Photos: Close Talker

This weekend some of my good friends reunited to play an awesome show at Vangelis Tavern on Broadway as the band Close Talker.  Instead of me trying to describe who they are, I will steal directly from their website:

THE ALTERNATIVE INDIE ROCKERS, CLOSE TALKER, ARE THE NEWEST MUSICAL HYPE HAILING FROM THE PRAIRIES, PROUD TO BE REPRESENTING THE UNIQUE STYLINGS OF SASKATOON'S MUSIC SCENE. WHILE ONLY BEING TOGETHER FOR A HANDFUL OF MONTHS AS A GROUP, THE BAND HAS ACTUALLY BEEN IN THE MAKING FOR SEVERAL YEARS WITH THE INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS HAVING COLLABORATED IN DIFFERING CAPACITIES AND CONFIGURATIONS UNTIL FINALLY COMING TOGETHER AS CLOSE TALKER. EXTREMELY RAW, NATURAL TALENT, PAIRED WITH UNMATCHED PASSION AND UNENDING DETERMINATION, HAS BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR MATURE SONG WRITING BEYOND ANY OF THEIR YEARS. ALL OF THE WRITING IS A COLLABORATION OF EACH MEMBER, AND THE RESULT OF TALENT AND CLOSE FRIENDSHIPS. THEIR PROFICIENT AND SUBSTANTIAL LYRIC WRITING IS EXPRESSED THROUGH SMOOTH AND SOULFUL LEAD VOCALS BACKED BY IMPECCABLE HARMONIES AND UNRESTRAINED GANG VOCALS. LED BY DEMANDING, YET INTRICATE GUITAR PARTS, WITH THE RHYTHM SECTION BEING HELD DOWN BY CALCULATED BASS LINES, AND TASTEFUL PERCUSSION, CLOSE TALKER'S MUSIC IS CHALK FULL OF DEEP GROOVES, MEMORABLY DYNAMIC TEMPOS AND ARRANGEMENTS, AND UNIQUELY CREATIVE HOOKS THAT WILL HAUNT YOU FOR WEEKS. 

WILL QUIRING - VOCALS, GUITAR

MATTHEW KOPPERUD - GUITAR, KEYS, VOCALS

CHRIS MORIEN - DRUMS, VOCALS

JEREMY OLSON - BASS

If you are ever in the neighbourhood when they are playing, check them out!

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Photo Friday: Life Isn't Black and White... But My Photos Are

After you go say hi to Brandon Svarc at Luna and Hill on Friday, swing by the east side to check out some of my favourite black and white photos at Moka Coffee Bar.  For this one night only, all artwork will be available for purchase for $100!  A nice framed black and white photo might be a great Christmas present or something... just saying.

Come for the photos but stay for the great music!  Derek Funk, Karla Neufeld (no relation...) and Brent Letkeman have recently started a new band--the third for Derek and Karla together.  They sound great and I'm pumped that they will be playing their first gig here.  Also, my main man Geoff of Gunner and Smith will be wrapping up the evening with a solo set.

This won't be a formal event by any means but come grab a coffee and enjoy a relaxed evening.

Hope to see you there!

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Photos: Surfing Trestles Beach

Summer has been pretty crazy for me so far with photographing weddings, family events and a bit of traveling.  I just got home from Southern California after spending the last two and a half weeks surfing and working at camps to teach kids how to surf.  Here are a few pictures I snapped on an overcast evening at Trestles Beach on Camp Pendleton Marine Base.

Photo Friday: Skatepark

After a few days of rain, I figured the skateboarders would be as antsy as me to get outside.  Here's a few of the guys I saw enjoying the sun at the Lions Skatepark on Ave H.

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Photo Friday: Kids in Thailand

I'm sure a few of you have seen at least a couple of these photos before but I wanted to post them on here because these guys mean a lot to me.  Last summer I had the chance to go to Thailand to volunteer at a school/orphanage for Burmese migrant kids.  The kids in the orphanage most likely lost their parents at the hand of the Burmese military or land mines etc.  It is really sad to hear about all the needless violence in that country but yet these were some of the happiest children I have ever met.

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Photo Friday: The Bus Stop

The Bus Stop is a favourite of many Saskatonians for ice cream, lemonade, pop corn or a Riverbank Frank ("the best dog in 'Toon Town").  Located across the street from the Delta Bessborough, it provides a great meeting spot for friends or a place to cool down after a bike ride down the Meewasin trail.  Great ice cream and a great nostalgic feel with The Bus Stop being an authentic double decker bus from England!

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Photo Friday (Sunday...?): 3rd Ave

Yeah I realize it is Sunday but I'll keep the Photo Friday theme...

Here's a picture I took some time ago down 3rd Ave. with my buddy Brayden aka Def Chap (make sure you give him some love at Scratch on Wednesday).  This street is quickly becoming one of my favourites in Saskatoon filled with great restaurants and now my favourite clothing store: Luna+Hill.  I'm pumped about how downtown Saskatoon is getting a lot better and I can't wait for summer to roll around!

Next time you're down 3rd, make sure you get familiar with Luna+Hill and Thien Vietnam for one of the better noodle bowls in town.

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Photo Friday: Skid Row

I've been away for quite a while now so I think I should make up for lost time.  On my most recent trip to California, I was able to make the trek to Skid Row in Los Angeles to help feed some homeless people.  The organization that we were helping out noticed that I had my camera and asked if I could just take photos and videos all day.  I jumped at the opportunity and ended up with some cool shots.  These are all unedited so they aren't perfect but this is just a glimpse at some of the interesting people I was able to meet. I butchered an attempt at talking American politics with one guy, another one told me to go to Atlanta for boiled peanuts and Bud Light at a baseball game and my man Anthony Witherspoon (guy on the left in the third picture down) told me I would with the Pulitzer Prize for making a book about his story (which he never told me...). Give me a holla in the comments section!

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Photo Friday: KT

Taking random portraits of friends is probably one of my favourite things to do with my camera.  Here's my boy KT just slow roastin' at a Starbucks in London.  I haven't seen him in almost a year so if there are any bounty hunters out there willing to kidnap someone from Tampa and bring him to the much more attractive city of Saskatoon.... Look me up.

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Photo Friday: Garbage

Ok I will start this first Photo Friday post by saying that I nearly called it Photo Phriday... After two seconds of looking at it, I decided not to be lame.

Anyways, this is one of my favourite photos I've ever taken and it nearly didn't happen!  I was traveling through Europe in 2010 and ended up in Paris.  The first few days involved walking around and taking pictures of buildings mostly (because the architecture of European countries is slightly more attractive than the steel boxes we have in Saskatoon).  The reason for stopping at this spot was this cathedral:

A pretty amazing building I would say.  But after shooting this photo I turned around and there were three bright green garbage cans just sitting in perfect symmetry in an intersection. I didn't have to work too hard for it but the colours, symmetry and motion were too good to pass by and that makes it one of my favourites.  Sometimes the best stuff comes completely naturally and at random.  Grab a camera and take photos of whatever you see.  You might be surprised at what you end up with!

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