Stars Down is Minty Fresh...

In the last stand of their residency at The Mint I saw the band play July 29th...



I have seen Lukas play 2x previously acoustic...this was my first time seeing him accompanied by the new band...

I was convinced I liked him calm, thoughtful, and focused on his music, and voice. I was never a fan of the drunken frankenstein bit, that frankly was a turn off for me from his Rockstar: Supernova performances on the TV.

But, alas, that may have been just distant memory, because he was both melodic and fun to watch amongst his new bandmates in Stars Down. This band incarnation, is interesting, and you can see they are starting to get that organic band thing going.

I wish them much success. We(my friends and I) got to hang out with the Bass player, German Briseno, after, and hear what it is like being in this band, other bands, and what it is like to choose this life, a musician's life...

I am a big supporter of the creative path in life...I myself struggle with having made the 'safe' decision to work in the business world over pursuing more creative endeavors. And I love music, as a consumer... I respect that the folks that struggle, oft times for years, chasing their dreams, may make it, or may just get by. The pursuit of what is art, and I believe music is art...is a long hard road. Sure there are "rockstars"...but mostly, there are folks that toil day to day, from band to band, dark bar to dark bar, playing their music for whomever will listen...Because they believe. Anywho, I just want to say to German, Lukas, Jon, keep doing what you are doing. Follow your bliss. Dream the dream.

And with that...I sipped my Diet Coke this evening, and snapped a few images from my lovely table right in front...

xoxo
~Elisa

Full set of images on Flickr!
www.starsdowninc.com
www.myspace.com/starsdownmusic
RockBandLounge.com :: Event thread ~ Stars Down at the Mint, July 29th

Foo-kin orgy...

Seriously...I have sweat soaked through my clothes coming out of this show...and I am not sure any of it's mine! ick!!!! lmao...

With time passing, perhaps, I will just remember it as an orgy w/the Foo's...lol, if only! Up front I was...I can only dream the dream...but the Foo Fighters were fabulous.........and...

Dave Grohl was so hot...I don' t know how to describe it..it's not his fashion sense...perhaps it is the plain guy speak...when he says he is going to play some more good shit for us,lol...or perhaps when we , the masses voiced our preference for FIVE encore songs versus his stories...he thusly tell us "Fuck you!" ...with love, of course...

He promised they would play all night if they could, or until they got kicked out...we got almost 3 hours of constant music...both sides of the arena...pulsing all around...everyone got their fix...

I will say, I may be too OLD for the mosh pit! lol...oy!!!! I was almost freaked out when he said they would play for hours....I honestly didn't know if I could handle it....the writhing throbbing mass of 10k(probably a few of which were all crushing the floor) felt like it was pressed up against me with so much force...oft times, more than 10people were crushed on top of me practically...

And so many crowd surfers surfed them selves right out of the show....as they got spit out from the writhing crowd up front, that was their cue to exit...so weird the surfing....I clearly have not gone to enough of these types of shows...I had never seen it so prevalent...oy indeed!

As to photos, I had a camera packed in my purse that I could never get to...so I satisfied the brief urges via my iPhone...mostly though, I was half rapt by Grohl & Co...half holding on for dear life...





Foo-kin Orgy indeed! Thanks Dave! P.S. he wears grey underwear...lmao, yes I was that close! So, yes, thanks for the Orgy, Dave;)

xoxo
~Elisa

P.S. some more...cross posted on RBL with some fresh thoughts there: http://rockbandlounge.com/forum/topic.asp?topic_id=7399

Noise for the Needy ~ Festival 2008

Ok, I do not lie...as I mentioned previously, I am back to tell everything about the Noise for the Needy Festival shows I shot this past weekend!



I shot 2 shows: The Funhouse on Friday the 13th(spooky! lol) and King Cobra's early show on Saturday...super fun!

