Stand behind his drunken amp
Stand behind his light of love
Hear him yowl his bloody tounge
Hear him yell 4 blood and war….

Well, there wasn’t a war.  But enough people to have a war.  Sonic Youth at the House of Blues….I had the pleasure of shooting them for Bakotopia at the House of Blues in San Diego.  And this was a great show.  I tagged along with my friend, Jeff, a huge Sonic Youth fan who had me rolling all night with his stories of  past Sonic Youth shows…particularly, a show in New Orleans where Thurston Moore tackled him and took his camera and shot pictures from the stage…bloody and bruised, Jeff was elated only to have his camera stolen out of a back of a taxi before the end of the trip.  Somewhere, someone has some really kick butt photos of that show.   If you don’t know who Sonic Youth is, well, from their Wikipedia, formed in 1981, they were associated with the  No Wave art and music scene in New York City. Part of the first wave of American Noise Rock groups, the band carried out their interpretation of the hardcore punk ethos throughout the evolving American underground that focused more on the DIY Ethic of the genre rather than its specific sound. As a result, some consider Sonic Youth as pivotal in the rise of the alternate rock movement.

Kim, Thurston, Steve, Lee, and Mark did not disappoint this night.  As I imagine they never do.

Special thanks to Matt Munoz, the House of Blues for being accommodating, the fans for letting me crowd in their space, and my friend Jeff…for hanging out, and sharing some much needed laughs.  Here are a few from the night…

Nine.  9.  Neuf. Nueve. Neun. девять.

Nine is the magic number.  For those who know me, you know I have a special connection with the number nine….and nine seems to follow me everywhere.   And it seems to show up in the most unlikely of places.  I used to see it as a sign.  But now I see it as the norm….And the American Motorcyclist Association’s  Hall of Fame Inductee Ceremony wouldn’t be any different….This year there are 9 inductees.  9 Great inductees.  And when the American Motorcyclist Association called me and asked me to shoot this 2 day event this weekend at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino,  I gladly jumped on board.  The AMA Hall of Fame recognizes those who have made contributions to all aspects of motorcycling. 

This year’s nine inductees are industry innovator Robert Bates, off-road racer Randy Hawkins, motorsports giants Bob and Geoff Fox (Yes, it’s who you are thinking it is…), suspension pioneer Gilles Vaillancourt, off-highway rights activist Mona Ehnes, longtime motorcycle safety proponent David Hough, noted race team manager Gary Mathers and successful dirt-track racer and tuner Chuck Palmgren, whom I shot individually a few months ago at Dan Gurney’s All American Racers place in Santa Ana.

So off I go,  with a full tank of gas,  a small car full of gear, a 6 CD Changer full of the Beatles,  and my dog,  Bowie Yorkdust.  And some Love. (cause, really, Love is all you need…..and maybe some gambling money…)

Back in April, the AMA commissioned me to shoot one of the greatest drummers of all time, Neil Peart, of the band RUSH for their September cover .  Why would the American Motorcyclist Association want  a rock star on their cover, you ask?   Because of his incredible story….you see, Neil lost both his wife and daughter in 10 month period of time back in 1997 and 1998…from his website:  ”Within a ten-month period, Neil Peart suffered family losses so devastating that they left him a ghost — physically a man but with nothing.  No hope, meaning, faith, or desire to keep living. One year after the first tragedy, Neil was choosing between life and his own death. Finally, all he could decide upon was motion. He got on his BMW R1100GS motorcycle, and over the next 14 months, rode 55,000 miles, in search of a reason to live. On a journey of escape, exile, and exploration, he traveled from Quebec to Alaska, down the Canadian and American coasts and western regions, to Mexico and Belize, and finally back to Quebec. While riding “the Healing Road,” Neil recorded in his journals his progress and setbacks in the grieving/healing process, and the pain of constantly reliving his losses.”   ‘Ghost Rider’ is that book.  It’s an incredible read.

Neil rode his BMW R1200GS the day of this shoot. I asked Neil why he chose the color red for his bike.  Neil said that BMW, at that time he bought the R1200GS, did not make the bike in red because the red had been discontinued.  But he had the bike custom painted red like the R1100GS he rode on his journey because it is his favorite color.

I spent the day with him as he rode the hills above the beautiful Pacific Coast Highway North of Malibu.  Funny as hell, down-to-earth, and an all around good guy/rock star/greatest drummer of all time.  And I just recently read that Neil became a father again with his wife…a baby girl in August.  As Mohandas Gandhi said, “Where there is Love, there is Life.”  Congratulations to Neil!  And thank you to Richard J. Atkins, wordsmith extraordinaire, and writer of this great piece for the AMA.

Here are few from that session.

Commercial and Editorial Photography…when I’m not shooting pictures of  Love and Devotion and the sort, I shoot A LOT of commercial and editorial stuff.  And it was the American Motorcyclist Association that commissioned me to shoot their May cover of Carson Daly for their national publication.  I couldn’t have been more excited to be shooting Carson at his home in Santa Monica along with his good friend and riding buddy, Mike Nelson aka No Name, an on air personality for a San Francisco radio station who has been friends with Carson for quite some time.   These two motorcycle enthusiasts took a Route 66 trip across the United States and the Amercian Motorcyclist Association took interest in their journey.  It was a weeklong trek for two buddies along the famous route bringing changed perceptions of the American “biker” and connecting them with people who shared their same values as well as connecting with the history of it all.  You can read the American Motorcyclist Association story by clicking HERE.   Carson and Mike were so gracious and down-to-earth, it wasn’t very hard to understand why the AMA chose these guys to tell their story.  I’m also proud to say that I’m now a card carrying member of the AMA.  Here are a few from the day…

Nirvana on the sound system!!

Their Cover!