Headed for Tampa this morning. Stoked on something a little different in my bag of tricks. I’ll be tuning up some drums and gettin’ them spit-shine for Mr. Aaron Gillespie of Underoath. Like a fresh new pair of shoes every day.

The band is traveling the states on Warped Tour all the way though August. That’s “War-P-T” not “Warp”(sorry. family guy humor,insert voice of stewie).

Wish me luck. I plan on coming back with some good stories and some bad tan lines.

One might say that I’ve passed by an array of bands this month. I started in Wichita, KS, surprised to see some senor rockers put on a great show.  I was able to catch some sweet moments of Loverboy’s set. Their drummer at age 55, ended up playing while standing on his throne at the end of the concert.

Stole the show.

Everyone put your hands together for Matt Frenette. He gets two photos.

More rocking.

Back in Nashville I was stoked to catch Alkaline Trio. Everyone was singing along.

Drummer Derek Grant… one of my favorites.

In Muskegon, MI we were at Rock The Coast with some former tour mates of mine, Sanctus Real and The Afters.

Guess I had a knack for capturing singers that day.

Headed over to the 5 Spot later last night. Walked right in as the guys were on stage ready to go. I met Ryan (singer) through a mutual friend a year ago and dug the performance right away. They’ve got some raw swagger, the kind that punches you in the chest, knocks you to the ground, and then assists you back up for additional rocking.

Non-the-less, I got some shots of them playing before they head out on the road soon. This usually goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway…. Everything’s better in black and white.

These are photos I took during my first week back with what I’d like to think of as a REAL camera. It’s been years that I’ve been without an SLR. So, it’s nice to spend some time and revisit photography.

It’s May 1st. Wow. I’d be quite ok if spring lasted a little longer. If not, it may force me to live back in Southern California for the summer to avoid the Tennessee humidity, that is, if the road doesn’t lead me there first. My CA visit. It’s long over do.

This last weekend seem to be a bit more monumental that others. I fostered “Franklin” (as we ended up calling him), a lost golden retriever puppy from guess where… We found out he belonged to a family that had just adopted him before he wondered off. The daughter was 3 years old and apparently quite attached to Franklin, so I’m glad he was found. His real name was Mike.

That Sunday I returned Franklin I had some serious red arms after a walk around the downtown Main street festival. Saw some friendly faces I haven’t seen in some time and picked up some new goods. Well, one new good. I haven’t put it down since.. Thanks to my congenial friend Max, I’ll be seeing my life through a 50mm lens a little more often.

So expect some photos in a few days…

I’ve been calling him Phil all day. He may end up with several nicknames. We’re letting him try out our home for a bit. Poor guy was without an owner. But the real truth is, everyone loves Phil.

Have a spontaneous enjoyable Easter Sunday!

When you arrive back from a long journey, there’s nothing like having beautiful weather show up and greet you. It helps retain the good moments of the trip I believe. Although, I’m still sorting out some pictures from the last week when we were in Switzerland and Austria. Hopefully I’ll have those up by the next post. That was some majestic relief, those Alps.

On the plane ride home I desperately wanted to stay on the flight and keep heading all the way to the west coast, but I had to commit myself to Nashville. I’m excited about this month really. For one, I’ve got a complementary ride to Disney World. I have yet to see any of the other parks besides the Magic Kingdom. Thanks Everlife.

When April 22nd rolls around I’ll be at 12th & Porter. It will be a fresh environment for me. The PawnShop Kings is the band. What can I say, they bring back that ‘love and feeling’. Soul/Folk blend. I’d like for you to stop by if you’re in the area.

And I don’t mean to boast but… tonight I’ll be at the Ryman laughing my freaking face off at The Flight of the Conchords. I’m bottling up all those quirky humourus moments and saving them for this evening.

Peace

-Aaron

A handful of shots from the towns of which we spent more than just a nights sleep…

Paris

True Paris was great once you get past the insane traffic that could go head to head with New York. We had enough time to view the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame. Sadly though the lights were off by the time we came back at night. The couple you see in the photo were on the sidewalk of a round-about that we were stuck driving through. Packed with cars, no lanes.

London

We had about three hours to walk through to see Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abby, Parliament and Big Ben. One of the favored cities, but you need at least a good week to really take most of it in.

Cambridge

One of the cooler college towns I’ve been to. Us guys got to stay in a flat near the main drag.

Scottland

The most peaceful of all places on the UK run. Very green. A lot of sheep. Like all the other places, we could have spent much more time. And, I’m undeniably sure I met Mike Myers direct inspiration for Austin Powers and So I Married an Ex-Murderer.  I had to ‘iron out’ everything the Scottish said. Although they could turn on and off the American accent like a light switch. Thanks Hollywood.

@ the Great Church | St. Bavo

We visited this church in the center of Haarlem today. It’s been in existence for centuries, 653 AD to be exact. The Christian Muller Organ I’m standing in front of wasn’t built until the 1700s. Mozart had his hands on it at age 10. Awesome. I was also amazed to think about the fact that this historical church has past through such eras as The Reformation (1572).

This photo credit goes to road buddy Tyler Porter and his Nikon.