Credit Where Credit Is Due

First promotional shot for New Man. 1983, I believe...

About 25 years (or so) ago I was working in a camera store in Boston. It was one of about 30 stores in a chain called Underground Camera and my store was on Boyston Street, right across from the Boston Public Library so we had a lot of local musicians come in on a regular basis.

One of those musicians was a sax player named Bob Gay. He came into the store one day and I mentioned that I could take better band photos than the ones that he was picking up.

He suggested I come by a club that his band was playing at that night and I could meet everyone and we could discuss photos.

After he left, I realized what I had just gotten myself into and went into full panic mode since I had,
A. Never photographed a live band at a club before and, B. Never done a band promotional shot before.

Robert Douglas Gay. Halloween at Bunrattys.
A million years ago.

Needless to say that the first shoot with the band was mediocre to say the least. I remember looking at the contact sheets and thinking that my photographic life had come to a screeching halt. For some reason though I got a second chance and this time the photos didn't actually, um, suck.

The club I met the band at was Bunrattys and the band was New Man and for the next several years I learned much of what I know shooting New Man and many other bands in clubs like Buns, Jacks, The Channel, The Rat and Jumpin' Jack Flash. It was like going to photo school for me but with stickier floors.

Those years were priceless for so many reasons and if it had not been for Robert Douglas Gay and his belief and support, well, I would probably be the photo guy at Glamour Shots at the mall right now (not that there is anything wrong with that).

The coolest part of this whole trip is that he and I have kept crossing paths over the years and just a little while ago I was able to bring my son to a gig at his bands rehearsal space. Priceless.

RDG and MJK meet for the first time and now I know 2 cool sax players.

I decided to title this post
"Credit Where Credit Is Due" because I was feeling grateful today for where this journey has taken me so far and the amazing people that I have met along the way.

Bob was the first of many that took a chance on me and invited me into his life. I don't take things like that lightly or for granted. Through him and his band I was introduced to people and places that you couldn't
pay to meet or go to and I learned more in that time than could ever be taught in any school.

Robert Douglas Gay with the Velveteen Playboys
in 2011. Cooler than ever.

The last couple of years I have been very lucky to connect with Bob and his new band Velveteen Playboys where he has once again been surrounded by some truly amazing musicians.

I was able to bring my son to a recent gig at Showcase Live in Foxboro where he not only got to see and hear the band play in a beautiful venue but he photographed
the band as well.

It was the coolest thing to see how this part of my life had come full circle. Here is my son photographing the man who played such a huge part in the direction that my life took, doing what he does best while I get to watch. It does not get much better than that.

I have always been told that you should photograph what you love, what you have a passion for, and the rest will fall into place.

I have come to find that this is very true. Its easier said than done, but with the help of some people along the way that understand what you are trying to do and are willing to share their talent, lives and heart with you, well, it makes all the hard work worthwhile.

25 plus years later the man rocks harder than ever.

The list of people that I have met along the way that have made a huge difference in my life and work grows every day and I always look forward to meeting the new additions, but at the top of that list, always, will be the amazing musician and gentleman, Robert Douglas Gay.

Looking forward to the next gig...

A Night In (The) Paradise....

Last weekend I had the extreme pleasure of photographing two great bands at The Paradise in Boston.
I had gone to the club with plans for photographing Adam Ezra doing an acoustic set as the opener for Donavon Frankenreiter and ended up staying all night and hearing some amazing songs from both acts.

Thanks to Cat Wilson, of The Cheap Seats, I had the pleasure of meeting Adam at The Hard Rock Cafe when he came to accept his four New England Music Awards. After talking with Adam for a few minutes I  realized  that this is somebody that I truly wanted to work with.

I had been a fan of the music but had now become a fan of the man behind the music and that does not happen as often as you might think.

Sound check was short and sweet as it was just Adam and AEG's percussionist Turtle for this gig but I already had a good idea of just how well this night was going to go.

Even at sound check there was passion and energy in each song and those are two of the things that I always look for, not just because they make for great photos but it's what
I want to hear personally as well. If you are going to get on stage and play for people you should move their hearts and souls and Adam and Turtle already had my attention on those counts.

I missed a lot of the sound check for Donavon and his band for various reasons (mostly helping the video guy get his gear set up, and eating) so I wasn't sure what to expect.

