A real AIM conversation with my girlfriend…

Heather: Your pictures are stupid and you’re stupid for liking them.
Me: …
Heather: I love you.

Oh Thieves & Villains, you wild and crazy guys. Recently, John (drummer) gave me a ring, saying that their show in New Jersey was canceled, and asked if they could crash here in Philly before their trip down to Virginia Beach. Of course I said yes, and we took a handful of new press images while they kicked back.

The last time they were here, back in April, was again, for a last minute photo shoot. I didn’t have anything planned, so we just shot around my house and went outside with my bright studio lighting.

But, who am I to say no to close friends? We had a good time, even if the pictures weren’t as great as they could have been.

I’m really excited for these guys. They recently signed to Victory Records, one of the biggest indie labels in the country. Their roster boasts stars like The Audition, Hawthorne Heights, Taking Back Sunday, Thursday, and my buddies, Silverstein, whose video I starred in last summer. They have some insane tour plans in the works, and chances are, they’ll be taking a certain photographer with them in the Fall. *hint hint*

Give them a listen!

Thieves & Villains
www.myspace.com/thievesandvillains

The guys in Return To Arms and I have been trying to work out a press shoot for a long time. I met a few of them while on the Farewell / Forever The Sickest Kids / Upper Class Trash tour when the tour hit Philadelphia, and at various other shows through out the past year. They’re an incredible talented group of guys and write some very catchy tunes.

In fact, you should check out their new demo over on their myspace, entitled “Retrospect”. Sounds fantastic.

My blog’s been quiet lately, I know, but I’ve been pretty busy settling into my new place. Queen Village is a fun neighborhood, and luckily for me, I’m friends with people who know the area (sup lex!).

These new press images were taken in the empty room of my house, which I’ve dubbed “the studio”. Those globes? Ikea lights.

Return To Arms
www.myspace.com/returntoarms

Shut up and dance!

I love the guys in You, Me, & Everyone We Know. They write some truly catchy tunes and great things are happening for them. When I worked with them and did their press photos back in October, they were on tour with Casting Out (former members of Boy Sets Fire) and most of the guys had less than a few dollars to their name. Throwing your life into a tour van and hitting the road, it’s a risky thing. And now, it’s all paying off.

After an awesome tour with The Color Fredww (Fred of Taking Back Sunday) and Island Records’ The Pink Spiders, You Me & Everyone We Know are releasing a free digital EP via Rushmore Records, the sister label to the pop punk giant Drive Thru Records, famed for bringing acts like New Found Glory, Something Corporate, Finch, and The Starting Line into the music industry.

I’m proud of these boys. They’re making it happen. Download their EP for free over at Absolutepunk. For fans of sugary pop punk, served up a la I Am The Avalanche mixed with the dancey hooks of Panic! At The Disco and The Higher, and the clever, often naughty lyrics of Say Anything.

Good luck guys!

On January 12th, 2008, at around 4AM, Scott Hasbrouck of the local New Jersey band, Belafonte, passed away in a car accident. I did some photo work with the Belafonte guys, the singer Zachary West being one of my close friends, and I can’t even imagine what they are going through right now.

Scott was a great guy who I had the pleasure of meeting during a photo shoot. We talked on AIM now and again, and the conversations were your usual bro-dude convos, lasting a few minutes, discussing music, girls, and how I had to get my ass to a Belafonte show / how they had to come play in Philadelphia.

When the away messages and text messages started flying around that something had happened to Scott, I IMed his screen name, which had been idle for a few hours. It breaks my heart to know that, at 20 years old, he’s gone, and far too young.

He was fortunate to have some amazing people in his life. The guys in Belafonte, Zach, Chris, Bobby, Kevin, and their old drummer Steve… I can’t even express how fun, genuine, and kind these guys are.

They’ll be playing a benefit show on January 18th, at a small venue in Red Bank, New Jersey. All proceeds are going towards Scott’s family. If you’re a scene kid (there is a huge chance you are if you’re visiting my website) and happen to be from New Jersey, make it out to the show, and show some support.

