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A Benefit for the Scotty Hard Trust - Tonight at The Highline Ballroom

Posted by jroxx on March 19, 2008

Just a last minute reminder to anyone that has not yet purchased tickets for the Scotty Hard Trust Benefit show tonight, tickets are moving fast and the show is almost sold out. I have heard word that there might be more of these in the works but nothing definite yet.

Should be a great night of music, see you there.

Doors are at 8, show starts at 9 PM. Many artists who are long time friends and have worked with Scotty over the years are scheduled to appear including:

John Scofield
John Medeski
Billy Martin
Bill Laswell
Eric Krasno
Neal Evans
Marco Benevento
Joe Russo
Antibalas
Sex Mob
DJ Logic
John Ellis
Michael Blake
Vijay Iyer
Tommy Hamilton
Kevin Kendrick

Downtown NYC luminaries unite for one astonishing benefit concert at the Highline Ballroom in New York City on Wednesday, March 19 , 2008 , coming to the aid of beloved record producer Scott Harding and the Scotty Hard Trust.At 3am on Friday, February 15, music producer Scott Harding was a victim of a car crash in which he was a passenger of a car service, returning home from a late night mixing session. The cab he was riding in was broadsided by a stolen car; the impact crushed Harding’s T5 vertebrae, leaving him partially paralyzed. Scott Harding’s condition is serious and like many dedicated musicians he is without health insurance and is facing very large medical and legal fees.The short term need to raise cash in order to handle Scott Harding’s affairs is very real. His friends and the dedicated musical community that Scott has long been a part of quickly united, offering performances in the form of a benefit concert for The Scotty Hard Trust, a special account that has been set up by friends of Harding which helps to handle Scott’s short-term financial needs through private monetary donations.The confirmed lineup for the Scott Harding benefit concert includes: John Medeski, Billy Martin, John Scofield, DJ Logic, DJ Olive, Bill Laswell, Eric Krasno, Neal Evans, Marco Benevento, Joe Russo, Antibalas, Sex Mob, John Ellis, Michael Blake, Vijay Iyer, Tommy Hamilton, Kevin Kendrick, and many more.Vancouver native and longtime New Yorker Scott Harding has a long and flourishing career as a producer and engineer in the hip-hop and jazz genres. His list of production credits includes the Grammy award winning Chris Rock CD Never Scared and an impressive artist list that includes: Charlie Hunter, Tricky, Crooklyn Dub, Dubadelic, Bailter Space, DJ Logic, Badar Ali Khan, Sex Mob, Medeski Martin & Wood, Material, Soul Crib, Michael Blake, Chris Brown, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Wu-Tang Clan, Vernon Reid, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, PM Dawn, De La Soul, Boogie Down Productions, Brand New Heavies, Prince Paul, Biz Markie, Chubb Rock, Teo Macero , to name but a few.

* VIP Tickets include reserved seating and an after show VIP meet & greet with the performing musicians.

100% of the concert proceeds will be going to The Scotty Hard Trust.

Personal donations can be made directly to the Scotty Hard Trust, payable to “The Scotty Hard Trust” and sent c/o Heesok Chang, 970 Kent Ave #401, Brooklyn NY 11205

  
   

info and logo courtesy: www.highlineballroom.com

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See the Music Volume VII

Posted by T Rex on February 17, 2008

In a rainstorm of red bull, beer and screeching teens last night Beana stepped into the strange musical world of Babyshambles with their fearless leader drug connoisseur/musician/train wreck, Pete Doherty uncharacteristically on his best behavior??!!??

Babyshambles - Tonhalle

I am a huge fan of the rock and roll insertion mission.

Put a time constraint on a concert-going experience or some complex travel logistics or both of those things and I am usually inclined to entertain a way to make it happen. My photo pass for Babyshambles wasn’t confirmed when I woke up yesterday morning so I had decided that it was not happening and figured out other ways to entertain myself and while away my Saturday. At 16:30 I got word that I was in and the insertion mission was on.

