The reviews of the shows are up over at Pitchfork, accompanied by more of my photos - submitted from the USC library yesterday while I was killing time before Colin Meloy's solo show at the Henry Fonda Theater. Check them out here.
Also, I don't know if you heard, but this Prince guy covered a song by this band called Radiohead? I missed it because I was walking out, pissed that Prince didn't let photographers in the pit (and that he didn't tell us until right before Portishead's set). But I guess it's pretty...special.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Pitchfork's Coachella Review
My Morning Jacket LIVE @ Coachella 2008 - "Wordless Chorus"
I took this video as a personal favor for a friend, but the sound turned out pretty well so I figured I might as well post it here. It's the only video I took the entire weekend, and I think I captured one of the best moments of the festival, at least for me.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Coachella 2008
Well, I managed to survive three days in the desert with temperatures around 100 degrees without getting heatstroke or sunburn. I'd say that's pretty much a miracle...
I was covering photo ground for two writers, so that didn't leave me much time to update here, or really to do much else that wasn't related to photography. But the last of my photos went off to Pitchfork at 4AM this morning, so right now I'm just chilling in my hotel at Palm Springs (check out is at noon, thank god) and enjoying not being on my feet. I'm driving to LA in a little while to see Colin Meloy at the Henry Fonda Theater tonight. I might try to write more this afternoon from USC's library, but in the meantime, Pitchfork has posted my photos from the weekend:
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
366 Days, 366 Photos: 04/24/2008
All the film in my house right now. A lot of it is coming with me to Coachella (along with my Holga and Lomo Fisheye camera). Why? Because sometimes I like to kick it old school, and such.
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Show Review: The Sword, Slough Feg, Children @ Casbah, 4/17/2008
Photos: The Sword, Slough Feg, Children @ Casbah
When I told a friend that I had seen The Sword at the Casbah, he responded with, "The Sword? What was an indie-rock kid like yourself doing at a throwback metal show?"
And that's a fair question. I don't really know much about metal. I don't think I can legitimately claim to have ever been at a metal show before. So the short answer to that question is "I'm in good with their PR people."
But the long answer is a little more surprising. I was sent their CD in the mail, and out of sheer curiosity, I popped it in my car's CD player. And damned if I didn't enjoy it...
But still, I really have no basis for comparing these bands to any other metal bands. I'm just not familiar with the genre. But I was definitely entertained the whole time.
Children were up first and played a fairly quick set that was loud. Their singer kept standing on the edge of the stage, head-banging while he played. And I can tell you this - if you want the most effective hair for head-banging, grow it really long on top and then shave almost everything underneath that off.
Other than the singer standing on the edge of the stage, the rest of the band was pretty non-confrontational, hanging back in the shadows of the stage and just doing their job of playing their instruments.
Children @ Casbah, shot by Natalie Kardos
The next band up was Slough Feg, and they all looked almost twice the age of any other band member on stage that night. And I think their experience showed, mostly in their stage mannerisms.
Instead of hanging back onstage and just playing their songs, all of them (excepting, of course, the drummer) were all over the stage. Especially Mike, the singer. He was nothing if not confrontational, really playing it up for my camera.
I don't mean confrontational in a scary sort of sense, but just in the sense that he was interacting with the audience, asking them why they weren't moving closer to the stage. He was all over the edge of the stage and the monitors, and the bassist and other guitarist were as well.
Instead of hanging back onstage and just playing their songs, all of them (excepting, of course, the drummer) were all over the stage. Especially Mike, the singer. He was nothing if not confrontational, really playing it up for my camera.
I don't mean confrontational in a scary sort of sense, but just in the sense that he was interacting with the audience, asking them why they weren't moving closer to the stage. He was all over the edge of the stage and the monitors, and the bassist and other guitarist were as well.
After their energetic set, it was time for The Sword. And let me just say, I have not been in a room with that many sweaty men in a long time, if ever. I would estimate the male : female ratio at the Casbah that night to be somewhere around 20 : 1, if not greater. And as soon as Slough Feg ended, they all moved forward, so whatever room I had to move around with my camera was completely gone. Fortunately, I had posted myself front and center as soon as I got there that night.
I lasted in that position for about four songs. The band sounded great, the mostly male crowd was digging it, and as male crowds are wont to do, they started surging forward. I saw the monitor to the right of me get shoved forward about six inches when the people standing in front of it were shoved forward, and that's about when I decided to get my camera bag full of expensive equipment that I can't afford to replace the hell out of there.
I somehow managed to make it to the smoking patio, where the crowd was much thinner and I could still hear the band quite well. And that's where I stayed for most of the rest of the show. Several people attested to having their faces melted during the show, and I think I felt something similar, even from a distance.
