After a weekend of bar crawling and an incredible concert I woke rather late Sunday morning. Poured my coffee and grabbed my gear to head out for a late, late breakfast. Still weary eyed and a little hung over I fumbled for the keys. When I turned to head down the stairs I got an eyeful. I have to say this was just the thing I needed to wake me from my haze. The buildings been pretty quiet since former floor mates Paul and Dawn moved to the big city. It’s good to see my recent neighbors also have a sense of humor.
Tag: New Jersey
Cropduster reunion celebrates the 10th Anniversary “Drunk Uncle” release.
When Jim Testa of Jersey Beat asked me to cover The Cropduster reunion show at Maxwells my reaction was “Sure”. I had no preconceived notions or overblown expectations due to the fact that I had never heard the band before. I did a little snooping and upon seeing the them described as “Insurgent Country”. Well, I was curious. Just not any more excited. I got there just as Jim Testa set up to open the show. I had never seen Jim perform but had somewhat of an idea what to expect. Jim’s stripped down folky punk was just enough to melt the freezing temperatures that circled Maxwells that night. Jim sings about what he knows, music. His lyrics are intelligent, quirky and ironic. A nice little side note to what was to come. As Cropduster took the stage the back room filled with smiling faces who seemed to be well aware of what they were in for. As the band began to play I freed myself of any labels or lame musical alliances and just soaked in the incredible sounds. There are times when I go to see a band and can’t help but be mad at myself and think “How the hell did I miss out on this the first time around?”. This was one of those times. Hope you enjoy the shots. Some of which made it to NJ Beat and NJ Underground. Now if you’ll excuse me. I need to run out and get a copy of “Drunk Uncle”. Cheers!!!
!No Pasaran! @ Maxwells
I’ve been pretty busy this week and haven’t been in the best mood. Bone chilling cold weather tends to do that to my fragile psyche. However I did want to see !No Pasaran! who were playing Maxwells tonight. One of my absolute favorite current bands that have been kinda floating under the radar and keeping a low profile. A Jersey Politico Punk three piece that have a sound reminiscent of Fugazi and Quicksand with a little element of jazz and a lot of distortion thrown in. Maybe I’m a little off with the Jazz but what the hell. No one’s paying me for this shit. Some of my favorites shots have a little bit of blur and were taken without flash. Anyway, the interview I did with them is 2009 can be found here. Check it out. http://www.unitewebzine.com/Home.html
Santa Night Year II
Wow, after months of consistent posting I’ve totally let December get away from me. Blame it on the crazy season. A time when advertisers try to convince us that diamonds and cars wrapped in big red ribbons are what our loved ones expect to see under the tree every Christmas. It’s been a busy month for me shooting and making plans to see family. About a week ago I volunteered my camera and dignity to the now annual Santa Night. Caroling, raising money and a little hell for the New Jersey chapter of the Cervical Cancer Coalition. My good friend Mandy Weiss, along with others, do an amazing job. Here are some pictures I took along the way. Check out the page to see what you can do in your area and do what you can to get involved. http://www.facebook.com/NCCC.NJ?v=box_3 .
Hope everyone has a great Holiday and remembers there’s always time to help others in need.
A Visit from Stuyvesant.
Last night I had the guys from Stuyvesant over for some Band shots. Brian told me they wanted an “Unforgiving Look” while Ralph pointed to Television’s “Marquee Moon” album. I personally looked for inspiration from some of my favorite SST and Dischord Records. In less than an hour we knocked out what they were looking for. I offered them more time and ideas but they were very happy with what they got and were gone before knew I it. Brian, Ralph, Sean and Pete were very easy going and fun to work with. 
Picture of the Day.
Todays image came at the very end of my last shoot. Roksolana came to the shoot wearing a pair of Doc Marten boots. As a teenager I owned a pair of ox blood Docs that I cherished. They really stood out from the standard blacks everyone wore. Towards the very end I had her put them on with her dress. As she began to lace them up I stopped her. “Leave them just as they are. They look great.” I’ll be posting more later of her and my other shoots. For now “Rox in Docs.”
Woman on the Stairs
I’m going through this mornings session with Tanu Suri and have come across so many that just take my breath away. It’s going to take a while to go through and pick the best of the best but I wanted to share something. Though this was a studio shoot we went up to the roof and also took a few shots on the stairs. I thought this particular one was interesting. 
A Day on the Farm.
This Saturday Kayuri and I took a trip up RT. 80 to Chester, New Jerssey to go apple picking at Alstede Farms. I’m really a city boy at heart but I always wanted to try things like apple picking, and camping for instance. I just never imagined myself doing it in ninety degree heat. The day was really hot and the sun was pretty intense, but we had a great time and got more than we expected. Not only did we pick a couple of dozen apples of different variety. We also found peppers, zucchini, pumpkins and tons of other veggies and fruits. There’s really something special about seeing it on the vine and picking it yourself. It really makes you appreciate the food on a whole new level. After a long and fun day of walking, picking and enjoying the beauty of nature we headed over to town and had a delicious dinner at Publick House Tavern. Thanks to my friend Mandy for the recommendation. 
Congratulations to newly elected Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano!!!
This morning forty four people were arrested in a sweeping corruption sting. The list included brand spanking newly elected Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano III, and other numerous politicians and (I shit you not) Rabbis. The arrest alleges everything from money laundering, brides, extortion, counterfeiting amongst others. New Jersey has always been a corrupt state and it comes as no surprise to anyone. It’s just really sad that we live in a culture where liars, cheaters and basic pieces of human excrement are so prevalent. That and the fact that we often reward it. Baseball Players cheat by using banned substances and are cheered upon their return. People are making book and reality show deals while still sitting in prison. Day after day we’re being fucked over by the people we are supposed to trust. Our politicians, religious leaders, corporations and countless others fuck us over and we take it. It’s far past the time we start looking at ourselves and at each other and make a fucking change.
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