First step, listen to some Babyshambles to decide if this was going to be a show I wanted to see or just shoot. This is a dark and twisted thought, but a small part of me was hoping that the drug-addled train-wreck that is Pete Doherty was going to make some terrible scene and I was going to make some money with my photos…as it turned out, he was coherent and I wasn’t particularly interested in rocking the show so it made the insertion mission all that more slick.

Second step, surf flickr for some shots of Babyshambles to see what I was in for and, perhaps, see if I could get a clue about how to nab a photo that hasn’t already been shot a thousand times. Mostly, it just psychs me up to shoot a show…

Third step, pack the gear, print the map and hit the road.

I left my flat in Austria at 19:30 and returned to it with a flash card full of Babyshambles by 22:30.

I arrived too late to shoot the first band which was some German version of the Strokes. I was uninterested in everything I heard from them especially the Sunday Bloody Sunday cover they jumped around to as their finale. Shortly after they left the stage a queue of about 15 huge, German photographers clamored around the entry to the pit to jockey for the best spot. They all had about 3 feet and 2 hundred kilos on me so I just surrendered to the flow and managed to nab a fine space in the middle.

The crowd seemed young to me donned in their fedoras and suspenders. They seemed sweet enough and I didn’t anticipate too much insanity but then the lights went off. The frequency of screaming that commenced when Pete Doherty walked on stage seemed sonically-speaking, impossible. I feared the glass in my camera lenses could perish as I began to fire off some photos of their first tune. My ears had just gotten used to the high pitch teenage-girl frequency and I thought things were cool but that’s when the red bull cans and beer began to shower down on us. Seriously, it was like everybody in the crowd decided to throw their drinks at once. My hair, my gear, my bag all soaked. Having shot from the front row of club shows for the likes of bands like Ween, I am no stranger to the risks associated with expensive gear and rock and roll. In fact, I think it might be part of the fun for me.

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Anyway, I acclimated to the screaming, the raining red bull and had just about hit the groove that comes with the 3rd song when 2 kids came flying over the barrier into the arms of security guards poised there for that reason. At that point, kids started raining along with the red bull and it was like a fucking rugby game in there. The photographers, security guards and kiddies were making things tight in the pit and, for that reason, we were all booted before the 3rd song.

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I headed to the back of the club to see if I had managed to get even one shot, listened to a song and then got the hell out of dodge. It amazes me that people, especially children, find Pete Doherty sexy.

If you’d like to check out some photos of the evening, click here.

See the music,
Beana Bern

Check out Perezhilton for some photos of a fan ripping off Pete’s bandage after the show!!!

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See the Music Volume VI

Posted by T Rex on February 9, 2008

Beana Bern continues adding shows to her musical resume along her worldly travels and this week gives us a glimpse of what her eyes saw on her recent trip to Amsterdam.

Steve Earle - The Paradiso

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If I had the power to go back in time to see a performance of a dead musician it’s hard to know who would top my list but I can be sure that Townes Van Zandt would be way up there. So, I’m sure you can imagine my joy when Townes’ young (notsomuch anymore) protege Steve Earle told a story about old Townes and his horse Amigo riding through the mountains of Colorado together. He followed this wandering memory with a song. What song was it that graced my ears? I have no idea. I record photos not set lists.

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The last time I had the pleasure of stepping into the church-turned-rock-club was in 2003 for Ween. Back then there was beer flying off the 3rd floor balcony and insanity oozing from every corner and, I’m not complaining, but it was nice to enjoy that beautiful space with some acoustic guitar and good, old American folk rock.

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It caught me off guard to see a DJ booth set up knowing that I was there for Steve Earle but when I saw the portrait of GW Bush with devil horns and the word SATAN scrolled across his head, I figured it must be alright. And it was! Actually, it was better than alright, it was perfect. Seeing him sing a love song with his new lady love and also shouting it out loud that music has the power to help end wars, he seemed inspired and on fire. Top it off with some Townes Van Zandt and you have a soul-satisfying night in Amsterdam.

