Ian Korn Photo Industries » cmj

Pela @ Mercury Lounge

Ian — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 22:17:11 +0000

Here’s some old photos I was encouraged to post. They’re of the now-defunct band Pela playing at Mercury Lounge in New York City during the CMJ Music Marathon in 2008. While these are definitely not my best shots, it’s a good excuse to talk about one of my favorite songwriters, who is thankfully working today. Read on for more…

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Donavon Frankenreiter @ Highline Ballroom

Ian — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:12:17 +0000

In one of those interesting and strange combinations of bands placed on a bill together, Donavon Frankenreiter‘s opener was Sara Watkins. While I’m sure you could find two bands who were farther apart, this one was good enough to create a near-complete audience turnover in between sets. Almost all of Watkins’ bluegrass-loving fans were replaced by a slightly rowdier, more eccentric crowd ready to enjoy the laid-back yet funky vibe of Frankenreiter and his backing band.

Despite the marquee mismatch, the show was great. I had never heard more than one of Frankenreiter’s songs (“Move By Yourself”), but I enjoyed myself nonetheless. The bass player had my ear much of the time, with impressive funky grooves behind every song, and the whole group seemed to do a good job balancing 70′s cool, spaciness, and genuine musical enjoyment.

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Sara Watkins @ Highline Ballroom

Ian — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 23:42:07 +0000

Bluegrass darling Sara Watkins lit up the stage of the Highline Ballroom during the CMJ Marathon in October. After the dissolution of Nickel Creek last year, each of the members has gone off to do their own things: Chris Thile started the Punch Brothers, Sean Watkins teamed up with Jon Foreman to form Fiction Family, and Sara Watkins has struck out on her own. At her CMJ show she brought her warm personality to the stage and got the crowd to sing along to a couple of songs. She played a mixture of Nickel Creek songs, bluegrass and country classics, and original songs, wowing an audience unprepared for her music (she opened for Donovan Frankenreiter) on the ukelele, guitar, and fiddle.

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Kid Theodore @ The Alphabet Lounge

Ian — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 18:48:06 +0000

One of the bands whose set I was most excited to see at CMJ last year was Kid Theodore‘s. True, I had hardly heard any of their music, but what I had heard, I liked. The reason I really wanted to see them was their story… How many bands do you hear that come from Utah these days? More importantly, how many of them do you hear getting radio play because they decided to show up and perform in the station’s parking lot unnanounced?

So, yeah, I knew I was going to like these guys right off the bat.

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Seth Kallen & the Reaction @ Fontana’s

Ian — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 22:17:43 +0000

Taking his cues as much from The Gin Blossoms as he does Maroon 5 or singer-songwriters along the lines of Jason Mraz and Ryan Adams, Seth Kallen and his backing band the Reaction brought their show to Fontana’s on the first night of the CMJ Festival. Another skilled student of NYU’s Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music, Seth knows how to both pick a talented band and get the crowd moving.

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Sgt. Dunbar & the Hobo Banned @ Pete’s Candy Store

Ian — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 04:16:32 +0000

The first night of the CMJ Festival was a freezing cold Tuesday, and I headed out to the crowded warmth of Pete’s Candy Store to catch Sgt. Dunbar & the Hobo Banned perform a late show. Sometimes a band and the venue don’t match, and this show was a case in point – Pete’s is a great small venue, and Sgt. Dunbar is a band with at least nine people and probably twice as many instruments. There was no way to fit them on the small stage, and the crowd who came to watch were spilling out the doors.

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The Northern @ Tisch School of the Arts

Ian — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:04:38 +0000

As I’ve mentioned previously, I live with about half this band, but I don’t post photos or recommend them just because of that. The Northern are a legitimately good band with great potential. If you like Coldplay, Aqualung, or bands of that sort, then you will enjoy these guys.

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Jukebox the Ghost @ Mercury Lounge

Ian — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 22:46:58 +0000

Finally, I’m digging my way out of the sea of photographs I took at the CMJ Music Marathon – which was almost a month ago now. Also, this is the first batch of photos to come out of my messing around seriously with Lightroom. Let me know if you can see a difference.

But now… to the band!

Jukebox the Ghost has got to be one of my favorite discoveries of the past year. These are some talented gentlemen who write upbeat songs that they play with a lot of energy. This is despite the fact that they tend to perform their sets fueled on nothing more than energy drinks. This time was no exception, as they had just driven 36 hours from Nevada to make CMJ.

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CMJ!

Ian — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 12:56:35 +0000

Just a quick note to mention that I’ll be running around the CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival all week. Photos will be taken, hands will be shaken, music will be heard. It’s a good time. If you see me around, stop me and say hello!

I probably won’t have anywhere near enough time to sort through all these photos this week, especially since I acquired a copy of Lightroom and have to figure out how to make it work. So you can expect all sorts of write-ups beginning next week. If you’re in a band and I’ve posted pictures of you, be sure to shoot me an email and I’ll let you know what I’ve got.

Here’s one from Cut Off Your Hands at the New Zealand Showcase Tuesday night.