It’s been three years since I’ve had the pleasure of seeing and photographing Le Butcherettes. Some things have changed, naturally; A shift in lineup, new music, a new album. It was both exciting and a bit of a letdown getting to see them play a sold out show and open for Incubus on their 20 Years of Make Yourself Tour at The Sylvee in Madison, WI. Obvious reasons for why it was exciting: the electric performance by all members, guitars/synth by Riko Rodríguez-López, bass by Marfred Rodríguez-López, drums by Alejandra Robles Luna, and rounding out the crew, vocals/guitar/keyboard and all-around extraordinaire Teri Gender Bender. The letdown was due to Le Butcherettes set being so short. I would have loved to see them play so much more than the 20 or so minutes they got. Being the only other band on the bill, I would have hoped they would have gotten more time. Alas, the time they did have on stage was entertaining, and nothing less than the signature flavor Le Butcherettes faithfully deliver.

Catch them on the remainder of the U.S. tour through December 7th. Tickets and dates here. Their newest EP release Don’t Bleed is available for pre-order. Check out their newest music video for “Tunisia” just freshly released.

On a scorching, hot day of a heat index of 108℉, rock lovers of spanning ages made the trek to Tinley Park for 101WKQX PIQNIQ 2018. With the disappointing cancellation of Greta Van Fleet, Bishop Briggs was moved from the St. Xavier Stage to the Main Stage. What followed was black-and-white picturesque band, The Neighbourhood.

Photos of Bush, Dashboard Confessional, and AWOLNATION coming up next

What can we say? We got a soft spot for Third Eye Blind so covering this one was extra special. The evening couldn’t have been set any better along Lake Michigan on Northerly Island with views of the Chicago skyline and perfect summer weather. It was truly fit for a Summer Gods Tour.

Silversun Pickups came on with a lot of fun energy and had an elegantly simple yet beautiful backdrop and light display. Lots of pink, magenta, and purple hues splashed the stage and poured out into the audience in the form of pure energy.

Third Eye Blind stepped out onto a post sun-kissed stage. Their set began behind a Kabuki drop with a cool, appropriately adapted live version of We Are Drugs EP’s “Weightless.” The music started with a flash and a burst, pulling back for the first verse and building upon the repeating line “Summer gods got me screaming” until all the instruments came back in full force. Upon said impact, the curtain dropped and the show went off and running. The band played five additional songs from their newer material before diving into playing their debut album that graced our presence twenty years ago. They ended the night with an encore of “Never Let You Go” and “God Of Wine.”

It’s always a joy having Third Eye Blind in Chicago and we look forward to their next time around. (We fully expect songs from Out of the Vein next time, by the way. -cough cough-)

Third Eye Blind

 

Silversun Pickups

Opeth graced us with their brilliant music and presence this past Sunday at The Riviera Theatre. The sold out show boasted dedicated fans and admirers of the band’s intricate melodies and beautiful blend of progressive rock, classical, jazz, and acoustic music. Lead vocalist and guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt was endearing and as always, made us all laugh with his silly banter, as if he was speaking among friends. After a particularly vocal-demanding song, Åkerfeldt goes, “I had a piece of hair stuck in my throat through that entire song.” A bit later on, when telling us about their new album Sorceress, he mentioned they recorded in a town he called “the anus of Sweden.” Opeth’s awe-inspiring performance was a true treat and one that will not be forgotten. Dates for Sorceress World Tour can be found on their website as well as their Facebook page. And if you haven’t already, go give Sorceress a listen!

Switchfoot | House of Blues Chicago | September 30, 2016

To say Switchfoot brought joy and happiness is a huge understatement. They lit up the room this night in Chicago at The House of Blues through and through with their contagious spirits, beautiful music and uplifting words. This was definitely one of the highlight shows of the year. They are currently on their Looking For America Tour with Relient K. Be sure to check out their tour dates and see them when they come through your town. This is a band that has transcended throughout the last few decades and remain strong as an original unit. They continue to come out with killer music and incredible performances that will leave lasting good memories. Take a look at the pictures below to relive the colorful, fantastic magic that is Switchfoot.