The show was delicious! The venue, beautiful and the photos….well, judge for yourself.
See the music,
Beana Bern

–
http://www.BeanaBernPhotography.com

Posted in See the music | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »

See The Music-Volume V

Posted by T Rex on January 21, 2008

The gems continue from our Austria colleague Bean Bern…..

See the Music – Inspiring Shots and A Couple Ways to Get Them

Can you envision a photograph of a musician or performance that, once you saw it, it was etched indelibly in your mind? Bob Greun’s epic photo of John Lennon in his New York City shirt or Jim Morrison, arms out and chest bared, are images that are so well-known that the photographs themselves are iconic right along with the people they immortalize. What is it about these images that makes them last? Is it purely the subject matter or is it something else? As an aspiring professional photographer myself, these are things that I think about when going to shoot a show.

I have one photo in particular that has been my inspiration for a while now. I saw it online years ago and then saw an enlarged printed version at the Fillmore in San Francisco a few years ago. It has remained the most influential rock picture I have ever seen. Timing, perspective, exposure and spirit all combine to capture the moment perfectly. The photo I speak of is Michael Zagaris’ shot of the last note of the last song of the last show at Winterland in 1975. The band was The Who. In this shot you can almost hear the music, the crowd. You can feel the energy and you are transported back in time to a show that was played before you were even alive. It’s magic.

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I have a few tricks that I employ to be in the right place at the right time and get my shot while still having fun shooting a show. I can’t promise that these will work for you but it is some food for thought.

1.Rocking always trumps pictures of rocking. This is my golden rule of photographing a show and it comes down to the simple concept of really paying attention to the show and respecting the people that are there to experience it. It means not using your gear, credentials or attitude to displace somebody dancing or feeling the music. Also important, “please,” “excuse me,” and “thank you” go a very long way when you do need to move somebody to get your shot.

2. Arrive early to do some recon on the venue and see where your passes will get you. This will allow you to find those places where you will want to shoot from and stage some shots. I tend to do some test shots from these perspectives to evaluate exposures so when the show is on I don’t have to waste time. Also, if there is an opener, go ahead and fire off some practice rounds on them…you never know, they may be the next big thing and you can certainly use the practice.

3. Take a peek at the set list, if possible, using a zoom so you can decide where you want to be for each song. For example, I know that when Ween plays Dr.Rock I want to be at the back of the room to capture the whole stage, the massive light show and the fists pumping in the air. I also know that when they play Fat Lenny I want to be as close to Deaner as possible to catch the rock faces and shredding close up. This can vary from band to band but I have found that it helps to pace me during a show.

4. Have fun! It seems like this is a gimmie, but it is easy to get carried away looking at the 3” screen on your camera and not at the show. Remember to step away from the lense and lose yourself in the music once in a while and it is certain that the pictures you take will reflect the spirit of the show and your experience.

If you’d like some more tips on how to shoot a concert, here are some helpful links that I have found quite helpful:

- Concert Photography Masterclass on Boudist

- Secrets of Killer Concert Photography Revealed on Popphoto

- Concert, Stage and Low-light Photography by Steve Mirachi

Do you have a favorite concert photograph that you have taken or been inspired by? We’d love to see it! Post it in the comments below.

Thanks for reading and remember to See the Music,


Beana Bern

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See the Music

Posted by T Rex on January 1, 2008

As I sit here watching Radiohead’s incredible webcast I couldn’t think of a better way to kick off 2008 other than a wonderfully fresh inspiring See the Music column from our Austria dwelling photographer and friend, Beana Bern. Happy New Year!

