Nashville Pussy At Petit Campus

The headline act on Friday night at Petit Campus was one of the biggest acts from south of the Mason-Dixon, Nashville Pussy.  Together for more than twenty years, their music has been described as 'Refried, Tabasco sauce-marinated hillbilly rock'n'roll' or 'Southern boogie on steroids'.  I can't find fault with either of those descriptions.  I first saw them live during the 2014 edition of Heavy Montreal and this was their first visit back to the city since then.  I was more than happy to score a photo pass to the show as I knew it was going to be a spectacle not to be forgotten.  The guitars and drums immediately brought the crowd to life and they remained wild and rowdy until the final notes were played.    The first photograph was taken at f/2.8, 1/500sec, ISO 3200 at 35mm. Here are several more photographs of their performance.

f/2.8, 1/250sec, ISO 3200 at 24mm

f/2.8, 1/320sec, ISO 3200 at 26mm

f/2.8, 1/1000sec, ISO 3200 at 24mm

f/2.8, 1/640sec, ISO 3200 at 24mm

f/2.8, 1/320sec, ISO 3200 at 35mm

f/2.8, 1/1000sec, ISO 3200 at 25mm

f/2.8, 1/400sec, ISO 3200 at 24mm

f/2.8, 1/640sec, ISO 3200 at 28mm

f/2.8, 1/400sec, ISO 3200 at 70mm

f/2.8, 1/320sec, ISO 3200 at 24mm

f/2.8, 1/60sec, ISO 3200 at 24mm

f/2.8, 1/800sec, ISO 3200 at 24mm

f/2.8, 1/640sec, ISO 3200 at 24mm

f/2.8, 1/400sec, ISO 3200 at 35mm

f/2.8, 1/640sec, ISO 3200 at 24mm

f/2.8, 1/320sec, ISO 3200 at 45mm

f/2.8, 1/320sec, ISO 3200 at 24mm

f/2.8, 1/640sec, ISO 3200 at 24mm

f/2.8, 1/320sec, ISO 3200 at 35mm

f/2.8, 1/640sec, ISO 3200 at 24mm

f/2.8, 1/320sec, ISO 3200 at 120mm

I managed to get some nice shots from the front of the stage before the moshing got a little wild for my equipment and I, but I then made my way around the room to try and grab some shots from a few different angles.  It was terrific fun.  Thanks very much to Jeff Keller of The Artery Foundation for getting me a pass to the show to take some photographs.  To find out more about Nashville Pussy and their music, don't forget to visit their website by following the link.

The Vulgar Deli At Petit Campus

The first musical group to take the stage this past Friday at Petit Campus was a local group called The Vulgar Deli.  They describe themselves as a mid-life crisis hardcore rock and roll band and it's hard not to like a group with a moniker like that.  They certainly have named themselves appropriately as many of their songs have less clean words than unprintable ones, but they were full of energy and played loud, fast and hard on stage.  I got there nice and early to make sure I'd have a spot right in front of the stage, and my reward was a pretty cool vantage point of the stage, though I had to dodge a few drops of beer that the singer would swig between songs along the way.   A small price to pay for my little rock and roll adventure, though I'll be sure to not wear open shoes next time.  The first photograph was taken at f/2.8, 1/125sec, ISO 3200 at 24mm.  Here are several more photographs of their performance.

f/2.8, 1/160sec, ISO 3200 at 70mm

f/2.8, 1/80sec, ISO 3200 at 35mm

f/2.8, 1/250sec, ISO 3200 at 30mm

f/2.8, 1/200sec, ISO 3200 at 28mm

f/2.8, 1/125sec, ISO 3200 at 70mm

f/3.2, 1/60sec, ISO 3200 at 31mm

f/2.8, 1/160sec, ISO 3200 at 44mm

f/2.8, 1/320sec, ISO 3200 at 27mm

f/2.8, 1/200sec, ISO 3200 at 28mm

f/2.8, 1/200sec, ISO 3200 at 39mm

f/2.8, 1/200sec, ISO 3200 at 70mm

f/2.8, 1/160sec, ISO 3200 at 28mm

f/2.8, 1/200sec, ISO 3200 at 55mm

These guys were lots of fun, and from what I gathered, they play lots of shows around Montreal, if you see them on a bill somewhere, you should go check them out.  With that in mind, don't forget to visit The Vulgar Deli on their Facebook page to find out more about them and their music.  Just follow the link.

