Jon Brion at Warsaw 05.06.16

Five years ago, I attended my first Jon Brion concert, after an eventful day at a Renaissance Fair with my older brother Nick at my side. Back then, I was still trying to get into concert photography and it's pretty hard for me to look back at those pictures. There are a couple I like, but eeeesch, good thing I got better. These days, I usually ask for a photo pass and cover shows for Surviving the Golden Age. For this concert, I was there as a fan, along with some new friends, but it's so hard for me to not bring anything to a show. I took along my mirror less EOS M with the kit lens and an 85mm.

I am not a fan of that kit lens at all and really struggled to get it to perform, but as you can see from the photos, I was a little too close for the 85mm with a cropped sensor. I ended up taking a lot of detail shots that I thought were interesting. That beat up old amp really spoke to me. I picked the right side of the stage because honestly, trying to get interesting shots of a person at a piano is rough. Of course, the stage crew set up a music stand right in front of me, so I had a fun time working around that. All in all, they aren't my best work, but there are more than a couple I'm happy with this time around. I went with more of a grainy processing style because I felt like that fit this performance.

Oh hey, and maybe I should tell you a little about the show too. I'm a little rusty at this. It was a much better set than the first time I saw him. Besides all of the equipment working, yey!, there was a long set at the end of the night where the audience was singing along, to the point where Brion wasn't even using his microphones. There's something so special about that type of audience participation; it's what I've always loved most about Ben Folds. When a crowd breaks into perfect harmony during Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here, you get goosebumps.

Many thanks to my friends Shellye and Dean who made sure I was able to meet and talk to Jon at the end of the night. I don't always like talking to musicians I'm in awe of, sometimes I turn into Stan from South Park when he talks to Wendy, but Dean very innocently reminded me, "This isn't someone famous, it's Jon." As it turns out, Jon thinks Polaroids are pretty cool and was gracious enough to let me snap a quick portrait.

Quite a different experience from five years ago, wouldn't you say? If you're reading this post in a timely fashion, Jon Brion is performing tonight at City Winery. It's a late show, starting at 11, but if you can make it, you should definitely check it out. With audience members shouting requests and one musician bouncing around between instruments, I promise it will be unlike anything you've seen.

ParaNorman Soundtrack: Another side of Brion's Genius

Bare with me as I attempt something new on this blog: an album review. It's something I've been wanting to do for a while, so I figured why not try it on something I'm really passionate about. It probably won't be the most cohesive piece I've written, but I welcome any and all comments/suggestions you have. Let me know what you think.

One of my most anticipated albums of the year was released today: The soundtrack for the movie ParaNorman, by Jon Brion. The movie, which comes out Friday, is a stop motion animated adventure film by Laika, creators of Coraline. The plot line is as follows: "The small New England town of Blithe Hollow comes under siege by the undead. Only a misunderstood local boy named Norman Babcock, who has the ability to speak with the dead, is able to prevent the destruction of his town by a centuries-old witch's curse. He'll also have to take on ghosts, witches, zombies, and (worst of all) the moronic grown-ups. But this young ghoul whisperer may find his paranormal activities pushed to their otherworldly limits." It is a completely instrumental soundtrack; Brion usually has a handful of songs with lyrics on his film compositions. I was immediately struck by the power of the music. The brilliance of Jon Brion as performed by the London Symphony Orchestra is a thing of great beauty.


I encourage you to listen to the album, and thanks to AOL, you can stream it online for free here.

Earlier this year, Brion produced the sophomore album from Best Coast. He is also writing the music for director Judd Apatow on the follow up to Knocked Up, a movie called This Is 40, due out at the end of the Mayan calendar. Jon Brion has often times said that he enjoys mixing up the roles that he plays in the music world. He finds just as much enjoyment playing guitar on a track as he does composing as he does finding a new way to mic a musical instrument. The ParaNorman movie has been getting plenty of press, but there is little fanfare for Brion's soundtrack. Unassuming, Brion has delivered a sublime album that deserves recognition.


