JJ Shiplett & Michael Bernard Fitzgerald
It’s always a pleasure taking in acoustic shows, especially at places like Station. Last night’s acoustic jam was filled with heartfelt tunes about love and life, and a healthy dosage of camaraderie, courtesy of Calgary’s JJ Shiplett and Michael Bernard Fitzgerald . The guys took turns jamming out their tunes to the full house of people, while sharing stories of past shows together and other life experiences.
Tyler Joseph - TWENTY ONE PILOTS
PHOTOGRAPHED FOR EXCLAIM.CA
Millennial anthem guru’s, Twenty One Pilots, left their mark on Rogers Place last night, as they lit up the house in the heart of Edmonton’s down town core. This was a second time having these kats in front of the lens for me, and needless to say, they’ve impressed me once again. Their production is phenomenal, and for just two guys to make a show that interesting is something special in itself. Twenty One Pilots, despite your music tastes, are a band that I think all people who fancy themselves as music photographers should try to shoot. They always deliver a killer show, and like I said before, their production is next to none. And who knows, maybe one of their songs will get stuck in your head when you’re packing up for the night!
Sully Erna - GODSMACK
Well, it’s been a minute since I’ve put much of anything on this blog of mine, so what better way to get back into the habit than to share a few of my photos of Godsmack and Volbeat tearing up Rogers Place last night?
Before we get to that, despite my obvious neglect to this piece of my portfolio, I’ve been rather busy with shooting an array of shows, and with that said, I figured it’s time to address the silent month that this part of my website had to endure. I won’t lie, it’s been a case of not having enough time on my hands to upload galleries (you avid shooters will feel me on that one) and just a plain lack of confidence and motivation recently. My confidence in the shots I’m producing lately has been quite weak, and that’s something that always seems to get the best of me. I try to not be too hard on myself when it comes to the work I put out there, but it seems to be an inevitable thing for me, at least until I can put out a gallery that helps rebuild my confidence in my abilities. With the snow melting away at last, and spring time around the corner, my mental health is on the rise and I’m finding myself not wanting to be glued to my computer screen as much, and I really think that is something you can’t blame me for, living in Canada and all. So will you see those few galleries from the month of April? Maybe. Maybe not. (this is where following me on Instagram is cool, I tend to share my favourites and a few current thoughts on there more often than my rinky dinky blog.)
But, I digress, contrary to the previous statement, I’ve managed to shoot a gallery that I’m actually quite pleased with, and was very excited to get the green light for. It’s always a pleasure shooting high-energy rock and metal bands in venues like Rogers Place. The productions these bands bring in always gets me excited, and motivates me to work harder than usual to get stellar shots. Godsmack and Volbeat both crushed their set’s in Edmonton, and I’m looking very forward to having both of these bands in front of my lens once again.
Neil Fallon - CLUTCH
PHOTOGRAPHED FOR DAZE MAGAZINE
Southern rockers Clutch brought their A-Game to Edmonton’s Ranch Roadhouse on Monday night, kicking off the week right for those who gathered at the local bar for a good time and good music. The band was well received by their audience who seemed hungry for more as each song went on, and completely enthralled by frontman Neil Fallon, as he paced from one end of the stage to the other, waving his arms and hands about to put further emphasis on the gritty notes coming out of his mouth.
Sameer Gadhia - YOUNG THE GIANT
PHOTOGRAPHED FOR DAZE MAGAZINE
Delivering a set consisting of their quirky pop antics, Young The Giant played a solid number of tunes to a relatively full house at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium last night, kicking off the weekend in a proper way for the Edmonton folks who braved the cold to catch this eccentric band in action.
THE MYOPIA CONDITION
It was Wacken Battle night in Edmonton again on Thursday night, and 5 of Edmonton (and area) finest gathered at Temple to duke it out for a chance to advance to the next round of the infamous battle of the bands competition. With Red Deer’s own The Myopia Condition taking the cake for this one, the progressive metallers will advance to the Alberta/Saskatoon finals of the competition on April 20th at Temple, and will be shredding alongside first round Edmonton winners in Rising Sun, as well as Saskatoon’s own Diehearted with a headliner yet to be announced.
Kimberly Schlapman & Karen Fairchild - LITTLE BIG TOWN
PHOTOGRAPHED FOR DAZE MAGAZINE
Closing the weekend with a bang, Little Big Town played an up-beat and groovy set for Rogers Place on Sunday night. Warming up the crowd, Midland took to the stage with force, delivering their cool, calm and classic country vibes to all in the arena, while also including a cover of Bob Seger’s “Turn The Page” to cap off their performance. With dim lighting signalling the start of the set, Little Big Town was greeted with whoops and hollers from the audience while flashing lights and thundering drums accompanied them to their positions. Immediately, the group boomed into one of their many radio hit songs, which trickled through their performance, making sure their show was hot for their hungry crowd.
DAN DAVIDSON
St.Albert’s own treasure Dan Davidson celebrated the release of his newest record down at Station over the weekend, with Edmonton country rebels in Cadillac Junkies warming up the audience for what was yet to come with their brand of twang and pop. Dan played through much of his catalog for most of the night, while throwing a few cover songs in the mix to really get people singing and dancing on the floor which seemingly lasted all night long for the folks gathered at Station for a night of country comfort music.
SNOOP DOGG
PHOTOGRAPHED FOR DAZE MAGAZINE
Arguably the West Coast’s most notorious hip-hop artist, Snoop Dogg brought the funk to Edmonton’s Rogers Place last night. 4/20 seemingly arrived two months early on Wednesday, as a thick haze accumulated in the building throughout the show, creating and perhaps lightening the mood and anticipation for Snoop’s set. Sporting a customized Edmonton Oilers jersey for the duration of his performance, Snoop and his “dog pound” threw out all kinds of rhymes and beats that had the near sold out house bobbing their heads and hands all night long.
MONSTER TRUCK
Monster Truck crushed two nights in a row at Station on Jasper over the weekend, with the eclectic German duo The Picture Books leading the charge.
