The Velvet Face EP Release Party

     I had never been to a concert in a Chinese restaurant before. I had also never been to a concert before where the only light source was literally a heating lamp that you use for chickens and reptiles. The HalfNoise The Velvet Face EP Release Party was certainly a mix of firsts.

    I had first been introduced to HalfNoise through the Paper Route show that I shot back in November, and since then he has become one of my favorite artists. I jumped on the chance to see him again when I heard about the EP release party. Having never been to a release party nor a concert in a restaurant, I wasn't sure what to expect. I brought my camera along for the ride and was eager to see what was in store.

     A mix of well-dressed twenty-somethings and a few less than twenty-somethings crowded into the lovely little Lucky Bamboo restaurant in West Nashville. Everyone was excited and happy to be there, the room just emanated with excitement and bliss. I was quite thrilled myself, except for one little issue: the lighting situation. I've shot in pretty bad light before, but this was an entirely different animal. Between one and two heating lamps with an orange glow lit the entire stage, and later a projector helped with the lighting some, but that was it. I have a personal vendetta against flash, especially in the concert setting. I'm not trying to blind the poor people on stage and plus it's usually not allowed, although I will admit that many people have great luck with flash photography even in the concert setting (My friend Marcus, who was the official photographer, uses flash and his shots turned out INCREDIBLY, they literally look like he took them in the 60s and it's fantastic: http://www.marcusmaddox.co/music). For me, though, I just don't use it, so instead I had to get creative and use my beloved prism to bend the light that was next to me in my direction (actually, some of the shots look like I flashed them, but I promise you that is just because I was next to the light, so I had the advantage of a little direct but alas weak lighting).

     The first band was Skyway Man, the eclectic musical outfit of James Wallace, and the set really fit the retro vibe. He put on a fun, groovy set that had everyone dancing and smiling (especially the live band members!). Complete with a telephone for a mic and groovy backgrounds, Skyway Man put everyone in an even better mood and quite frankly gave me some of my favorite shots I've ever taken.

     After Skyway Man's super-fun set, it was time for the long-awaited HalfNoise set, and my gosh, he did not disappoint. What I noticed the first time I saw him during the Paper Route show is that he has so much ENERGY and so much FUN on stage. If his audience isn't having enough fun, he'll make sure that they are, and it makes for an incredible show. The energy and excitement in the room this time shot through the roof the second he came out. Zac was all smiles (and so was everyone else) during the entire course of the show, and I don't think I've ever seen someone that happy to put on a show. He played a mix of songs from his Sudden Feeling album (my favorite), and then he played the entire new The Velvet Face EP with a little help from everyone who contributed to the collection (yes, everyone!). I've never seen that many people on one stage, let alone on such a small one, but seeing that many people who worked together on something special sharing in that moment and having the time of their lives was more than fulfilling for me as an audience member. The whole room was bathed in elated retro exhilaration for what felt like a period of timelessness. There was something so special about this show, something you can't possibly put into words or even feel secondhand from video footage or seeing photos, you simply had to be there. For a few hours, it was like those of us in the very Lucky Bamboo were the only ones in existence, reveling in a 1960s/70s vibe that made everyone feel a little bit lighter. Zac was simply overjoyed the whole show, and his joy was infectious and transparent.

     Absolutely no one wanted the show to end. As everyone left the stage and the restaurant began to settle down, the mood never left but hung warmly in the air, so much so that you could probably touch it. I don't think anyone could have left that show without feeling something. Zac and crew stuck around after the show to greet fans, with Zac eventually leading everyone outside as the restaurant was closing down. Personable and kind, he chatted with fans under the artificial parking lot lights in the thin night air. Sadly I wasn't able to stick around long enough to snag a photo with him (next time!), but I left in very high spirits. This was a dang good show. It was too good. I don't think I'll ever attend another one like it. Congrats to Zac and crew, you were spectacular. Here's to next time!

Also, if you want to pretend that I took these photos in 1968, I'm cool with it.

The Staves - 3/5/17

     This post is admittedly a little late. College got the best of me and before I knew it I realized I hadn't posted these yet! 

     This was honestly one of the most incredible sets I've ever seen. The entire audience was captivated and mesmerized by the beautiful, haunting sound of the three sisters harmonizing (effortlessly, I might add!). My first thought at the end of the show was, "When is the next one?!" I have so much more appreciation and love for The Staves after this show, something I didn't think was possible because they are already so phenomenal on their albums.

     In the dimly-lit venue, the ladies filled the entire room with beautiful harmonies that made you catch your breath and left you straining to figure out which voice belonged to who.