And hell - it was much better than being at the Padres game that night, which ended up lasting 22 innings...
I lasted in that position for about four songs. The band sounded great, the mostly male crowd was digging it, and as male crowds are wont to do, they started surging forward. I saw the monitor to the right of me get shoved forward about six inches when the people standing in front of it were shoved forward, and that's about when I decided to get my camera bag full of expensive equipment that I can't afford to replace the hell out of there.
I somehow managed to make it to the smoking patio, where the crowd was much thinner and I could still hear the band quite well. And that's where I stayed for most of the rest of the show. Several people attested to having their faces melted during the show, and I think I felt something similar, even from a distance.
And hell - it was much better than being at the Padres game that night, which ended up lasting 22 innings...
OMG Holy Crap Coachella is TOMORROW
I've got a full tank of gas and tires full of air. My bag's mostly packed and I've got my schedule of bands to photograph.
I'm slightly less stressed out now than I was 6 hours ago...
I also just signed up for this Twitter thing that all the kids are using these days. Mostly because at 2PM I was sitting in a long line for the Costco gas pumps in Mission Valley, thinking "WTF why is everyone at the gas station at 2PM on a Thursday??? Doesn't anyone work in this town?" And then it occurred to me that moments like that are exactly why Twitter was created. The feed should be over there on your right, so you can follow along with me at Coachella as I slowly melt away from all the heat...
366 Days, 366 Photos: 04/23/2008
Does it bother anyone else that the kid on this bottle of sunscreen appears to have no mouth, and no nose with which to hold up those sunglasses?
Although I guess it's no more disturbing than the other Coppertone logo of the girl getting her bathing suit pulled down by a dog - complete with asscrack.
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Although I guess it's no more disturbing than the other Coppertone logo of the girl getting her bathing suit pulled down by a dog - complete with asscrack.
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Wednesday, April 23, 2008
New Photo Site Design
Check it out here.
I spent the last few days (weeks?) tinkering with the old site that was designed by Boki. I wanted something that emphasized my non-concert photography as well as the music stuff, which I felt the old site didn't really do.
Thoughts? Criticisms? Send 'em over. I hope I haven't butchered the HTML too badly...
Show Review: Cat Power, Appaloosa, Addiquit @ 4th and B, 4/16/2008
Photos: Cat Power, Appaloosa, Addiquit @ 4th and B
Last Thursday night, I got a call from Rosey just as I was about to leave my apartment, saying that she had scored a photo pass for me for the Cat Power show that night at 4th and B. I was already planning on attending the show - I paid almost $30 for that ticket the week before.
Just keep that in mind while you read the rest of the review. The photo pass almost made the night worth it for me.
It's hard to maintain journalistic integrity when it's a band that is hooking you up with a photo pass or a free ticket to a show, with the understanding that you will write a review of that show later. But to be honest, it's usually not that big of a problem for me - I usually find something to like about the shows that I go to. There is a lot of good music out there, and I feel fortunate to be able to experience so much of it live, especially on my limited grad student budget.
But even so, there is that nice feeling of freedom that comes from being a paying customer and getting to say exactly what you think of an act without worrying how your standing with their PR people will be affected. Especially when it's a show that clearly should have been canceled, or at least postponed.
And that - that's the root of this review of Cat Power's show at the 4th and B on Thursday. She canceled all the remaining dates on her tour the day after that show, and I'm positive that I'm not the only one who wished she had canceled her San Diego show. I can honestly say that I want my $30 back.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. First, there are some words for the opening acts.
The show was kicked off with local emcee Addiquit. Unfortunately, it was kind of hard to tell that it had started, because there was no real segue between the ambient music playing and her starting her backing music. In fact, I thought she was just soundchecking, but as soon as I realized my mistake, I made a beeline for the photo pit.
Which is a good thing, because she was given a mere TWO SONGS. In front of her HOMETOWN CROWD. Which became even more disappointing once Appaloosa started.
I've tried to find other words to describe Appaloosa's set, but my vocabulary is failing me. The best, most accurate description I can come up with is "terrible." It was one woman from Paris, singing off-key over pre-recorded beats, while awkwardly dancing around the stage like a drunk trying to play Dance Dance Revolution. And trust me, I've seen plenty of THAT in my time at Penn State as an undergrad.
It was too long, and too awful for me to stay in the main room at 4th and B, so I ended up hanging out with Rosey at the merch table for most of her set. The only redeeming factor was when she brought Addiquit back onstage to be her backing emcee. But even then, the shoddy vocals ruined it for me. But I guess she was doing something right (looking like Uma Thurman, maybe?), because some people actually bought her CD from the merch table.
