David Sorcher's PhotoWorld: 2013

I'm not sure that i would consider 2013 a GREAT year for my music photography, but every year is at least a good year. There were the ones that got away, that i really would have loved to have shot, but just could not finagle the credentials for. Muse and Talking Heads come immediately to mind. But with all the music festivals and summer showcases in the area Cincinnati does deliver a fairly consistent flow of great live music opportunities. So without further ado, here are some of my favorite music shots from the year in no particular order.

(You can click on any image for an enlarged gallery view)

©David Sorcher 2013

I guess i just have to start with Alice Cooper. Why? Because he is undeniably one of my favorite acts to shoot, not only because he consistently supplies exciting and dramatically staged performances with top-notch musicians, but he also plays to the shooters in the pit and gives us more songs with less restrictions than any other act in the Biz.

©David Sorcher 2013

And for the past few years he has also had the beautiful and extremely talented Orianthi as part of his touring band.

©David Sorcher 2013

hmmm…did i mention Orianthi? And yes, she IS looking right at ME! ;-) But it's not enough in Rock n' Roll to just look this good. This lady shreds like nobody's business!

©David Sorcher 2013

I admittedly am not much a fan of Limp Bizkit, but i do love the visual presence of their guitarist Wes Borland. Classic Rock n' Roll tribalism at it's best.

©David Sorcher 2013

I got a thing for strings, especially when in the hands of beautiful women. These two are from Ra Ra Riot at the Horseshoe Casino. A brand new venue in Cincinnati this past summer, The Shoe has quickly become one of my favorite stages to shoot in town.

©David Sorcher 2013

This is my man David Rhodes Brown playing with one of my favorite local bands, 500 Miles to Memphis. David is a bit of an institution onto himself and if you have never seen him play in any of the numerous acts he has appeared on stage with try your best to fix that problem.

©David Sorcher 2013

The Shins rocked The Shoe this summer. I guess i just like this one for the way the light is selectively catching his face, guitar and fret hand.

©David Sorcher 2013

OK, no performers in this shot, at least not scheduled ones. This is from the Vans Warped Tour at Riverbend. The band on stage was Amity Affliction and it was literally assembly line crowd surfing all through the set. This ain't music, but it is Rock n' Roll. :-)

©David Sorcher 2013

The City Shake Up was one of the few real Punk bands i saw at the Warped Tour this year, which is a little strange since originally i believe it was mostly a Punk venue. Playing with the ultra-wide end of my 14-24mm here.

©David Sorcher 2013

Opening up for The Backstreet Boys at Riverbend was Jesse McCartney. I can't tell you much about their music, but i did really like their throwback rat pack style. Their moves were cool, smooth and well choreographed.

©David Sorcher 2013

It probably doesn't lessen his appeal with the ladies that Jesse looks a bit like a young Leonardo DiCaprio.

©David Sorcher 2013

I am also not a fan of The Backstreet Boys, but i must say that they won my respect as consummate performers of their genre and they put on a pretty spectacular show, deftly trading off the spotlight between them. I was pleased to get this line up shot showing all their members.

©David Sorcher 2013

Backstreet Boy Nick Carter belts one out to an appreciative, mostly female audience.

©David Sorcher 2013

Want to annoy the concert shooters? Make them shoot from the sound board. It's not the distance from the stage per se, which can always be overcome with a long enough lens, but the disconnect created between the photographer and subject. As the famous war photographer Robert Capa once said, "If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough." Distance changes everything, form perspective to interaction with the performers. Sometimes the mounds of heads and hands can make for an interesting shot though, such as in these shots of the two guitarists for Jason Aldean.

©David Sorcher 2013

Not all my favorite shots of the year are from big bands on big stages. Here a member of The Hardwicks is caught in guitar reverie at the Northside Tavern.

©David Sorcher 2013

Here are two of my favs from this year's CincyPunk Fest. I must say that most of the bands that play this festival aren't truly Punk. That would go for these guys, The Strange and Honeyspiders respectively, but it doesn't really matter as i do enjoy both of them, especially Honeyspiders, who seem to channel the raw Rock energy of bands like early Rolling Stones and Iggy Pop. Southgate House Rivival is always a challenge when it comes to lighting and i must say i am generally pleased when i get anything decently photographic from the venue.

©David Sorcher 2013

Yes, this is the Rusty Griswolds and yes, they are one of Cincinati's oldest and perhaps most beloved COVER bands (egads!!!). But i'll tell ya, every year they put on the Rusty Ball which raises tens of thousands of dollars for charity and they sure know a thing or two about showmanship as well, so i have to give them their due. But you will find no other cover band in this collection.

©David Sorcher 2013

Bunbury Music Festival had its second year run this summer. I only shot one day/night and came away just a little disappointed with the line up which seemed a bit stronger the first year. But it is a great festival with a lot of room for growth in the future. Above is Twenty One Pilots.

©David Sorcher 2013

Divine Fits was one of my favorite performances at Bunbury this year. I like the oncoming energy of this shot.

©David Sorcher 2013

One more from Divine Fits in a bit of guitar ecstasy.

