If you've not picked up on it, I've been on a photographic hiatus for a few weeks now and it will probably remain that way until next weekend. So instead of photos, I'll just keep posting some pretty awesome music/articles/words/etc. to continue to amuse both you and me.

The video below is done by Francis and the Lights... If you are going to Coachella, you probably recognize his name as one of the fine-print bands (Thanks Goldenvoice!). We won't go into how I feel about this line-up, because it makes me sad. Anyway, we tried to go see this dude at the CMJs last October, but couldn't get in due to the overwhelming line fondly associated with any CMJ buzz show. I mean, my press badge didn't even help. Haha, I say that like it means something.

So thank you to Jenny B for the heads-up on him however many months ago and please enjoy this single-take live performance edited with light.

It's pretty neat.



P.S. - If you like what you just saw and you need some new tunes to jam out to at your office or whilst you mop your kitchen floor, check out this 40-minute live set of more Francis and the Lights.

Be mindful of your heart

And heartful of your mind

And don't get fooled unless you have to...

By now, it is my sincerest wish that you have visited Mr. Roger Kisby's fantastic online body of work. There's really no excuse for you not to have, because I'm pretty sure with each mention of his name so far, I've linked to his website. That and his site resides in my very select "links" column to the right of this photo of a weird girl waiting for said photographer to look away so she can lick the snow.

But that's neither here nor there.

You may say, "Alli, why would I waste my valuable time at work looking at some photographer friend of yours when I could be posting albums of my friends in Cancun on Facebook or tweeting about the pungent smell of curry coming from my co-workers cubicle?"

Right, right, right you only make photo albums on Sundays and who cares if she reads it, because you never liked her or her curry anyway. Whatever.

First thing's first. I knew Roger's work, way before Roger or way before Roger knew me. I knew Roger as the dude that was covering all of the shows I wanted to cover for Getty... for Getty. It was almost creepy how I would go to his Getty library just to see what he was shooting and how he was shooting. Not how as in what lenses he was choosing, but how as in... could I do better?

For example, take a look at his opening photograph on his website. I absolutely couldn't have done better. If that isn't a tiny slice of live music history, I don't what is.

And the crazy thing about Roger was that most often, I couldn't have done better. Not only couldn't I have done better, but a few months later, I did a lot worse and he bailed me out.

There was a show in the lower part of town at the Mercury Lounge, otherwise known as a music photographer's Hell, that Getty wanted me to cover. A trance show that requires none of the cheap colors that comprises the Mercury's lighting "rig", just the artist's little, crazy-trance-person strobes. I was absolutely SOL and I knew it from the beginning. Not even Danny Clinch could have gotten out of this one.*

Shoot. Take (many) artistic liberties. Edit. Submit.

*Ring* *Ring*

It's my favoritest editor in the whole wide world telling me that Getty won't accept the images as shot and that she would like me to shadow one of their long-time music photographers at a show at the Highline Ballroom. Enter Roger Kisby.

Of course, I'm angry at myself, at the situation, at trance music in general, but on the bright side, I get to meet the dude who's been shooting every gig in New York that I wanted to shoot since I had arrived.

To make a long story short, not only was he a good shooter, but he had the nerve to be a pretty cool cat too. I found it quite kind that he agreed to take the time to show some 22-year-old punk (what? he didn't know. I could have been a punk) photographer the ropes of shooting shows, often small club shows, for a major international photo agency. Seriously.

After that, I always looked forward to running into my new photo friend on gigs I was shooting and/or working. Heck, I still look forward to it, because if nothing else, a good friend is great to have around on a job.

What I'm trying to say is look at Roger Kisby's work now and watch it grow over the next few years. Like everything in life, it just keeps getting better.

*That's absolutely a lie, but I'm going to leave it for dramatic purposes

Photo by Roger Kisby/Prospect Park/Brooklyn, NY/1.12.11

Alli walks away, the winter version. Minus beach, bikini, camera and haircut / plus snow, cow hide, scarf and pants.

