Artist Spotlight: Blackthorne

Every now and then, you find that needle in the haystack. Thankfully a band with an insane amount of musical talent approached me and were in need of some promotional shots - stat! Please meet Blackthorne, a six-member symphonic metal band from Lisbon, Ohio.

The band announced some very big shows coming up later in the year to me and needed some updated promos to get the ball in motion. With little preparation time, I strived on the time constraint and we ended up shooting at the Variety Theatre in Cleveland. I was super excited to be back at the Variety Theatre. And this time, I had my girlfriend assisting me, making each shot dramatic and just plain "bad ass". Many thanks, Ashley babe! Another special thank you to Patrick Colvin for opening the doors for us. He has such a huge heart on setting this place back to its former glory.

If you're interested in their music, go check them out at the Agora as they open for Hammerfall and Delain on April 27.

Stitched Up Heart, Letters From The Fire & Olathia @ Whiskey Warehouse

It was an estrogen filled evening at the Whiskey Warehouse Bar & Grill last Wednesday night (February 8). Stitched Up Heart, Letters From The Fire and Olathia, all female fronted bands, played the new stage on a snowy evening in Mansfield, Ohio. First time at the Whiskey Warehouse. I heard a lot of good buzz on social media how people say it's considered the hidden gem in North East Ohio. The words stuck to the wall. This place was kick ass! Interior is well designed with decor that resembles a modern-aged bar with a few twists to set it apart.

I arrived there about an hour and half before doors opened to hear the sound check of Stitched Up Heart as I walked through the main doors. The night previous to this show, I was in Cleveland photographing Letters From The Fire and Stitched Up Heart, so after they were done, I made sure to introduce myself and congratulated them on a great set that night. Mixi sat at the bar invested in her phone when she told me the band had engine problems and were seeking donations from their fans. She then showed me how she was sending each contributor a personalize pictured and note for their donation. Thanks to ChrisE. of Olathia, I was able to grab a shot with her AND added my own personalization to it. \m/ \m/

Olathia

Letters From The Fire

Stitched Up Heart

Photos: Lacey Sturm @ House of Blues

Flyleaf's original, Lacey Sturm played an intimate show from her tour at the Cambridge Room inside the House of Blues on Tuesday night. Since her departure from Flyleaf in 2012, she went on to publish her first book titled, "The Reason: How I Discovered a Life Worth Living" and shortly after, went solo under her own name releasing "Life Screams" in 2016. Lacey is a unique musician who's stage persona is chalk full of emotions and positive life lessons. Seeing Lacey close her eyes and break down on the floor in mid-set to display the sheer beauty and passion of her music was enough to win me over as a fan. Gets me goosebumps to see an artist not only sing what's on their mind but display it in an emotional performance.

This being the first time I shot in the Cambridge Room, I loved the small setting and ornate decor lined around the room. I was restricted to the side and backstage for the show which I thought would limit my creativity, but I actually got some unique angles that I normal wouldn't get photographing a national touring band. 

Photos: U.D.O. @ The Agora

Last Wednesday (January 11th), the original voice of the band Accept, Udo Dirkschneider, made his stop in the Rock 'n Roll Capital of the World playing at the Agora on this "Back to the Roots" Tour. Now with his own band entitled, "U.D.O.", it was his 'Farewell to Accept' playing a lot of their hits back in the 80s along with much of his originals and beyond. Being a mid-week show, a fantastic turnout where locals, Olathia, Sunless Sky, and Black Death Resurrected opened the evening for the powerhouse German. 

Accept - 'Balls To The Wall'

The stage. Oh the stage was crammed with what appeared an arena show was taking place. If I had to guess, the drum riser took up at least 60% of the Ballroom's stage, leaving about 9 feet of room for the rest of the guys. None-the-less, everyone jammed out comfortably and Udo didn't fall off the stage.  Perhaps the coolest part of the show was seeing Udo's son, Sven drumming alongside with his dad in the band. Didn't make that recollection until I was behind his drum kit, thinking to myself, "this kid is young compared to the rest of the guys. Has to be Udo's kid." Luck behold, by the time I arrived home, I was right after a little Googling.