Echos in the Alps with Chris Harford & the Band of Changes

Unlike fine wine or smelly cheese, memories of rock and roll fantasies don’t always grow richer with age. The songs fade, the set lists are forgotten and the hilarious drunken moments that happened after the show blur into the wonderful haze of ‘the good old days.’ Don’t get me wrong, there are those pinnacle moments that prop up our memories like a circus tent but the vast majority of hours spent washed in rock and roll fade. Some of us find ways to savor those musical moments that punctuate our lives by collecting ticket stubs or posters. Others carry DAT machines and notebooks to record all the songs making sure to place asterisks beside the ones that are being played for the first time. When I look back at some of my photographs I can close my eyes and smell the club or remember the particularly chilling intro to ‘Ragged Ford’ or, if I’m lucky, feel the same peace and happiness that I felt during the show.

A few weeks ago, one of the most talented songwriters in the world (seriously) decided to tour Austria (of all places!) with his band. Schnitzel Records booked a short tour of Austria, Germany and Switzerland to promote Chris’s new album Looking Out for Number 6 so Chris Harford & his Band of Changes came to me…how perfect!

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The first time I saw Chris play was back in 1997 at the Lakeside Lounge and shortly after he finished his set with his larger-than-life epic rock ballad, “Leaf of Fall” I approached him to tell him how amazing that song was and how much I enjoyed the show. He promptly stuffed 3 cd’s into my hands and seemed genuinely thrilled for the compliment. I went back to my West Village studio that night and listened to Wake while sitting on my fire escape until the sun came up. To this day, it is still one of my favorite albums of all time and Chris and the BOC rank high on the list of shows I will travel to see. Imagine my surprise when I found out they were coming to me…

Along with Chris was Matt Kohut on bass (Amfibian, f-hole); Scott Metzger on guitar and vocals (Rana, Bustle in Your Hedgerow, American Babies) and Joe Russo on drums and vocals (Russo Benevento, American Babies, Bustle in Your Hedgerow). Those of you familiar with any of these bands or Chris himself know that this is a formidable foursome of rock and roll superstars. Those of you unaware should promptly correct that oversight.

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The first gig I saw was near the beginning of their tour in my hometown of Innsbruck where there was a small, but dedicated crowd. The second show I caught was just before their last in a radical old movie theater called the Ebensee Kino in Austria’s Lake District. The latter had the largest turnout I’ve ever seen at one of Chris’s shows. It was amazing. To see the guys fresh off the plane and then again after a solid week of playing together every night was a treat. The synchronicity and liquidity (for lack of a better word) in Ebensee was amazing. They were so tight and communicating so well that the entire 3 hour show flowed like a river and took us all for quite a ride. Not only did the show rank on my list of best Harford shows of all time but it also made the list of best shows of 2007 and maybe ever.

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Chris has a way of weaving fierce and raw rock monsters with heart-crushingly fragile folk ballads in a way that nobody else can. He is a master story-teller and a poet and his music has a way of going right to the deepest parts of you. Those of you Runaway Dinosaur readers living on the East Coast have the opportunity to experience Chris Harford and the Band of Changes for yourself as he has two dates scheduled in the very near future. Both of these gigs are worth a drive and the trouble of hiring a babysitter or taking the night off work. Seriously, when was the last time you went out to hear something new?

Having Chris, Matt, Joe and Scott play in Austria made this far away land feel like home. Hearing my favorite music echoing in these mountains makes me wish I could hop a plane back to the USA for some more. You can bet that, if I wasn’t so far away, that I would be present with my ears open, camera on…ready for some new good old days.

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To learn more about Chris Harford and the Band of Changes you can visit his website or MySpace page. To make your life a little better than it is now, all you have to do is go hear Chris and his BOC (whomever the amazing line up will be when you see them) make music.

Jan 4 2008 9:00P Moose lodge Doylestown, Pennsylvania

Jan 5 2008 9:00P John n peters New Hope, Pennsylvania

To see more photos from Chris’s recent European Tour shot by yours truly, you can click here for Innsbruck and here for Ebensee.

Wishing you all a ROCKING 2008!!

See the Music,

Beana Bern

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See the Music

Posted by T Rex on December 17, 2007

Another great See the Music column from our Austria dwelling friend, photographer Beana Bern. Of all the photos from the Terminal 5 shows her work is far superior. Thanks Beana!

