Archive for category music

raquel sofia

she started as a backup singer for shakira and jean carlos canela but the limelight loved her too much for her to play second fiddle. raquel eventually signed with sony music, was featured in commercials, and was nominated for Best New Artist for the latin grammies. she’s got a great voice and a face to match. watch out for this one…

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yandel

in 2005 i was in houston, tx for the summer and i got turned on to reggaeton music. especially a song called “mayor que yo” by the  collective named “mas flow.” i had no idea who these dudes were or what they were saying, but i would crank it up whenever it came on the radio and completely rock out. i’ve been a fan of reggaeton ever since. i don’t know what any of it means but i still get down.

a while back my friends at HBO asked me to go to puerto rico for a week and shoot the reggaeton singer yandel. hang out in PR with a dude who sings awesome music i love but don’t understand? count me in.

the bottom line is that yandel is one of the coolest dudes. he’s such a big name and is really successful – but despite his fame, and despite the fact that he had a crew of people all up in his business for a week solid, he was so chill and accommodating. just as nice as they come.

after the week was over i had a ton of pictures and yandel had a new fan – but i later found out i really wasn’t a new fan. when i got back to nyc i was at my desk doing an edit on the pictures and looked up the song, “mayor que yo” for a flashback desk-work dance party. i read a little about it, and get this: yandel was part of the mas flow collective that made that song! so i was a fan of yandel long before i was a fan of yandel. crazycakes…

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yandel with his son approving the final tweaks to the stage before his sold-out concert

yandel with his son approving the final tweaks to the stage before his sold-out concert

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snoop dogg

snoop is just as cool and smooth as you imagined. whatever ideas you had about him being larger than life are spot on. i’ve heard his music for the majority of my life so i guess it was easy to gain a pseudo-personal familiarity, but being around the doggfather in his element doing his thing made me realize how big the dude really is – and it blew my mind. snoop is an empire, he’s been an empire for a long while, and he’s keeping it steady. it was mind boggling to be in the middle of it all, but instead of trying to wrap my head around it i just took pictures.

most of the artists we shot for HBO’s Game of Thrones Mixtape Volume II already had their songs written (or at least loosely written) and used their phones to read lyrics. when we showed up to snoop’s he sat down with a spiral-bound notebook and an ink pen and started writing. i was thinking, “INK and PAPER! keepin it REAL!” he quickly scribbled out the first verse of his song, “Lannister’s Anthem,” ripped the page out of the notebook, walked into the recording booth, and destroyed it. the rest of the song was just as seamless. it was quite impressive to watch a pro at work.

i left with some great pictures and a newfound respect for the empire that is snoop dogg. despite my epiphany of snoop’s true scope, i’m still going to listen to his music like the big boss dogg is my boy.

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talib kweli

talib kweli has been on my favorites list for a long while now. i started listening to him probably 10 years ago and i’ve been hooked since. his lyrics just connect. if you know his music you know exactly what i mean. we were shooting the “making of” his song “Lord of the Light” for HBO’s Game of Thrones “Catch the Throne” Mixtape Volume II.

i’ve heard his powerful voice all these years so i was pleasantly surprised to witness how humble the guy really is. it was pretty darn refreshing. made me respect him even more than i already do.

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m-e-t-h-o-d maaaan

when i bent over to grab my camera, method man said, “crack kills!” then he laughed and said, “your butt crack looks like a woman’s cleavage!” i stood up with camera in hand and said, “thanks, man! that’s one of the nicest things i’ve ever been told.” then we all laughed and started shooting. method man is hilarious. and the man really does have a method. he takes care of business and doesn’t waste any time, but he makes it all happen in a really laid-back kind of way. we were shooting the “making of” his song “The Oath” for HBO’s Game of Thrones Mixtape volume II. as a big fan i was happy to have mef in front of my camera, and even happier that he thought so highly of my butt cleavage.

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dream big

you ever heard someone singing while listening to headphones? they’re all wrapped up in the music feelin the flow, and in their fantastical daydream they’re totally crushing it – but in reality they sound like a dog howling at the amberlamps. i see it all the time on the subway and it eventually inspired this spec commercial.

thanks to actor gerard renison for responding to my email, “i have a project i want you to be a part of – it’ll make you look awesome. and ridiculous. you interested?”

thanks to rachael, the subway passenger. she had a very, very long day of shooting before she met up with us and i’m pretty sure the pissed-off look was authentic. thanks for hangin in there.

massive thanks to music artist MaLLy. listen to the full mp3 of this song, “Shine” HERE

check out MaLLy’s SITE, TWITTER, and FACEBOOK

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will sheridan is G.I.A.N.T.

this time last year i got a call from espn.com to shoot for will sheridan’s “coming out” story (see those photos and outtakes HERE). he had just released an album called “ngoma” and was in full-persuit of his passion for music. he recently got up with me about shooting some art for the cover of his new album, “G.I.A.N.T.” – so we made it happen. the bottom line is that will is a fantastic guy with a good energy about him. just a warm-hearted kinda person. he’d shoot a set of really serious pictures, then his seriousness would shatter into a big, friendly smile. keep will sheridan smiling and buy his new album G.I.A.N.T. HERE ON ITUNES.

 

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choc quib town

when i was in colombia, my friends, pollo and plata, introduced me to a band called choc quib town.  ever since, i’ve been all about em.  and guess who ended up in front of my camera?  completely awesome.

check out a few of their songs Somos Pacificos and Alguien Como Tu

check out their FANPAGE

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asa

while we were shooting the first look, i asked asa (pronounced “asha”) if she would sing while i shot.  she was quiet and a little shy, so i figured puttin her in her element might help her feel more comfortable.  the second she started her song, everyone in the studio froze in their tracks like they were playing red light/green light, completely mesmerized.  she has THAT kind of voice.  i got some great pictures – and she got a new fan.

HERE is the piece on the MTV Iggy website.

here are a couple of my favorite asa songs:

BE MY MAN

FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN

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the rubberbandits want to fight your father

DJ willie o’dea jay pointed to mr. chrome and said in his thick irish accent, “you’ve got muscles – but your muscles don’t say, ‘i’ll punch your face,’ your muscles say, ‘i’ll cut your face.”  then he pointed to me and said, “you too.  you’ve got the face-cuttin muscles.  you know what i mean.”  that’s one of the most awesome things i’ve ever heard.  the rubberbandits are an irish comedy hip-hop duo from limerick, ireland – and DJ willie o’dea jay spins their tracks and takes pictures of boobs from the stage.  they invaded america and i got to hang with them for a bit and snap a few pictures for MTV.  these guys are good people.  really friendly, down-to-earth and energetic.  check out the spot on MTV iggy HERE

i just heard the gaelic version of their song, “i want to fight your father,” and it’s pretty fantastic.  SEE FOR YOURSELF 

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