so now i’m changing all the changes

So basically last week, I had complete out of body mental breakdown whatever and I decided to buy plane tickets to Chicago in September, the weekend between Hopscotch and Bristol, so I could shoot Riot Fest. Because I figure that I don’t need to do anything in October other than coo over my photos of the…

frightened rabbit & wintersleep @ cat’s cradle

Frightened Rabbit absolutely destroyed the Cradle last night; a sold out crowd hung on every word that frontman Scott Hutchison — in a particularly cheerful, gregarious mood — said, and those moments when the crowd’s collective voice rose up over the band in chorus, those are the moments that give me shivers. I was in…

christmas mix: someone you used to know

I’ve been making what I call a Christmas mix — that is, not holiday songs but a mix made at the holidays — since 1997; first they were tapes, then for a few years cds, and finally, in the digital age, the last seven years have been downloadable zip files, and this year is no…

yep roc 15

Full set from all three nights of Yep Roc 15, a celebration of Yep Roc Records’ 15th birthday party, is here. Write-up will be on Speakers In Code tomorrow or Tuesday. Thanks for inviting me to your party, y’all. It kicked ass. (I shot every band on the lineup but Liam Finn — who I…

bristol rhythm & roots reunion 2012

If you ask me, Bristol Rhythm & Roots is the best bang for your festival buck in the country — $40 gets you a weekend of the best traditional and new Americana artists out there, plus you get to watch the Tennessee/Florida game with Tennessee fans, and the quality of the street food is top-notch….

the bouncing souls @ cat’s cradle

I love shooting punk shows, and last night I kind of even missed the Brewery a little. The light there was great for punk shooting. The Souls were fun, the Menzingers made me cry, and Luther is a recommendation for Pam, if she doesn’t know them already. The Menzingers’ 2012 record On The Impossible Past…

album review: wintersleep — hello hum

Wintersleep — Hello Hum. Out June 12, Roll Call Records. To call Canadian rockers Wintersleep a mere “indie rock” band is to fall back on genres, and to dismiss the so much more than makes up their complete distinct sound: there’s hardcore guitars and a punk mentality, a lot of synth pop and drumming that…

the deep dark woods @ local 506

I haven’t written about Levon Helm’s death, in part because every time I tried, I got all weepy, but mostly because I knew I had this show on the books, and I can’t think of a more appropriate band than the Deep Dark Woods to tie back to Levon. Because the Deep Dark Woods sound…

kathleen edwards @ cat’s cradle

Last night’s Kathleen Edwards show, based on my listening to all four of her albums at work during the day — well, I was a little afraid I was going to be the girl in the front of the audience honking and snotting and weeping all over the place. I was not! That is because…