December 2008 Archives
Page of 3I've had this big 2008 retrospective post planned in my head for a while now that would be an in-depth examination on why 2008 was the best year of my life, but sadly I never found the time to write it. I got a Wii for Xmas (along with a snazzy new camera bag, a tripod and new pair of Cole Haans) and Lego Star Wars has eaten up quite a bit of my free time. Instead we're going to recap the year High Fidelity steez. So here are Leaf's Top 5 Memories of 2008.
5) Being on the field when D.C. United won the U.S. Open Cup and shooting the ongoing celebration. I really hope 10 years from now when I am a bitter and jaded professional photographer (ha!) that I won't take nights like these for granted. Getting to shoot athletes at the moment of the payoff is an awesome thing to be able to do.
4) The Radiohead gig @ Nissan Pavilion. Not so much for the gig itself but for what came out of it. Namely my photos in the Washington Post and the ongoing work I've done for them as a result. Like spending the day hanging out with the Jonas Brothers at the White House.
3) Noel Gallagher attacked on stage in Toronto. I got the only photos of the attack and as a result, had my photos published in Canada, England and France. And now I am represented by a photo agency in England. Pretty awesome.
2) The Celtics won the NBA Title! And I went to Game One in Boston! And sat beside Gerald Henderson Sr. and Jr. at the bar before the game! It was sensory overload and I loved every minute of it. The title was bittersweet in one respect though. My grandfather, the biggest Celtics fan I know, passed away earlier in the year. I think of him a lot when I watch the C's these days.
1) The former Ms. Smith and I got married in an awesome ceremony with about 80 of our closest family and friends. Getting married was something I never thought I would do but I honestly could not be happier right now. Finding the perfect girl makes it all very easy. On a music geek note, I was super-stoked to walk down the aisle to Spiritualized and have the Super Furries soundtrack our first dance. Best.
Honorable mentions: Seeing the Super Furries in Philly, DC and Boston. Oasis at the Patriot Center. Finally getting to see John McEnroe play tennis. Going to the Rose Parade. Getting bylines on washingtonpost.com, Pitchfork and Blurt-Online and going to the US Open at Flushing Meadows.
2008, I am truly sad to see you go.
I'm focused on getting 2009 off to the right start. That means spending tomorrow snowboarding. Woo!
Happy New Year everyone!
Q-Tip | The Renaissance
Basically a Tribe record without Phife. Ali might as well be on here because all of the tracks produced by Tip sound just like Tribe. That said, I love Tribe.
The Dodos | Visiter
I really love the percussion on this record, all snare rims and toms. They were enthralling live, which really opened the record up for me past "Fools" and "Jody". I cannot get enough of the toy piano in "Red and Purple".
[MP3] The Dodos | Red and Purple
Ra Ra Riot | WOXY Lounge Act
Honestly I was a little disappointed in the production on The Rhumb Line, but that's probably because I absolutely wore out the eight songs RRR recorded for this radio session. It has this frenetic, vibrant vibe that is missing from the actual record. Highly recommended.
[MP3] Ra Ra Raiot | Run My Mouth Off (live on WOXY)
[MP3] Ra Ra Raiot | Oh La (live on WOXY)
Lykke Li | Youth Novels
Sleeper of the year. No doubt we'll still be talking about her plenty in '09.
Oasis | Dig Out Your Soul
I fucking love this record, nevermind the critics. I must have listened to "Shock of the Lightning" at least 200 times this year. This isn't exactly the record they should have made instead of Be Here Now, but it's the direction they should have gone in. A good producer makes all the difference. Hat tip to you, Dave Sardy.
Glasvegas | Glasvegas [Explicit]
Other than "Geraldine" and one or two others, the lyrics on this record are basically recycled nursery rhymes (and total shite), but the tunes are there. The wall of sound is back.
The Whigs | Mission Control
I immediately fell in love with this record when I finally gave it a try. It's full of bouncy, earnest rock, the kind that just doesn't seem to get made these days. This was in constant rotation on my iPod at the start of 2008.
[MP3] The Whigs | Right Hand on My Heart
Portishead | Third
This thing sounds like a fucking nightmare, and I mean that as a compliment. Took me a while to get my head around it, but the payoff was worth it.
Elbow | The Seldom Seen Kid
Been a big fan of Guy Harvey and Co. for a while now and it's nice to see them get some sort of payoff for all of their hardwork. They're the non-evil version of Coldplay. If there was any justice in the world, they'd be just as big.
[MP3] Elbow | Mirrorball
The Big Sleep | Sleep Forever
Remember in the early 2000's when ...Trail of Dead were tapped as the next Sonic Youth (before they decided they'd rather go prog and fail miserably at becoming the next Rush)? The Big Sleep do. They just kick ass and leave the rest of that other stuff to the other bands.
[MP3] The Big Sleep | Pinkies
[MP3] The Big Sleep | Bad Blood
Worst Albums of the Year
The Ting Tings | We Started Nothing
Was this crap recorded at cheerleading camp? It gives me a headache. Could not think of a more apt title.
