Propeller Skies

Dear developers: please cut down more trees. I’m sick and tired of everything I own turning yellow in March. Thank you.

I went to the Big Vessel show at Jake’s Toadhouse last night. Amazingly, Jake’s manages to outdive Northside Tavern. However, the vibe at Jake’s is much better and the people are much mellower.

My friend Chris plays in Big Vessel and gave me a copy of their CD a while ago. Over the last several months, I listened to their aforementioned CD Riversongs several times and enjoyed it. Additionally, I have seen Chris perform solo at Eddie’s Attic. Both the CD and Chris’ solo performance had a folk mixed with alt-country vibe to them.

The show last night was completely different. This was the first time I had seen the full band and they played blues inflected rock ‘n’ roll. It was awesome. All of the band members are excellent musicians and it was very cool to hear some of my favorites from the CD reworked in a different style.

Despite the late show time on a Tuesday night, several recurring Propeller Skies characters that also know Chris showed up. Overall it was a fun time with friends and it was great to finally see Big Vessel live after hearing so much about them and listening to the CD. The only downside was the exorbitant Rolling Rock prices.

notes:

PHOTO: Holly of Big Vessel at Jake’s Toadhouse, Atlanta, GA. March 30, 2004. Courtesy of d.2263 Photographics.

I really do not understand why people feel it is appropriate to bring children out in public. Especially to the grocery store, where the little brats get into everything and then pitch screaming tantrums in the aisle. Back in the good old days, a parent could smack the little fucker and put and end to the annoyance. But now, those of us who chose NOT to have kids are required to put up with others’ mistakes.

In conclusion, we should all join the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement for a number of logical reasons. I will be joining because I hate kids.

Last night, I stopped by JaD’s EP release party at the Velvet Underground. Normally, I would rather sit at home and marvel at the splendid job my apartment complex did painting the walls than go anywhere near downtown Atlanta on the weekend. However, since JaD rocks, I made an exception to this policy.

It has been about a year and a half now since I first saw JaD at 10 High. I went that night to see Spy, who at the time were known as Jet. After Spy played, most of the friends I was with decided to wander over to Neighbors. Steve and I decided to stick around, as JaD was setting up and John’s stage outfit included a rather large pair of wings. How could that not be interesting?

Soon, JaD finished setting up and began to play. From the first syncopated drum and bass beats, I knew they were a band that I was going to like. I really enjoyed the show that night and I have seen several of their Atlanta shows since then. I highly recommend checking out JaD, as they are one of the best bands in Atlanta right now.

As time has passed, JaD has toned down their stage show quite a bit. However, they still rock hard and put on a great, high-energy live show.

notes:

PHOTO: John Stringer of JaD performing at Velvet Underground, Atlanta, GA. March 27, 2004. Courtesy of d.2263 Photographics. View more JaD photos.

In a perfect world, every woman would have a talented personal stylist and I would always get great photographs. Since this is not a perfect world, I have a few simple makeup tips for the cosmetologically challenged. First, and most importantly, powder is your friend. Use it. Second, the people at the makeup counters in department stores are not your friends. Because they get paid to sell makeup, they encourage you to put it on with a putty knife so you use more and buy more. However, less is more. Use half the makeup you normally do, and make sure it is blended well. Hard lines are not conducive to good photographs.

I attended the Leather & Lace party at the Tin Roof Cantina last night. Going into this event, I figured it would either be really cool, or really lame with a bunch of old pervy guys from OTP showing up. The reality was somewhere in the middle.

As can be expected at this type of event, there were far more men than women. However, several women did show up and were dressed as per the theme of the party. Overall, the event went rather well. I assume it got pretty wild as the night wore on, but I left around 12:30, since I was out until 3am Thursday evening.

Surprisingly, I did not see anyone I recognized at the event when I arrived. I went outside and talked on my cellphone, so people would think I was important and not some loser with no friends. Fortunately, around 11pm my friends Darcy and Jeff showed up. The evening was much more pleasant and went by much more quickly with friends to hang out with when I was not busy photographing.

As an aside, photographing events is thirsty work. I do not expect to drink for free when working an event (however, complimentary drinks will ensure excellent coverage of future events), but the bartenders damn well better show up quickly with a tall frosty one when I belly up to the bar.

notes:

PHOTO: Random revelers attending the Leather & Lace Party at Tin Roof Cantina in Midtown, Atlanta, GA. March 26, 2004. Courtesy of d.2263 Photographics. View more Leather & Lace photos.

