concert

Stromae w/ Janelle Monáe + Jidenna at MSG

Janelle Monáe opening for Stromae at Madison Square Garden on October 1st 2015.
Stromae sign at Madison Square Garden on October 1st 2015.

Stromae is not a well known name in the United States. The lanky Belgian artist born Paul van Haver is however a strong enough performer to sell out Madison Square Garden as he did earlier this month. I took a few photos for the VIllage Voice that you can see at the link here but it is their review I want to share first. Sarah Grant wrote, “Stromae’s 2013 breakthrough album, Racine Carrée (English: “square root”), announces his passion for roots music and his polyglot background as a Belgian with Rwandan blood. The “square” part relates to his gawky yet lovable persona”. And I could see why he was lovable as his set was quirky, he sat at a table and drank wine at a couple points and he was a wild dancer throwing himself laterally across the stage. Many of his songs I was really into, as they sounded more powerful than they do on an album, but a few of them seemed to fall flat to me. One of the highlights was, “Stromae’s song to “turn up” to is contemplative and intense. “Papaoutai,” his monster hit, is a trompe-oreilles: a nonsense word that becomes a meaningful phrase. In this case, it means “Papa, where are you?” (ibid).

I really was excited to see Janelle Monáe open the show (I had missed her at least two other times in NYC this year) along with her Wondaland records friend Jidenna, the “Classic Man”, who I spotted enjoying Stromae’s set on the floor (but his friend with a cane wouldn’t allow me to get a photo unfortunately). Monáe is a real treat to photograph with her stark costumes and her vibrant antics, plus her music is great too. Shout out to her guitarist Kellindo Parker for being awesome and for sharing a photo of mine earlier. Someone found it and turned it into a sketch. Click through the jump to check out many more of my photos from the show or click this link to purchase Stromae’s work from Amazon!

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October 29, 2015
The Set NYFW S/S 2016 Show
Caitlin Ferradas fashion event on September 16th 2015. NYFW S/S 2016.
fashion

The Set NYFW S/S 2016 Show

The Set and Freedom Ladder presented a NYFW Floor & Showcase Exhibition S/S 2016 with: Meaghan Paige, Amy Dietz, Caitlin Farradas, Emma Berg, Carlen Manasse New York, Chinaza Moses, Lyne Cosmetics, artist Parker McComb, Ari J Collection, Cecile’s Bath & Body, Charmaine King, Jacqueline Kline with tables and Inspired NY, Demi Jing Yang, RedGhagra and Autumnlin Kietponglert sending models down the runway their latest in fashion (for Spring/Summer 2016) at the Holy Apostles Ballroom. The event raised money to help end child trafficking via a graphic novel called the Abolitionista!

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I basically never do any New York Fashion Week events but this one stood out to me because it had an Indian-inspired designer (RedGhagra) and it was also geared to help out a social cause. It can be a lot of work, for the models and the photographers, given the limited time there is to present an outfit and to photograph it well as the model moves down the runway. Plus the sheer number of events and parties would make shooting the many events during NYFW seem as crazy as CMJ Music Marathon is for music and concert photographers. To be honest, I’m not even sure this was an official NYFW showcase but it was held during NYFW and it was in Chelsea which is the new home of the NYFW events (it was moved from Lincoln Center recently due to zoning issues if I understand). Check out fashion photos from the collections after the jump.

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October 19, 2015
people

People of Afropunk 2015

Fashionable People
Fashionable People

Though this year’s Afropunk Fest felt more corporate, with some females promoting a car company dressed like they were Game of Thrones‘ Khaleesi and many other more obvious corporate sponsors, the organizers have never had any say in how attendees come dressed. And that is one of the best reasons to attend Afropunk Fest — to check out the people’s fashion. Afropunk fashion is original, individual, forward-thinking and colorfully expressed. While I wasn’t spending as much time on portraits as I should have, I did try to capture a lot of the variety. You can check out my photos of the fashionable people (and one fashionable pup) attending the 2015 Afropunk Fest after the jump.

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September 7, 2015
concert

Vintage Trouble at Afropunk 2015

Vintage Trouble at Afropunk Festival 2015 Day 2
Vintage Trouble at Afropunk Festival 2015 Day 2

I saw Vintage Trouble at Afropunk Fest a couple of years back when they just had one studio album to their name and really enjoyed their set. This year, they did an Afropunk warm in New York City at an event at Lincoln Center Out of Doors (where I got some really wild photos in the first four songs or so) ahead of their second album release, 1 Hopeful Rd. and the Afropunk Fest itself.

When the full Afropunk Fest rolled around, I was hoping to get some great shots of the band but for whatever reason, I was not granted a photo pass (even though I had one the past three years). However, I still managed to get a bunch of damn good pics as I stood against the rail for their entire set. Even though frontman Ty Taylor didn’t get as crazy as he had at Lincoln Center, he did end up sweating profusely. Vintage Trouble are a totally great band to see live and their new album is worth checking out. Check out more photos of Vintage Trouble at Afropunk after the jump!

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September 6, 2015
concert

Kamasi Washington: Blue Note NYC Photos

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Kamasi Washington‘s The Epic is the strongest jazz album of the year without a doubt. Clocking in at almost three hours, the album, like the artist behind it, is unconventional but tremendous. Signed to Flying Lotus’s Brainfeeder label, Washington creates jazz even as he roams amongst hip-hop colleagues, having appeared on albums from Kendrick Lamar and Thundercat for example.

A better recap will be up on PopMatters. And before that one of my images was featured on Dan Ouellette’s review over at ZealNYC, where he wrote, “Arguably not since Ornette Coleman left L.A. with his quartet in the late ‘50s to turn New York audiences onto his newfangled “free jazz” has a West Coast artist been so anticipated to finally arrive in the Gotham heart of jazz. While Washington may not make the profound impact that Ornette creatively foisted upon the jazz world, he will, judging by his first album and his fantastic showing at the Blue Note, continue to turn heads and open ears. As for significance, what he could do is introduce a new audience to jazz.”  Follow the link above to read the rest and also check out the rest of my photos from Washington’s August 25th 8 pm set at Blue Note after the jump.

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August 31, 2015
The Kominas at Baby’s All Right (Photos)
concert

The Kominas at Baby’s All Right (Photos)

blog_kominas_01

In 2010 or 2011, a friend of mine recommended the band Philly-area band The Kominas to me. For whatever reason I didn’t get to see them till August 22nd 2015 at their show at Baby’s All Right in Williamsburg. The put on a great performance and their energy was tremendous. Their performance was in the middle of DJ sets from DJ Haram, DJ Rekha (who put together the event) and Bobby Friction, whose birthday was (around) the same night. At the end of their set The Kominas wished Friction a happy birthday with the help of the crowd. Check out photos of their show after the jump.

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August 22, 2015