock the Vote!

Sheryl Crow has been an avid spokesperson for Rock the Vote since its inception from what I understand, and so it was fitting, not to mention an honor, to hear her speak about the success of the election and the part Rock the Vote played in it, as well as the challenges still ahead in the field of voting rights! BUt then of course she preformed a few songs for the crowd which was awesome to hear. Josh Groban made his second appearance of the day, and both artists earned an enthusiastic response from the crowd.

The group of guests in attendance wasn’t without its celebrities either! Amongst those there were Ashanti, Lars from Metallica, Ed Harris, and for all you Entourage fans, and for any girl with a heartbeat, Adrian Grenier! Enjoy ladies

All in all…..is was an AWESOME way to begin celebrating the exciting and long awaited inauguration of President Barack Obama!!!

Does anyone like The Fray? I know I do – they really have such a great sound, unique with Issac Slade’s powerful voice and piano skills…and I was excited when I had the opportunity to photograph the band up close not once but twice when they were in town January 16th!

Some of you know, and some of you may not, but I have the privilege of being Gibson Guitars DC go-to-girl for photography! When it came to the Fray, I was doubly pleased. I was able to snap some pictures in the afternoon at the Gibson Loft in the Chinatown area of DC, where they did an intimate 3 song performance for a group of lucky radio contest winners!

Then later that evening I had a press pass to shoot them live at their performance at DC’s best known music venue – the 9:30 Club on 9th and V streets. The Fray had a really unique stage presence, with Issac Slade’s Baby Grand piano front and center, and a whole stage full of different vintage and retro lamps everywhere.

I have a few more exciting music events to blog soon, but for now I hope you enjoy some shots of The Fray. They were awesome!!

- Erin