Travis | Ode to J. Smith
They deveated from their formula and finally made a bad record. Maybe they just needed to get this out of their system?
My Morning Jacket | Evil Urges
Some quality tracks on here, but overall, not up to snuff.
The Verve | Forth
Total and complete shite. Unquestionably the year's biggest disappointment and a total disaster. It pains me to listen to this album. The real Captain Rock would never sing about fucking latte's. Such a waste. But I'd go see them live in heartbeat.
Past Years:
Albums of the Year 2007 (Kinda)
Top Albums of 2006
Top 10 Records For The Year 2005
Top 10 Records For The Year 2004
As you well know if you are my friend on Facebook or follow me on Twitter, Saturday was my big night. After chasing them down for three or four years, I finally got to shoot the Noel and Liam in all of their (seemingly disinterested) glory at the Patriot Center. The cherry on top is that I also got to review the show for Washingtonpost.com (thanks guys!). Much like the concert, the review is OK, but not my finest work. Luckily there were other people people there reviewing the show, so you can read Dave McKenna's fair-handed mainstream media review or perhaps Chris Klimek's pretty spot-on casual fan review (with more photos from yours truly).
I wanted Saturday night to be pure euphoria, and for songs 2, 3 and 4, it was. But after I shot my three songs and put my camera gear away, I never got back to those heights, probably because I am a jaded old fuck that can't even enjoy his favorite band anymore. Who knows? I talked to a few friends who were also at the show and they all loved it, which is great to hear. I was also happy to see an almost full venue! D.C. hearts Oasis.
But that's not to say I didn't enjoy the show, because I did. "Don't Look Back In Anger", which has never been one of my favorite Oasis songs, was performed acoustically sounded brand new and shiny. "Falling Down" was totally mega, as was "Shock of the Lightning" and "To Be Where There's Life", one of the few songs in the set where Liam really went for it on his vocals.
It was a real thrill to finally be able to shoot Oasis. I had to drink a beer during Ryan Adams' set to calm my nerves a bit (and I never drink when I am shooting). I regret not taking some wider angle shots, but I was so focused on getting great shots of Liam and Noel I kind of threw my normal process out the window. The stage was really high and they had a wall of floor monitors on the lip of the stage, so the narrow photo pit kind of limited what I was able to do. But I got some good stuff and I ultimately walked out of the venue one happy camper.
But most importantly, I got to stand about 6 inches from Liam!
Here's hoping that rumor of a Spring tour with Weezer turns into reality.
Read the reviews:
Mine (with photos) for Washingtonpost.com's Post Rock blog.
Chris Klimek for Dcist (with more photo by yours truly!).
Dave McKenna for the Washington Post.
Q: Could I be more excited about this show?
A: No. Especially after reading the reviews of an apparently superlative MSG show in NYC. I'm kind of regretting not going to Philly last night, but the weather was kind of shit.
Hopefully no one rushes the stage this time.
I got like 4 hours sleep last night. Seriously, I'm on pins and needles! I will have a full report for everyone on Monday.
Here are a few Oasis covers for your listening enjoyment:
[MP3] Ryan Adams | Wonderwall (live)
[MP3] Cat Power | Wonderwall (live)
Be sure to check out this NPR interview with Steve Lillywhite about the making of Vauxhall & I, probably my second favorite Morrissey record. I've always wondered about the drums and the chainsaw in "Speedway."
Via P4k, it looks like the Mighty Mozzer is going to be a busy man this year. Early buzz on the new album is kind of meh, hopefully it's better than that wretched album cover.
02-28 Boca Raton, FL - Mizner Park
03-01 Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Live
03-03 Jacksonville, FL - Florida Theater
03-04 St Petersburg, FL - Jannus Landing
03-06 Myrtle Beach SC - House of Blues
03-07 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
03-09 Asheville, NC - Orange Peel
03-11 Durham, NC - Durham Performing Arts Center
03-13 Richmond, VA - The National
03-14 Washington, DC - Warner Theater
03-16 Montclair, NJ - Wellmont Theater
03-17 Pittsburgh, PA - Carnegie Music Hall
03-19 Buffalo, NY - University of Buffalo Center for the Arts
03-21 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
03-22 Philadelphia, PA - Academy of Music
03-25 New York, NY - Webster Hall
03-26 New York, NY - Carnegie Hall
03-28 Mashantucket, CT - Foxwoods
03-29 Boston, MA - House of Blues
03-31 Ann Arbor, MI - Michigan Theater
04-01 Columbus, OH - Palace Theater
04-03 Milwaukee, WI - Eagles Ballroom
04-04 Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom
04-06 Minneapolis, MN - State Theater
04-07 Kansas City, MO - Midland Theater
04-08 St Louis, MO - Pageant Theater
04-10 Dallas, TX - Palladium Ballroom
04-11 Houston, TX - Jesse H Jones Hall
04-12 Austin, TX - Bass Concert Hall
04-14 El Paso, TX - Chavez Theater
04-15 Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater
Europe dates after the jump.