U.D.O.'s Remaining Tour Dates:
1/19 - Vancouver, BC
1/21 - San Francisco, CA
1/22 - Anaheim, CA
1/23 - West Hollywood, CA
1/24 - Las Vegas, NV
1/26 - Dallas, TX
1/27 - San Antonio, TX
1/28 - Houston, TX
1/30 - Tampa, FL
1/31 - Atlanta, GA
2/2 - Baltimore, MD
2/3 - Sayreville, NJ
2/4 - Philadelphia, PA

Artist Spotlight: Monster Dolls Promotional Photoshoot

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The "Melbourne Mausoleum" at West Lawn Cemetery (Canton, OH)

What a shoot this was! The Monster Dolls came to me to see if I would take on a challenge of shooting their next promotional. Last week, we all ventured and met up at West Lawn Cemetery in Canton with the dead as the backdrop to the shoot. As any cemetery, this place was chalk full of history. Most notably, the first resting spot of our 25th President, William McKinley until his monument was built and later moved.  When I scouted this place, I was blown away with the beautiful 67 acres of land. Neatly plotted graves surrounded by bare grotesque trees with driving paths that lead down into a small hillside. Here, is where my brain started to jolt ideas. Mausoleums stretched this area left and right with a serene creek splitting the middle of the site. 

The weather was a chilly 40 degrees that day with a strong overcast in the sky. Perfect for producing moody photos of the Dolls. Some of the girls only had a few hours to spare, so I utilized the time we had efficiently for the areas I thought would have the strongest punch. We started off at the coolest mausoleum on the grounds, the "Melbourne Mausoleum". I couldn't find too much information on this resting spot, but what I did find is there are 7 crypts inside and heard a Revolutionary War veteran is buried inside. What struck me most about this area was how the steps lead your eye up into the hillside mausoleum and how the architecture looked as if someone could be living inside if you were to knock on the door. If anyone has more information about this specific place, I would LOVE to hear more!

Next, I shot different style portraits of the girls, close-up, full-length, and varied it up in between. All of which came out fantastic! I decided to settle on and focus more on the full-length ones where I could add in more creativity into the shot. A few tricks were up my sleeve, one being fog in a can that called Atmosphere Aerosol. I quickly learned it didn't work the best in an outside environment considering it dissipated way too fast. So to fix this, a few of the Monster Dolls kindly volunteered as they sprayed the backs of my subjects while I was shooting. The fog was a nice environmental element as the path area along with the surrounding trees would create an eerie foggy night. I blasted each girl with one strobe in the back to get the fog the strongest and lit them with another at 45 degrees, camera right in the front. Each girl had a unique character to display, so I thought it would be beneficial to let that show in each portrait.

Review: "Forged in Fire" Tour @ The Agora Theater

What better way to burn off that post-turkey dinner by getting in the pit, swinging some arms, thrashing your head, and moving your body in a violent action?! That's what happened last Sunday night (11.27.16) at the Agora Theater as the "Forged in Fire Tour" featuring From Ashes to New, HELLYEAH, and In Flames. It was a privilege to come out to shoot the tour that night (thanks to Mike T.), not as a photographer, but primarily as a huge fan of Chad Gray's (lead singer of HELLYEAH and formerly of Mudvayne) monstrous vocals and song writing. What even made the whole experience worthwhile, I had my partner-in-crime, Ashley accompany me in the pit to rage the rest of the band's set away. We both received battle wounds to share the following day as keepsake souvenirs to remember by. Thanks, Ashley!!

From Ashes to New

From Ashes to New (Lancaster, PA)

HELLYEAH (USA)

It wasn't even a close contest. HELLYEAH shined the brightest that night with their high energy stage performance and hard hitting hits such as "Sangre por Sangre" and "Human". Chad loves to work the crowd and did it like he was out for blood. And when you combine the double pedal bass of Vinnie Paul's drum kit hitting your diaphragm, it created a rowdy show equipped with mosh pits, crowd surfing, and fist raised to the sky!

HELLYEAH Setlist

1. X
2. Demons in the Dirt
3. Sangre por Sangre (Blood for Blood)
4. Moth
5. Cross to Bier (Cradle of Bones)
6. War in Me
7. Human
8. Say When
9. Startariot
10. I Don't Care Anymore (Phil Collins cover)
11. Hellyeah!

In Flames (Gothenburg, Sweden)

For a highly recognized band all the way from Sweden, In Flames had a hell of a light show. Most had the moody feel I instantly fell in love with right off the bat. I could easily get right up to Anders Fridén and catch glimmers of light around his face. That reminds me, you catch them on this year's Rock on the Range bill this May!

