InstaJanuary

The first month of 2015 was a pretty busy one. But busy in the way that I want it to be busy. Not busy in the way December was busy. This was full of me time and adventures and good times with friends. This is the kind of month I want to be having on the regular. 

I haven't been as active on this blog, but I've been plenty active on Instagram, which you can follow me here if you feel so inclined. I thought I'd share a bit of my month with you via my Instagram photos. As you can see, there were plenty of shows (including one huge one with Death Cab for Cutie at the Crocodile), and plenty of selfies. But also lots of this lovely weather we've been having. I took a day trip to Snoqualmie for a Twin Peaks day, I did a mini photoshoot with my friend Laurel the day of the NFC Championships, and spent many a day at Cupcake Royale in Ballard.

I'm making myself be more productive, even if being productive means just blogging. I've had lots of free time lately because of the after-Christmas lull when it comes to getting hours at work, so I have no excuse. No excuses!

See you next month!

Changing of the Seasons || life lately

I, for one, am so fucking glad that September is over. I won't divulge into too much, but there has been a lot of health issues with my family this month that I want September to just go away forever. And Fall is here finally, so out come the sweaters and pumpkin everything. Let's all just give a warm welcome to October. I started in on a new book, put away my Summer wardrobe and dug out all the chunky sweaters, and my favorite shows are back on TV. Everything is going to be okay.

Thoughts on "No Cameras Allowed"

I'm really intrigued to see the No Cameras Allowed movie, honestly. 

At first when I saw the trailer I was just intensely jealous of this guy's circumstances like, "BRO YOU GOT TO LIVE MY DREAM, LIKE FUCK YOU." 

 But then I realized what irked me so much about the trailer. 

First of all, the documentary is being distributed by MTV. So there's one red flag. There's no way that MTV is involved in this without exploiting James Marcus Haney's story and talent. And he has talent. I'm not denying that. He's a great photographer and a great filmmaker (he's directed a few music videos since he started cheating the system). 

But why did MTV choose to tell this story? This guy's unbelievable and one-in-a-million story? They could have chosen to tell the story of the average concert photographer that does it the old-fashioned-non-cheat-your-way-into-Coachella way. It seems like they did it for their own gain, to make the music industry look like this fantasy land where everything works out all the time and there's not a fuckton of fine print and legal shit and labels don't rob artists out of most of the money they deserve. MTV is using this guy to overshadow all that.

The biggest problem I have is that young people are going to get a false idea of what the life of a concert photographer is like. For every James Marcus Haney there are hundreds of people working their asses off and NOT getting asked to come on tour with Mumford and Sons. I'm not saying that what I do and what my friends do isn't awesome and that I don't love the perks of being a music photographer, but it's still hard work and there are a lot of hoops you have to jump through to get the proper credentials. And most of us don't get paid. We do it because we love it and we want to support the artists around us.

Young people are going to think that it's so easy to get into these festivals with fake wristbands and become friends with famous people, and eventually become famous themselves.

Also I don't buy the story 100% because of continuity issues in the trailer. He was carrying around a film camera but the video footage he got was super HD DSLR quality. At all the festivals I've shot and attended, you need extra permission to shoot video, let alone shooting from the damn stage. Granted, I've taken a couple stealthy shots with my 7D in the past, but he had a damn Super 8 camera, and that ain't stealthy at all. You can't sneak those in under your jacket or in your pocket.

I am still going to see the film out of curiosity when it airs on MTV, but I still feel a bit icky about MTV's involvement at all.

What are your thoughts on the trailer? I know some people in LA saw it when they had a college screening tour, so if you have, please let me know if I'm completely out of line. I'm skeptical, but I want to be open-minded.

All the more reason I want to make my own documentary about touring with an indie band. Just gotta get the guys all on board.

Life Lately | Hangin' On

You know those times when you have so much to do that you don't do any of it? I've had a bit of that lately, mainly just with writing, which is weird because it's one of my favorite things in the world. I feel like I do my best writing at the wee hours of the morning in my bed, but then those are also the times when I'm the closest to sleeping. Usually sleeping beats out writing. I need to change that, especially because I have a lot to catch up on.