See the Music – The Best Band in the World Blows the Roof Off Terminal 5

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You know the saying, “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade?” Well when business calls you back to New York City for 4 days, you might as well spend 2 nights with Ween. It was serendipitous that my favorite band would offer me some music therapy and give me an opportunity to shoot some photographs, see some friends and finally hear “With My Own Bare Hands” live.

I had heard that Terminal 5 was a cavernous, beast of club and I was looking forward to experiencing the new venue. The list of ‘cool’ venues in Midtown has plenty of room to grow and I was curious if T5 could break the mould. Two of the Bowery Presents clubs, Bowery Ballroom and the Merc, rank high on my list of NYC favorites so I was hopeful.

I arrived on Friday night to an All Access and Photo Pass, a good start to any concert. I proceeded to take a few laps around the enormous space to find some good perspectives and to see what friendly faces I could find. Empty, the club would appear to have a zillion amazing vantage points to shoot from. Full, however, this is not the case. The depths of all the various balconies are vast but only the select view with spots on the rail can see the show. Ween fans are a funny bunch too and not inclined to move out of your way for a shot. I know exactly how they feel.
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My philosophy of rock photography is that rocking ALWAYS trumps pictures of rocking. This means not cramping the style of the people in the front row or using a pass to move somebody out of the way. The trick is to find the perspectives around the crowd, or from within it - as a part of it, and to use the access that you have when the crowd is too thick or drunk or when you want use a bathroom without waiting. I only brought the Rebel to this gig in an effort to travel light, with a 70-300 ef zoom and my favorite ef f/2.5 24-70mm IS. Traveling light was the right call since I spent as much time dancing and rocking out as taking photographs.

I could write about how awesome Ween is for pages but I will leave you with my photographs instead. To see the whole album from a Bean’s eye perspective, click here.

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Posted in Bands, Live music, See the music | Tagged: , , , | 5 Comments »

See the Music

Posted by T Rex on December 4, 2007

I’m thrilled to feature another incredible installment of See the Music from our world traveling, rocking photographer, Beana Bern.

See the Music…Arcade Fire Rocks Tonhalle. Munich – Germany.

Some 5000 meters over the Atlantic and 3 glasses of wine into my flight from Frankfurt to New York, I thought now would be the perfect time to tell you about this great night that I had in Munich a few weeks ago. I thought that when I left New York City for the Tirol that I was leaving behind my chance to pursue my interest in rock photography. Innsbruck, after all, is not known for its music scene. The “concert kit” that I invested in to improve my game and shoot a show seriously, I assumed, would suit me well with landscape or maybe even some mountain sports but I gave up any expectation that my lucky trend of Photo Passes and living a rock and roll fantasy would continue. That was just plain silly of me. I couldn’t leave behind music or the chance to photograph it even if I lived in Antarctica!

In addition to having a network of friends that make the music happen in the throbbing metropolis that is New York, I also have come to know a few brave soldiers that take the show on the road. Arcade Fire in Munich was my first shot at an ex-pat rock and roll adventure and I think it went swimmingly. A dear friend of a dear friend is tour managing that excellent band and Munich even in a blizzard is, I found, only 90 minutes from my flat. Not knowing what to expect with the venue, the security or the scene, I opted to bring the big guns and had my (superbad) 5D set with f2.8 70-200 IS telefoto and my (consistently awesome) Digital Rebel rocking the f2.8 24-70 IS wide angle. Having seen the Arcade Fire a handful of times before and knowing how beautiful and interesting their production can be I went a little batty and brought over 3 gigs of compact flash cards. If your back can carry the weight, why not be prepared for anything?

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The venue ended up being smaller than their full production could use so it was an intimate show in the scope of their tour. My friend was apologetic that I didn’t get to see the whole set-up and, though I would have liked that, I prefer smaller shows to bigger shows any day. Especially BIG bands playing small shows which is what the gig at Tonhalle turned out to be.