In Flames Setlist

1. Bullet Ride
2. Where the Dead Ships Dwell
3. System
4. Leeches
5. The End
6. Alias
7. Only for the Weak
8. Cloud Connected
9. The Truth
10. Through Oblivion
11. The Quiet Place
12. Paralyzed
13. Ropes
14. Take This Life

Photos: Leaves' Eyes, Omnium Gatherum and Olathia @ The Agora Ballroom

The Europeans have graciously bestowed their metal roots on Cleveland when Leaves' Eyes and Omnium Gatherum performed at the Agora Sunday night along with openers, Storms Within and Olathia. The attendence was on the lighter side throughout the evening, but each one of 'em lent their voice and arms to make everyone on stage felt right at home.  I have to raise a fist to Storms Within, despite being down one of their vocalists, the band made up with it thanks to Erica's ferocious voice leading the charge of the night.

Each band brought on a new perspective on metal, with Leave's Eyes (the headliners) clearly being the misfits, but in a good way. Elina Siirala, the main vocalist for Leaves' Eyes, clearly sings with such a high soprano vocal range where Alexander Krull rounds out the songs lending his growls and roars. The band in a way kinda resembled Amaranthe where harmony and attitude play a factor in the song writing.

Olathia (Cleveland, OH)

Omnium Gatherum (Kotka, Finland)

Leaves' Eyes (Stavanger, Norway)

Photos: Monster Dolls @ The Alex Theater

It's been over a month since my last post. Rest assured, the fire still heavily burns and I shall light the path to share great content with you all. Now...it's time to turn a new page and show you something completely new, beautiful, and downright 'ghoulish' that exhibits a great deal of skill and stage presence. Yup, it's the Monster Dolls!

The Monster Dolls, described as a professional Horror Cabaret Dance /Performance group from Cleveland, played an intimate show for friends/family at the Alex Theater in their home city. This being my third time seeing them perform since Ink in the Clink over the summer, I was even more thrilled they invited me to shoot their performance for the very first time. These girls are extremely talented as they can easily put you in a forbidden trace with their mesmerizing moves. The bobble of their hips, the flexibility of their kicks, all the way to their creepy stares that send a chill lingering down your spine. Whether it's Halloween or not, the holiday continues to be celebrated all year long!

Also, would like to throw out a massive thank you to Alanna for the coverage and Ashley for the great intel!! Now let the dancin' commence.

Photos: Tom Keifer and Devilstrip @ The Hard Rock Rocksino

Big hair still continues to sound so good after all these years. Cinderella's own, Tom Keifer played the Hard Rock Rocksino last Friday night with hits from his solo album, "The Way Life Goes" and much of the anticipated material the front man played in his Cinderella days. The 'glam' may of subsided, but his voice certainly has not. Here's what went down.

It's a shame these guys are just now getting over to my blog, but they need no introduction. Akron's own 3 piece ensemble, Devilstrip opened the evening off playing an outstanding 45 minute set that got the arms raised in no time throughout the venue. Opening for such bands as Europe and Steel Panther recently, Devilstrip don't shy away kick starting an evening with good rock and roll. If you're looking for a 'tight' band who's firing all on cylinders, I don't need to direct you anywhere but to Devilstrip.

Tom Keifer's Setlist

1. Once Around the Ride
2. It's Not Enough
3. Heartbreak Station
4. The Flower Song
5. A Different Light
6. Somebody Save Me
7. Shake Me
8. Ask Me Yesterday
9. Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)
10. Nobody's Fool
11. Solid Ground
12. Night Songs
13. Coming Home
14. Shelter Me
15. It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (But I Like It) (The Rolling Stones Cover)
16. With A Little Help From My Friends (Beatles Cover)
17. Purple Rain (Prince Cover)
18. Gypsy Road

Devilstrip

Tom Keifer

Photos: Grindhouse @ The Empire Concert Club

More and more bands these days are creating their sound to become "different" to stand out amongst their peers. While some actually take it and improve upon the original recipe, othersfailed to kick up any dust. I guess it goes back to the cliche saying, "if it isn't broke, don't fix it." Grindhouse, a newly band formed back in early 2015 from Columbus, have strictly just kept with the traditional rock-n-roll formula and it works.

Album artwork courtesy of Grindhouse

Over the past Labor Day weekend, they made their first trip to the Empire Concert Club to play their brand spankin' new album, The Devil You Know" that drops next Saturday with a release show at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus. The verdict. It simply stuck to the ropes of 'rock' with all the familiar riffs and beats that blended into what you'll be introduced from the album. With sound, comes image. Each member of the band (with Se7en getting the Gene Simmons experience) deck themselves in face paint for a visual on-stage ride.

Check out the Grindhouse images below.