Travel Log 2011: Chautauqua, Part I

There are many places in this world that I love - Cleveland and Chicago being the obvious ones - but there is no place that I love more than Chautauqua, New York. I spent my summers here as a child boating, listening to lectures and orchestras, going to ballets and operas, and attending the oldest day camp in the nation, the Chautauqua Boys and Girls Club on the grounds of The Chautauqua Institution. If you know nothing about The Chautauqua Institution, I highly recommend you do a little research and visit! It is an incredible environment - and one that would take me a least a book or a documentary to explain. Suffice to say (for now) that it's a special place historically and culturally...and personally, of course. My oldest friendships are a result of my summers in Chautauqua; some of the best moments of my life happened here; and my love and appreciation for the arts, education, and nature are rooted in my experiences here. Simply put, I am fortunate to have, and grateful for, Chautauqua.

I managed to get to the lake twice this summer.  Below are some photos from the first trip. There will be many more to come...

Bestor Plaza, The Chautauqua Institution 

Bestor Plaza, Chautauqua Institution 

The blue heron who lives in our yard. 

The greatest subs on the planet - Olde Corner Deli in Hartfield.

The Miller Bell Tower

Travel Log 2011: New Buffalo, Michigan (and surrounding areas)

Travel Log 2011: Lake Geneva

MUSIC: Two Sentence Reviews

It's a dream of mine to photograph musicians fulltime, mainly because I go to a lot of shows and it'd be really awesome to get paid to go to them instead of vice versa. But until that happens, I'll continue to enjoy live music and capture it with whatever type of camera the venue allows me to bring in. Below are two sentence reviews of concerts I've attended recently. 

Although slightly pretentious, Scottish singer/songwriter Alexi Murdoch writes the most heartbreakingly beautiful songs that I dare you not to tear up to at least one of them. Somber, serious, and gentle in concert, he seems to evoke the spirit of Nick Drake and leaves his audience in a swell of emotions.

I was surprised with tickets to Lady Gaga - who needs absolutely no introduction - first in Chicago (above photo) and then in Louisville (below photo) and all I have to say is: WOW. Regardless of whether you're the littlest of Little Monsters or the oldest of old, jaded cynics (me), Gaga will win you over with her voice, theatrics, and self-affirming message to her fans.

Philly boy Kurt Vile has one of my favorite records of the year so far - "Smoke Ring for My Halo" - but I was pleased that his setlist consisted of some of his older, equally-amazing work. He has a natural ability to make music that is simultaneously beautifully melodic and hardcore grunge - and he's also just a really nice guy.

J Mascis, who is best known for his work with Dinosaur Jr, allowed the crowd at Subterranean to see a softer, more sensitive side of himself. Armed with just an acoustic guitar, he played a good mixture of old songs, as well as new ones from his recent (and beautiful) album, "Several Shades of Why."

Little Scream caught me by surprise - I got to the Sharon Van Etten show early and watched her set, which I found impressive. She's not your standard female singer/songwriter (and I sincerely appreciate that); her sound is at times atmospheric and sweet and other times edgy and muddled, but what I liked most about her was that she didn't take herself or the music too seriously.

Sharon Van Etten has mad harmonium skills and she sure knows how to write break up songs that avoid the usual clichés. She's fun, grounded, and pretty in concert - and has the smallest feet I've ever seen.

Anyone who knows me knows that Jeff Tweedy (of Wilco) is one of my top 5 favorite musicians - hell my first blog entry ever begins with a Tweedy quote - so it's no surprise that I once again thoroughly enjoyed his annual Chicago charity concert series. Actually, I'll go so far as to say it was the best solo show I've seen of his yet: he was both hilarious and prolific, as usual, and his voice sounded strong and rested throughout his 30+ song set.

Tame Impala is literally the first psychedelic rock I've enjoyed since seeing Phish a half dozen times in '95. And while they don't have the stage presence (or mind-blowing lighting) of a band like Umphrey's McGee, for example, they still manage to get their whole audience to bob their heads in unison for 90 minutes.

There's no denying the fact that Arcade Fire is one of the greatest live acts around right now. This was not the first nor will it be the last time I see them in concert: the level of musicianship that all members of the band possess coupled with the heart and soul (and sweat) that they put into their shows guarantees it.

Dana and Brian

My friends, Dana and Brian, are getting married soon and gave me the opportunity to take some engagement photos for them on a beautiful day in March. Here are some of my favorites from the shoot.

Worst Chaperone Ever

A couple weeks ago, my teacher friend asked me to chaperone a group of 8th graders at The Art Institute of Chicago. It doesn't take much coercing to get me down to the Art Institute, so I was happy to help out. As it turns out, I'm a pretty shitty chaperone: I lost a few kids, I didn't know how to explain all of the intricacies of Ivan Albright's "Picture of Dorian Gray," and I kept getting distracted by my own interests. But at least I got a photo of the class in front of The Bean. 

 Here is my group of diligent students studying art and taking notes...

...and here is me, in another gallery, taking photos of people taking photos and drooling over the new collection of Gerhard Richter's in the Modern Wing.

One exhibition that all of us were fascinated by was Jitish Kallat's "Public Notice 3." If I were you, and you were in Chicago, I'd be sure to check it out.

Travel Log 2011: Louisville

This is how the South does breakfast. Oh yeah.

It was St. Patrick's Day weekend, obviously.