Don Jamieson At Petit Campus

My latest photo pass saw me spend Friday evening at the Petit Campus in Montreal for a triple-header of entertainment.  On the bill was the rock and roll comedy of Don Jamieson.  I've never photographed a comedian on stage before, so I figured I'd give it a shot.  There's not much action on the stage during a comedy show, so after a few shots I decided to put the camera down and become a little invisible.  Especially when I drew a blank when asked if I remembered the half-time act at the Super Bowl last year.  In my defense, the answer was Maroon 5 and it was a very forgettable performance.  The show was very funny as Don found a way to mix and metal and comedy, including a riff on Judas Priest songs reminiscent of how I'd walk the racks at the local music store with my friend Louie.  Good times.  The first photograph was taken at f/2.8, 1/1250sec, ISO 3200 at 35mm.  Here are a few more photographs I took of the performance.

f/2.8, 1/1250sec, ISO 3200 at 50mm

f/2.8, 1/1250sec, ISO 3200 at 24mm

f/2.8, 1/1250sec, ISO 3200 at 50mm

f/2.8, 1/800sec, ISO 3200 at 30mm

f/2.8, 1/1250sec, ISO 3200 at 50mm

Yes, that was in fact a birthday pizza that Mr. Jamieson was presented with, which in my books is several times cooler than a birthday cake.  Smiles and laughs is what I was going for, and I think I got them.  To find out more about Don Jamieson and his comedy, don't forget to follow the link.

Lifeguard On Duty

Why so serious?  That's one of the famous lines Heath Ledger's Joker said in the Batman movie, but it applies to lots of things.  Sometimes, you just need to have a chuckle. That's what I had when this scene unfolded in front of me.  While on vacation with My Lovely Assistant in Lac Simon, we rented a cottage on the beach.  Peak season was over, so there weren't many people there.  However, there was still this one summer visitor who was hanging around. This one goose would swim around for much of the day, occasionally taking a walk on the beach looking for food, or some free hand outs from the few people still on hand.  I got a kick out of it, so I snapped away.  A lone goose walking the beach, that's not something you see every day.  The photograph was taken at f/7.1, 1/160sec, ISO 400 at 200mm.  Though I'm sure she must've taken off for warmer climes by now, if she's still there, the visitors in Lac Simon can swim with confidence knowing that Lucy Goosey is walking the beat.

Round The Clock At Fondation Véro Et Louis

As previously mentioned, I spend my Saturday afternoon in Longueuil at the annual fundraising event for the Fondation Véro et Louis.  An event meant to raise funds for the creation of several homes for people who have autism.  You can find out more about them by following the provided link.  I was there to photograph the musical act, Round The Clock.  They were also at the event last year, and you can revisit those photographs by following the link.  Round The Clock were there to keep the energy level high and they accomplished that by playing a variety of cover songs from rock and county artists of the 70's, 80's and 90's.  All that while also being attacked by some wasps during one of their songs.  It certainly led to some improvised dance moves.  The first photograph was taken at f/2.8, 1/400sec, ISO 100 at 70mm.  Here are several more photographs of their performance.

f/2.8, 1/320sec, ISO 100 at 115mm

f/2.8, 1/250sec, ISO 100 at 200mm

f/7.1, 1/320sec, ISO 400 at 200mm

f/2.8, 1/400sec, ISO 100 at 70mm

f/2.8, 1/400sec, ISO 100 at 38mm

f/2.8, 1/250sec, ISO 100 at 70mm

f/2.8, 1/640sec, ISO 400 at 70mm

f/2.8, 1/400sec, ISO 100 at 200mm

f/2.8, 1/400sec, ISO 400 at 70mm

f/2.8, 1/200sec, ISO 100 at 70mm

f/2.8, 1/200sec, ISO 100 at 70mm

f/2.8, 1/200sec, ISO 100 at 67mm

f/2.8, 1/200sec, ISO 100 at 63mm

f/2.8, 1/500sec, ISO 400 at 70mm

f/2.8, 1/640sec, ISO 400 at 50mm

f/2.8, 1/200sec, ISO 100 at 63mm

f/2.8, 1/400sec, ISO 100 at 42mm

f/2.8, 1/400sec, ISO 400 at 70mm

f/2.8, 1/1250sec, IS0 400 at 28mm

f/2.8, 1/320sec, ISO 100 at 24mm

They were having great fun together on the stage and had several people in the crowd dancing to the tunes in between their trips into the large tent and while waiting in line to have their photo taken with some of the celebrities on hand.  To find out more about Round The Clock and their music, don't forget to follow the link.