The lines ups for the shows were as follows:

The Funhouse ~
Omnia Mutantor
Oswald Effect - www.myspace.com/theoswaldeffect
Mos Generator www.myspace.com/mosgenerator
Sunday Night Blackout - www.myspace.com/sundaynightblackout

King Cobra ~ Featuring Fourthcity DJ's http://fourthcity.net/ - www.myspace.com/fourthcity
DJ Zapan www.myspace.com/zapan
DJ Same DNA www.myspace.com/djsamedna
DJ Absolute Madman www.myspace.com/absolutemadman
Specs One www.myspace.com/specsone
Delicious People www.myspace.com/deliciouspeeps

Both fun shows...the first at the Funhouse, a hardcore rock line up...the second, a kind of mellow chill hip hop bit with DJ spinners, etc...

As well, both shows were just a few in the line up of the Noise for the Needy ~ Festival 2008, www.noisefortheneedy.org. This year, the NFTN festival sponsored the charity: Urban Rest Stop ~ www.urbanreststop.org.

It felt great to contribute in some way...my way is to give images to them(NFTN) and the artists. I had a great time...it was great practice and I got to meet some great people. My good deed for the year(I kid...)...

I actually rented 2 lenses ~ a 24mm f1.4L(test drive), a 50mm f1.2L(dreaming), and used my own 100mm f2.0. I had a flash in my bag, but I am both not a huge fan of flash in show photography, and I honestly don't know how to properly use it in such a setting...so it was more a if I absolutely need it back up. I was pleased with the images I composed and captured with out...

Here are a smattering of my favorites from the two nights!

I love music...it is a beautiful thing!

Full sets of images on flickr www.flickr.com/photos/noisefortheneedy
>>Full set from the Funhouse<<
>>Full set from King Cobra<<

xoxo
~elisa

Spring in the Emerald City!

Happy Easter! LOL...hop hop!

Yesterday, I was searching for something to photograph. To get the kinks out, so to speak ahead of my May travels to Europe with the new dSLR. My plan was, to head over to the Belltown neighborhood and shoot Sculpture Park...

The outcome...almost the polar opposite. Everything on the way to, during and after that drew my eye, was other than this target!

It was a gorgeous early Spring day(just the second!) in Seattle...the sky was clear, though barely blue....very light...the air was quite crisp, and a bit hazy light. It was a great day to: walk the length of the city. To let in the sparkling water, stunning mountains, blooming trees, and fun colors and scenes from around the Emerald City. And to remind us just how there is no place like home.

Just after I loaded up with my grande latte, a bit of humor caught my eye from across the street! I had to snap it...I could not resist!

Seattle_Spring_2008_012, originally uploaded by Elisa ~ www.emswazzu.com.

After this, what was there? That drew me in this second spring day? Well it was that the Trees had ALL bloomed...Of course! The Cherry blossoms, etc...simply gorgeous...and everywhere...


From Harbor Steps and all through walking up to Belltown, this is what I saw...

Seattle_Spring_2008_030, originally uploaded by Elisa ~ www.emswazzu.com.

Seattle_Spring_2008_026, originally uploaded by Elisa ~ www.emswazzu.com.

Seattle_Spring_2008_040, originally uploaded by Elisa ~ www.emswazzu.com.

Seattle_Spring_2008_2_053, originally uploaded by Elisa ~ www.emswazzu.com.

Seattle_Spring_2008_2_059, originally uploaded by Elisa ~ www.emswazzu.com.

Seattle_Spring_2008_2_124, originally uploaded by Elisa ~ www.emswazzu.com.

Gorgeous, no? I was in love with those blossoms!

The next thing that pulled my eye...was after I walked through most of Sculpture Park...perhaps it in and of itself is part of it? I am not sure...but it was this walk way, lined by this varigated glass of rainbow colors...It was so cool...the lines, the colors...I could not get enough of it!

The Live Blog featured the first photo I took of it...here is my favorite that captures the brilliant color on display:

Seattle_Spring_2008_122, originally uploaded by Elisa ~ www.emswazzu.com.

