Sonic Youth (03Sep06) @ Avalon (boston)

[narlus]

for those not clued in to the ways of SY, i consider sonic youth to be the most important rock band of my generation...and i dare say i'm not alone...no less an authority than the Library of Congress selected the band's album Daydream Nation, often cited as their best work, for induction into its National Recording Registry. dissonant noise and detuned (or radically retuned) guitars are their hallmark, but they've got a nose for melody too. 2.5 decades on, they are still among the most vibrant bands going, and i look forward to their gigs and records w/ anticipation.

this was my 1st gig w/ the 30D and after playing w/ it for ~3 days i was pretty comfortable w/ the controls. the quick dial makes changing ISO so on the fly so easy, and EC adjustment was a breeze too. the viewfinder's a bit larger too. the only awkward part was holding the camera for portrait shots, while using the * button (CF 4-1) for focus. maybe a grip will help.

anyway, onto the photos. let me know what you think.

#1 (thurston)
http://narlus.zenfolio.com/img/p260610949-4.jpg


#2 (thurston giving me the finger)
http://narlus.zenfolio.com/img/p63069189-4.jpg


#3 (steve shelley and kim gordon)
http://narlus.zenfolio.com/img/p192327411-4.jpg


#4 (kim and steve again)
http://narlus.zenfolio.com/img/p92294564-4.jpg


#5 (are my boxers showing?)
http://narlus.zenfolio.com/img/p420678395-4.jpg


#6 (feedback session)
http://narlus.zenfolio.com/img/p109042258-4.jpg


#7 (where did i put that screwdriver?)
http://narlus.zenfolio.com/img/p298354101-4.jpg


#8 (thurston, again)
http://narlus.zenfolio.com/img/p401453303-4.jpg


C+C welcome...i took a TON of photos (by far the most i've ever done) and am still struggling a bit w/ focus. sometimes it's a tossup for ISO and shutter speed and aperture, and i'm not always sure i fall inside the sweet spot of that particular triangle, esp when there's a very dynamic lighting environment.

[beano]

One of my fav bands in the 90's, didn't know they were still going!?!

All really nice shots, with #1 & #5 being my favourites. ;)

[René Damkot]

First shot is gorgeous!
2nd is nice, but I don't know if I like the hand to be in front of the face or not.... Got any others? ;)
7 is really grayish. What happened there?

[narlus]

#7 was bathed in red light, so i usually default to B&W via channel mixer -> monochrome for that. the focus wasn't great (1/60th @ f/2.2. ISO 1250), except for the screwdriver; lee's got a lot of fuzziness but i also thought it conveyed motion fairly well. if i played more w/ the RGB channel ratio and/or brightness/contrast maybe i could get it punchier.

for #2, that was a luck of the draw; everything happens so fast @ these things there's no way that was intentionlal. ;)

[nation]

Yeah a great band. Easy to say that Sonic Youth have remained true to their style for all their careers without chasing the latest trends.

2 works well for me if it weren't part of a series. Nice crispness on the hand.

[jevidon]

excellent shots...love the black and white more than the color, but all of them are very nicely done.

[Jim G]

I really dig that top one. Very nice work all around :)

[Steve Parr]

Very nice work.

The band does absolutely nothing for me, but the images are excellent!

[blackshadow]

Great photos of a great band.

[Statement]

One of my fav bands in the 90's, didn't know they were still going!?!

All really nice shots, with #1 & #5 being my favourites. ;)

Yeah, they have a new album, they pretty much never stopped, but they just aren't in the spotlight as much any more it seems like.

[beano]

Yeah, they have a new album,

As good as their old stuff?

I was feeling a bit retro a couple of months ago and bought CORPORATE GHOST the videos: 1990-2002 DVD, which was cool as i'd only seen 1 or 2 of their vids before. Guess i was a bit late to MTV!?!

[narlus]

As good as their old stuff?

it depends on where you draw the line as old. pre-DGC? i dunno, the holy trinity for me is EVOL/Sister/Daydream Nation, but i have found plenty of enjoyment in the post-indie records (goo, dirty, thousand leaves, sonic nurse, and the new one rather ripped; _nyc ghosts and flowers_ and _experimental jet set trash and no star_ are about the only duds in their career lately, and even they have decent moments.

personally, RR has at least four great songs:

reena
turquiose boy
rats
pink steam

thanks for the compliments everyone; it was a fun show to shoot, and the benefit of having a bright and interesting light environment made it a whole lot easier (in dramatic contrast to the low light i had to deal w/ last night)

[maxyedor]

Those first two shots are amazing. The rest are pretty good, but pale in comparison. Nice stuff for sure.

[DwightMcCann]

Very nice work.

The band does absolutely nothing for me, but the images are excellent!

Exactly what I was going to say, but I would have said it in mock-Swedish!

[morris_jay]

What lens was #2 taken with? What's the EXIF for it as well?

I really like it.

Cheers

[narlus]

it was the canon 85mm f/1.8 i rented. for some reason when i link to smaller than uploaded version via my zenfolio site, it doesn't carry EXIF data w/ it, but you can find all of it if you go to the site.

EXIF data:

f/1.8 @ 1/400th, spot metering and ISO1000.

glad you like it!

[mijbril]

"Goo" was an awesome album.

Had the misfortune of seeing them once, absolutely shocking performance, truly woeful.

My brother (who is the musician in the family) has a lot of respect for them though he does not like their style.

Your shots are great, nice to see they are still playing :D (& maybe they have another Goo in them??)

[buddyboy101]

#1 is stellar as everyone has mentioned, but i'm also a big fan of #4 - i really like the green lighting underneath

[ichampoux]

i loved these shots, i was so excited when they started touring again, but of course i didnt get to see them!

[lycan]

sweet shots

[CyberDyneSystems]

Some great shots here,..

Aren't "Sonic Youth" now "Sonic Mid Forties" though :)

[ichampoux]

sonic veteran! :-p

once again i love these shots!

[beano]

Some great shots here,..

Aren't "Sonic Youth" now "Sonic Mid Forties" though :)

Now that's funny! :lol:

[johnstoy]

Some great shots here,..

Aren't "Sonic Youth" now "Sonic Mid Forties" though :)

sonic veteran! :-p

once again i love these shots!

Now that's funny! :lol:

Youthful in mind and spirit...does that count?

:lol: :lol: :rolleyes: :D

[narlus]

funny seeing this thread get resurrected...this was the very first show i shot w/ my 30D. good show. just heard that SY are playing the entirety of _Daydream Nation_ in London as part of All Tomorrow's Parties "Don't Look Back" series. that should be great. for the show i saw, hearing "Candle" was pretty great.

[ichampoux]

daydream nation is my favorite album by sonic youth, i would love to go see that!

for a first concert, these photos are awesome, maybe a "pro" would have a different opinion, but i love them!

[narlus]

slight clarification, this was the 1st show i shot w/ my 30D. i had shot about a dozen or so shows w/ my rebel XT before i upgraded the camera body.

thanks for yr comments!

[hidden forms]

Love these captures, excellent band and awesome sound, wish i waz there