2016 - USA - Fireworks on 4th of July
Swirls of color dominated the sky // We were fascinated by the way we were able to play with them and sort of use the sky as our canvas
2016 - USA - Fireworks on 4th of July
I call this one “Flamingo”
2016 - USA - Fireworks on 4th of July
We were amazed by the abstract displays that came out of these images
2016 - USA - Fireworks on 4th of July
“Fireball”
2016 - USA - Fireworks on 4th of July
“Celebration”
2016 - USA - Fireworks on 4th of July
“Vanilla ‘Wafer’ Sky”
2016 - USA - Fireworks on 4th of July
Arthur and I took turns “painting” on this digital canvas of sky, fireworks, and long-exposed images
2016 - USA - Fireworks on 4th of July
“Swirling Masquerade”
2016 - USA - Fireworks on 4th of July
“Peacock”
2016 - USA - Fireworks on 4th of July
“Sparks”
2016 - USA - Fireworks on 4th of July
“Haywire”
2016 - USA - Fireworks on 4th of July
“Pink Triangle”
2016 - USA - Fireworks on 4th of July
“Digital Waves”
2016 - USA - Fireworks on 4th of July
“Cotton Candy”
2016 - USA - Fireworks on 4th of July
We’re amazed by how the long-exposed lights look like comets and stars having a dance party out in space
2016 - USA - Fireworks on 4th of July
“A Blast”
2016 - USA - Fireworks on 4th of July
“Stars”
2016 - USA - Fireworks on 4th of July
“The Minimalist”
2016 - USA - Fireworks on 4th of July
“On Holiday”
2016 - USA - Fireworks on 4th of July
“The Fuzzies”
2016 - USA - Fireworks on 4th of July
“Electric”
2016 - USA - Fireworks on 4th of July
“Champagne”

Conceptualized by: Arthur Zdrinc

Photographs by: Cindi Jean and Arthur Zdrinc

Edited by: Cindi Jean

© Amy Girl Huge Smile Bunny Ears Nick (Plain)I simply get so much joy from seeing others happy, smiling, and laughing. I am fascinated by expression and reaction to the discovery of the contents of each new second. I am delighted by its infiniteness. Much of what I get to capture in my photography are beautiful moments that are otherwise gone within a matter of seconds. More often than not, a moment can happen and be over and done with in the time it takes to press down the shutter button. There are so many astronomically amazing moments rushing past us at any given point in time. Likewise, the different elements within the camera required to successfully capture these moments need to be in place. I love what I do and here’s how I’m able to produce such high-quality images. 

© Eddie and Sound FL Laughing (Plain)

I have that key ingredient of passion and love of others. I have that eye for the intricate and the interesting, no matter how minuscule; It’s all in the detail. I understand vision, light, and photography at a fundamental level. I am very particular in my framing and focus. After all, our own eyes can only focus sharply on a very small area at one time (the size of your thumbnail). Therefore, I am keenly aware of the crucial care required to handle the delicate focus of the camera and how it translates to the final product. On another foundational principle, light hits everything we’re able to see, and so anything deserves a shining spotlight and deserves to be celebrated whether it be a shred of dust that descends from its gathered habitat and falls unto the floor in a graceful manner or a moving moment shared between two people. To be able to catch and focus in on the beauty and even the ugliness of occurrences is truly humbling and rewarding.

© Feel-Good Hug (Plain)
These stills tell a story. They’re a storyboard of real life; A Storyboard of history. It’s really beautiful when you leaf through it. This is a major reason why I put so much value in photos and why I do what I do. When I think about what it is I do, all I feel is love and desire. There’s a healthy fire there that gravitates towards stoking others’ fires and happiness. I receive so much satisfaction from that.

Big Bowl of Splash

What particularly sets me apart from the rest: I go through and edit my RAW images one by one, giving each photo its own attention. I don’t batch edit my pictures. While a group of photos will be shot under similar lighting, each picture is its own image and hence, I treat them as such. I make each photo the best that they can be. By focusing on each individual picture, I am able to bring each photo to its optimal quality. I put the time and care into producing my images. It’s a service I’m happy to deliver.
© Smiley Face (Plain)
That being said, I operate with a quick, fast hand with no reservations. I am not daunted by high shot counts. I look forward to reviewing my thorough coverage. I always operate with the mentality of getting the shot as the most important factor; I have no thoughts about the workload I’m adding on for myself for later. I always have the purpose of what I do at the forefront of my mind. I am never misguided by extra time I need to spend on my projects because of my high shot count rate. I don’t even live in the realm of or think in terms of that being an inconvenience on my part. I’m here to get the best coverage of shots and I do whatever it takes, no questions asked. That is all I want and that is what my clients want. Working with someone with the same desires and goals will yield a 100% satisfactory result every time. That’s my guarantee. I deliver dedicated, caring, amazing work. If pictures evoke a thousand words, I make those words shine like gold.
Cold Syrup