Augury
If you’ve never heard Augury’s precision shredding, furious double drumming or ridiculous bass lines, the rapt concentration depicted in many of these photos won’t do the Canadian prog metal monsters the justice they deserve. If you’re familiar with how intensely technical guitar and drum work applies to the genre, you can probably tell that Augury [...]
Evanescence
Before playing to a crowd of 40,000 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Evanescence performed an intimate “secret show” to just over 1,000 diehard fans from the New York area. Tickets reported sold out in 5 minutes. Though the band performed beautifully throughout, Amy Lee’s stripped down piano solo Good Enough (from Open Door, 2006) stole the [...]
The Gaslight Anthem
When frontman Brian Fallon told the crowd that the band had “slept in a lot of dirty places to get to the show” last night, the crowd erupted in applause. Though the guys hadn’t necessarily had access to a working shower recently, the fans didn’t seem to mind; New Yorkers trekked to the far west [...]
Metric
June 17, 2009 – One of the best bands to form in this city and then leave, Metric performed to an absolutely packed Terminal 5. Fronted by the dynamic Emily Haines, the band performed material from their newly released album Fantasies as well as some of their more popular songs. Metric are at their best [...]
The Sounds
April 30, 2009 – The Sounds played a “secret show” to celebrate the release of their new album Crossing the Rubicon. Santos Party House was packed to the gills. Rumor has it that even Semi Precious Weapons frontman Justin Tranter attended the invite-only event.
Joanna Levine
June 10, 2009 – Brooklyn singer/songwriter Joanna Levine commissioned me to shoot a series of portraits for her new promotional materials. Her shoot is a perfect example of the variety I try to achieve in my band photography sessions.
Semi Precious Weapons
March 27, 2009 – Watching Justin Tranter on stage is like witnessing the miracle of birth (only it’s about 1000 x better since babies don’t burst onto the scene in diamonds, couture or four-inch spike heels). Ladies and gentlemen, glam boys and hard rock girls, I give you Justin Tranter, Cole Whittle, Dan Crean, and [...]
Preview: No Doubt – Bamboozle, Day 2
May 3, 2009 – If all of the preview posts in my stream aren’t a dead giveaway, I’m currently sitting on a mountain of images that desperately need to see the light of day. Here’s one from No Doubt’s phenomenal headlining set at the end of The Bamboozle Music Festival, 2009.
The Birthday Massacre
April 27, 2009 – The band needed no long winded introduction and no warm up – moving straight into pounding synth lines and blistering guitar riffs just seconds after taking the stage, The Birthday Massacre began how most bands finish (and went to eleven from there). The show included bow displacing power noogies, hysterical screaming, [...]
Preview: Road Recovery Benefit Concert, 2009
May 1, 2009 – Rock stars came out in droves for the annual Road Recovery Benefit Concert at Nokia Theater in Times Square. This year, the nationally recognized music mentoring organization honored the legendary Wayne Kramer of MC5. The star studded line-up included Perry Farrell (Jane’s Addiction), Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave), Iggy [...]
The Ruse
March 27, 2009 – For Immediate Release – “LA’s, The Ruse, rock Blender Theater, make people smile and are terribly nice guys.” Fronted by John “Mr. Nice Guy” Dauer, The Ruse gave a dynamic performance worthy of the epic rock stylings of their new release Midnight In The City.
Cut Copy
If you like Cut Copy’s albums, you’ll love their live set. With elegant instrumentation and hard hitting beats, the Aussie trio simply doesn’t disappoint. Add to this mix an opening set by Matt & Kim, a killer light show and a few thousand dancing fans and you’ve got yourself one hell of a concert. [...]
Matt and Kim
March 21, 2009 – Matt and Kim proved that they can rock a crowd of hundreds or a sold out crowd of thousands with their performance ahead of Cut Copy at Terminal 5. The Brooklyn duo shattered synth keys and punctured drum heads in support of their new album Grand out now on Fader [...]
Bell X1
03.19.09 – Clover leaves and green were abundant in the Highline Ballroom crowd for one of Ireland’s best bands, Bell X1. Standing on their huge following in Europe, the indie rock trio is gaining popularity in the US with beautiful performances of their 2009 release Blue Lights on the Runway.
Septic Flesh
2.27.09 – The Greek metal band Septic Flesh performed a short but pounding set in support of their fellow black metal tourmates Satyricon and Cradle of Filth.
The Music of R.E.M. at Carnegie Hall
03.11.09 – When Calexico is listed as the Carnegie Hall “house band” for a concert featuring over twenty different artists, chances are it’s going to be an incredible night. In addition to performing their rendition of “Wendell Gee,” Calexico supported acts including The Feelies, Ingrid Michaelson, Glen Hansard, Kimya Dawson, Bob Mould and Patti Smith [...]
Cradle of Filth
2.27.09 – Unleashing wave after wave of piercing shrieks and wailing guitars, the UK’s Cradle of Filth took the Nokia Theater by extreme metal storm. The house was packed with black by the time Dani Filth lead his corpsefaced crew through a crushing set that spanned Cradle’s massive eight album catalog.
Leonard Cohen
02.19.09 – For his first show in the US in over fifteen years, one of the greatest writers of our time, Leonard Cohen, performed a thee hour set to a sold-out crowd at the Beacon Theater, NYC. Leading an immensely talented backing band that included musical talents Roscoe Beck, Javier Mas, Sharon Robinson and the [...]
Sara Bareilles
2.17.09 – It was standing room only at the second of three intimate performances given by Grammy nominated chanteuse Sara Bareilles at Joe’s Pub.
Sara warmed the characteristically frosty New York audience with tales of her Grammy night hijinks and closed the evening with a heartbreaking solo performance of “Gravity” from her 2007 release Little Voice.
Chris Owyoung is a New York City based music photographer specializing in concert photography and band portraits. 