©David Sorcher 2013

MGMT were the closing act at Bunbury that night. The kids really seem to love this band, but i'm not so sure i see the attraction. This one made it into my final group only because shooting these guys was so difficult, with their huge animated back screen leaving the band in silhouette throughout most of their performance. Getting any face on the lead singer was a bit of a small miracle for me.

©David Sorcher 2013

MidPoint Music Festival (MPMF) is certainly one of the coolest music fests in town. Now in it's twelfth year, it gives up close access to a lot of great bands on small stages with much less restrictions than bigger shows, but certainly more challenges shooting in packed and generally poorly lit venues. I fell in love with the raw power of Ancient Warfare performing here at the MOTR Pub.

©David Sorcher 2013

It's not a big secret that i'm not much of a Country music fan, but the Maggie Rose Band was a pleasant surprise, bringing a young, fresh and sincere approach to the genre. Oh, and yes, another beautiful fiddler.

©David Sorcher 2013

Blues shredder Doug Hart puts on his best guitar face at Cincy Winter Blues Fest…

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…and a lady singing the Blues, also at Winter Blues Fest at The Phoenix, Miss Lissa & Company.

©David Sorcher 2013

Back to the bars for another one of my favorite local bands, the DAAP Girls.

©David Sorcher 2013

I love the intimacy of these shots, almost as if you are right on stage with the performers.

©David Sorcher 2013

There are old school bands that make comeback tours, usually for money sake, and then there are old school bands that just never stopped being awesome. Earth, Wind & Fire is the latter.

…and speaking of old school pros….

©David Sorcher 2013

Kool & the Gang were the big surprise at this years extravagant birthday party for restauranteur Jeff Ruby.

©David Sorcher 2013

These guys are polished professionals who seamless trade off the leading role.

©David Sorcher 2013

They lay down phat old school bass lines.

©David Sorcher 2013

And they have an awesome horn section!

©David Sorcher 2013

What's more, they really know how to play both to the cameras and their audience.

I honestly could put a bunch more from this gig in this group, but we should probably move on. :-)

©David Sorcher 2013

There was the Heights Music Fest up in Clifton Heights. This is another light challenge in dark little bars. This year, with band permission of course, i tried to add a little off camera light to the subject with a speedlight or two. Above are The Freebees, One Day Steady and Wonky Tonk.

©David Sorcher 2013

Always good for an entertaining show is Jane's Addiction, rocking The Shoe in these shots.

©David Sorcher 2013

Dave Navarro certainly seems to embody the image of the Rock guitarist.

©David Sorcher 2013

And Perry Farrell hasn't lost much over the years as the dynamic frontman.

Erika Wennerstrom of Heartless Bastards is always a delight. I wish she was still a local girl but i guess you just need to move sometimes when you are working your way to the top.

I love when i can get a good shot of the drummer. Always in the back, often in poor light, but still the backbone of any good band. This is Dave Colvin of Heartless Bastards at Southgate House Rivival.

I'm still hoping to get that great shot of Grace Potter, but until then this will have to do. I remember not having a very good night at this show, but i was pretty happy i got this one.

And then there was Marilyn. Manson isn't really known for having a great liking for photographers in the pit. He only gives us one song, has been known to grab and sometimes get a hold of a shooter's camera and so on. I was pretty happy with these and at least i didn't get spat on. ;-)

The Goo Goo Dolls can still pull off a pretty good big stage show. Riverbend is one of my favorite venues to shoot. Really good lights and a truly awesome staff to work with.

The MusicNow Festival is another of Cincinnati's great musical treasures. Always staged at beautiful and historic Memorial Hall (a treasure onto itself). Founded by Bryce Dessner of The National in 2006 it has been a venue for diverse and eclectic modern music that rare sees such a festival platform. Above is from a performance by Tinariwen from Mali.

I've been wanting to shoot Here Come the Mummies for some time and finally got my chance. These guys are tough though. They are constantly on the move and the focus moves quickly from member to member. I wouldn't mind another shot at these guys next year.

The transits tunnel underneath 2nd street became the venue for the first Ubahn Fest in Cincinnati, featuring two stages of Electronica, Hip-Hop and related culture. Hopefully next year they will remember to light the smaller stage. I got lucky with this one when someone turned on a nearby work light for a few moments and i got this shot of The Natives,

DJs were a big part of this event, though i missed these guy's names.

The Animal Crackers have always been one of my fav local Hip-Hop acts. I did a shoot with these guys years back and since i know them i was able to weasel my way up on stage during their set for a different perspective.

Ubahn's second night closer, Mike Posner, was a pleasant surprise. He was nothing like the attitude that i got from watching his videos before the show.

I'll say this about John Mayer. He might write some pretty sappy love songs, but when this guy starts shredding he can hold his own with the very best of them. He also make some pretty good guitar faces. :-)

Well, i'm going to tie this post up with Rush. I think this is one of those bands that people either love or hate. I have to say that they put on one enormous Rock show and they seem every bit as good today as they ever were. Probably my favorite Rock experience of the year along with Alice Cooper.

So HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone! Here's hoping for an even bigger and better 2014…

David Sorcher's PhotoWorld

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

My Year in Music…Best Shots of 2013