Photo by Roger Kisby/Prospect Park/Brooklyn, NY/1.12.11

Photo title: "To Eat or Not to Eat"

Ok, I didn't eat it... But! I did lick the snow when Roger wasn't looking.

Duh.

Photo by Roger Kisby/Prospect Park/Brooklyn, NY/1.12.11

It's not often that I get to be goofy on photo shoots, but the past few shoots have just been a blast. No Beyonce and Champagne this time around, but I did have a) snow b) a fuzzy hat c) sled-riding children d) serendipitous Siberian Huskies e) posh Prospect Heights cross-country skiers (sans strollers) and of course, f) a pretty funny photographer.

All in all? A great day and a great shoot. So good, in fact, that tomorrow, I'll post a few more and chat a little more about Mr. Kisby's talents.

But presently, if I may quote someone as equally as full of life, "I've got a lotta bouncin' to do! Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo! T-T-F-N: ta-ta for now!"

Photos by R. Kisby/Prospect Park/Brooklyn, NY/1.12.11

Photos taken on one cold and snowy day in New York City by friend and fellow photographer, Mr. Roger Kisby.

The bottom photo is one of the last shots of our 45-minute oh-shit-the-sun-is-setting photo shoot.

Prospect Park/Brooklyn, NY/1.12.11

Excuse me, Sir,
I'm lost I'm looking for a place where I can get lost.

I'm looking for a home for my malfunctioning being;
I'm looking for the mechanical music museum.

This is a warning I'll spell it out for you, for you.
This is a warning I'll spell it out for you.

Excuse me, Miss,
I'm a dog on heat, I'm a complicated being with love songs to beat.
I'm a problem-solving baby who could march all night.
I'm a mechanical music man and I'm starting a fire.

Excuse me, Child,
I am trying to see all the colors and wonder your brightness can be.
Return to nothingness and joy just might be right,
But prepare yourself for a mechanical fright.

This is a warning I'll spell it out for you, for you.
This is a warning I'll spell it out for you, for you.

Excuse me, Son,
I'm found I'm looking for a place where I was once found.
There's nothing in a world where the melody is broken;

There's always some way to make the silence be spoken.

This photo is from a while back... September maybe... but I had completely forgotten I wanted to pull some of these images until my annual archive reorganization (it's as taxing as taxes, really) kept me up night after night. I was at the event to cover another aspect aside from this dance performance, but per the usual, I'm drawn to something I'm not really assigned to be photographing. Shocking.

Congratulations, Dan Auerbach! You are my 1,001st post! Well... and 1,000th...

Cleaning out the archive again. Finding things I like. A lot of things I like.

Photo: Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys performs at the Classic Car Club in Tribeca last summer.

Don't you?

Small club. The Black Keys. Unbelievably crowded.

Not a bad summer night in New York.

Photo: (L-R) Patrick Carney and Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys perform in NYC last summer.

Final snow of Cirque du Soleil's "Wintuk" - over 4,ooo people in attendance at our theater for the 5:00 p.m. show on January 2nd, 2011.

Alex performing his final "Rock Dog" scene (ever) in Cirque du Soleil's "Wintuk" at Madison Square Garden. The show closed at MSG for good on January 2nd, 2011 after running for four years at our lovely little theater.

Of the four years, I've been with the show three and couldn't imagine it ending on a better note. My first job in New York City was on this show in 2008 and really, the catalyst for many of the amazing things I've seen in the past two years. I owe a lot to this silly little multi-million-dollar production and will miss the mats and trampolines immensely on any gig I have in the future.

So with love, I bid it a fond farewell.

NYE shoot, take two.

Photo by P. Zielinski

Having fun with strobes on NYE.

I laughed through this entire shoot, so my apologies again to Peter. I guess that's what happens though when you give me Beyonce and alcohol... and allow me to wear slippers through an entire shoot.

It was a grand end to 2010 and I can only imagine 2011 will be infinitely better.

Everything always, always, always gets better. Let's go get 'em, Kids!


Photo by P. Zielinski... and a few more from this shoot to follow in the coming weeks!