Jonathan Roy At MTelus

Our first concert of 2023 was headlined by a form of local royalty.  It's been said that being the child of a famous person is not the easiest of roads to travel, though I am sure it is one that The Heir Apparent and Crown Prince will handle quite well.  A  kidding aside, our Friday night at the MTelus featured a night of music headlined by Jonathan Roy.  He had originally tried to follow in his famous fathers skates, but found that his true calling was music.  He obviously made the right choice, because despite his familiar family name, the family connection is hardly ever mentioned anymore.  February 3rd will see the release of his latest album, and sixth of his career, Life Distortions.  He says the album is a result of self discovery and coming to the realization that you can't let the distortions of life take you off course and change who you are.  That's certainly a profound statement, but it is presented in such a joyful manner that it doesn't come off a pretentious, but rather as a friendly "I've found this happiness, and it's so easy that you can too."  Isn't that what we're all looking for.  He found it in music, maybe we can too.  The first photograph was taken at f/3.5, 1/1000sec, ISO 4000 at 57mm.  Here are several more photographs of his performance.

f/3.5, 1/160sec, ISO 8000 at 70mm

f/3.5, 1/125sec, ISO 8000 at 70mm

f/3.5, 1/100sec, ISO 8000 at 70mm

f/3.5, 1/200sec, ISO 3200 at 28mm

f/3.5, 1/200sec, ISO 3200 at 67mm

f/3.5, 1/320sec, ISO 4000 at 24mm

f/3.5, 1/80sec, ISO 8000 at 70mm

f/3.5, 1/200sec, ISO 8000 at 24mm

f/3.5, 1/60sec, ISO 8000 at 67mm

f/3.5, 1/125sec, ISO 8000 at 50mm

f/3.5, 1/125sec, ISO 8000 at 70mm

f.3.5, 1/80sec, ISO 4000 at 24mm

f/3.5, 1/125sec, ISO 8000 at 42mm

f/3.5, 1/125sec, ISO 8000 at 70mm

f/3.5, 1/100sec, ISO 8000 at 45mm

f/3.5, 1/160sec, ISO 8000 at 24mm

f/3.5, 1/100sec, ISO 8000 at 70mm

f/3.5, 1/800sec, ISO 4000 at 70mm

f/3.5, 1/320sec, ISO 8000 at 24mm

f/3.5, 1/250sec, ISO 4000 at 70mm

f/3.5, 1/125sec, ISO 4000 at 70mm

f/3.5, 1/125sec, ISO 4000 at 84mm

f/3.5, 1/250sec, ISO 4000 at 38mm

f/3.5, 1/60sec, ISO 4000 at 24mm

f/3.5, 1/1000sec, ISO 4000 at 57mm

If you'd like to find out more about Jonathan Roy and his music, you can do so by following the link to his website.  If you'd like to see the photographs of Cinzia & The Eclipse who performed earlier that night, you can do so by following this link.  A big thank you to Joanie Noel of Les Communications Nariman for getting me a pass to shoot the show.  As always, it is greatly appreciated.  While I hate to bring things back to his family name, don't be surprised if this next generation superstar is soon filling the same arena where his father's number hangs in the ceilings.  The crowd would be different, but it wouldn't be the first time that the name is chanted in that building.  The day is surely coming soon.

Cinzia & The Eclipse At MTelus

Friday night was my first visit of the new year to the MTelus in Montreal and we were treated to the wonderful sounds of Cinzia & The Eclipse as our opening performance.  It has been said on these pages many times before, but I love catching the opening act because it introduces me to so many artists I didn't know.  With Cinzia & The Eclipse, that was no different as I was hooked the moment she opened her mouth and this wonderful voice came out.  On one of her social media sites, it reads that her voice balances the line between power and vulnerability, allowing the listener to tap into emotions which had been dormant.  This is also helped by her set of songs, mostly inspired by life events.  You're drawn in by her voice and then listen closely as the relatable lyrics spin the tales of her life, though they could very much be yours as well.  Their debut EP, Little Italy, was released in 2020 and some singles had been released before that.  Hopefully a full album is in the works because I'm sure it would be terrific.  The first photograph was taken at f/3.5, 1/250sec, ISO 3200 at 70mm.  Here are several more photographs of their performance.

