FILTER @ Irving Plaza 7/12/12

On the evening of July 12^th, I jetted over from photographing a hip hop group down at the Seaport to Irving Plaza to catch FILTER. The genius that came up with the idea of a double header with Fuel and Filter deserves a kiss. Some of the mashups today are a bit of a stretch.

Unfortunately, I didn’t make it in time for Fuel’s set, but I did catch the last song. I didn’t really follow Fuel passed their album “Something Like Human”, but I’ve listened to “Shimmer” a pathological number of times. Who doesn’t melt hearing Brett Scallions sing,  “She dreams a champagne dream, strawberry surprise, pink linen and white paper, lavender and cream, fields of butterflies, reality escapes her”? Sometimes I can be such a girl.

When I photograph musicians, I’m generally shooting the next generation. It’s invigorating, but dipping down memory lane to photograph a band you enjoyed as a 13 year old with your nose up against the TV screen is quite a treat.

Filter opened with Welcome to the Fold, the perfect greeting. Richard Patrick looked fit and happy, and his voice matched the pushing 20yr old sound of the recording. His voice goes from sweet to scream fluidly without strain. Filter won me over years ago, expressing the lovely hormonal teenage cocktail of emotions, all the anger and angst that we’ve come to know and love as “very 90s”. Even as a so-called grown up it was cathartic participating in the rebel yells during pleasers like Hey Man, Nice Shot, Welcome to the Fold and Best Things.

Patrick has an outstanding ability to immerse himself with the fans, he literally puts his body on the line, pouring himself out over the crowd, surfing like it was 1999. It’s 2012, so bands have to work harder than ever to connect with a dying and distracted audience. Bands have to show loyalty and not only tour, but create new music to keep fans interested. Even if the fans are still only holding onto the commercial glory days of the band, the new music is what keeps the band fresh and excited when they’re out performing.

During Filter’s heyday of hits I appreciated the songs, but didn’t delve deeper because in those days I was distracted by the baby pink and blue pop commodities. Forget bringing home a CD with a parental warning. So I got my rock fix from MTV and VH1 when music videos were on TV, and rock could still get through the mainstream. Take a Picture tugged on my heartstrings, the video felt like a melancholy teenage Disney ride. I finally got Short Bus and Titles of the Record in college. Stuck in Here , So Cool, I Will Lead You, and I’m Not the Only One were some of my favorites. Of the late 90s-early 2000s crop of “neo-grunge” bands, Filter always stood out from the rest. Filter’s mix of rock and electronic is tied to a very specific time, so it’s great that they’re still out there playing as hard as the early days. Every teenager (and adult) needs a “Hey Man Nice Shot” song to yell along to. Now that I don’t need permission, I’ll be getting Filter’s new album Gurney and the Burning Books.

Scott Weiland at the Gramercy Theatre

I was honored to be asked to contribute the the fantastic music site Sound System NYC, which will be featuring my style guides, show reviews, and photos from time to time. So to kick things off, here is my first post for Sound System NYC on one of my favorite people...Scott Weiland.

Scott Weiland played his first solo show in almost two years on May 18th at New York City’s Gramercy Theatre. Emerging at a time when glamour, style and stardom were dirty words, Weiland embraced the classic image of rock n’ roll and represents the last era of rock stars. The early 90s grunge pioneers took the fun out of rock n’ roll and left it with angst, drugs, and flannel. He knew our time craved an iconic rock star of our own and was more than happy to step into those leather pants. And they fit well.

Ruby Tuesday

It’s Tuesday night and as any real New Yorker knows, it’s the best night to go out. The streets are clear, the suits are in bed, and a certain spot becomes a rock n' roll playgrounds for those who’d rather experience to live music than sit on their bum watching bad tv or dancing in their underwear to muffled noise coming out of crappy computer speakers. I'm talking about Ruby Tuesday at Don Hills. Have you ever heard the fairytale “The 12 Dancing Princesses”? After the kingdom was asleep the princesses would tip toe through a secret passageway that led to a beautiful lagoon with gondolas waiting to take them to the fairytale version of a hip club with handsome princes. Ruby Tuesday is pretty much the rock n’ roll version of this story, except my gondola is a yellow taxi cab bringing me to Don Hills in Tribeca. From 12am- 3am live bands play raw rock n’ roll. This is a live rock n' roll party happening in the middle of the night.

Here’s a small sampling of what’s been going down the last few weeks...

RUBY TUESDAY: Kelle Calco and The Colored Boys

RUBY Tuesday is the newest night of sound and style brought to us by “Club Calco”, a club of which I’m proud to be a card carrying member. In NY nightlife, where parties are a dime-a-dozen Kelle Calco is the party maestro, throwing the ones with the best music and coolest people.

Stone Temple Pilots at Jones Beach

Stone Temple Pilots at Jones Beach Theater on September 4, 2010

images courtesy of audioperv.com

collage by ASH FOX

It was the first day of September cool enough to break out the leather jacket. On a whim, I made the trek out to Jones Beach from Manhattan to see my favorite band Stone Temple Pilots. I linked up with fellow STP devotees and we hung out in the parking lot drinking beers and reminiscing about our favorite STP performances. We were from a few different generations, but all equally hard core about STP. Being a rock fan is similar to being a comic book nerd, except that instead of attending a convention like Comic-con we congregate in parking lots and back doors at rock shows. Some of the diehards were decked out in STP apparel, others had STP tattoos, but they all had a recognizable glimmer in their eye while talking about STP.

Just a Fan: My Stone Temple Pilots Concert Saga

Without fail, whenever I have a concert to attend, it rains. However, having to bear the elements always sets the mood of the story. "We stuck it out in 5 inch heels in the dead of winter for 6 hours straight" is a line that shows up in almost all of my concert re-tellings. Fro-ed out, frizzy hair is pretty much a guarantee, no matter how smooth it was when getting ready. When the band hits the stage you're too caught up in the magic of experience, transfixed by the music to give a crap about what you look like. Rain storms, other than emphasizing what I'll withstand for rock, and making my hair a frizzy mess, have made me superstitious. If it rains on a show date I'm pretty sure that night will be a magical rock n' roll experience. I've never been wrong.