ROCKTOBER PHOTO SHOOT SALE!!

Help me to hold a sale, and you could get "money for nothin'"

or a studio photo shoot out of the deal for no charge!

We're knee deep into "Rocktober", and as a loyal (you are loyal, right?) reader of my blog, here's a chance to make some money or get a free photo shoot for yourself or family:

Refer anyone for a Rocktober photo shoot, and I'll give them a one-hour no-holds-barred (and no music banned!!!) photo shoot - normally a $225 value - for $75!!!! HERE's THE BEST PART: I'll give you $25 in cold hard cash as a thank you!

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!!
Recommend 5 people - families, high school seniors, professionals needing to update their resume or web sites - and I'll give you a FREE ROCKTOBER PHOTO SHOOT as a way of saying thanks (on top of the $125 you will have earned for passing on some referrals to me!)

Offer ends 10/31/2010 - payment to you made after I receive payment from them...

IT'S LIKE MONEY FOR NOTHIN'!!

Sting. No review, just sayin'. Wow.

I so seldom go to a concert any more as an innocent bystander: I'm usually lugging 40 pounds (or more) of camera gear, a couple notebooks, a couple pens, and press credentials.

So it was just a whole lot of fun to be travelling recently in the UK and getting to go see Sting in concert in Manchester without having to think too hard about the show and what I might write about it.

Now - unfortuneately - my brain doesn't shut off quite so easily, so I found myself comparing this show to Sting's show at Red Rocks I reviewed in the Gazette's Soundboard blog in June which you can read (and see some killer photos from) here.

Ok, here's one photo from that concert taken by me from the sound board at Red Rocks:

He had added on a few dates to the end of his Symphonicity Tour with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra to play London (on his 59th birthday just two days before I saw him in Mancs) and Manchester.

Sitting in the first row of the balcony at the O2 Apollo, I got a perfect view of Sting doing what he does best, engaging the audience and making incredible music that has passion and soul. This is a thinking man's musician, but the lay-person can still just kick back and enjoy his music.

Definitely a more casual show than when I saw him in June being filmed in Concert at Red Rocks (which is already playing the airwaves in Germany and England), he mixed up the set list with enough new material to make me in awe of the arrangement power he has and the skills of a full symphony behind him. Another incredible show. I highly recommend seeing him if you ever get the chance.

Melanie. Melanie who? Read on.... (cause she's worth knowing!)

Back in the day there was a little show put on in upstate New York by a bunch of idealist music promoters wanting to bring alot of bands and music together.

"Woodstock" in 1969 pretty much defined a turning point in American culture and music.

And one of the  star performers who's name now has become clouded and left out of many discussions about Woodstock or even discussions about 60's music was a young woman who went simply by the name of "Melanie".

She was in Colorado Springs performing on 10/10/10 and I got to spend some time talking with her and her record producer husband Peter Schekeryk.



Read my review at the Colorado Springs Gazette's Soundboard blog to learn some of her pedigree including why she rivaled none other than the Beatles for music-chart dominance during the peak of her career, and why she might be the most famous person you never heard of.

Frickin' Leon Russell, man!!! Wow!

If you're an old fart like me, you remember Leon Russell - studio musician extraordinaire - busting onto the scene with a killer set during the Concert For Bangladesh back in... wow, when was that? 1971 I think. (I mention it in the review with the correct date, I'm just winging it as I write this blog entry).

He's had a loyal following ever since.

Leon's another one that maybe showing his age around the gills a little bit, but if you like swamp-water boogie-woogie then Leon's still your man. He wasn't just "good" on the keyboard, he was "powerful" as he pounded out the licks, runs, and numbers that he's made famous (or that he's written or played on for hundreds of other famous musicians). 

And his trademark voice was strong and awesome! I still can't believe I got to see this amazing performer!

Was I excited by this concert?!?! Duh! Can you tell?!?

See a few more photos I took and my review of the event at my posting at the Colorado Springs Gazette Soundboard blog.

Mose Allison: Mose Knows, The Oracle of Jazz, and more...

Mose Allison's name is synonymous with jazz although many think of him as a blues musician. His show is definitely New York jazz-trio-ish, so thats that.

He's up there - 80 years old - but he has an amazing way to turn a phrase into social commentary with a cutting edge. His voice never was something special - kind of a sqawky half talk half yell sometimes thing but the passion is all over the place.

See a few more photos I took and the review I posted at my Colorado Springs Gazette's  Soundboard blog entry.

Smokey Robinson

Wow! Smokey Robinson! For 25 years, Robinson was VP of Motown records, and it seems like he's been on the music charts in one for or another for over 40 years. He's getting up there in age, but proving it's all in your head, he still puts on a good show wih alot of steamin' sexy griding moves, great vocals, and touring with a solid band...

Read my review and see more photos at the Gazette's Soundboard blog, here.

America

Got to see America, one of the great acoustic guitar bands from the 70s who have been playing for 40 years recently (in fact I think they were billing this tour as their 40th anniversary tour).

You can read my review and see more pictures from the concert at the Gazette's Soundboard blog, here.

John Mayer at Red Rocks

Got to see John Mayer again, this time at Red Rocks. I think this was getting towards the end of his Heartbreak Warfare tour; he was definitely loose, screwing around alot onstage, riffing with the audience alot, and it was being filmed (i think).

Click on this link to read my review posted at the Gazette's Soundboard blog.

Trestles

Trestles
Originally uploaded by butch leitz

Was in Southern California last weekend and managed to get in some time shooting the surfers at "Trestles".

Trestles is a series of surf locations south of San Clemente at San Onofre State Beach in San Dego County, California. You have to park, like, a mile away across the I-5 then hike down to the beach through an access path. Savvy surfers trundle their boards down on little rigs towed behind bicycles (makes it easier for coming back up the hill to parking). Everywhere you look on the path heading down to the beach on sign posts, electrical boxes, etc, there are stickers from surf vendors stuck there by people going by.

The ASP World Surfing competition is held here.

This guy was one of the hottest surfers out there, he's on a real shortie and was just carving like crazy. He hit this one wave back up after the break, shot out and over the wave, landed into it and swept around like nothing happened. Totally sick move.