Tag Archives: gig

How not to take a cool band picture

Hi friends!

So you know how I’m back-up vocals girl for my singer-songwriter friend Carrie?

Well last week she was interviewed by the RedEye–for those of you who aren’t in Chicago, it’s a free daily newspaper published by the Chicago Tribune. It’s more pop-culture oriented than a regular newspaper, and full of eye-grabbing pictures.

In order to supply a photo to the RedEye, after our last gig at CityGrounds we enlisted the help of my friend Sarah to take some band pictures. “Here Sarah, just press this button here,” I said, handing her my camera.

First, we thought we would just kind of sit and smile.

This picture says “We’re nice people, we really are.” And “We’re about to sing Kumbaya.”

NOT a cool band picture. Nope.

“Let’s smile, but not too hard,” I suggested helpfully.

Please take it away, Milfred. I don’t want to look at it anymore.

After a handful of pictures like this were taken, we started despairing. Why can’t we look cool?

“Try looking angry,” someone suggested.

Um . . . okay. That didn’t really work either.

“Let’s take a self-portrait!” I exclaimed, sure that this inspiration would provide the cool band picture we were looking for.

Nope.

Plus, the tendons and wrinkles on my neck were starting to look a tad monstrous. And do my teeth look slightly rabbity to anyone else?

As the uncool factor in the room reached epic proportions, we began to crack up.

Oooh, we were starting to get warmer.

“Cool” was just around the corner.

Loosened up by laughter, we started goofing off with a pink ribbon and a top hat.

Things finally started working.

Now it just became a matter of: color or black and white?

I tend to think black and white lends a classy timelesness. But what do you all think?

So lessons learned: when taking a band picture, don’t smile and look nice. Don’t try too hard. Do have fun props to play with. Do loosen things up with some laughter. Do enlist a friend who is willing to take a million shots.

Thanks Sarah for some awesome pictures, and for being patient with us when it seemed like there was no hope!

Unfortunately, there was a deadline for submitting these pictures that we weren’t told about until right before it hit. We missed the deadline by about 30 minutes, and the RedEye online article ended up using a slightly less flattering picture (with no Eric in sight) from a live performance. Carrie is looking soulful and musical, which is great–just try not to look at my mug for too long, for the love of mercy.

In conclusion, if you’re in Chicago, join us at our next CityGrounds gig on Saturday April 9th. They have a fruit tart that I can’t wait to dig my fork into again.

Oh, and the music should be pretty great as well.

Over and out!

And we gigged

I had so much fun a couple weeks ago gigging at the Red Line Tap with my friend Carrie, songwriter and singer extraordinaire.

The night of the performance, we were able to practice a little after the evening service at our church, so I snapped a few pictures of the practice knowing that the lighting at the bar probably wouldn’t be ideal for gorgeous shots.

Eric, Carrie’s husband, was on the keys. He’s so stinkin’ good. They’d just better accept him into the Composition PhD program he’s applying for . . . or else.

Carrie sang her soulful rendition of ‘Black Coffee.’ That song hits the spot every time I hear it.

Petras drummed with soul.

I love capturing shots of artists doing their craft.

My husband manned the camera and snagged a shot of me as well. I was trying to control the nervous flutters in my chest and keep my vocal chords from twanging.

Sometimes they like to twang, or wimp out, or seize up, and the only solution is to run from the stage in terror. Or whisper out notes like a dying woman and hope that an alien from the future will swing by to erase the memories of everyone in the audience. You never heard me sing that horrid note. You never hear me squeak when I was supposed to belt. And you definitely didn’t hear me take about 50 breaths in between every syllable of that song.

Once we got to the actual location though, all my nerves disappeared.

The band sounded great, and thanks to the solid ability and artistry of my friends, I was carried away to a place where nerves could no longer reach me.

Great job on that thingamaging, Eric.

The gig was late on a Sunday night, so there was only a handful of people scattered around the tiny bar. One of them was Cassia, my talented friend who I handed my camera off to. Thanks Cassia. Yeah, she’s the one who hosted that wicked awesome wine tasting party a while back.

It was small and cozy. That may have assisted with my lack of nerves. Plus the fact that stage lights are quite blinding. I heartily approve of that design–it enables me to forget there’s anyone watching at all.

And don’t try to tell me that it helps to imagine a naked audience. I’ve never understood how that could help anyone, anywhere, at any time.

If you want to check out a small chunk of our performance, here’s a youtube video of Winter’s Ashes, one of Carrie’s newest songs. Before you click, know that I’m biting my lip to stop a barrage of disclaimers . . . please remember the sound quality on the video isn’t great . . . please avert your eyes as I sway from side to side and look slightly like a doofus . . . please believe that we REALLY SOUNDED SO MUCH BETTER IN REAL LIFE, FOR REALZ, FOR REALZ . . . But it will at least give you a taste. Plus during the last section you get to see Eric and Petras go to town on their instruments–it’s my favorite part.

For ‘clean’ recordings of Carrie’s songs and wonderful voice, you can also go to her website and knock yourself out.

If you like what you see/hear and you happen to be in the area, come join us at Uncommon Ground here in Chicago, Sunday January 2nd at 9pm, for another beautiful set.

My husband, Carrier of Musical Equipment, Buyer of Sandwiches for the famished band, and Supporter of Everything and Anything related to me and my endeavors, says it’s not to be missed. Or rather, he gave it the thumbs up since his mouth was full of granola bar at the moment. But if his mouth hadn’t been full, he totally would have said it’s not to be missed.