When she was finally done, Cat Power was up. And a show that I had high hopes for quickly turned into something that was, well, boring. I really liked The Greatest and thought I was pretty familiar with her other albums, but most of the songs just didn't connect with me in the way that I wanted them to. It probably didn't help that after every other song or so Chan turned away from the crowd to have a two- or three-minute conversation with either a tech on the side of the stage or her guitarist. Occasionally she addressed the crowd, but it wasn't friendly or endearing banter.
It was variations on these themes:
- "The sound is terrible."
- "Can you turn off the stage lights and bring up the hosue lights?"
- "Sorry but my voice is shot."
Here's a word of advice, Chan - if your voice is shot, maybe you shouldn't play a two-hour set to a steadly diminishing crowd. Or maybe you just shouldn't play at all. And here's another - if the sound is terrible, and you brought your own sound people, maybe you should trust the people who work at the venue. Or hire new sound people.
Leading up to the show, I had heard that her backing band, The Dirty Delta Blues, were pretty amazing live. Unfortunately, I didn't really get a chance to see them shine - the whole set, it felt like they were holding back in order to let Chan take it easy with her voice. In my opinion, that's a situation in which they should have ramped it up to make up for her lack of vocal strength. The only time I felt like they (and Chan) connected with the audience was during "The Greatest", where they let loose for a few bars toward the end of the song.
And then Chan brought out Appaloosa to duet with her, and I was done. Bad move for Appaloosa - if your voice is not so great and you have trouble staying in key, don't sing along with someone who has a great voice. It just makes you look all the worse.
I hung out with Rosey until the end of the show, mostly because I felt obligated to see the whole thing and get my money's worth. But that never really did happen.
366 Days, 366 Photos: 04/22/2008
I had another photo taken and all ready to post yesterday, but I'm glad I didn't. On my way home from Adam and Angela's place last night (where I was doing laundry and learning how to knit gloves), I noticed that the moon was very nearly full and close to the horizon, making it look huge. So as soon as I got to my place, I ran in, grabbed my camera and tripod, and took this long exposure photo of it. Using the Canon kit lens, of all things. That lens hasn't left my shelf in months, but it is useful when I need more zoom and not quite so wide an aperture.
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Show Photos: Louix XIV @ HOB, 4/10/2008
A few Thursdays ago I headed down to the House of Blues to take some shots of Transfer (you can see them at their myspace page). Since Louis XIV was headlining, I decided to stay for the first few songs of their set and snap some photos.
I didn't stay for the whole set, so I can't properly review it, so I'll let the photos speak for themselves:
Louis XIV @ HOB, shot by Natalie Kardos
Louis XIV @ HOB, shot by Natalie Kardos
Louis XIV @ HOB, shot by Natalie Kardos
Louis XIV @ HOB, shot by Natalie Kardos
Louis XIV @ HOB, shot by Natalie Kardos
Louis XIV @ HOB, shot by Natalie Kardos
The rest of the photos can be seen here.
366 Days, 366 Photos: 04/21/2008
The drummer from Elf Power kept sticking his tongue out at me when I went to take his photo. I found it quite humorous.
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Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
I Might Die This Weekend
Forecast for Coachella this weekend:
I bought two bottles of Coppertone Kids Spray-On Sunscreen (SPF 50) yesterday. That's kind of like "liquid shirt." Thank god I'm going as press...
Sunday, April 20, 2008
366 Days, 366 Photos: 04/20/2008
Homemade ice cream cookie sandwich. Well, the ice cream (French Vanilla) isn't homemade, but the cookies (chocolate chip toffee cookies) are. The reason they are squarish is because somebody hasn't baked in awhile and forgot how many cookies her cookie sheet could reasonably hold.
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366 Days, 366 Photos: 04/17/2008
The singer/guitarist from Children, who opened for The Sword at the Casbah on Thursday night.
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This Week in Shows: 04/21-04/27/08
Monday, 04/21: Elf Power, Flowers Forever, Agent Ribbons @ Casbah, $10.
Tuesday, 04/22: ???
Wednesday, 04/23: The Black Heart Procession, Vision of a Dying World, Japanese Sunday @ Casbah, $15.
Thursday, 04/24: CD Release Show - Firethorn, Someday Assassin, Laserwolf and Thunderbolt @ Casbah, $5. (Full disclosure - I did the cover art for Firethorn's CD)
I'm covering Coachella the rest of the week for Pitchfork (crazy!), but for those of you still in town:
Friday, 04/25: Spiritualized @ 4th and B, $26.
Saturday, 04/26: The Night Marchers, The Muslims, The Nightmares @ Casbah, $12/$14 day of show.
Sunday, 04/27: Matt Curreri and Ex-Friends, Paul Curreri, Gregory Page @ Casbah, $8/$10 day of show.
