This month I got some great opportunities to shoot members of
Odd Future, Earl Sweatshirt and Tyler The Creator with Taco and Jasper Dolphin. I haven't ever been the biggest fan of Odd Future, their music just never really registered with me. A few friends were really into them when they came into the limelight, but I just wasn't feeling it personally. This year at SXSW though, while working with
City Hot Spot and
Pandora, I was scheduled to shoot Earl Sweatshirt. Not sure why, but I was pretty stoked.
Call it intuition, but my gut knew it was gonna be dope and it was.
Earl came correct and definitely put on a great show. His crew was ultra hype and contrasted Earl's calm demeanor very well. For such a young talent and slower pace overall, Earl still brings high energy and commands the crowd he performs for.
When I heard he would be in San Antonio, I jumped at the chance to photograph his show for
Do210. Having seen him once as an opening act, I knew his headline show would be even better. Saturday night came and so did the rain. This particular night our city was given a huge rainstorm. It started as soon as I hit the road. As I drove under the highway to the access road, I saw many spots lose power. Lights went out everywhere and things got a little manic. Hail dropped little water bullets as I merged onto the highway and began to pelt my windows and hood, thankfully quickly subsiding. Halfway there, winds increased in speed and strength, nudging my vehicle slightly and it was definitely an uneasy feeling. Nevertheless, I made it safely and apparently, so did Earl's fans. The venue was packed.
Remy Banks opened and brought some organ-thumping bass in his tracks.
A crazy, queasy feeling, but it was a good set nonetheless. Earl and
his crew came up next and put on a great show. This time as the headliner, Earl seemed to connect a bit more with his audience as they were there to solely see
him. The venue was rife with crowd-surfers and screaming fans singing along to Earl's auditory gourmet meal. The lighting for this show was mad crazy and much different from the Pandora show.
A couple weeks ago, I got wind that
Tyler was coming to Austin so, again, I jumped at the chance. This time for
Do512, I loaded up my gear and hit the road. Upon arriving in Austin, I realized I was early and decided to do some street shooting. Only to realize I left my memory card at home. Rookie mistakes happen to the best of us. I scooped one up and headed out to the bridge/underpass over the Colorado River. After snapping some dope summer photos, I headed out to the venue.
It can be a great thing to catch local openers before a headline act. Conversely, it can be just as good when the major acts just jump right into it. After about an hour of restlessness from the crowd,
Taco came out and straight tore the place down. I hadn't seen a DJ this animated since Cut Chemist did his multimedia show a few years back. It was LIT and I was immediately sold on this cat. If he is ever in your area, I highly recommend you catch his set.
Waiting for the next act at shows can sometimes be a drag. That wasn't the case at this show because after a few high-energy selections from Taco, a song broke out mid-set and Tyler came rushing the stage with
Jasper. There was no break, no intermission. It was seamless and it was fucking awesome, straight up. A super concise move that caught me slightly off guard. I fed into it, though.
Again, not too familiar with Tyler's music, I was able to experience this from a fairly new perspective (I did jam Cherry Bomb as soon as it dropped). He's matured as an artist yet still has that childish energy and look about him. He bombed the stage proper and lived up to the tour's namesake--fun and explosive. Trading energy with the crowd, Tyler brought some passion, attack, and humor to us all.
We all had a ton of fun and it was a great time. But nobody, and I mean
NOBODY had as much fun as
this chick right here who pushed security away for trying to pull her out. She screamed, "I'm staying!" regardless of the blood running on her face. If you're down for your crown and the artist on stage, you have the same reaction. This has easily become one of my favorite photos I've ever taken.
I met this cat Allen in security who was cool by his own right and we both had some fun interacting with the crowd while waiting for the show to begin (ironically, he looks hella serious in this shot). When you're in the pit, loosen up. Just because it's "work", it doesn't mean it has to
feel like work. Besides,
Work's For Jerks.
I can say that between Earl and Tyler, I'm starting to come around with Odd Future. If you get the chance to see either of these guys live, do it. Thank me later.
Stay Creative,
BLUE731.
