One time..at band camp!

I just love that phrase and while in this case it should be 'One time ... at EP launch!' I hope you won't mind me borrowing it.

Last Friday night I went to the Great Northern pub in Newcastle, Australia. The last time I visited this grand hotel was in the late 70's when, in the old ballroom upstairs, (and wearing our best flares) my mates and I would check out the chicks as they 'bumped' each other under the glittering disco ball. Ahh the good old days!

This time I was downstairs in the main bar watching my nephew and his band, Crystal Cove, launch their debut EP. They describe themselves as Indie Pop and even if I am a biased observer they certainly have a very tight sound with an infectious beat.

Their stage presence is solid as well - the commitment to their sound and their audience is palpable and was enthusiastically appreciated by the fans. It was a great launch and I know the boys are headed for much bigger stages.



My early days of photography were mainly about surf pictures in the day and band photography at night. It had been a while since I had done any band pictures so I took along my Canon 1Ds, a couple of lenses and fading memories of my old lighting/exposure formulas.

Photography has changed since the 70's and it was great to have the instant feed back of the camera's LCD screen. What hasn't changed is the thrill of being up close to musicians who are totally lost in their music with the crowd pressing me almost onto the stage.

Initially I had the 70-200mm f2.8 zoom attached but soon switched to the 50mm f1.2. As great as Crystal Cove are there was no pit or security on this night so I was able to get up close and the f1.2 lets in a lot more light.

Last Friday I had in mind to make a video slideshow of the launch so I shot lots of fast bursts to create a story of the night. With just a little reorganising of the sequence I used the Slideshow feature in Lightroom 3 to put the video together to their track 'Slowly'.

While sitting at the computer putting this together I am reminded of back in the day when I was fortunate to photograph bands like the Oils, Angels and Chisel. In those days I did some work for a large rock venue and had back stage access. They were easier times - BE (Before Entourage) so there were no minders. One time... at a Chisel concert (there I go again) I was changing film behind the speakers when Jimmy Barnes came off stage for a 'rest' during a drum solo. He kindly offered me a swig from his vodka bottle - it seemed the polite thing to do and Mr Barnes is a very sharing fellow.

'til next time

Crystal Cove Bio

Genre: Pop, Indie
Region: Newcastle, NSW
Members: Sean Degan - vocals/guitar, Aidan Roe - bass/vocals, Rory Fennel - drums, Matthew March - guitar/vocals

Websites: http://crystalcove.bandcamp.com/ (for digital download of EP and to listen to tracks) and http://www.facebook.com/crystalcoveband

Originally an acoustic duo consisting of vocalist/guitarist Sean Degan and guitarist Matthew March, Newcastle outfit Crystal Cove eventually grew into a full-on pop rock outfit. With the addition of bassist/vocalist Aidan Roe & drummer Rory Fennell the band hit the live scene running & with a steady flow of shows & online releases began gathering the attention of the public & promoters.

A stream of supports followed including opening for national heavyweights Gyroscope, After The Fall, & The Mission In Motion, as well as international acts Lydia, Valencia, and As Tall As Lions later this month.

The band will release their self-titled debut EP on Friday 8th April at the Great Northern Hotel. For the recording the band decided to get away from their hometown & locked themselves away in a small studio in Taree. Literally.

"We were hours from home & knew nobody in town, besides our engineer. Being an independent band we only had so much money we could pull from our pockets so we saved money by sleeping on the floors of the studio instead of a hotel, and recorded into the early hours of the morning." - March.

Recording & releasing the EP proved quite a battle for the band. "Between having to return back home to work our day jobs, our engineer double booking himself when we returned, & our singer having to get surgery right in the middle of recording, it felt like whatever could get in our way, did." March adds, "even after we'd wrapped up recording we were having to fight a contract dispute just to get our songs back."

"At the end of the day we've come out a much stronger unit. There were definitely moments of uncertainty but we refused to let anything beat us. We've come away with a handful of songs that we can hold our collective heads up high about".