f/3.5, 1/400sec, ISO 3200 at 24mm

f/3.5, 1/100sec, ISO 3200 at 63mm

f/3.5, 1/500sec, ISO 3200 at 61mm

f/3.5, 1/50sec, ISO 3200 at 50mm

f/3.5, 1/250sec, ISO 3200 at 70mm

f/3.5, 1/320sec, ISO 3200 at 70mm

f/3.5, 1/320sec, ISO 3200 at 67mm

f/3.5, 1/500sec, ISO 3200 at 70mm

f/3.2, 1/160sec, ISO 3200 at 59mm

f/3.2, 1/160sec, ISO 3200 at 55mm

f/3.5, 1/250sec, ISO 1600 at 70mm

f/3.5, 1/200sec, ISO 1600 at 70mm

f/3.5, 1/320sec, ISO 1600 at 24mm

f/3.5, 1/125sec, ISO 1600 at 70mm

f/3.5, 1/160sec, ISO 1600 at 47mm

f/3.5, 1/50sec, ISO 3200 at 59mm

f/3.5, 1/80sec, ISO 3200 at 50mm

f/3.5, 1/100sec, ISO 1600 at 44mm

If you'd like to find out more about Cinzia & The Eclipse, you can do so by following the link to their Facebook page.  If you'd like to see the photographs that I took of Jonathan Roy, who was headlining the show, you can do so by following this link.  Through their Facebook page, I discovered that Cinzia & The Eclipse have been playing lots of shows in and around Montreal over the last few months.  Keep an eye open for them, they might be playing near you soon.

Tiny Light Critters

To think there was once a time that I hated seeing a lens flare in my photographs.  I would purposely move out of the way, or ever crop it out of a photograph if I absolutely couldn't get rid of it.  People change, and so do tastes, to the point where if it is a sunny day outside, it is almost an automatic reflex that I try and some of those little mysterious light creatures in my shots.  Though not exact, the remind me of the film Close Encounters of the Third Kind.  Though I'm not sure if she is old enough to understand, I've already told The Heir Apparent that they are tiny light creatures and you have to be a super good photographer to catch them.  She seems to be impressed with that version, and it makes her smile.  The photograph was taken at f/16, 1/125sec, ISO 100 at 70mm.  The truth will come out eventually, but until then, that's the story I'm sticking with.

Frozen Memories

Despite all of the gloom and doom predictions about how the Winter was going to be back in September, it has been a rather mild one.  We've only had one snowfall over 20cm's and I don't think we've gone below -15C yet.  Now, there is still lots of time for that to change, but I only bring it up because this is traditionally the coldest week of the Winter.  I should know, because I usually always take the week off in order to get some nice frosty photos.  On the day this photograph was taken, at  f/16, 1/125sec, ISO 100 at 70mm, the thermometer read -26C.  So, I got out of bed extra early to freeze my processor off down by the banks of the Saint-Lawrence River.  I arrived a bit before Sunrise so that I would be in position to see the sun rise just about the frozen clouds over the river and the famed Victoria Bridge.  As was usually the case, I was all alone out there and it really was a sight to behold.  I cropped the photograph was little bit tighter on the structure of the bridge for a little bonus shot that I'm adding here at the end.

The Standstills At Place Bell

We don't always get to photograph the opening bands when there are several groups playing at the larger venues.  Fortunately, that wasn't the case back in November when I got to photograph The Standstills who were opening for The Warning and Three Days Grace (photos can be seen by following the links) at Place Bell in Laval.  I first discovered The Standstills a few years ago hearing their songs on the radio.  Their second, and most recent album, 'Shockwave', was released earlier this year and it had lots of songs I enjoyed.  So, I showed up nice and early at the venue and crossed my fingers that we'd be allowed in to shoot them in action.  I wasn't disappointed, musically or photographically.  The duo of Johnny Fox and Renée Couture, joined on stage by bassists Brendan MacMillian, got the crowd good and rowdy after coming in from a chilly November night.  The first photograph was taken at f/3.2, 1/640sec, ISO 4000 at 38mm.  Here are several more photographs that I took of their performance.

f/3.2, 1/200sec, ISO 4000 at 70mm

f/3.2, 1/250sec, ISO 4000 at 24mm

f/3.2, 1/320sec, ISO 4000 at 50mm

f/3.2, 1/640sec, ISO 4000 at 47mm

f/3.2, 1/200sec, ISO 4000 at 70mm

f/3.2, 1/250sec, ISO 4000 at 47mm

f/3.2, 1/640sec, ISO 4000 at 55mm

f/3.2, 1/250sec, ISO 4000 at 70mm

f/3.2, 1/500sec, IOS 4000 at 70mm

f/3.2 1/800sec, ISO 4000 at 35mm

f/3.2, 1/200sec, ISO 4000 at 70mm

f/3.2, 1/500sec ISO 4000 at 55mm

f/3.2, 1/400sec, ISO 4000 at 47mm

f/3.2, 1/200sec, ISO  4000 at 70mm

f/3.2, 1/500sec, ISO 4000 at 61mm

f/3.2, 1/400sec, ISO 4000 at 70mm

f/3.2, 1/200sec, ISO 4000 at 65mm

f/3.2, 1/400sec, ISO 4000 at 70mm

f/3.2, 1/640sec, ISO 4000 at 35mm

f/3.2, 1/400sec, ISO 4000 at 24mm

If you'd like to find out more about The Standstills and their music, you can do so by following the link to their website.  Their bio mentions a reputation of transcendent rock anthems, gigantic hooks, hypnotic grooves, and infectious riff.  That's quite a lot to offer up in on sentence, but The Standstills live up to their reputation, and then some.  Hopefully I get to see them again, certainly as a headliner, some day soon  With that, we're all caught up.  Here's hoping for some new shows soon.