Al Smith’s studio went out with a wallop this past weekend, as the triple bill of NO//LIARS, Stinging Belle, and Toy Maker bid farewell to this amazing venue with majesty.
Canon EOS 70D · Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM · 32 mm · 1/180 s · f/2.8 · ISO 3200
The free show kicked off with a new band called Toy Maker. The razor-sharp contrast of singer Dave Goertzen’s intense vocals to James Martyn’s crisp, clean guitar makes Toy Maker stand out from your typical hardcore punk.
Canon EOS 70D · Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM · 23 mm · 1/180 s · f/2.8 · ISO 3200
For their fourth gig ever, Stinging Belle was the perfect sandwich filling between the first and third acts, their sound becoming tighter with every show.
Canon EOS 70D · Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM · 23 mm · 1/500 s · f/1.8 · ISO 3200
Stinging Belle’s amazing vocalist is Allie Bowman (more like Allie showman, amirite?). She’s also my beautiful work sistah and tattoo triptych inspiration, who I’ve shot on many occasions.
Canon EOS 70D · Tamron 60mm f/2.0 macro · 60 mm · 1/350 s · f/2 · ISO 3200
She continues to explode with stage presence, power in her voice, and energy to spare.
Canon EOS 70D · Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM · 18 mm · 1/500 s · f/2.8 · ISO 3200
This is actually an educated guess, since the lens wasn’t seated properly, and gave me no information except an f/1 maximum aperture which, of course, would be dreamy. =)
The Zone’s Band of the Month for March, NO//LIARS, ended the night (and the venue) with the perfect balance of musical intensity and precision.
Canon EOS 70D · Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM · 18 mm · 1/750 s · f/1.8 · ISO 3200
This here is Noah Edwards, also known as Noah Shredwards, from NO//LIARS. Can ya guess how he got that nickname?
Canon EOS 70D · Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM · 35 mm · 1/750 s · f/1.8 · ISO 3200
The crowd, by this time a frothing, moshing mess in its centre, loved every second of it.
Canon EOS 70D · Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM · 18 mm · 1/250 s · f/2.8 · ISO 3200
Strobist: Canon 430EX II, 1/64 power, on camera, wall/ceiling bounced
It was the most literal definition of bittersweet being at this final gig for the photography studio which was home to all but the most recent Rocktographers shows, and has hosted movie nights, music video shoots, fashion shows, album listening parties, and countless photo shoots (including, y’know, #GlitterBeard).
Canon EOS 70D · Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM · 18 mm · 1/180 s · f/2.8 · ISO 3200
The space will be missed but, at least, the creatives behind it, Al Smith and Teresa Lindsay, aren’t going anywhere. Which is fantastic news because they’re both bursting with ideas and give great hugs.
=)