At this moment...
05.29.08
05.26.08
Memorial Day with friends...
05.25.08
05.24.08
Me as Kanye West waiting for the water taxi...
KK in her movie star glasses...
05.18.08
Zerostars at the Chicago Green Festival (thanks to Jenny for taking the photos):
05.17.08
I bought a new lens today. For a while I've been thinking about getting either the 50mm f1.2 or the 24mm f1.4. I ended up with the 24mm f1.4 since I already have a 50mm f1.4 (I love that lens as well). I had read about quality issues regarding the 24mm. Maybe I just got lucky and scored a great copy becuase this is a total keeper of a lens. It might be too wide for some people, and it probably isn't the most ideal portrait lens, but still... Something tells me it will become my go to lens. Seriously, it's amazing. It almost makes the image appear in 3D.
Moments later I was caught...
Caught again...
It's been a while since KK and I had a chance to hang out. Below are our adventures. As usual I'm behind the lens.
These two were shot at ISO 3200, f1.4, no flash, and hand held. It appears that there is a lot of light, but it was really dark.
Slightly larger versions of these photos can be found on my .mac page.
Part of our adventures involved a stop at Target. KK spent her money on much needed practical things like cleaning supplies, food, etc. I was a little less practical. I bought a bottle of water, M&Ms and Gremlins on DVD. Obviously I know my priorities. In my defense I was travelling by train all day and I didn't want to carry lots of stuff with me.
05.16.08
Plagued with bass problems I ducked out of our set at Uncommon Ground to take photos. However, here's a rare shot of J, M and me (taken by DW) performing Knocked on Wood.
05.13.08
05.11.08
05.08.08
Basement Stories, the debut album from Zerostars, is now available for purchase on CD Baby.
Basement Stories is a carefully refined and gorgeously arranged ten-song rumination on failure, hope, and redemption.
05.06.08
05.04.08
Far from...
05.03.08
Earlier yesterday evening when I was taking the train to Chicago this group of friends was sitting across from me. Then, as I was catching the 12:30 AM train home the same group spotted me. They were pretty drunk, especially the guy in the top photo with the red bandanna. On the way down the were drinking forties and whiskey. On the way back they were drinking more forties. Some craziness ensued and I was pretty certain that the conductor was going to throw them off the train. Usually train drunks bug me, but these guys were funny enough and I was in a pretty good mood. As for the tattoos, I asked the one if I could take a photo of his believe tattoo, and then he showed me the other tattoos.
05.02.08
After nearly two years of recording songs, Zerostars have finally released their debut album Basement Stories. JM and I have been playing in bands together for close to 17 years. During those 17 years J and I, along with a wonderful cast of old and new friends, have recorded dozens upon dozens of songs, but this is the first time I can say that I'm really proud of everything that we managed to accomplish. All the old songs are still great and I learned so much during those years, but there's just something special about Basement Stories.
Over the past several weeks I've spent a lot of time listening to the songs on Basement Stories, examining them and attempting to get at their very core. Whether or not J intended the songs to be thematically linked they are. On Like the Daylights, the album's opening track, the protagonist's sense of hopelessness is felt when he states, "I've broken, not just sprained my emotions / They're shattered, bleeding fast in the sand." By the time the album comes to a close with Driving to New Orleans the lead character of the song (maybe even the same protagonist as Like the Daylights) proclaims, "You ask me how I feel, I feel free."
For our bio I wrote, "Basement Stories, the debut album from Chicago's Zerostars, is a carefully refined and gorgeously arranged ten-song rumination on failure, hope, and redemption." Maybe not the most rock & roll of themes (I suppose we're not the most rock & roll band either), but it's those themes that make us human. I suppose J could have written 10 love songs, and I bet they would have been killer, but he didn't and for that I'm thankful.
So, a big thank you to:
J for writing such stellar songs that get stuck in my head for days
MS for your guitar heroics
GH for being an amazing drummer, engineer, and co-producer
All three of you for your friendship