Looks like you should just be camping out at the Casbah this week...
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Happy Record Store Day!
Today is Record Store Day, so get out there and support your local record store.
M-Theory has a sidewalk sale going on with 50 cent LPs and dollar CDs. The DJ class and in-store by DJ Z-Trip are already over, but if you head down there now, you can check out an in-store by Earliment, starting at 3PM. They also have free pizza and drinks, as long as it lasts.
Lou's Records in Encinitas also has some celebrations going on, including an in-store at 5PM by Louis XIV and a DJ set by Rob Crowe at 6PM. They also have some free Jamaican food and exclusive releases by Magnetic Morning and Josh Ritter.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Polyvinyl Record Garage Sale
Looking for some cheap vinyl and CD's? Polyvinyl's having a "garage sale" of sorts over at their site to get rid of some of their vinyl that has accumulated some superficial damage, as well as some promo copies of CDs.
Check it out here.
6 Ways that Bloggers are Like Rappers
6 Ways that Bloggers are Like Rappers
Similarity #5: Gang AffiliationDon't mess with my crew, yo.
Circles of friends swap guests posts, create blogging networks, link to and interview each other, etc., and the blogosphere can sometimes seem a little incestuous. Mess with the wrong blogger and you may get blacklisted by their network.
(Via Largehearted Boy)
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Extra tickets for The Sword tonight @ Casbah???
This is a total last-ditch effort for a friend of mine. Does anyone have extra tickets for The Sword tonight at the Casbah? I'm looking for four...
If you do, please drop me an email ASAP at natkardos AT gmail DOT com. Or get ahold of me via AIM - my screenname is natkardos.
People really should listen when I tell them to buy tickets a week ahead of time...
Free Pinhole Camera Designs
A long time ago a friend sent me a pattern to make my own pinhole camera. I never got around to it.
But Corbis offered me the inspiration I needed. They're offering three awesome designs for pinhole cameras, completely free - just download the PDF, print out, and make it yourself.
Corbis Pinhole Cameras
(Via Photojojo)
Happy Anniversary to Me!
Figures that the day it occurs to me to check out when exactly this blog turns one year old happens to BE. THAT. DAY. Oops.
Obviously, I did not have things organized enough (at least in terms of the blogosphere) to plan something out for the occasion. The sciencing has been going so well in the last few weeks that the writing has fallen by the wayside. I apologize for that a tiny bit, but am super glad that I am making progress in terms of my Ph.D. thesis.
I just wanted to say thanks to all the wonderful readers out there, and all the wonderful bands that have helped save my bank account by getting me into their shows for free. I promise, once I start earning a decent salary, I will buy tons of your merch. Mind you, that's probably still two years away.
I'll be down at the Casbah tonight (fittingly enough) to see The Sword. So come on down, and, if you're so inclined, have a drink with me to help celebrate one full year of It's Too Sunny Out Here!
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight
Do you ever listen to the first song on a CD and feel like, "Wow, this is going to be one of those albums, one of those albums that I listen to incessantly for a really long time, one of those albums that manages to soundtrack an important part of my life that I can't even see yet?" It's almost a buzzing feeling, the anticipation to hear the rest of the album, tinged with the slight worry that it might let you down with the rest of the songs. And then you listen to the rest of the album on the edge of your seat, anxious and almost willing it to play at a faster speed than normal, just so you can get through it and have your answer - is it an album worthy of this feeling? Or is it just a disappointment, like so much in life?
Fuck, I think this is how falling in love feels sometimes. For me, it's usually a slow burn of friendship that gradually turns into something else, and that's how a lot of albums I really love work for me too (see: everything ever written by The National). This? This is rare. I really really hope it's real.
I'm only 3 songs in at this point. I'll let you know how it goes. But it definitely helps that they have the same producer as The National, and I can hear it in the texture of the songs.
Daily Photo: 04/15/2008
I was going to post this one anyway, but now it occurs to me how appropriate it is for April 15th. Taken with Ilford Delta Pro ISO 400 film and my lomo fisheye camera.
Monday, April 14, 2008
366 Days, 366 Photos: 04/14/2008
This palm tree was nice enough to stay still for 2 whole minutes of this exposure. The stars, not so much (those are the light streaks in the sky).
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Sunday, April 13, 2008
366 Days, 366 Photos: 04/13/2008
Somehow I had managed to forget how pretty the sand is on Coronado Beach. I'm not sure what it is, but something in it gives it a golden sheen that's almost unreal.
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366 Days, 366 Photos: 04/12/2008
Building across the street from the Yardhouse downtown. Handheld at 1/15 of a second on my SD1000.
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