This is a great horror movie soundtrack. It is intense and emotional, yet it remains light enough for its intended purpose: a kid's movie. After listening to the music, I'm itching to see ParaNorman with my nephew! Brion eases those familiar with work in, sticking with his usual instrumentation. The opening track, Zombie Attack In The Eighties is classic Jon Brion, chock full of wonky synthesizers. It is followed by the song Norman At The Piano/Main Title. I could absolutely picture Brion himself at the piano, humming along to the tune he was creating, stomping his feet loudly in time to the music.

 Jon Brion at Le Poisson Rouge, 2011

He moves to the acoustic guitar in Norman's Walk and then adds more and more instruments. Oboes, bassoons, strings and eventually wonderfully eerie brass parts, with xylophones and other percussion instruments remaining as the backbone of the entire album; a tactic Brion employs on many of his other film scores. I was pleasantly surprised by his use of brass, which has been lacking in his other work. Being a trumpet player myself, I'm highly biased, but it adds a whole new layer to his music.

There is a plethora of clever percussion work throughout the album. Without even seeing the movie, I can imagine what is going on in the film. Tapping sounds on instruments I don't have the ability to identify, give the illusion of bones rattling, sneaking up on our protagonist. A scratching technique used on a snare drum and cymbals make my hair stand up on end. This is Jon Brion at his best. The man loves to make sounds and experiment and it's what I admire most about his style of music.

I can envision Brion at Abbey Road Studios, the London Symphony Orchestra in front of him, conducting vehemently, his wild curls falling into and out of his eyes. It blows my mind that people can walk around with music like this in their heads. Jon Brion is a forceful composer that can also rock out to a Prince medley on guitar, bass and drums then transition to a waltz version of the Ramones' I Wanna Be Sedated. I'd like to see John Williams or Howard Shore do that!

Throwback Thursdays

I feel like this old scan of myself, circa 2000, epitomizes the week I had, and it was the perfect use of the Kodak Create A Print scanner at the camera shop. I sure did have a lot of hair!

So I'm going to another concert tonight. I'd bought the tickets well before I knew Hotel Lights were going to be touring, figuring I had to have something lined up in order to meet my Go to a concert every month goal. As it turns out, I'll be going to another concert next week, meeting my May quota. Tonight is The Punch Brothers at Town Hall, which might be the perfect venue to see this band.

My musical tastes are pretty diverse. The Punch Brothers are categorized as "Progressive Bluegrass." What the heck does that mean?, and this is why I hate music labels. What it means is they have this ridiculously talented set of musicians. Seriously, Chris Thile can rock a mandolin harder than a mandolin has ever been rocked before. Check this video to see what I'm talking about. Shit gets real 4 minutes in:

For those of you familiar with my blog, you know how much I adore Jon Brion. He's the other guy in that video and a brilliant musician in his own right. A question I'm asked a lot is where do I find new music to listen to? Friends are the best source of recommending new things, but if you've exhausted that outlet, take a look at who musicians you currently listen to work with; another bonus of having linear notes. Before I even listened to Jon Brion, I'd been listening to Jon Brion. He's worked with The Eels, Aimee Mann and Keane, to name a few. Pay attention to the producer who's worked with a band you like and see who else they've worked with. I'm only now starting to appreciate that role. Jon Brion produced The Punch Brothers second record, Antifogmatic, and I have such a high regard for him, I will give any artist he works with a listen. Talented breeds more talent. Need another example?

If you don't know the original song they are covering, I give you this:

(Apologies to my brother Nick for bringing up Of Montreal. I'm still trying to get over it myself) But really, it's a brilliant cover.

I think I've gone on long enough. I could get started on my unnatural obsession with the banjo, but I'm going to save that for another post.

Best of 2011: Concerts

Puffing my chest out, proudly, Not a bad set of images, if you ask me. Not bad at all.

I've been planning this post for a while and it went through a lot of edits. I have to say, it was HARD selecting shots, and that's a good thing! It's funny; when I started this blog, I didn't have a specific direction. I'm a photographer, I want to share my work, maybe grow my business. I never thought I would rediscover my love of concert photography, but I certainly have. Looking to the year ahead, I want to develop this. I get excited when I look at the pictures up there. I'm excited for the concerts I'm going to next year (more on that soon) I'm excited to take chances, I'm excited for the relationships I've built. Make sure I don't chicken out, readers!

