Shotgun Portraits

Loose Portraits: I don't remember much but I tried to shoot anyway...

Elvis Di Fazio - Chief Photographer of the night.

My friend Kass threw a party on the night of the Teenagers gig.

Although most of the peeps had left after the Teenagers show.... there were still the die hard party crowd kicking on next door at the gallery side to the Shotgun Wedding night.

Kass and Elvis had also set up a pop up photobooth at the cube.
It was AMAZING... with loads of costume pieces and polaroids were only $4!!!
I was a bit shaky by the time I re-entered the factory after a few dodgy house parties and too many red bulls later I was edgy and inspired by all the people to take some photos with Elvis to encapsulate the feeling of the night.

The Teenagers

I left my Shannen Doherty x teenagers tee shirt at home....

The Teenagers gig was pretty big for me... probably more so if I was a little teenage girl, which there were an ample amount of at the gig all screaming and jumping spilling beer and other beverages happily around their gig attendees.
Judging by the bands' lyrics that would be the most obvious outcome of a Teenagers show.

I found out about these guys probably around 3 years ago, just jumping around Myspace pages hunting for new tunes. I think I came across one of their remixes on Kitsune and I have been following their releases via various blogs ever since.

I must admit with the release of their debut album "Reality Check"... I had a bit of mixed feelings. Their songs were a lot more polished and they were getting loads of press.... to be it is just not the same, perhaps the hype killed it a little for me but the vibe of the songs on the album was just too polished from what I am used to hearing a dirty Teenagers track.

It was really dope to have got to meet the whole band and get a non alcohol soaked area to watch the band play.

I took this shot before the show was set up. Quentin was at the hotel... sleeping at the time, so he was absent from the photo opp. Apparently they have been exhausted from all the shows.
They were really French and nice, very different to what I had imagined they would be from hearing all their songs all too often!

The Teenagers set went by a something little like this....
Go get the album if you have not heard of the new tracks yet.

I really like Love No! and French Kiss - they are good tunes.

It was a packed show YO! I really can't be bothered to take photos up the front in that pit...hahaha



It is a pretty big band.... they also hire a drummer and a keyboardist when on tour.

The girls in the audience were stoked that they were invited to come on stage when the band played their infamous track of love "Homecoming". Security was having a pretty hard time getting all the girls off stage at the end of the song, I think they were mostly star struck.

This is the whole band with their tour manager (in the brown knit). One Happy Family no?

A film by Vice: Heavy Metal in Baghdad

Photo courtesy of VBS.tv

I really feel metaled out this week...
I was invited to take some photos at the Sydney film festival for the premiere of "Heavy Metal in Baghdad" for Vice Magazine last night. There were lots of familiar faces and with free booze from McKenna (MCK) Bourbon, the night was destined to end in obscurity and looseness.

The film was pretty hard hitting as most Vice projects are....As the title of the documentary reveals - it is about a band Acrassicauda (translates to Black Scorpion in Latin), they are effectively the only heavy metal band in Baghdad to date. The feature film documentary follows the band from the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003 to the present day.

Forget the CNN and Al Jazeera, this film is probably as close as you get to the real deal on the streets of Baghdad and it is no joke. The guys from Vice had an entourage of bodyguards to take them around town to shoot very lo fi footage from their bulletproof SUV's and conduct low key meetings in various well protected places to speak to the band. It had to be this way not because Vice wanted to achieve a visual aesthetic, because it is just not safe to do proper reporting in public with the state of chaos in Iraq which evidently continues to grow on a daily basis.

For me personally, it is not just a visual shock, the story told by the band is more than musical freedom, it is their very struggle to stay together as a group and more importantly to stay alive, refusing to let their dreams to be killed by the world they live in. Their story not only echoes the unspoken hopes of an entire generation of young Iraqis, it also serves as a reminder for the rest of the world what life could be like on the other side (where it is not very green at all) ...when you accept people dying in the hundreds and living in a constant state of fear and paranoia is the norm of society, you just know something is not quite right!.