I attended Arts Safari’s inaugural social last evening at Bazaar Urban Bar. Arts Safari is a new group for YOUNG* professionals that is dedicated to cultivating support for the arts in Atlanta. They had a great turnout for a first event. Based on the social, Arts Safari looks like a solid group that is into the arts, as opposed to the usual Atlanta meat market groups. Also, I did not know very many people there, which is a good thing. I get tired of seeing the same boring people at every single event I go to. At the social, they announced their upcoming event at the DeFoor center in April that will be huge. I enjoyed the event and ended up sticking around much longer than I had anticipated. I highly recommend this intriguing new group.

Bazaar Urban Bar is a really cool venue that I had never been to before. It is in a loft type space, with the bar area on the ground floor and the restaurant area in the upstairs. Additionally, a lounge area with seating is located in back of the bar. I recommend checking out Bazaar, especially before or after a show at the Fox Theatre, which is next door.

This is the first event I shot with the D70. I will miss the excellent skin tones produced by Fuji’s NP series of portrait films, but the D70 is close enough for government work.

notes:

* Not divorced old pervy men from OTP.
PHOTO: Random revelers attending the Arts Safari Olives & Twists Social at Bazaar Urban Bar, Midtown, Atlanta, GA. March 24, 2004. Courtesy of d.2263 Photographics.

Dear annoying couple that talked incessantly throughout the show: please shut the fuck up. If I can hear you over the LIVE MUSIC you are too damn loud. Because you are quite obviously very enthralled with each other, allow me to make a suggestion. Possibly a coffee house, restaurant, or bar might be a better venue for a date? Since people are supposed to run on at the mouth at those types of establishments. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

In related news, my Nikon D70 came in yesterday. I picked it up from an undisclosed person at Showcase. A big Propeller Skies shout out to her, for putting up with my impatience, endless questions, and doubts.

My shiny new Nikon D70 needed to undergo consumer product safety testing to ensure it would be useable for concert photography, so I picked up a copy of Stomp and Stammer and flipped through it, hoping someone interesting was playing. I was in luck, as Azure Ray was playing at The Earl. As they are somewhat famous and I have shot several times at The Earl, this seemed like an excellent opportunity for testing the capabilities of the D70. The only drawback to this scenario is I was sure I would not like Azure Ray, because they are a relatively quiet band. Amazingly, I really enjoyed the show. I think Envie has expanded my horizons.

Because I am lazy, I will not be reviewing the show. For a review of a previous show see Crooked Fingers with Azure Ray at Evil Sponge.

Going into the show, I had very low expectations of the Nikon D70. I expected significant amounts of noise in the photos, because there always is when high-speed film is scanned.

When Azure Ray took the stage, I put a 50mm Nikkor lens on the camera and took a few shots. After retreating to a corner and reviewing the shots on the LCD, I decided to continue the consumer product safety test, since the photos looked okay. Next, I switched out the 50mm lens for an 85mm Nikkor that I frequently used to shoot concerts on film. After shooting and reviewing a few more photos, I put the equipment away and enjoyed the rest of the show.

After getting home, I transferred the photos to my computer and reviewed them at full size . The D70 passed with flying colors. Color saturation was excellent and did not show any of the under or over saturation common with digital cameras. On the shots that were in focus, detail was exquisite and easily the equal of film. Most surprisingly, there was very little noise in the pictures (I shot at ISO 1600). Noise was significantly than scanned film. Overall, the D70 is a significant improvement over my previous equipment. Stay tuned for an upcoming review of the SB-800 speedlight.

notes:

PHOTO: Orenda Fink of Azure Ray at The Earl, Atlanta, GA. March 23, 2004. Both photos courtesy of d.2263 Photographics.

Entering the second round of the NCAA tournament, my bracket is, amazingly, still pretty much intact. Except for Michigan State. Bastards.

Besides basketball, March brings the annual Smoove D search for the official cocktail of the summer. Last summer, the Singapore Sling (as featured in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) was the official cocktail of summer. This year, The Diablo and La Paloma will be strong challengers. Stay tuned to Propeller Skies for more episodes of this exciting saga.