Images Left to Right, Top To Bottom:

• PBoo, Tiny Al, Knuckles, E from the Eels @ Music Hall of Williamsburg: There are so many great pictures from these concerts, but this is easily a standout for me. This is my favorite group shot of the year.

• Noel Gallagher @ The Beacon: I like how this could easily be any musician at any concert. I like the connection between the musician and the audience. I like how he was only in this position for a heartbeat (I have a ton of pictures that don't work because his head isn't the shot, too much of his body isn't being hit with light, etc) It was a quick moment that I was ready for and one that wouldn't have been captured anywhere else than from my vantage point.

• Jon Brion @ Le Poisson Rouge: I've talked about the intensity of this shot before and how much I admire Jon Brion. Even though I didn't like my position at this venue, no one else got this shot. Patience and persistence.

• Noel Gallagher @ The Beacon: I did not expect Noel to show this amount of energy. Personally, I think he makes a good front man and hope that he settles into that role over the next couple years.

• E from the Eels @ Music Hall of Williamsburg: There is a direct connection between this picture and the silhouette shot of Noel Gallagher. I'm in the position of the fans in the shot above. I don't know what it is that gets me every time I see a well done silhouette shot. Maybe it's all the hours I spent watching Mystery Science Theater 3000...

• Darren Jessee from Hotel Lights @ The Rock Shop: I might be most proud of this picture. The light, or should I say lack thereof, in the Rock Shop was a challenge. Darren is such a quiet, contemplative musician and I feel like I captured that.

• The Kingston Trio @ Bridgeport Cabaret: I love that three guys with acoustic guitars and grey hair rock just as hard as any of the other musicians in this collage.

• The Chet, E from the Eels @ Music Hall of Williamsburg: This picture has such a Herb Ritts quality to it. (Think Chris Isaak's video for Wicked Games) It looked fine in color, but it spoke so much more to me in black and white. I'm tickled this picture is on the Eels website. I wonder if The Chet has seen how bad ass I made him look.

All in all, I feel like I'm able to see that moment of passion and intensity in any situation and capture that. For me, that's what makes a great photographer. Be it a family portrait, wedding, landscape or concert.

I want to thank all of my friends that went with me to a show this year. I know I can get into a zone and I might not say all that much, but I assure you, I'm having a blast. I really enjoy sharing what I love with you guys.

Super Sunday Part 2: Jon Brion at Le Poisson Rouge

No, Jon Brion did not have a pep band with him at Le Poisson Rouge last weekend, but I'm sure he could've had a lot of fun with that. In order for me to fully explain my concert experience, I need to go back and tell you a little bit about myself. As you might have figured out, I love music, but what you might not know is that I also played. That would be me up there, third from the left, the one with the ram attached to her trumpet. That was taken in 1999, my freshman year at the University of Rhode Island. I was a member of the marching band and pep band. If you're one of the people that listens to my playlist over to the right, enjoy listening to the fight song, and yes, that is me on trumpet you're hearing. I began playing trumpet in the fourth grade; I think I was 10 years old. I could play pretty well, as you would expect after that many years of practicing. I'd say I was proficient, I had a decent amount of skill, but not talent. There are some things you know you excel at, and as much as I loved it, music wasn't one of those things. Don't get me wrong, I was playing first trumpet parts. I wasn't horrible. It just didn't come naturally to me. I hated jazz band because I couldn't improvise. I never felt the music that way. It didn't make sense to me. I could read music and play what was in front of me better than most of my contemporaries, but if you tried to get me to improvise, I'd freeze up.

That lack of talent on my part is what impressed me the most about Jon Brion. I have a vast collection of movie soundtracks which I put on a regular rotation on my iPod. Some days, when work is really bad, I just chill out to some instrumental music. It makes me think of my days in concert band. It makes me think of the brilliance of people that can create music like that from scratch. Not just the usual instrumentation that you'll hear at a live concert. Full orchestration, swelling strings, something you might not even recognize that makes a beautiful sound. That, to me, is pure talent, and it is rare.

This was the first time seeing him perform live, so I didn't know for sure what to expect. I knew that he played alone, I knew that he didn't work off a set list and I knew that he would ask the audience for requests. I listened to his solo album, Meaningless, and I had heard a few of his movie soundtracks. I can't claim to know all of his music, but I very much enjoy what I've heard. I know that the former Connecticut native usually stays on the West Coast and doesn't officially tour, so when I found out about his series of concerts in New York, I was determined to go to one. It was like nothing else I will ever experience.

