Hardley Strictly Bluegrass 17

Hellman Hollow, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, Ca.

Photos and Review By Joseph F. Carney III, EarthMusic Photography

On a cool fall morning, the city streets are alive with music fans headed from every direction towards Hellman Hollow, Golden Gate Park for the annual Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival. As folks move into the beautiful park, it becomes apparent that this is no ordinary festival. The first thing you notice is the diversity in the crowd, Everyone is here. All coming together in this the 50th Anniversary of the Summer Of Love, to witness Warren Hellman's dream of having a free bluegrass festival in San Francisco.

Nestled in the trees and fields, a weekend crowd of around 750,000 music fans moved smoothly, had picnics, sipped wine, played frisbee, and danced amongst the flags, totems and bubbles. 

Where there's smoke.....there's fire

The old adage, “where there’s smoke, there’s fire” was confirmed this past weekend as the band, Dragon Smoke pulled into San Francisco for a stop at The Independent, one of the best venues in the city to enjoy a show. Known for it’s excellent light and sound, it was a perfect evening with one of the finest bands working in New Orleans (or anywhere else for that matter). Dragon Smoke delivered one of those elusive performances one always hopes to see and hear once in a while. One that is perfectly paced, that has plenty of dynamic and emotional range and delivered by a band where one can sense they are right there…in the moment….at the top of their game. Played to a packed sold out house, the band played until way past midnight and the crowd responded in kind; loudly expressing their joy and satisfaction.

Bootsy Collins Funks the Halls

Legendary bass-man Bootsy Collins brought the funk to California this December for a week that went down in the books. Bootsy Collins is the Cincinnati funk master associated with James Brown, Parliament-Funkadelic, George Clinton, Dee-Lite and many other acts. Collins is a member of the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame and has been regarded as the Jimi Hendrix of the Bass Guitar. Collins is a pleasure to photograph as his outfits change every couple songs. Bootzilla played all the classics and one of the best versions of "Cosmic Slop" and "I'd Rather Be With You" that I have ever heard in all my years of lovin' the funk. "Everyone have a good New Year, baby."

Images by Doug Siegel

Snoop Dogg Performs at Belly Up in San Diego

Snoop with DJ Artistic performed for a small crowd (600 capacity) at The Belly Up in Solana Beach, California. Both nights sold out in under 5 minutes and everyone in San Diego was scrambling to see the show. Snoop dropped all the classics and also played some Snoop Lion tracks off the new album Reincarnated. The green room was fittingly named on this particular occasion. The lighting wasn't great at the show due to Snoops request to "dim it izup." Check Snoop out at selected small venue locations throughout the U.S before he goes back to the arena/festival tour.

Images by Doug Siegel

Deftones Tour 2012

Deftones return to Southern California for two great nights of music in San Diego and Los Angeles before heading over seas to finish out their tour. Both shows sold out in under five minutes and were filled to the brim with enthusiastic fans. There will be a feature next month with Warner Brothers Records about the Deftones Tour and our (WBR) video coverage..check it out!

Images by Doug Siegel

 

Smashing Pumpkins at Viejas Arena

The Smashing Pumpkins returned to San Diego on October 13th to play for an enthusiastic crowd at SDSU's Viejas Arena. The first set was their new album, Oceana, in its entirety. The new album shows Corgan's maturity in the music business, and features the depth of the Pumpkins' musical talents.  Billy has always said he gets bored playing Gish and Siamese Dream tracks and is moving in new directions. The Oceana set sounded less melancholy than previous works, with complex rifts and melodies that old school Pumpkins fans seemed to enjoy. The second set was all of the classics. Billy seemed to be in a great mood on this fall night towards the end of The Smashing Pumpkins Oceana tour. We were not allowed to shoot from the pit at this show. The floor was packed and I forgot my zoom, but still got a few photos to exhibit.

Images by Doug Siegel

Citizen Cope at The House of Blues in San Diego

Images by Doug Siegel

Matisyahu at Humphrey's By The Bay in San Diego

Matisyahu played at Humphrey's By the Bay in San Diego on September 19, 2012. I have not seen Matisyahu since he changed his look and I didn't recognize him until I heard the same Matisyahu voice and realized he has chopped his hair and his beard. Matis played for a large crowd by the bay and played all the classics and several songs off his newest album Spark Seeker.

