Archive for category Photography

2011 in Photos – A Look Back at Bruno Mars, Duran Duran, INXS and U2

by Cindy Robinson

Here we are at the end of the first week of 2012 and I wanted to do a post on my favorite photos of 2011 from the various rock & roll events I attended last year. While the list was small in comparison to years past, I still had the opportunity to see some great live bands.

I feel like I’ve conquered the technology mountain to get to this little post I want to share with the world. Laptop software issues continue to plague me as do the internet connectivity issues (do we hear a New Year’s resolution here?? Solve the tech issues in 2012!) and when I finally made it over these hurdles, I learned that WordPress blogs typically don’t support embedding slide shows from Picnik. Say what? I battled computer issues, stayed up until wee hours working on my slide show and my blog won’t host it?

Thankfully the information superhighway quickly led me to information that allowed me to solve this issue. I discovered Vodpod which allows you to embed your Picnik slide show into your WordPress blog. Shazam! It isn’t perfect, it’s much smaller in scale than the original so I feel some detail is lacking but I’m happy I was able to embed it and share with readers.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

Let’s get down to the subject at hand – 2011 in photos. Wow, narrowing down a plethora of images shot over the past year turned out to be a daunting task. I intended to pull just one image from each event but soon found that impossible as image after image drew me in. So I grabbed my favorites and went from there.

For me, 2011  included live shows from the likes of  My Chemical Romance, Bruno Mars, Brian Setzer, Duran Duran, Honor Society (a band my daughter really enjoys who rose to fame as the opening band on the Jonas Brothers tour in 2009),   INXS , a book signing by Guns n’ Roses Duff McKagan and the long postponed U2 at Angels Stadium show finally came to fruition!

My Chemical Romance were incredible as their live show is always an intense throbbing mass of music loving people. This was our first time seeing Bruno Mars and it definitely won’t be our last. His live show was amazing, just non-stop energy from start to finish. The audience was also amazing – a complete mash-up of every type, size and age of concert goer imaginable. Brian Setzer always puts on a great live show too!

Duran Duran are my favorite band so my opinion of them will always be biased and I always enjoy seeing them live! Their Unstaged performance directed by David Lynch at the Mayan Theatre in Los Angeles in early 2011 really kicked it up a notch though when they added a list of special guests for their show that included Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance, Beth Ditto of the Gossip and super producer Mark Ronson.

INXS breezed through the USA for a short summer tour before singer J.D. Fortune departed the band for a second time. INXS look to be back on track for 2012 though with their new Irish singer, Ciaran Gribbin. Youtube footage shows his performances to be of a more mellow variety with awkward dance moves but I’ll wait to fully assess the new line up until I see it for myself. He’s got big shoes to fill and it takes time to grow into a role of that magnitude.

Then there was U2! I think there are few people who would dispute the awesome spectacle that is a live U2 show. This show seemed especially sweet to me as I had originally purchased my tickets in November 2009 and the show ended up being postponed due to Bono’s emergency back surgery and subsequent recovery. Finally, in June of 2011, they rolled back into town and blew us all away. U2 with Lenny Kravitz were worth the wait!

It’s always hard to narrow down the list of favorite shows, to choose just one for the top spot. Even though my list was much shorter than normal for 2011 (darn bad economy!) it didn’t make things any easier. I know I can cross My Chemical Romance off the contenders list because their record release show at the House of Blues in Hollywood in November of 2010 was their best to date that I have seen.

After thinking long and hard about it, I narrowed down my top choices to U2 and Bruno Mars. U2 live is so much more than just a rock & roll concert but ultimately I’d have to award the top slot to singer Bruno Mars. It was refreshing to see an artist I hadn’t seen before and to be thoroughly excited and energized by the set.

What were some of your favorite shows you saw in 2011? Who are you looking forward to seeing live in 2012? Are we all jazzed for the return of Van Halen in 2012? 80’s icon Adam Ant is due to tour the USA for the first time in 15 years! Preliminary tour buzz shows his fans are coming out of the woodwork like crazy. INXS are set to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their iconic Kick album. 2011 breakout band, Foster the People are scheduled to hit the road hard during 2012 moving up to larger venues as they trek across America. And it’s almost time for the big Coachella announcement! Who will they get for 2012?

2011 in Photos, posted with vodpod

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World Photography Day 2011

Simon Le Bon

Today is World Photography Day. The date of August 19th was chosen as the day to celebrate the birth of the fabulous art form that allows us to document our lives, our triumphs, our difficult times, our work and our world as it is the historic day in 1839 when Louis Daguerre developed the first permanent photographic image known as the Daguerreotype. It was a process which allowed him to print a positive image, which were then usually placed in glass fronted boxes for display. He developed the process in early 1839 but it wasn’t formalized by the French government until August 19, 1839.