For more info - go to http://www.heavymetalinbaghdad.com/

Come Together

This was a few weekends ago now.
I went to see Bonde do role at the Forum the night before, I was not really in good shape to be here but I persisted to see a few of my fave bands and got to meet some cool new ones.

It was well worth it and I was naturally wrecked by the end of the weekend.

This was probably one of the funniest weekends I have had in ages and coincidentally when I went to see my doc the following week, she said my body was absolutely destroyed so I have been laying pretty low since with the help of Anti biotics I should be better by the time I leave the country.

Fingers crossed x

The Galvaltrons



The big stage in the big top was pretty awesome, it had a really good vibe on stage and I had never seen this band before. I can't say I am their biggest fan but the lighting and theatrics made for some pretty good photos so I was happy. This was my first band to shoot since I slept in and struggled with the chilly winds to get out and about.

Fait Accompli




The Fait Accompli boys put on a really entertaining show at the Filth stage. They were really tight and Michael from the Yves Klein Blue was flipping out at how good they were, I had to admit it was pretty awesome, definitely one of their best shows. I took the group shot right after Michael left the band with a big congratulations. It was a nice sight seeing everyone supporting each other backstage.

Flamingo Crash




I was just chilling out with Sweetie after watching a few bands and I was getting tired of squatting. But then these guys came on stage and I was hooked by the jumpy melodic tunes, I ran up to the front to get a better view and I was certainly not disappointed at their energy and fun attitude with some very cute songs. It was my first time seeing these guys and I have become a fan, I got to chat to them a bit after their show and they are super nice. I found out they were managed by Jerry who also managed Young & Restless, whom they share the same record label with. Oh and Troy the bassist was originally from Sydney.

I was hanging out with Issac and Kate outside the Q after the festival, I really should have gone home but it was just one of those endless nights. They invited me to go skateboarding with them next time they are in town, it is too RAD!

Sherlock's Daughter


I have heard about these guys for a while now, but I have never seen them live before so it was a refreshing touch to be able to put a name to a face as always. The lead singer "Tanya" was ultra sweet and probably one of the cutest leads I have taken a photo off. To top it off the band is mighty awesome! God Bless them with talent and good looks, you can't really ask for much more than that =]

Yves Klein Blue



The Yves Klein Blue boys are super energetic and dramatic, all traits to a performance. The first time I saw them was at the Spectrum for their EP launch, I had heard so much about them in the press and I was not sure what to expect really since you can't always trust the hype. I am totally glad I went to their show that night though, they totally blew me away from the get go, their songs are well composed and their energy on stage is spectacular. The photos speak for themselves really, if you haven't seen them before, go to their myspace and go get yourself a ticket to the next nearest show to your home town!!!

Ghostwood




Red Version was one of my favourite finds from the web....I later had discovered the name of the band via a Pedestrian DVD which I will be forever grateful for knowing who these kids are. Over time with all my going out and photo taking, I got to know them through various bands whom I had been shooting for. I am a pretty massive fan of their songs and looks they put together is equally appealing to me.

The boys have actually moved over to the UK to try to make a name for themselves. If you are going to be travelling over that side of the globe, just jump on their myspace to see their where abouts and catch one of their shows, it will be amazing and well worth a couple of quid! Bargain!

The story of Anvil

I went to the Sydney Film Festival after work...impulsively....I guess that is when life is really blissful when logic does not come out to play. My friend had told me about this metal documentary about Anvil vaguely and I had no clue about the band, since I am pretty oblivious to the metal scene.

I was so glad I went to see Anvil: The Story of Anvil though... more than words could really express the feelings I had last night when the film finished. It was a sad, funny & inspiring film about a bunch of guys who just loved heavy metal. The story of Anvil was truly heart felt & uncompromising or perhaps candid would be a better word? The band members revealed an insight into a lifestyle they lived during the 70s to today, as a result the harsh realities of the "untypical" Rock 'n' Roll lifestyle was exposed.

When I say untypical, I should point out Anvil is from Canada and their sound was super heavy, their style of music has subsequently influenced a whole new generation of super metal bands that has become pop culture icons today - with names such as Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax citing them as inspirational. This is no joke but there was one big difference, since Anvil's career took a very different path to the bands who thought they were amazing - they basically went straight into obscurity.