Brion played his own songs for about an hour. From my notes, this set opened with Noodling on Piano then into the theme from Mr. Rogers, a Wizard of Oz Medley then Ruin My Day. He hopped between piano and guitars for the first few songs then attempted his more elaborate set up. He'll start on drums and lay down a beat for a few measures. That is recorded and looped while he moves on to the next instrument. Then the next. It's rather impressive to see live. Unfortunately, the equipment kept failing the first few attempts. Brion was nothing but optimistic, even as the crowd got a little rowdy. He joked that the club owner groaned when he saw all the equipment Brion was loading onto the stage. His persistence paid off.


"Let that first chunk of the show be a reminder to you: You may find yourself in some place in life where you don't want to go forward. You think you know where it's headed and it's kinda important not to give up." His projectors finally came online, one showing an image of a conductor, the other a looping shot of a man at a piano. Sound came from those images as well as the piano Brion was seated at. After about 6 minutes of hauntingly beautiful sound, he transitioned into Voices, the closing track from his solo album. The track spanned on for 12 minutes, many of his songs go on for a while because of the track looping, but I was in awe for all 12 of those minutes.

After that, he opened up his concert to the audience. It's completely bizarre to have a crowd of 500 plus shouting song titles, bands and/or genres at an artist. Bizarre, yet highly entertaining, and Brion continued to shine. He started out with an energetic cover of the Beatles And Your Bird Can Sing, getting into the music and shouting Fuck Yeah! to the approval of the audience. He went on to a tribute to The Boss with a mocking Born In The USA, laughing about how close he was to Jersey. The Prince medley of songs was hilarious. Brion allowed the crowd to sing lead while he took the harmony during When Doves Cry. He got so into that song, he continued past the chorus and tried to sing the verse. No one cared that he didn't know all the lyrics. Try to imagine karaoke on crack, and that will give you a better idea of this part of the show. Where else are you going to hear a version of Anarchy in the UK on chamberlin segue into a sonata version of I Wanna Be Sedated?


Brion busted out some Duke Ellington; he seemed most comfortable on the piano. He'd hum along to the music with this content grin on his face. You really got a sense of how much this man loved music and how much he loved sharing it with people. Of all the concerts I've been to, I have to say that Jon Brion was one of the best performers I've seen as far as engaging the audience. He cracked jokes about how "that guy was writing shit and Gershwin was going FUCK!!! Oh yeah? Well TAKE THIS!!!" and then fired off a Gershwin riff on the piano. "You kids SUCK!!!"

Next came my favorite moment of the show. I'm not sure if someone actually requested it, but Brion covered The Zombies This Will Be Our Year on xylophone. It's a beautiful song that I had on my very first version of my music playlist at the beginning of my blog. I switched players a few months in, so I just added it to my new playlist. It was a delicately handled cover that I enjoyed singing along to.


A few other random notes I took were that I was highly amused by some of the requests that were not played. Someone on the right side of the stage was requesting Alice Childress, a Ben Folds Five song, pretty random request. The guy right in front of me kept shouting Mark Everett, which made me chuckle. I wonder if he knew he was standing in front of a featured photographer for the Eels. Hehehehehe.

I went to the concert with my brother Nick, who's concert going trust I'm still trying to gain back after a disastrous Of Montreal experience. (It wasn't my choice, but I talked him into going. Yes, I can say that I've seen a horse on stage at a concert in New York, and no, I never want to see that again.) He described the closing song better than I could. "Around track 30, my brain started to fray." With all of his equipment now working, Brion busted out a 20 minute rendition of I Believe She's Lying, creating a wall of sound so immense, it was hard to take it in. The man danced between instruments, laying down two separate drum tracks, multiple guitar solos, bass, piano, celeste, xylophone, synthesizers, chamberlin, probably more. Both my brother and I said after the show that Brion looked like a mad scientist, but in a good way. He'd wave his hand at the synthesizer, causing the feed back to grow in volume and pitch with this ear to ear smile that spread across his face. You couldn't help but feel his passion. Even though I was stuck at the back of the crowd, it was as intense as being front and center. It was amazing and yielded my favorite series of images from the concert.

