Hannah Sanders: fROOTS album review

Hannah Sanders continues garnering acclaim for her debut solo album "Charms Against Sorrow" which I photographed and designed late last year. Leading UK folk magazine fROOTS just featured a review of Hannah's album, and generously giving the photography a paragraph of mention:

"The visuals, I comment are very striking."

"I'm very moved by how photography describes time - it shares a place with traditional song in many ways. I had the pleasure of working with great photographic artist Sid Ceaser. Sid and I decided on something really direct and honest for the album, and I think he captured it."

"Direct, empowered, Hannah stares out from the cover of Charms with an almost tangible mixture of determination and steel, it's the sort of cover you can't ignore."

Thanks to Simon Jones of fROOTS for mentioning the artwork. I love that this album is being listened to and seen all over the world.

Michael Bellar

One of the things I cherish most about photography are the friends I make over time.  One friendship that has grown over the years is the love and admiration I have for Michael Bellar.  I met him years ago when his AS/IS Ensemble played at Studio 99 for the first time.  Even through Studio 99 is no more, and Michael lives in New York City, we still keep in touch through phone calls and emails, and, occasionally, for work.

Over the summer, Michael contacted me about doing some video for some new solo songs he was working on.  Mike packed up a rental car full of his old synths and amps and all the other vintage stuff he's passionate about, trekked up to Nashua and we spent two days getting footage for two songs.  The video above is the final cut of one of the songs.

Watching him work over the course of two days was really eye opening.  For those of  you who haven't seen him perform, he's very laid back and relaxed but when he plays he's very intense.  There is an element of improvisation, but in that improv there is extreme control.  To be that loose when playing, you have to be very very tight.  It's also very much about "feeling" when he plays.  Watching him almost scat out the notes with his voice as he plays, you can see the creative brain speak to his fingers as he's playing.  It sucks you in and you become part of the process of creating music.  Again, it's very intense.

My good friend Dave helped with recording, and we did three setups per "take".  One medium static shot, which Dave worked camera on, and then we had a camera up over Michael aimed downwards to capture him playing on two keyboards at the same time.  I drifted around shooting handheld with gave me the chance to focus on close-up things; his fingers, his face, his feet, etc.  Michael too the footage back to NYC and his friend Marie Le Claire edited the video.

One really fantastic thing to watch was him working with what I started calling his "Porch Box".  It is a foot rhythm box he created to give the sound of playing live on someones front porch.  Michael is a southern boy, so this "home-style" element fits him perfectly, and adds a very personal feel to his work.  His other foot stomps on a cigar box that acts as a deep bass drum sound.  It's very impressive; watching both is legs work to different rhythm elements while his hands operate two keyboards.  Again, it's intense.  I'm in constant admiration of musicians.

So, check out the video above.  Dig it.  Head over to his website, and if you are in NYC or close by, hit up one of his shows.  Tell him I sent you.

He's an incredible, passionate, caring human being and damn incredible musician.  And he's become a friend who I trust completely.

Danny Clinch • Still Moving

I love photographing musicians.  If I could figure out to making a bajillion dollars doing so, that would be what I'd want to do.  It's what I'm trying to do and have tried to do for many years now.

As someone that loves creating photographs of musicians, I have a few photographers that I love who actually do photograph musicians as their profession.  One of those is Danny Clinch.

He came out with a book towards the end of 2014 called "Still Moving" and its' a hard cover, lovingly created portfolio of photographs of musicians over the decades.  It's really beautiful, and thi cover image of Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder is why I love his work so much - simple, elegant and wonderful.

His book is available on Amazon.  If you love music photography, especially portraits of musicians, pick this up and dig in.  It's lovely stuff.

Michael Bellar & As Is Ensemble * Oh No Oh Wow

<a href="http://michaelbellar.bandcamp.com/album/oh-no-oh-wow-2">Oh No Oh Wow by Michael Bellar & the AS-IS Ensemble</a>

Hey y'all - just a quick note this Sunday morning to let you all know that Michael Bellar's new album "Oh No Oh Wow" has finally released.  I've been waiting a long time for this.  Every time I've talked to Michael over the phone I've been hounding him about when this was coming out.  Well, wait no more.

You can stream it up above to give you an idea of how awesome it is.  Then, drop 10 clams for either the digital or a hard copy and grooooooove.

This is his best album yet.  I can't stop playing the CD.

Get it.  Got it?  Gooooood.