Another LIVE concert direct from The Roxy in WeHo, California - Kenny Metcalf as ELTON JOHN performed a rousing set of hit songs portraying the Pinball Wizard in all his sequins and glory.  This is another show in the Axs.TV "The Worlds Greatest Tribute Bands" series. Next up . . . DSB - Journey.Get your lighters ready.

An Incredible Immitation

Last Monday I had the awesome opportunity to shoot the Atomic Punks, a Van Halen tribute band, at The Roxy for Axs.TV's live concert series on the best tribute bands.  These guys are incredible at what they do. And what they do is bring an era of Van Halen (70s-80s) to life again. 

BFF Girls!

Behind the Scenes

Shooting live concerts doesn't always mean showing up when the band starts, shooting their set, and leaving. It sometimes involves following the band around backstage and documenting for a variety of reasons. Whether it's by invitation from the manager to get promotional shots for their endorsees or to document lifestyle, it can be a fly-on-the-wall experience.

Shannon O'Shea, the manager for 8mm, invited me to the Roxy in Los Angeles to not only shoot the gig, but go back stage and document the band getting ready and talking to their fans and road crew before and after the show.  As always is the case with dark clubs, backstage can be a nightmare, so having a camera that handles higher ISOs and a fast lens is a must in your arsenal.

Juliette Beaven has makeup applied to her before the show.

Just a little bit more and Juliette will be perfect

Backstage chats with fans and friends. 

Capturing some moments during the performance.

Photowalk and the Cosplay

Creatures of the Night

I was invited to shoot at the vampire hang, Bar Sinister, in the always entertaining and decadent land of  Hollywood.  A dark hole in the middle of Cherokee Avenue is where you'll find this conclave for the macabre, where on Saturday nights it's home to the culture of alternative thinkers and dressers; studded and painted in their signature black regalia. They come to embrace their love of the dark side; to play and be played. Creatures of the night.

I was there to observe and shoot the night's headlining act, Dark Drive Clinic. Here's what I managed to squeak out before the air of cloves and nicotine invaded my lungs.

 More images can be viewed on my Smug Mug site : SMUG MUG

Head Out on the Highway

Warmer weather in Southern California brings out motorcycle madness.  My boyfriend and I have been cruising on our Gold Wing for over 10 years now, but since our motorcycle club disbanded five years ago, we had yet to find a new group.  Although we enjoy going on rides by ourselves we missed the camaraderie and companionship of other biker friends.  Recently we've been lucky to find two groups we found through the internet; Moto Photo (motorcyclists who are also photographers) and Tri Valley Riders.  Here's a series of photos taken during the last few weeks of rides to various So Cal locales. 

Angelus Crest is a highway winding through a national forest, which a few years ago had a tremendous fire destroying a major part of the terrain.  Many of the roads have been closed until this year.  Driving through the forest, remnants of the devastation is still visible, but newly formed vegetation and colorful Spring flowers are growing all over the place.