I’m not a fanatic about set lists but I can say that the show was an equal mix of Neon Bible and Funeral and that the band was tight, energetic and having fun. I am, however, a fanatic about rock posters and managed to eek out this beauty…

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The 3-song limit, it turns out, is international so after only ~15 minutes I had to leave the pit and rock the show. Not such a big problem in the scheme of things but it’s just one more reason for me to learn German…so I can “work it” in Europa the way I learned to in New York. Now that I realized that there is music to be had I need to try to find some mags or blogs in my neighborhood and try to publish my work. That, I have learned, is actually much harder and requires much more patience than taking the photographs themselves.

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If you would like to see the whole album of photos from that night, you can click here.

Swing by next time for a story about my insertion mission to New York for the best band in the world.

Posted in Bands, Live music, See the music | Tagged: , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

See the music

Posted by T Rex on November 20, 2007

I’m extremely happy to feature a very talented photographer who has captured her life adventures with incredible talent and individual style. I’ve been a fan of her work without her knowledge and was thrilled when she agreed to contribute some of her photos, gear expertise and rock and roll stories to Runaway Dinosaur. Here is a little background to kick off her new column, See the music. Welcome Beana Bern her own words…….

 

In the Information Age when cell phones are the new lighters at concerts and laptops serve as modern day campfires pulling people together to watch some clip on Youtube or to check out pictures from last night’s party, the ways in which we are able to record our careful days seem limitless. This Digital Age has made photographers and cinematographers out of all of us and blurred the lines between professional, amateur and accidental.

Whether you are one, two or all three of those things, one thing remains true-you know when you have preserved the moment, captured the spirit and managed to stop time. For me, photography preserves the moments that are so fleeting that, like a moonrise over the ocean or a watery-slick guitar solo, they run through you, like electricity, and then vanish. Aaron Siskland once said that, “Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever…it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.”

I began taking photographs longer than I can remember. Things got serious in high school when I began processing my own B&W film shot on my 35mm Pentax ME Super. I eventually graduate to my first 35mm SLR, a Canon EOS Elan shifting from processing my own film to experimenting more with compositional elements and color.

Almost a decade passed between my Elan and my first digital camera but when the 1st came it was like a dam broke. I fully embraced the digital medium, perhaps even more so than film, and the rest is history.

Around the time that my love for photography was first blooming I was also exposed to my first taste of rock and roll in a field in the outskirts of Kansas City. These two passions of mine developed continuously, though separately, for the next 10 years and did not meet again until one dark night in New York City.

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Yoshimi (boredoms)-Webster Hall 2006

With 16 years of live music experience, I eventually had a desire to participate in the experience as more than a fan or a spectator. Saving ticket stubs and collecting posters gave me something tangible to hold onto but I wanted to contribute and collaborate and preserve the feeling that I had when I was lost in the music in a way that others could relate to. It was that wish of mine that first inspired me to bring my camera out to some rocks shows in New York.

The people that you meet and the tricks that you learn after so many dark clubs, green rooms, parking lots, photo pits, back stages, front rows, cheap hotels, Presidential Suites and all the other static orbits any concert, can eventually contribute to how (or if) you can photograph a show like a professional. I have learned some tricks (though I still have lots to learn) and have had the good fortune to shoot for the Village Voice, Theme Magazine, a myriad of amazing musicians along with some features on BrooklynVegan and a handful of other music blogs. I am going to swing by RunawayDinosaur from time to time to share some photographs, some rock and roll adventures, and some tips and tricks on how to try your hand at rock photography.

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Peelander Z-CBGB’s 2006

Currently my photographic arsenal consists of the following:

Digitial

Canon 5D, Canon Eos Digital Rebel XT, Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8IS USM, Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS, Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM, Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6, Tamron 19-35mm Wideangle Fisheye, Nikon Coolpix s5, Nikon Coolpix s51

Film

HOLGA, Poloroid Sun 600, Pentax ME Super 35mm

Come back next week for re-cap of The Arcade Fire at Tonhalle in Munich……

See the music…

beana bern

http://www.BeanaBernPhotography.com

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