It's summer now, which really doesn't have any significance for me anymore, since I'm not in school. What really is summer for non-students, anyway? For those of us that work retail, it's the time of year where teenagers are running around the mall for hours at a time with $20 to waste our time instead of their parents'. It's a joyous time, most definitely. Last year it was around this time when I got hired at Lush (so it's been a year, which is crazy as hell), but this summer feels different. Last summer I was all about finding my place in my new job with my new coworkers in a new company. It's been an amazing year, for so many reasons. So many reasons that if I tried to list them, it would take too much time. But the TL;DR version of it - Lushies, YouTube, new friends, being okay with myself.

The last one is the most important one. It's been almost a year and a half of being single, and I've never felt more confident and sexy in my own skin than I have the last few months. I've made some amazing connections with new friends that I attribute a lot of this to, but it feels good to feel good for once. 

I'm not entirely sure what the significance of these photos are - maybe it's the mood, maybe it was my overall lazy day attitude last week, who knows. This week is going to be much busier for reasons I'd rather leave to the imagination, but it will also be a lot more exhilarating. I'll keep you posted, for sure. 

But for the last bit of business - I'm currently constantly spinning this new record from My Goodness. It's seriously so good you guys. I've only seen them twice and I feel like a doofus for not discovering them sooner. Buy this thing, guys. It's loud and fast and heavy and raw and perfect. I've been shouting out all the lyrics along with Joel Schneider in my car the last two weeks. It's some heavy shit.

What are you recent inner musings? I felt the need to spit out words for no particular reason tonight. Also you seriously need to check out My Goodness. Today's post title is, after all, a track from Shiver + Shake.

Twenty-Five

I turned 25 yesterday, and it was one of the best birthdays I've had in years - probably since I turned 22 and met Macklemore and hung out with Givers at Sasquatch. This birthday was - however - very different.

I was given the day off from work because my boss is the best, so I got to spend the whole day in Ballard and Fremont with my best friend of 16 years Laura, and her friend Nikki joined us since she lived like 3 minutes from the Fremont Bridge. And honestly, when you're a grown up and hopping around Ballard bars - the more the merrier!

We met down at Hilliard's Brewery for a free show that KEXP was hosting with my pals Iska Dhaaf (who I literally saw almost exactly a week earlier to the hour at Sasquatch).

Here are a few shots of Ben and Nate because I couldn't not take a few.

Then after Iska Dhaaf finished their set (and I ran into a few other friends) we headed out for downtown Ballard. KEXP was hosting a couple record fairs at the Sunset and Tractor Taverns, so we made small talk with some people from Barsuk and Sub-Pop Records while enjoying some whiskey. It was my second drink of the day, so I felt like a true grown up. Day drinking. That's a thing.

Then Laura, Nikki, and I got $1 tacos for happy hour at El Borracho. Hello $3 lunch!

Mmm, tacos.

What was Laura doing? I don't really know.

I realize I've been neglecting my blog over the last two weeks, and I thought since I had these photos I might as well post them. I've been so focused on getting Sasquatch coverage done that I didn't realize that it had been 2 weeks since I updated this blog. As soon as Sasquatch stuff is done - SO MANY BLOG POSTS.

Happy birthday to me!

Life Lately | the best peeps

(this photo was taken from Renee's camera)

There are a few things in this world that would make me drive over 10 hours over the course of three days, to two states, two countries, with a little more than 13 hours of sleep. Actually I can only think of one - We Are Scientists.

I've mentioned my favorite band on this blog before, but last weekend I spent Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night seeing them play in Portland, Vancouver, and Seattle. It was insane, but worth it. Oh so worth it.

Life Lately | Lazy day

If you looked at my Instagram feed from the last week, you'd think - Abby, did you even sleep?

I'll sleep when I'm dead.

But honestly, last week I attended shows four nights in a row. And on Saturday I went to two. Seriously. So today, even though I had to go to the dentist and take my car to get an oil change, it was the most relaxed I've been in a week. And in three days I'm headed out for a three-day We Are Scientists marathon in Portland, Vancouver, and Seattle. Like I said, I'll sleep when I'm dead.

Life Lately | Liquid Courage

 

I haven't done one of these life update posts in awhile, but something so cool happened last weekend at a show that I couldn't not write about it. Plus, I really like how the photos from said show turned out.