When doors opened at 7:00 I was surprised at the rush of fans that streamed in to get good spots up front. The fact that they rushed in wasn't as surprising as the fact that a lot of the girls were wearing big, fake mustaches (a sign of a true Donavon fan I soon learned).

Adam and Turtle came out and took over the room and rocked that stage from first song to last. They had the attention of everyone in that club and held their hearts in the palm of their hands. It was very cool to see.

It reminded me why I love live performances so much and being able to be this up close and personal makes the music even more powerful.
Big venues have their own special energy and vibe but in a club like The Paradise it's a whole different world.

Adam and Turtle were smoking that night and it was great to get a chance to finally hear and see them live. A lot of their fans told me that if I thought this was good then seeing and hearing the whole band playing will be even better.

All I could think of was, Really? Better than this? Because this was pretty damn good.
So, needless to say, I am very much looking forward to the next AEG show. Stay tuned!

Oh, and as for Donavon and his band, they were killer with cool songs and very funky energy.
There are some really great musicians in the band and a bass player that left me speechless which doesn't happen very often.

More to come...

Two Women...

I am very lucky to have some amazing clients that I work with on a regular basis, but there are two in particular that are very unique and over the last few months I have noticed that they have a lot in common.

What is unique about them is that they are both women who have decided to take on the world in two very different, but at the same time, similar ways. They are both young, smart, talented, and driven by their desire to reach their goals. Fortunately, for me, they are also personable and beautiful and they make me look good every time I photograph them.

                                                                                   Ayla Brown and Jody Perewitz are both Trouble with a capital "T." They both have the same
take-no-prisoners attitude when it comes to getting the job done and if something gets in their way the don't go around it, they go through it.
At the same time, though, they continue to impress and inspire those that they come in contact with, and those that only know them through their work and achievements, by being approachable and down to earth.
They both seem to appreciate that they are in a very special position and take nothing for granted, especially the appreciation and admiration of their fans.



This past summer Jody traveled to the Bonneville Salt Flats with her team to take a run at a speed record for the fastest woman on a V-Twin motorcycle.
She would have to run in excess of 200mph in order to do this in an environment that is like no other in the world of speed. To the veterans  that try and set records there each year Bonneville is dangerous, hostile and unforgiving. For Jody and her crew this was their first trip out and just getting a feel for the place and running at speed would be a challenge, setting a record would involve a whole new level of determination and courage.
Jody, as anybody who spends any time around her would know, has plenty of both. Not only did she succeed in setting a record by going over 203mph but she is already planning a return trip this year to break a few more.

I just got back from a trip to Nashville where I spent a few days photographing musician/producer Ricky Skaggs for Sennheiser Electronics. I had touched base with Ayla since she is living in Nashville to see if she wanted to assist me at the shoot and meet Ricky and the people from Sennheiser. We had a great time on the shoot and then went to eat with Ricky and the rest of the crew and it was during that time I realized just how far Ayla had come since I had first met her and just how hard she had worked to get there.

In the past year she has moved to Nashville, become her own manager and produced her own self-titled CD which is due to be released soon. Producing, and paying for, a CD is a massive undertaking in its own right because it requires writing many of the songs, finding a studio, finding and hiring musicians and engineers, and then performing on the CD yourself while keeping all those other things moving and organized. Mix that in with performing the National Anthem at all the Philadelphia 76ers home games and booking and performing original gigs at the same time
and all the travel that goes along with those gigs and, well, there are a lot of musicians that would have quit a long time ago.
The night of the shoot I went to see Ayla perform in a round at the Indigo Hotel in Nashville that she had booked at the last minute. It was acoustic, just her and her guitar and she owned that room.
After a full day of working with me (which is a long day when you have to put up with my jokes), managing her business affairs and packing to leave for Philadelphia the next morning, she left it all behind and stepped on the stage and held everyone in that room in the palm of her hand. Everyone stopped to listen, other musicians, the wait staff, everyone, because they knew this was something special and they didn't want to miss it. It was very cool to watch.


203 miles per hour or having a room full of people hang on your every word as you sing your songs... Two very different worlds for two very different women with very similar qualities.
I'm looking forward to seeing what 2012 has in store for these two... or more accurately, what Ayla and Jody have in store for 2012.