Brion accomplished something truly amazing; I felt like I was hearing the music inside his head, all at once. It was awesome, in the purest form of the word. And it ties itself back to the beginning of this post. The man is an artist and full of talent, in a way that I can only dream of.

During his encore, Brion again thanked the audience for coming out. He was scheduled to play two more nights at the same venue, but said he was thinking about sneaking in a few more shows on the East Coast. If you weren't able to make any of these shows, guess what? He's playing again tomorrow, Sunday, October 9th, again at Le Poisson Rouge. It's a total bonus. I can't say how incredible this show was. If you can get down to the city, do it. I was tired the next day, but it was well worth it.

The only criticism I have is that I really would've liked to have seen him play at more formal venue. I really think Brion's music lends itself to groups of people seated at tables, bottles of wine and good food. All in all, it was a great Sunday.

Be sure to check out part 1 of Super Sunday here.

And for those of you that are new to my blog, feel free to check out other posts and visit my main site, with full collections of concert photos in the gallery here.

Jon Brion Teaser

You were expecting a shoe shot, weren't you?

I know, I know.

Trust me, I'm disappointed, too. It's the downside of being a short photographer. I haven't had an opportunity to work on my pictures or blog post about this concert and I really want to do it justice. It was a fantastic experience and for once, I have a lot to say. Until then, I'm happy to bring you a shoe shot, although I can't lay claim to it. Jon has some kick ass kicks, doesn't he?

Caturday with a concert coming up!

Addy enjoying the plastic bag that came along with my new ThinkTank camera bag.

I'm really excited for this weekend. I'm going into the city tomorrow for a show Sunday night, and as an added bonus, I get to hang with my brother and his family before hand. I've just finished backing up my new camera bag and I have to rant about it. 

All photographers have an obsession with camera bags. We're constantly on the lookout for the perfect bag. I have to say, this one is pretty choice. I was looking for an unassuming bag that I could take with me into the city; something that didn't scream, "LOOK AT ALL THIS EXPENSIVE GEAR I'M CARRYING!" I think the Retrospective series from ThinkTank is perfect. I went with the Retrospective 20, because I wanted to be able to fit my 70-200 lens. On top of that, I wanted something that could fit my personal belongings for a day trip. I'm pretty amazed at what I can fit in this bag.

 

I've loaded up my Canon 30D with 28-70mm lens attached with lens hood, 70-200mm, 50mm 1.4, and 20mm. On top of that, I have room for my Lumix in its Crumpler case, H2 with case, wallet, 5 memory cards, extra batteries, keys, press pass, two notebooks and my bare essential toiletries: deodorant, hair brush, toothbrush and toothpaste, travel shampoo and conditioner. I'm also going to have my iPod and cell phone. And there is still extra room in this bag!

So, what am I going to see? My brother and I are going to Le Poisson Rouge to see Jon Brion. The Sunday show is sold out, but he's playing Monday and Tuesday as well, with tickets still available. You probably have never heard of Jon Brion, but I'm pretty sure you know his music. Besides being a ridiculously talented producer for the likes of: Aimee Mann, Fiona Apple, Rufus Wainwright, Elliot Smith and E/Eels, Brion does quite a bit of soundtrack music. You've heard his songs in: Magnolia, Punch Drunk Love and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, to name a few. He's a musical genius. His father was the director of Yale concert and marching bands; I'm down with any musician that hails from Connecticut.

What really intrigues me is Brion's live performances. He doesn't have a set list. He usually doesn't have a band, although many musicians have made guest appearances. Brion will make up music on the spot and ask for the audience to make requests. The more outlandish, the better. Brion himself explains his show as "spraying musical Raid on the classics, until each dying song flips on its back and wiggles its little musical legs in surrender." I can't wait! I love artists that are unconventional. I've thrown a bunch of his songs over on the playlist. Have a listen. 

Before the show, my brother jokingly suggested we go to a Medieval Festival. I know he wasn't serious, but man, how funny would that be? I would love to take a picture of Grace with a unicorn!  What could be better than Jon Brion's concert? Jon Brion playing at a Medieval Festival!!! 

Woah...