Images by Doug Siegel

The Red Hot Chili Peppers Return to San Diego

The Red Hot Chili Peppers perform in San Diego for another sold out performance at The Valley View Casino Center. The band was up to their usual antics of jumping around the stage and getting great crowd interaction. I got to interview Flea pre-show and I must say his brand of sarcasm is right up my alley. It turns out we were both surfing the same beach before the show. This show was re-scheduled from several months ago as Anthony Kiedis broke his leg. The setlist was great as they played a little bit off every one of their albums including the songs "Otherside, Under the Bridge, Around the World, Sir Psycho Sexy, By the Way." The sound quality was very good for an arena show and their stage setup was impeccable with several large monitors playing real time band videos.

Images by Doug Siegel
www.dougsiegelphotography.carbonmade.com

My Morning Jacket Three Night Run in Los Angeles

My Morning Jacket played three nights in a row in Los Angeles, CA at The Wiltern Theater. They played no repeats and rocked almost every song in their catalog plus covers such as "Rocket Man" and "Rock the Casbah." After photographing over 300 bands this year (mostly at Festivals), MMJ is one of my top 5 live bands. They only seem to be getting better and more dynamic with their live performances. I met people from all over the country who came to this three night run for some live MMJ. Good times were had by all.

Images by Doug Siegel

Hank III Performs at The House of Blues in San Diego

Hank III, also know as Shelton Hank Williams, is the son of Hank Williams Jr. and grandson of Hank Williams. While Hank III has country in his blood, he also has a healthy dose of Punk, Rock-a-Billy, Honky Tonk and Metal up his sleeves. This week has been quite long after working Phish and Outside Lands in San Francisco. My intention on covering Hank III was to get my photos done and leave to go get some well deserved rest. I found myself watching the entire show as the crowd and the band leaves you yearning for more. Hank III delivered catchy riffs, a diverse and talented set with the antics of a full on rock star. If you enjoy any of the genres previously mentioned, Hank III is a must see show.

Images by Doug Siegel

Sublime with Rome, Cypress Hill & Pepper-- Smoke the Cricket Wireless Amphitheater in San Diego

Sublime w Rome, Cypress Hill and Pepper brought their "A" game to Cricket Wireless Amphitheater in San Diego, California on July 27th, 2012. After not getting to bear witness to these acts in quite a while, the bands dazzled the crowd and played all of the classics from "Rock Superstar" to "What I Got." The bands talked about all of the good times spent in the San Diego area. It was also clear that the San Diego crowd has spent a lot of time listening to them over the years as the entire crowd sings "Summertime."

I was able to see these bands more than a decade ago and honestly thought they sound better now. It was definitely overheard that most people thought Rome has a very amazing and intense voice that sounds very close to the late Bradley of Sublime. This show was a blast from the past in a very good and uplifting way. Check them out at an amphitheater near you!

Images by Doug Siegel

The Beach Boys 50th Anniversary Tour with Foster the People in Surf City, USA

The Beach Boys returned to San Diego with all of the original members including Brian Wilson on May 25, 2012. Some of the many performers on stage included Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston, David Marks and John Stamos. It has been more than two decades since all of the boys got together and performed their classics, from "Little Deuce Coupe" to "Surfin' USA." Foster The People opened up the show with Mark Foster saying, "It has been a pleasure to open for such an upbeat group of fellas that clearly deserve their Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame status." The crowd at Cricket Wireless Amphitheater was of all ages. All of the kids behind us were excited to hear "Pumped Up Kicks," but seemed more excited to hear The Beach Boys sing "Good Vibrations." No matter what age, everyone seemed to be having a great time, despite the unseasonably chilly temperatures in Chula Vista that night.


