Groovy Glaciers

I made my first trip to Kelleys Island over the weekend. I did not know a thing about the island and came away knowing I would be back in the near future. It was a beautiful day of wine tasting, beer drinking, golf cart racing and I even dipped my toes in Lake Erie.

We visited the north side of the island and discovered the Glacial Grooves. What a cool place to visit. There were fossils everywhere. The grooves were formed 18,000 years ago, and they are still there for generations to enjoy and learn about the Ice Age. 

I snapped many photos of the grooves. Here is one to show how enormous these grooves are in size.


She Was Born That Way

Despite the rumors that I only attend Zac Brown Band concerts, I went to see Lady Gaga in Detroit. I was introduced to her music through Jake in college. The DJ's were spinning her tunes way before she hit the radio air waves. Once she did, he quickly dismissed that he ever listened to her.

She was Cher, Madonna and Elton John all mixed into her unique bad ass self. She does not apologize for anything and speaks her mind. The F-bomb was said many times but not just to say it. She really emphasized that she sings and does not lip sing and that as fans, we should not be accepting lip signing at a live concert. She also had many costume changed and elaborate sets. I loved it all. 

Her fans were like no other. I felt like when I was at KISS with no make-up on and everyone was made up. The fans are dressed as Gaga in her man outfits over the years. It was entertaining and a really cool experience to see how passionate her fans are about her. 

She is very difficult to photograph. She moves a mile a minute. She is dancing , waving, blowing kisses, singing, she even undressed on stage. She is truly a performing artist. She did not disappoint. She Was Born That Way!


Hope for the future of music

So I was not thrilled to go to see Hunter Hayes in concert, but I did come out with a newfound respect. I judged him on his good looks and the 5,000 teenage girls screaming. He IS NOT  Justin Beiber. He plays guitar, drums, writes his music and gives a great show to his fans.

What I really found refreshing was that he stayed after and jumped in the pit to sign autographs, take selfies with his fans and give them a once in a lifetime experience. Very cool. It is refreshing to see that.

Now I am bashing my favorite bands by any means, but to pay $1,000 to meet KISS, or even $1,049 for Motley Crue (only three of the members) is really sad. At this stage in their careers, I would hope they did not need the cash, but maybe they do.

 Two has two Grammys among many other awards including Best New Artist, he is starting off right. They is hope for the future of music.

Up in Smoke

About two years ago I went to see the Zac Brown Band in Indianapolis. The opening band was Blackberry Smoke.

Let me step back. It was over 100 degrees that day. We saw people fainting and the humidity was unbearable. I did not even want to drink beer. It was really the hottest day I can remember.

The opening band comes out in long sleeves, bell bottom jeans, long hair and beards. They reminded me of Lynyrd Skynyrd. They had to be hot. Hell I was in shorts and I could feel the sweat drenching my clothes. So these guys rocked it. I never felt so compelled to go to the merch stand and get their cd. We went and got it and have been hooked since. Ever since that day, I cannot recall these guys not touring. These are out there 5-6 nights a week playing gigs. They opened for Zac at Red Rocks in May. After that, they have been on their own. 

Last year they played in Sandusky at Ohio Bike Week. I think we might have been the only ones to know who they were.

Last week we went to Saint Andrew's Hall in Detroit to see them. That was the smallest place I have ever seen them. They rocked the house. 

Their music has been featured on Sons of Anarchy and That Metal Show. 

Catch the smoke...  www.blackberrysmoke.com

 

 

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Small Steps

So I have a website. I thought, do I really need one? I am not selling anything. I do not offer a service. This seems self-serving. Then I started to look through my photos and uploaded them. I really enjoyed it. I have some of my favorite photos up. I am also thinking about having a photo of the week posted to keep people coming back.

If no one comes to this site, I am still glad I did it. This was Jake's Christmas gift to me. He is also developing a logo for me. Still in progress. Small steps.

I really do not consider myself a photographer. I consider myself a person who loves to take photos. The difference to me is that I do not know a lot but I am learning. I having been taking photos for over 25 years. I love to take photos because I never thought I would go back to that city, or see that rock star again. I really wanted to just remember the moment.  Freeze that moment in time.

I could never afford a good camera. Actually, that still holds true. I like to play with different cameras to get different effects. I did finish a class at Owens in photography and I am learning Photoshop. Small steps.

So my newest photos are of the Zac Brown Band and A.J. Ghent in Detroit on New Years Eve. We had reserved seats but Zac's Fan Club Manager came by and I asked her if we could get in the pit. She was so kind to take us down. Neil left the area and was not allowed to return. I took small steps and reached the front. Small steps.

I hope you enjoy the site, my blog, my memories.