     This show will definitely be one that will be stored in my happy memories for a long time. Can't wait for the lovely Staves to return to Nashville again sometime.

Mikaela Davis - 3/5/17

     Few sets have made me speechless. Few sets have made me actually tear up. I've almost never seen a set where the artist had the audience so entranced that an entire room was nearly silent and enraptured in a sort of fixation. Mikaela Davis was ethereal; a soft, gentle spirit with immaculate harp skills and a beautiful, angelic voice to boot (not to mention, her outfit was simply darling). Myself and my friends with me were completely shocked and dumbfounded by the beauty of the act.

     I was so glad I brought both my camera and prism along to the show. The venue was incredibly dark (the darkest one I've ever shot), and I wasn't in an area where I could use the back lights to cast a glow on the artist, so I relied pretty heavily on my prism. The prism really helped to capture the otherworldly feeling of the show.

     Mikaela is definitely on my radar now and I cannot wait for her and her lovely voice and harp to return to Nashville. Truly a memorable experience.

Voy a volver a Chile!/I am going back to Chile!

     Exciting news, amigos! I am returning to Chile! After several months of keeping it on the down-low while I waited for everything to be finalized, I am absolutely thrilled to let you know that I will be returning to perform a new research project this summer (their winter). I will be there for a few weeks longer this time (10 weeks instead of 7) and I will be working with one of my favorite subjects: fish! The details are still being worked out, but I can tell you that it involves fish behavior. Part of me is exceptionally excited, part of me a little nervous (especially since I will be there for a little longer this time), but I know that I have a wonderful journey ahead of me, and this time I think it may be even better. 

     My first trip was life-changing, both for my path as a Biologist and me as a person. I truly love the ocean and marine research, and while I will be the first to admit that the path I have chosen can often be fraught with stress and a bit of anxiety, those moments when I am studying and learning about what I love are worth everything to me, and I cannot wait to continue doing what I adore.

     As with the first trip, I will be posting blog updates, hopefully a little more frequently than the first time, as well as posting my photographs on here and my social media. I will also create films, and I already have a few ideas brewing. Something new that I will be introducing, however, will be a few Instagram Live sessions where I will go live at defined times and show you some of my work and some of the beautiful views (although I must warn you that the internet is not great there, so it may be a bit choppy but we will work with it!). If Instagram isn't for you, I'd be happy to perhaps put Facebook Live or Periscope via Twitter on the books if you ask.

    Also like the first trip, this is an expensive endeavor and I cannot feasibly afford everything myself, so that is where I am asking for your help. This time, I am using Indiegogo to fund my trip, but with an exciting new aspect: rather than just donating, you are actually purchasing prints from my first trip, or perhaps you can score an original watercolor or canvas painting based on shots from my first trip. A really fun perk that you might consider is the $10 level where I send you two surprise 4x6 prints from my first trip sent to you in the mail. I'll pick them out especially for you and you'll have two memories from my first excursion while helping me go on the next one. You can check out my Indiegogo here: https://igg.me/at/8zFxtlj-q7Y

     Even if you cannot donate, please share it with your circles! I cannot do this without you: we did it before, and we can do it again. I look forward to sharing the stories of my adventures (and possibly misadventures) with you very soon.

The Tennessee Aquarium

     Probably unsurprising to anyone who knows me, one of my favorite places in the entire world is the Tennessee Aquarium. My home away from home, this lovely place boasts a host of fish and other aquatic creatures and brings myself and others closer to these precious animals than we would ever normally get (even myself, a Biologist in training!). It also gives me an opportunity to photograph and film them. A recent course in Ichthyology (they study of fish) brought my love of fish to new heights (something I thought was impossible considering I already loved them dearly beforehand), and I was absolutely out of my mind as I roamed the corridors and exhibits last month with a fresh pair of eyes for all the fish I had learned over the past semester. It's one thing to see them in a PowerPoint, a textbook, or preserved in a jar, but entirely another to see them living and breathing a few inches in front of you. And of course, my camera was very busy. Plus, I had recently purchased a prism for other projects, so I brought it along to test it out and it did not disappoint. 

    I also created something I had wanted to create for a very long time: a film featuring the beauty of an aquarium. There's that magic of those creatures behind the glass, the way that they look at you and move so effortlessly through their fluid world. I wanted to share with others the world that I saw, and so I created a film that I am incredibly proud of.

     I will always cherish this place. I hope to visit several times in the near future and plan to of course take plenty more photographs to share with you.