Photos and Review by Doug Siegel

Spiritualized Dazzles The Wiltern in Los Angeles, California on 5/22/12

Spiritualized is on tour to promote their new album, Sweet Heart Sweet Light, and made a stop at The Wiltern in Los Angeles, California on May 22, 2012. The British ensemble was in top form and dazzled the crowd of steady followers as the band launched into their brand of psychedelic space gospel rock. On assignment with a record label on this particular evening, I noticed that the followers of the band are people that really know music, and follow talented bands of every genre. Needless to say, Spiritualized is a musician's band with a healthy dash of soul. The setlist at the Wiltern consisted of several songs off their new album and classics such as "Come Together" and "Cop Shoot Cop." Jason Pierce, the bands front man who also plays in outfits such as Lupine Howl, guided the band through an epic night of music that was greeted with belting applause and intense awe. Spiritualized is currently on tour in the United States and then off to Great Britain.

Brief and Photos by Doug Siegel

Flight to Mars, the Tribute and Benefit for CCFA featuring Mike McCready and Ace Frehley

Flight to Mars is a tribute band to the 80's rockers UFO, who play a few times a year while all the members of the band are not on tour with their regular bands. These members include Mike McCready (Pearl Jam), Gary Westlake, Paul Passereli, Kelly Van Camp, Ty Bailie and Tim DiJulio. The opening night of the Flight to Mars tour took place at The Casbah in San Diego. All proceeds of this performance went to The Wishlist Foundation to benefit the CCFA's Camp Oasis and Advocacy for Patients. The show was photographed impromptu in black and white due to band demand (to appear 80's garage band-esque), as I was there on an "off night" to see my old friend Mike and hear some music. The performance sold out while remaining intimate in atmosphere, especially considering some of these guys are on arena tours. Halfway through the show, there was another announcement. Mike McCready, the most well known member of  the band, announced that Ace Frehley of Kiss flew in to play the show with them and help out the cause. Mike then states, "This guy is the reason that I play guitar," which is a fairly strong statement from one of the gods of grunge who wrote "Alive" and "Even Flow." Flight to Mars played a three hour show and clearly had a great time. They are on a brief  tour throughout the west coast with their final show taking place at The Showbox in Seattle, where most of the band resides. Support local music with a great cause!

Brief and Photos by Doug Siegel

Roger Waters Performs "The Wall Live" in San Diego, CA

Roger Waters, former bassist and vocalist of the legendary band, Pink Floyd, has brought his arena venue tour to San Diego. With a sold out crowd despite tickets ranging from $70 to $300, the fans are clearly awaiting this monster of a show as almost everyone is in their seats an hour before the show, including the likes of Bill Walton, Tony Hawk, Cory Feldman and San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders. There is a similar feel to the rock scene in Cameron Crowe's "Almost Famous," which was filmed at this location in San Diego. The Beatles are playing on the house sound system and then all of a sudden it begins, two sets of "The Wall Live" in its entirety. Waters then appears in his aviator sunglasses, black trench coat with suitable logos of "The Wall" emblems and says "go to the show." Too late Roger, we are already here with matching grins ready to be blown away. If this show comes to an area near you, it is not to be missed!

Review and Photos by Doug Siegel
www.dougsiegelphotography.carbonmade.com

Dr. Dog Album Release at the Belly Up in Solana Beach, California

Images and Article by Doug Siegel

Dr. Dog played for a sold out crowd in Solana Beach on 2/7/2012 for the release of their new album, Be The Void. The band played several songs off their new release including the opener, "That Old Black Hole, " which they would go on to play the following night on Conan O'brien. The band's seventh album has been a hit with the critics and fans alike as they went to their own studio with Anti- Records to create a primitive style recording that showcases their raw style as a band. Dr. Dog is currently on tour in the United States and selling out shows everywhere. 

Wilco at Copley Hall in San Diego

Images and article by Doug Siegel

Wilco played for a sold out crowd on January 22, 2012 in San Diego at Copley Symphony Hall. The band opened with a ten minute version of "One Sunday Morning" and encored with "Whole Love" off their recently released album, The Whole Love. Following "Whole Love" in the encore came old favorites such as "Heavy Metal Drummer" and "Outta Mind." The show had songs from all of Wilco's albums but played a lot of tracks off The Whole Love and Hotel Yankee Foxtrot, which got a great response from the crowd. The crowd was quite diverse with several people saying "this is my favorite band." Wilco is currently on tour selling out most venues that they bless with their presence.