Also in 1839, William Fox Talbot developed the calotype process, which created both a negative image, allowing prints to be made of the positive image. Talbot’s process took photogrphy a step further than Daguerre’s since it allowed for both a negative and a positive. His process wasn’t formalized until 1841 but since both were developed in 1839, it is the year recognized as the invention of photography.

What does a photograph mean to you? Why do you take them and what feeling does it evoke from you when you witness the result? Do you take photos of your kids first day at school, graduations and weddings? Are you inspired by sunsets and dramatic landscapes? How many photographers out there still dabble with film cameras? How has the digital age changed the art form?

Bonelli Park

Please leave some comments and post a favorite photo that is meaningful to you or share some links to great photography! Today I’ve chosen one of my shots of singer Simon Le Bon from the band Duran Duran from a performance in Los Angeles earlier in 2011.

I’ve also been inspired lately by Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas, California which offers stunning landscape views and here’s an image from a recent outing to the area.

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INXS Shine in Los Angeles

by Cindy Robinson

A review in photos of the INXS concert at the Wiltern in Los Angeles on July 22, 2011.

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Lyric Culture Presents its ‘Electro Sexual’ collection With Private INXS Performance

by Cindy Robinson

Lyric Culture recently presented its ‘Electro Sexual’ collection during a private fashion show and intimate performance in Beverly Hills, CA at the Gibson showroom from iconic Australian band INXS.
Hanna Rochelle, founder of Lyric Culture, met the band in 2005 when they working at a recording studio in Los Angeles on their hit album, “Switch” with Rockstar: INXS winner J.D. Fortune. Rochelle was inspired by the colorful imagery, gritty and wildly expressive, often controversial lyrics in the songs penned by Andrew Farriss and the late Michael Hutchence. The ‘Electro Sexual’ collection of women’s apparel and accessories were unveiled in a runway show inspired by the INXS songs “Suicide Blonde,”  “Devil Inside,”  “New Sensation,” and “Beautiful Girl.”
Lyric Culture’s designs also capture memorable lyrics from the Beatles, Madonna, Rod Stewart, the Beach Boys, Miley Cyrus, Carrie Underwood and more on their stylish t-shirts and accessories. Their designs are available nationally at stores such as Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, Nordstrom, Wal-Mart, and Claire’s Accessories.

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The fashion show culminated with a private performance by INXS as a preview to their concert at the Wiltern Theatre. The semi-acoustic set show cased the talents of INXS band members Kirk Pengilly, Jon Farriss, Garry Beers and Andrew Farriss (guitarist Tim Farriss had the night off) but lacked in the frontman department as the performance went off with a big surprise – singer J.D. Fortune wasn’t in the house as the band opted to have their back-up singers perform lead vocals for the short set. The event was attended by music and fashion industry guests. Panda Express and Monster Energy Drink  sponsored snacks & beverages for the guests. Please enjoy a semi-acoustic performance if the INXS classic, “Don’t Change”:

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Have You Seen U2 on the 360 Tour?

by Cindy Robinson

Life On The Scene readers, I have been moonlighting, for a site called Tree.com doing some writing for their entertainment section and covering a variety of live events for them. One of the recent ones was the massive, long-awaited return of U2 to Anaheim, California where they took over Angel’s Stadium for two shows. They put on an incredible show, as one would expect from U2 with fine support from Lenny Kravitz to kick off the evening.

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Here is a sampling of images from the evening and if you’d like to check out the entire review, slideshow and alternate set of images, please enjoy them here: http://www.tree.com/entertainment/blog-blog/archive-2011-06-22-u2-at-angels-stadium-worth-the-wait.aspx 

I’ve also been covering events such as Bruno Mars, Duran Duran (who we were lucky enough to see before lead singer Simon le Bon suffered vocal cord injuries which led to cancellation of the band’s European summer tour), Honor Society and My Chemical Romance recently. I hope to get some links and images from those reviews posted for you soon.

Looking ahead, we hope to bring you coverage on INXS, Joe Jonas of the Jonas Brothers as he launches his first solo album, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part II (I can’t believe we’re at the end of the series!), Comic-Con and some projects Robert Downey Jr. is working on and Katy Perry.

Your comments and feedback are always appreciated!

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Brian Setzer Blows the Roof off the Belly Up

Brian Setzer

 Brian Setzer, the three-time GRAMMY Award winning sometime Stray Cat, and leader of the Brian Setzer Orchestra brought  his eighteen piece orchestra to the Belly Up Tavern in the Cedros Design District of Solana Beach, CA for a sold-out show on April 3, 2011.

