HalfNoise Nashville 11/17/2017

     I first discovered HalfNoise almost an exact year ago while photographing the Paper Route tour stop in Nashville. I had never heard of him previously and decided to give him a listen. I was immediately hooked. I adored the indie-vibed tunes, lyricism, and overall feeling of the tracks, and HalfNoise very quickly became one of my favorite artists. A year later, I've shot three HalfNoise shows in Nashville and I can promise you that they never get old.

   HalfNoise shows are truly special. I've never been to a show that is quite like a HalfNoise one. There is always so much energy and it truly feels like a shared experience. Zac Farro really knows how to get people to "get out of their heads a little bit" as he puts it and enjoy themselves. He knows how to connect with his audience and how to make it an extraordinary night of music. I don't think it's possible to go to one of his shows and not have a blast. 

     Nashville HalfNoise shows, however, are even more special. Since Zac is from the area, he has a lot of talented friends who are able to attend the shows and it's like a big jam session. As "Scooby's in the Back" began, everyone crowded onto the teeny stage and jammed for several minutes of pure musical bliss. I'm always so impressed by how supportive his friends and family are, and it is so fulfilling as an audience member and as an artist myself to see a group of people band together to support their friend's art. It's incredible.

     I brought my prism along for the ride so that I could use what little light was available to get some shots. These feel very raw to me and I'm really happy with how they turned out.

     This was such an amazing show, but all HalfNoise shows are amazing. I think the moral of the story here is this: support your friends and get your tail to a HalfNoise show sometime. Cheers to the next one!

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.

HalfNoise - 11/20/16

Sometimes you find really, really good music by accident. Such was the case for HalfNoise.

     HalfNoise is the project of Zac Farro, who some of you may know as the drummer of Paramore. It's basically an indie outfit with a glorious 60s/70s vibe that reminded my mother of some bands she used to love listening to when she was growing up in the 70s. I had never heard of him until a few days before the Paper Route show in Nashville when I noticed he was one of the opening acts. I immediately looked him up and fell in love with his music at first listen. He has three records out currently: a self-titled EP (a nostalgic rainy day play), Volcano Crowe (a lush indie rock gem), and his latest release Sudden Feeling (basically all your retro-vibed music dreams come true). 

     With that being said, I was eager to see him live and photograph his show, and he did not disappoint. He had so much energy and charisma and put on one heck of a fun set, complete with old films projected in the background, tambourine dances, and banana-shaped maracas. I had a smile on my face the whole time. The lighting was quite a bit better than the first set, so this time I played around with it. Those more familiar with my work know I am a huge fan of light, so the photos from this set were basically the dream. I was stoked.

     Good gosh this set was so much fun. I got to meet Zac after the show and he was lovely. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for the next HalfNoise show in Nashville for sure.