Stay strong Belafonte, and stay afloat like the ship you named your band after. You’re in my thoughts.

Christmas is here. Yes, that is my Christmas tree here in Philadelphia, being dwarfed by my roommate’s cat. Even though Josh Groban has this year’s number one holiday album, that does not mean you should be listening to it. Seriously. He was awesome in Ally McBeal. That was it.

For Christmas, I’ve gathered up a small collection of Holiday songs written by different indie / punk / emo / etc bands. Some are friends of mine, some aren’t. You’ll be able to download them off their respective purevolume / absolutepunk / myspace sites that they are linked to.

As Tall As Lions - O’ Holy Night
Copeland - A Merry Little Christmas
David Melillo - All I Want For Christmas
Echo Screen - It Just Isn’t XMas At All
The Fold - O’ Holy Night
Homegrown - Feliz Navidad
Ludo - A Very Ludo Christmas
Kind of Like Spitting - Last Christmas in Portland
Kiss Kiss - Frosty The Puddleman
The New Frontiers - Christmas Time Is Here
The Secret Handshake - Christmas in Cali

As Tall As Lions, Copeland, and The Fold are three of my favorites groups. I went on tour with David back on the Cute Is What We Aim For tour, and I handled a lot of Echo Screen’s press images. I love all these bands, and you will too.

You can’t download The Reign of Kindo’s cover of O’ Holy Night, but it’s a BEAUTIFULLY done song from the remaining members of one of my favorite groups, This Day & Age. Give it a stream off their Purevolume site. The Reign of Kindo - O Holy Night. Also, Foreverinmotion’s cover of Bluest of Christmas is a great stream to listen to.

Yes, I realize that there are three instances of O’ Holy Night on here, but whatever. Deal with it, and have a safe, happy holiday.

Recently, one of my favorite unsigned bands, Melmac, decided to get back together and start playing some shows around the area. My old band played with these guys a lot, and although our bands both split up and we moved on to real jobs and real lives, a lot of us kept in touch.

I’m excited to see my old friends hit the stage again. They’ll be playing the Grammercy Theatre in NYC in the middle of January. These guys were adored by their extremely loyal Staten Island fanbase, often playing insanely packed, sold out shows in venues through out the area. They did a couple of tours, shot an absolutely amazing music video, and really left a lasting impact in the ska community before their departure. Heck, they even have a brief Wikipedia mention.

Anthony, the trombone player, put their entire first album, EP, B-Sides EP, and even their music video up on Virb for free download. Hit it up, and get some great tunes for free. For fans of bands like Less Than Jake or Face First. My songs of choice? Angel, Too Little Too Late, Answers To The Wind, To You & Your Short Fuse, and George Bailey vs. The World.

Enjoy, and have a safe weekend.

Melmac on Virb
http://www.virb.com/melmac34

It’s a little known (and those who do know hardly remember) fact that I played in a band for a long time. Junior year of high school through sophomore year of college, I was jamming in ska bands. We opened for lots of huge groups, went on some ill-fated tours, and sometimes I found myself filling in on saxophone for some of my favorite bands. There was a point where we had songs topping the MP3.com charts above groups like the RX Bandits and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones.

You know, I could name drop forever, but really, who cares. It was a really fun time in my life.

The silly picture you see above features four of the guys I played in a ska band with. Their new band, Team Hudson, is a really dancy-pop-punk project that has some serious potential. Feels a lot like Hit The Lights mixed with electro-beat sensibilities of Baumer.

We took a lot of fun pictures, but I have to admit, we were all incredibly drunk. In fact, I’m not even sure how I managed to put the lights up and take them down without burning myself or setting something/someone on fire.

Without these crazy guys, I wouldn’t have started taking photos in the first place. It’s because of them an entire chain of events occured that led to me going on tour with signed bands and working with some of my favorite artists.

