This time of year, skeletons are everywhere. In 2019 during a regional 4-city concert tour, I followed Lord Huron. In each show, frontman Ben Schneider performed his song Wait by the River behind a larger-than-life puppet. I made this shot from the pit, at their performance in Richmond, Virginia’s National Theater.
Mike Genger was one of my best friends in high school and college. We shared similar interests, most notably surfing and music. We learned to surf on 10-foot longboards, and attended rock concerts in the DC area. As fate would have it, we eventually went our separate ways. I moved to Hatteras and continued to surf. Mike went on to become a roadie for some touring bands. He worked with the likes of Little Feat, Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne.
In July of 1981, Mike called to say he’d be in Virginia on the 14th at Hampton Coliseum with Jimmy Buffett and his Coral Reefer Band . The Coconut Telegraph Tour was in full swing. My roommate BJ, and I headed north to get treated with backstage passes.
Before the concert, we hung out on the tour bus. I was taken by this graphic on the exterior.
I had no experience shooting concerts, but used a roll of Kodak Tri-X black & white film.
Mike led us back stage in the wings, where I was immediately mistaken for singer-songwriter, JD Souther. Like him, I had long brown hair, and reddish beard. He was a huge influence in the California music scene. I was merely a doppelgänger taking pictures.
My camera was in manual mode. Shutter speed, f-stop and focus, all hit or miss.
This picture intrigued me. Thinking the negative was scratched, I took a closer look. The white mark going down Buffett’s left side is a broken guitar string.
These have never been seen or published before. After I developed the film, I filed it with all my other negatives. It was a memorable, not-to-be-missed opportunity. What a great show, exactly 44 years ago!
Beatlemania came December of 1963 when I heard I Wanna Hold Your Hand on an AM radio station in Northern Virginia. On a snowy evening my dad was selling Christmas trees to help raise funds for our Little League as my brother and I sat in a ’58 Volkswagen beetle, radio blaring… waiting for him to close down for the night. I was 14 and unbeknownst to us, a new era in popular music was beginning. The Beatles were taking America by storm.
Paul McCartney used a Pentax to document events that would unfold as his band toured, playing for frantic fans. The film he shot was stored away and forgotten until recently.
The Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Virginia is featuring McCartney’s 1963-1964 archives for the first time ever in America. Opened December 5, the exhibit runs through April 7.
There are 250 prints on display throughout several rooms.
Living through this era, the photographs evoked fond memories from my teens.
Could Paul McCartney have become a great photojournalist? Probably, but I’m glad he chose music.
The spacious exhibit area leaves one in a print wonderland. Once you take in certain rooms, it’s easy returning to another.
I liked the mural-sized contact sheet showing Paul’s take on The Ed Sullivan Show.
My favorite was a small 2-frame section made directly from a 35mm paper contact sheet. The original negatives were lost. His intimate portrait of John Lennon blew me away.
Most of the exhibit was richly printed in black and white.
A number of images were made from color transparencies.
Also on display are documents, including hand-written lyrics of the song that started it all.
To learn more about this outstanding exhibit go to:
Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s are huge celebrations. On Hatteras Island it’s also when my craving for oysters kicks in. It seems the colder the water, the better they taste. I’ve enjoyed collecting them for years. There’s nothing like sharing them with folks. It’s not only culinary but also a social experience.
Last year a festival initiated as Shuck Hatteras was held December 17th. It was such a success that the 2nd annual took place this year on the 16th.
The heartbeat of the show is volunteers roasting oysters.
Cooking them over a bed of hot coals is a tradition.
They were delivered piping hot to awaiting shuckers.
A total of 60 bushels was harvested from “across the sound”.
Estimates had the crowd at a thousand.
Everyone seemed to have a great time.
Spent shell was collected, saved and recycled.
That evening, Shuck Hatteras featured several local bands, including the Carolina Sweaters.
Shuck Hatteras gets a big thumbs up for bringing us together while giving profits back to the community. Ya’ll come back!
To date, I’ve enjoyed a dozen Lord Huron concerts. The venues have been varied, with some of my favorites in historic theaters like National Theater in Richmond and the Midland in Kansas City, Missouri. One exception is the open-air amphitheater at Red Rocks. It’s beyond description and has been host to some of the biggest names in music.
After 2 years of pandemic-related postponements, Lord Huron performed to sold out crowds June 1st and 2nd, and we were anxious for the long anticipated experience.
From the top row, I photographed an overview with the lights of Denver as a backdrop.
From the “pit” I was close to the action with my friend, guitarist Tom Renaud up front.
Bassist Miguel Briseño performed brilliantly on the right side of the stage.
Singer, songwriter Ben Schneider was captivating center stage.
The rest of the show, I shot mostly from a ticketed seat in row 9.
My lens choice was mixed with some wide angle and short telephoto options.
Brandon Walters (top left) is a versatile guitarist and has toured with the band since I first saw them at the Ritz in Raleigh 2015. Misty Boyce’s amazing keyboard skills and voice round out the touring group.
When Ben transformed into his alter ego Cobb Avery, the audience went crazy.
With constantly changing lights, my mirrorless camera made ongoing exposure adjustments. It’s hit or miss and a bit of luck!
Ben’s “I Lied” duet with Misty was a huge crowd pleaser.
Mark Barry was electrifying on drums.
Encore calling has evolved from Bic lighters to smart phone flashlights.
Toward the end of the show, I had a strong emotion, knowing it was finishing. All the energy and excitement was at a crescendo.
Lord Huron left the stage with an appreciative audience after an energized 2 hour show.
To celebrate, there was cake for family and friends.
After a 2-year hiatus, the band continues to tour with sellout shows and at music festivals.