The Brian Setzer Orchestra played a rescheduled show at Agua Caliente Resort in Palm Springs, CA on April 2nd, to make up for a cancelled New Year’s Eve performance from last year when Setzer became ill and added the Solana Beach show as Setzer prepares to launch his next musical venture, Setzer Goes Instru-Mental, out on April 19th via Surfdog Records with MP3 pre-order available now via Amazon with special edition vinyl and CD versions available from the Surfdog shop.

Setzer will hit the road crisscrossing Europe during June and July with Brian Setzer’s Rockabilly Riot featuring Stray Cat Slim Jim Phantom on drums, as well as Noah Levy on drums; Chris D’Rozario on bass; Brian Setzer on guitar and vocals; Kevin McKendree on Piano; and Johnny “Spazz” Hatton on bass. Double the stand up bass and the double the drums looks to be a rockabilly good time for Setzer’s fans in Europe this summer!

Back to the task at hand – Setzer, his Orchestra and his Vixens (back up singers Julie Setzer and Leslie Spencer) blowing the roof off the Belly Up Tavern last night. Wow, what a treat to see this guitar legend play such an intimate venue that only holds 600 people! Many of their shows of late have been to really big audiences such as the Doheny Blues Festival with an audience of about 20,000 blues loving fans and the Montreal Jazz Festival with well over 100, 000 swaying to the smooth jazz sounds music loving fans.

Setzer recognized a lot of faces in the crowd and told the audience it felt like he was playing in his living room at home as he called out hello’s to a few friends in the crowd. He was the consummate professional as a liquor loving lush with long blonde hair did her best Willow Smith Whip My Hair impersonations in the front row and tried to grab, many times, not Setzer, but his guitar. Yes, attempting to grab the Gretsch as Setzer’s fingers worked their magic! However, being a 30-year music veteran the guitar legend knew how to swiftly retreat from her many drunken advances.

Brian Setzer

There was also the muffin top baring, 49-year-old woman who nearly pulled him off the stage in her drunken super power strength to declare to him that she would be turning 50 the next day. Gracious as ever, Setzer wished her happy birthday over the microphone while reminding the audience he’s been 50 three times now.

I do digress on the drunken lot of women in attendance though, but seriously, do they even remember the awesome show they attended last night?

Back to the music. Setzer, and his fantastic band were in fine form last night. Really, really on fire figuratively, and almost literally as the Belly Up turned into a sauna for the searing one-hour and forty-five minute set that dealt nary a sour note the entire evening. The Brian Setzer Orchestra revved things up and got the audience boogie-ing to their energetic rockabilly sounds before they departed the stage and let the Brian Setzer Trio take over which includes Johnny “Spazz” Hatton on stand-up bass and fill in drummer, Danny Glass from Royal Crown Revue and Setzer rockin’ the roof off the joint!

The two versions of Setzer’s band covered songs across his illustrious 30 year, award-winning career including  the Stray Cats hit  Sexy & 17, The Dirty Boogie and Sleepwalk along with Red Hot and Gene & Eddie. The Brian Setzer Trio seamlessly brought the Orchestra back on stage to crowd pleasing roar as the band gave us a medley of the Stray Cat Strut with the Pink Panther theme.

The full band then brought the house down as they launched in early hits like Rumble in Brighton and Rock This Town along with the 90’s hit Jump Jive An’ Wail from the Dirty Boogie album. Setzer is the kind of musician that oozes love for his craft while playing on stage. You can see the smile spread across his face when he knows he’s hitting it out of the ballpark. He doesn’t look like just another musician getting through the live show. It was a stellar show of fine musicianship, one for the books as they say.

The always busy Setzer will also do his annual Christmas shows this year and has already confirmed a December 17th date at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles.

He’s also got a new track from his forthcoming album Setzer Goes Instru-Mental, called Go-Go Godzilla on the soundtrack for the upcoming movie Soul Surfer starring AnnaSophia Robb, Helen Hunt and Dennis Quaid. Soul Surfer opens in theaters April 8th.

For a complete list of European tour dates and Christmas dates as they become available, check out Brian’s site.

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INXS To Tour Australia; Honoring Michael Hutchence

by Cindy Robinson

January 22nd would have been the 51st birthday of the late INXS singer, Michael Hutchence. His charismatic style, strong vocals, sexy swagger and heartbreaking smile are missed round the world by legions of INXS fans but his birthday is a day to remember the joy and passion Michael infused in his vocal performances. A day to remember the plethora of chart topping hits this band created, share the memories with friends and enjoy classic songs like Don’t Change, Never Tear Us Apart and New Sensation. Today we celebrate some of Australia’s finest exports, Michael Hutchence, the band INXS, and all that they’ve given to music in their 30 year career with over 30 million albums sold worldwide. Happy Birthday Michael! We miss you.