And here, I couldn't resist taking a picture of the city from this angle, through the colored glass...I think it gives the image an interesting effect...lol...my little version of creativity! ha ha...

Seattle_Spring_2008_120, originally uploaded by Elisa ~ www.emswazzu.com.

Which then drew my eye to the view of the city from here...I don't head out this way often...the train tracks...plowing their way through this trendy part of the city and waterfront...challenge the popular "right side of the tracks" mantra...

Seattle_Spring_2008_124, originally uploaded by Elisa ~ www.emswazzu.com.

Spring in Seattle, originally uploaded by Elisa ~ www.emswazzu.com.

Seattle_Spring_2008_090, originally uploaded by Elisa ~ www.emswazzu.com.

And then...ding...the WATER! This view and the mountains is why I say, I could never live in a land locked city...even if you never go out on it...this vista, in every direction(Lake Washington, Lake Union, and here: Elliot Bay) is inescapable, and purely addictive...

Seattle_Spring_2008_132, originally uploaded by Elisa ~ www.emswazzu.com.

Seattle_Spring_2008_2_003, originally uploaded by Elisa ~ www.emswazzu.com.

Seattle_Spring_2008_202, originally uploaded by Elisa ~ www.emswazzu.com.

Seattle_Spring_2008_157, originally uploaded by Elisa ~ www.emswazzu.com.

Spring in Seattle, originally uploaded by Elisa ~ www.emswazzu.com.

Seattle_Spring_2008_165, originally uploaded by Elisa ~ www.emswazzu.com.

Seattle_Spring_2008_199, originally uploaded by Elisa ~ www.emswazzu.com.

Another bit of humor hits me...not photographic greatness...but...(lol)

I shot the photo of this fountain from above since there was noone around, I thought it made a nice clean image...then when I was down at eye level with it...I come at it from the side...and and what do I have in my face...the ASS of one of the Sculptures in my face...LMAO...I had to click! It made me chuckle...I suppose I am 12!(metaphorically of course;) Simply, I am easily amused...

Seattle_Spring_2008_131, originally uploaded by Elisa ~ www.emswazzu.com.

Spring in Seattle, originally uploaded by Elisa ~ www.emswazzu.com.

Ok now...silliness aside...it is now Spring...and it was the buds blooming all over, and the willowy things, twirling bits of ivy and plethora of tulips on sale that one just could not escape...

Seattle_Spring_2008_100, originally uploaded by Elisa ~ www.emswazzu.com.

Seattle_Spring_2008_2_089, originally uploaded by Elisa ~ www.emswazzu.com.

Seattle_Spring_2008_2_043, originally uploaded by Elisa ~ www.emswazzu.com.

Seattle_Spring_2008_2_037, originally uploaded by Elisa ~ www.emswazzu.com.

Seattle_Spring_2008_2_058, originally uploaded by Elisa ~ www.emswazzu.com.

Seattle_Spring_2008_2_083, originally uploaded by Elisa ~ www.emswazzu.com.

And with the lovely weather and day...MASSIVE amounts of people were out and about...and with that...walking through Pike Place Market...there were street musicians everywhere...I love this...It reminds me...it has been too long since I have been to a show...I love people playing music. I love music.

Seattle_Spring_2008_2_099, originally uploaded by Elisa ~ www.emswazzu.com.

Seattle_Spring_2008_2_111, originally uploaded by Elisa ~ www.emswazzu.com.

Seattle_Spring_2008_2_115, originally uploaded by Elisa ~ www.emswazzu.com.

Seattle_Spring_2008_2_120, originally uploaded by Elisa ~ www.emswazzu.com.

My final bit...I have a weird obsession with stairs to places we cannot see...So, I leave off with this...and we will see what Random place we go next!

Seattle_Spring_2008_2_039, originally uploaded by Elisa ~ www.emswazzu.com.

Photo note: All photos were either shot with my Canon XTi and 50mm 1.8 lense, or with my iPhone...

Happy Spring!

~ems