The Summer of 2017 has not disappointed- there have been a lot of great tours and festivals coming through and it's also been especially busy for the local scene. Good to see the music community shining their light.

I finally found a moment to sit down and write a short update on all the great concerts I have been able to cover photographically, thanks to being a contributing photographer for  the hard working writing  and photo team at   Sound and Silence Media.  

Bluesfest Windsor has become a summer tradition for me now, thanks to some friends who introduced me to it a few years ago!  This year included a really diverse range of blues and rock from local bands like Tea Party to Canadian icons The Sheepdogs to classic rockers like  Foghat . Mixed into that some real deal Chicago Blues from Sugaray Rayford and Toronzo Canon . And then, top it all off with the on-fire Dana Fuchs and many more .  Yes, quite a hot line-up on a hot weekend. It was even more exciting to see Michigan based Bobby Murray and also Kathleen Murray on stage. That just made it really special!  For a link to the album on Sound and Silence Media's web page click here . Photo above: Toronzo Canon

So I have landed in a world where there are dual realities...really! Let me explain. I now work in the town of Ann Arbor, Michigan. I never imagined having a job in a town where first, the ARK is located. Talk about working in a town where an epic musical holy sanctuary is located. Just check out the photos on the walls of the ARK and you will stand in awe. You can now see some of my ARK photo moments on the TV screen at the top the the stairs at the ARK. So next time you climb those legendary stairs or shimmy off the elevator, look at the screen and see some memories from past shows. It's an honor to have some of my photos on the screen. 

Second, I never imagined working in a town where every Thursday in the summer I could take a lunch break and see a free concert. For real! Well I guess this imaginary town is Ann Arbor! Then, I drive home to Ferndale where again, more music fun awaits. It's truly been a win win concert schedule scenario. The free lunch concerts are a 10 year old series called the Sonic Lunch . It's a great way to get out of the office. This year opened with Ann Arbor's very own Laith Al Saadi and then featured one of my all time faves - LP! Every week has been magical- with Tuxedo (Mayor Hawthorne), Tim Reynolds, Theo Katzman, The Accidentals, May Erlewine and more. I'm really counting my blessings about landing on my feet in two places at once. It's cool. You can find an LP album here . Photo Above: Tuxedo. 

It truly has been an outdoor music summer for me. It was pretty cool to be able to cover this years MoPop Festival which is held at the end of July on the Detroit riverfront. These festival organizers have been working hard to hone this two day event into a finely tuned machine. If there were any glitches this year, I did not notice. For some shots from this year you can check out the album on Sound and Silence's web page at this link. I made a lot of new photo friends at this festival and really enjoyed comparing experiences with one another. I'd love to team up with someone next year to really cover the weekend to the fullest extent! It's definitely a two or three man job.  Photo above: PVRIS

I first me Amy Nesbitt from the A2 Summer Festival when I begged for a Gregory Porter photo pass a few years ago. Since then, I just think she's the cat's meow. I was so bummed to hear she will be moving to Arizona and no longer the festival organizer but I wish her the best in her new venture out west! This year I begged for a Flint Eastwood photo pass and wow- what a show! I highly recommend checking out Flint Eastwood if you have not yet- I'm hooked and you can find me singing Glitches on my Radar & Queen in my car while driving around town. You can see the energy of the show in the album on Sound and Silence's page here.   Photo above: Flint Eastwood