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INXS, with sometime singer, J.D. Fortune are about to embark on their first tour in over 3 years that begins in Australia on January 25th at the Robert Oatley Winery in Mudgee, NSW, Australia. The tour continues as follows: 

The band are promoting their latest CD, Original Sin, an album of reworked classic INXS songs featuring guest vocalists such as Matchbox 20’s Rob Thomas and Pat Monahan from Train along with sultry voiced Australian Dan Sultan on the early INXS track Just Keep Walking. With scattered dates in Chile, Toronto, Canada and a possible date in Portugal in June, it looks like this band may be headed around the world to a summer concert theater near you but their lackluster management, Chris Murphy of Petrol Records ought to get on the ball and release the full tour schedule and get some promotion going. Heavy hitters like My Chemical Romance, Duran Duran, U2, Katy Perry and newcomer Bruno Mars are heating up the summer schedules.

Do you have a favorite INXS story or song? Share a memory with us on this day to remember the late great Michael Hutchence.

Who are you most excited to see on tour this summer? Send us the info, maybe we can get some reviews going on them too!

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My Chemical Romance Debut “Danger Days” at the Apollo in London

by Cindy Robinson

My Chemical Romance returned to the UK for their first show in three years to debut songs off their new album Danger Days: the True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys on October 23rd. A rapturous sold out crowd at London’s Hammersmith Apollo rocked out to a host of new songs from the forthcoming album mixed in with everyone’s old favorites. MCR started the night off with a bang by opening with their first single from Danger Days, Na Na Na.

My Chemical Romance by Alessia Cifali

The night included fan favorites like Welcome to the Black Parade, Mama and I’m Not Okay along with new songs like The Only Hope For Me Is You and Honey, This Mirror Isn’t Big Enough for the Two of Us.

The band also debuted new drummer Mike Pedicone, who is from Tucson, AZ and a longtime friend of the band.

A complete slideshow of last night’s gig by photographer Alessia Cifali can be viewed here 

Danger Days: the The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys will be released on November 22nd. It looks like 2011 is going to be a very busy year for My Chemical Romance!

The 90 minute setlist included:

Na Na Na
Thank You For The Venom
Dead!
Cemetery Drive
Planetary (GO!)
I’m Not Okay (I Promise)
Give ‘Em Hell, Kid
Our Lady of Sorrows
I Don’t Love You
You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison
The Only Hope For Me Is You
Honey, This Mirror Isn’t Big Enough for the Two of Us
This Is How I Disappear
Welcome To The Black Parade
Helena
Mama
Teenagers
The Ghost Of You
Famous Last Words
Sleep
Cancer
The Kids From Yesterday

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Iron Man 2 Now Available on DVD & Blu-Ray

by Cindy Robinson

Paramount Pictures & Marvel Entertainment’s Iron Man 2 starring Robert Downey Jr is out on DVD and Blu-Ray today! Look for an alternate beginning to the film and nearly three hours of bonus features.

Iron Man 2 DVD courtesy of Marvel

 

Follow up to Marvel’s 2008 smash hit Iron Man, the sequel also features Gwyneth Paltrow, Mickey Rourke, Scarlett Johansson , Don Cheadle and Sam Rockwell. The sequel wasn’t quite as great as the first film, feeling a bit choppy in places but there’s no denying that Robert Downey Jr put on a stellar performance with his usual sarcastic wit & charm. Mickey Rourke’s brief appearance as Whiplash was strong.

Iron Man 2 picks up six months after the end of the first movie, where Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) has used his Iron Man armor to bring about a negotiated peace treaty between the major super powers of the world, and his immense popularity with the general public is only furthered when he fulfills his father’s dream by opening the “Stark Expo”, to showcase all the latest inventions that will benefit the world. Stark is, however, still vilified by the United States government, and Senator Stern (Gary Shandling) in particular, who demands that he hand his armor technology over for military application. Stark refuses, publicly shaming rival Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) in the process by highlighting his own failed attempts at recreating the technology. All is not well in Stark’s life, however: he has discovered that the palladium in the arc reactor keeping shrapnel from penetrating his heart has begun to poison his body, slowly killing him, and all attempts to find a substitute element have failed. Slowly going off the rails as a consequence of what he believes to be his impending death, he appoints his former personal assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) CEO of Stark Industries, replacing her with Natalie Rushman (Scarlett Johansson).

Robert Downey Jr premieres Iron Man 2 in Hollywood

 

We’ll next see Iron Man and Scarlett Johansson’s character, Natasha Romanoff (the Black Widow) in the upcoming Joss Whedon directed Marvel mastermind, the Avengers due out in 2012.

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Billy Idol Rocks the Palladium

Photos & story by Cindy Robinson

Here’s a link to the Billy Idol show we covered recently. Please pardon our dust as we get set up in a shiny new home, with a new name but the same great coverage and more to come!

Billy Idol

Billy Idol

Billy Morrison

Billy Morrison

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