I’m looking forward to their songs being released online. Til then, give my old ska band a listen. It really isn’t that bad, and I’m still proud of what we managed to accomplish in our short time playing ska.

You know, I really can’t even to begin to address how talented Josh Hofer is. I love this dude. So I’m encouraging people to vote for him in a Ceer!us Apparel sponsorship contest.

I met Josh while on tour with Just Surrender, Tourmaline, and Socratic. The show at The Brewery in North Carolina was one of the major highlights of the tour. Not just because a ton of kids came out, not just because I learned how to take a shower outside of a tour van underneath a hose, but because I met this guy. We talk pretty much everyday, and a majority of our IMs consist of making fun of each other, even after not seeing one another for a solid 2 years.

There’s a reason why major recording artists like Fall Out Boy (above), New Found Glory, and +44, featuring Mark (at the top) and Travis of Blink182, trust a guy like Josh. The same reason why you should vote for him to be sponsored by Ceer!us Apparel, a pretty sweet clothing line that works with all kinds of artists, like Across Five Aprils and Love & Reverie.

I know, Ceer!us have a horribly ugly website, but they make some sweet clothes. Take the time to vote for Josh following this link. It’s just one click, nothing to fill out, and you’re helping out a talented dude score some free threads.

VOTE FOR JOSH HOFER @ CEER!US APPAREL
http://ceerius.com/survey/survey.php?s_id=15

Future FAQ:

Q. But Eric, why are you helping out another photographer?
A. Cause he’s awesome.

Q. Won’t highlighting another music photographer take away from YOUR work?
A. Nope. He’s a total n00b.

Good luck Josh!

Reading up on various graduate schools. Now that is one ambitious bunny. Everyone should set their goals so high.

I’m sure a lot of people are going to be traveling in the next few days, spending the holiday in various locations. I’ll be spending the holiday in New Jersey with family, friends, and the little lady. With that idea in mind, I’ve put together a digital mix-tape. You can follow the respective links to download the tracks off the artists’ Purevolume pages. Burn them on a CD or put them on your fancy iPod, and you’re set to go.

Eric’s Real-Ultimate Turkey-Day Travelin’ Mix

01. Anberlin - A Day Late
02. As Tall As Lions - The Carousel
03. Between The Trees - The Way She Feels
04. Farewell - Stay Pretty
05. Foreverinmotion - The Rain
06. The Higher - Weapons Wired
07. Houston Calls - Bob & Bonnie
08. Just Surrender - Tell Me Everything
09. Moneen - If Tragedy’s Appealing, Then Disasters An Addiction
10. Self Against City - Ready & Willing
11. Sleepaway - Best Unspoken
12. Socratic - I Haven’t Seen You In Years
13. This Day & Age - Always Straight Ahead

Foreverinmotion’s song The Rain, is probably the most beautiful song I’ve heard all year. Pick up his album on 111 Records / Warner.

And if all that isn’t enough for you, well, go download Ronnie Day’s self titled album off his website, for free.

Happy Turkey Day everyone!

It’s always a thrill when a band I actually like wants to work with me, and in the spirit of Halloween, I figured I’d post these fun costume style photos that we did.

I recieved a surprise email from Sam, the singer of The Spotlight, a few weeks ago after I had worked with You Me & Everyone We Know. After releasing their full length album, Slug Love, on Emerald Moon Records (former home to pop punk stars All Time Low), they went on a full US tour with You Me & Everyone We Know.

We had originally planned to visit my roommate’s studio in West Philly, but ended up doing the shoot right in my apartment. Thanks to my insanely bright portable studio lighting, the photos came out fantastic. Some very fun guys to work with, that’s for damn sure.

Now I know, you’re visiting their Myspace page and going WTF, due to the fact that they broke up. Sam and the guys hired me to do these photos for their new project, Plane & Pilot, and the new demos are sounding fantastic. I really can’t wait to hear some more and to work with these dudes on future projects.

And who knows, maybe I’ll catch myself in a few more pictures. Check out that sweet reflection in the sunglasses.