Quite frankly, this was one hell of a year. More about that a bit later, but let's go ahead and kick off the end-of-year-listage with the best gigs of 2008!
1) Underworld @ Virgin Mobile Festival - Baltimore, MD
What I said at the time: Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy
Not only was this the best show I saw all year, it was one of the best shows I have ever seen. Period. It was thoroughly mind blowing. My expectations for this could not have been higher but Underworld still blew me away. All concerts should be like this.
[MP3] Underworld | Beautiful Burnout
BUY: Underworld: Everything, Everything
2) Oasis @ Virgin Festival - Toronto, ONT
What I said at the time: Craziness erupted at the Oasis gig in Toronto tonight when during "Morning Glory" some punter somehow got onstage, and gave Noel a mighty shove into the monitors directly in front of him before turning and going after Liam. Luckily security corralled the guy before he could do any more damage to the band and the gig.
Photo superstardom for yours truly! I was totally crushed that I didn't get to shoot Oasis from the pit, but because I didn't, I happened to have my camera out when Noel was attacked on stage. The resulting shots were published all over the world.
[MP3] Oasis | To Be Where There's Life (live Wembley Arena 10/16/08)
BUY: Dig Out Your Soul
3) Radiohead @ Nissan Pavilion - Fairfax, VA
What I said at the time: It rained. Alot. A hell of a lot. More than you've ever seen. Ever. Almost four inches. Seriously, it was one of the biggest storms in D.C. history. And we stood outside during it and watched Radiohead. The "rain down" part of the "Paranoid Android" suddenly has new meaning to me.
Fuck. I don't think I'll ever forget this gig. It led to my first-ever photos in the Post and a whole bunch of other work. Oh yeah, and it rained. A hell of a lot. More than you've ever seen. Ever. I cannot stress this enough.
[MP3] Radiohead | Reckoner (live @ Nissan Pavilion)
BUY: In Rainbows
What happened at the Toronto show?
Well really, I don't know. I was playing away there, and he attacked me from behind. So I have no recollection of it whatsoever. I was playing, and then I was on the floor, and then I was in the hospital, and then I was back in England, and then I was (bleeping) in bed for five weeks.
Have you watched the incident on YouTube?
No. I don't own a computer.
Nobody's played it for you?
I don't know what the point would be of watching it. I've seen pictures, I've seen stills.
The Chief has seen my photos! Grizz texted me about this over the T'giving break and I was walking on air for the rest of the weekend.
Also, I would be remiss if I didn't point out this exchange:
What is the set list, what's it like?
It's an 8-by-4 piece of paper, and it has Oasis song titles on it.
Mm-hmm?
Yep. And we start at the top, finish at the bottom.
And the ones in the middle you play in the middle?
The ones on the middle, yep, they get played in the middle.
And that, my friends, is why I love this band in a nutshell.
Mp3s: Wedding Present in Cambridge, MA
Noel Gallagher, not impressed with Liam's songwriting.
Noel: "Morrissey was actually in our actual dressing room. Being very funny."
Eva Mendes wants to get naked with Morrissey.
Morrissey will be in Richmond in March.
The Celtics of the Big Three are 88-18 in the regular season.
I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the Vampire Weekend show at the 9:30 Club last week. I have pretty much stayed away from the band all year due to all the hype and the few times I have seen them perform on TV they left me less than impressed. The band always seemed detached and kind of mechanical, but that was not the case at the 9:30, where they were quite engaging and above all, crack musicians. As I stood bopping along to "A-Punk" I tried to erase the memory of every Cold War Kids and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah show I have ever had the displeasure of attending. Finally, a buzz band that can actually sing in tune and play their instruments with aplomb!
That said, some of their songs are a bit too twee and precious for me - the Jackson Crowder one to start with - and I don't care how preppy they dress, a turquoise Patagonia fleece jacket is never appropriate stage wear unless you are playing outside in Colorado! Jeezy Creezy.
[Photo Gallery]
Vampire Weekend w/ The Teenagers @ 9:30 Club
Lookin' pretty damn good so far.
Only 11 NBA teams have started a season 20-2.
A win here in D.C. on Thursday will give the team their best start IN FRANCHISE HISTORY.
On Saturday I headed down to the National Mall to check out this year's edition of Santarchy, which is basically a whole bunch of people dressing up like Santa, running around like fools and spreading holiday cheer. It was just as awesome as it sounds. I wrote up a quick piece about it for DCist and took a whole bunch of photos.
[Photo Gallery]
Sanatarchy D.C. 2008
East Carolina's Skip Holtz has no Syracuse deal but may talk. Ugh.
Years Of Refusal, the actual track list.
Morrissey went to the Oasis show in LA..
My Mary J. Blige and Jay-Z photo was selected by Pitchfork as one of the year's best.
Selected Excerpts from The Grizz's Interview with Noel Gallagher.
Part two is even better. Honestly Grizz, you've outdone yourself here. Nice work.
Photos from Mumbai. Incredible.
Head over to washingtonpost.com to see my photos of the Q-Tip and Cool Kids show from Sunday night. I'll have the full photo set posted here later in the week.
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