Basically as Lips, the lead of Anvil, had put it....getting your CD to the major (record labels) is like playing musical lottery. That is the harsh truth about super stardom in the music world, it is almost as rare as winning the lotto. Some bands might throw up the white flag and say too bad it didn't work out, but not for the guys in Anvil, they had their own legion of fans all over the world and they continued to play on for the next 30 years and still do today.

The film was thoroughly enjoyable & well produced, it offered me with much hope and a magic eight ball into what extreme persistence actually means in today's world. I was really down when the film finished but also inspired by Anvil's dedication to make their vision into a reality!

Last night...as I was laying on my bed thinking how it would feel to be like Anvil and I pondered before I wrote this words down....

Drums slam...strings vibrate
Sweats slide off my body
Kids of Japan scream and cry
Playing along side the gods of rock
15 minutes of fame later
It became my energy & mission to succeed
I persevered to follow my vision & dream
Although success seemed far reaching
I did not give up on hope
Even if things got worst
Music has been made
Fans have smiled and cried
A moment of bliss has been created
By us
The feeling of appreciation & support has never been more rewarding.

http://anvilmovie.com/

This is way Awesome!

An Amazing Gift!
I have proudly hung this on my wall x

I am so stoked when I saw this, in fact I was so surprised by the print because it was one of Beny Ong's earlier works. It still reminds me of his style but it is so colour saturated and intense in COLOUR!.
Anyway, he decided to give me this print and I was so in awe.
He even signed it for me, which was a massive honour since I am a huge fan of his works.

x you can see Beny's earlier works in the misc section on
http://www.benjaminong.com/

<3 Love Kareena

An Interview with Kareena Zerefos

J: Hey Kareena, congratulations on last night’s MTV Solo show. You have been running around doing so many shows lately, I have personally lost track with how many you were involved in. One thing is for sure each show that I have seen of your featured works is frequently packed with people. Can you tell us about how your illustration career begins?

KZ: Thank you. I have been involved in a lot of shows already this year – grrrls, curvy, cause we can, kids today and at the moment my solo show… it’s definitely been busy!

As for where it all began, well, basically before I can remember – I’ve been drawing forever… but it wasn’t until after I finished doing design at CoFA that I realised that I’d much prefer to move into illustration rather than designing.

It took me a few years of working as a graphic designer and moonlighting as an illustrator to make it happen though and it wasn’t until a few months ago that I left my stable, well paid and reasonably fun design job, to become a potentially ‘starving artist’ working in my lounge room. it has turned out to be a good decision so far, working on great projects with clients including mambo, sewn, sparkadia and jeremyville.


J: Your illustrations are really nostalgic to me, they all have an intimate child like quality to them either in the characters’ personality detailing or in the setting of the piece. Have you always had this style with your work?

KZ: There has been a sense of nostalgia coming through in my work for a while now, but my style has evolved quite a lot in the last year as I have been using different materials and mediums to what I started out with. Recently I’ve also been illustrating on pianola scrolls, I like to think of the boxes as little memory cases in a way, which I guess has taken the nostalgic thing a little further.

J: What are your some of your inspirations to your drawings?

KZ: Visually, old photos and film that I’ve collected, and other bits and pieces around my lounge room – like vintage children’s books and my collection of delicate, colourful tea sets. Conceptually, I’m inspired by the desire to escape and live in a dreamland. I look at childhood to reflect this – a time of no responsibilities or fears, innocence and endless imagination.

J: What do you love most about what you do?

Not having to get dressed in the morning and being able to sit in my lounge room drawing all day!

J: Do you have any artists or personalities that you look up to for your own ideas and work?

At the moment I love Carson Ellis’ work, for the colours and fine details. I always look to Egon Schiele and Sara Moon too, I’m quite inspired by their use of white space.

J: What gets you through the day?

Green tea. Mix tapes with iron and wine, the church, sebastien tellier, flock of seagulls and sigur ros. The photocopier. Chocolate coated liquorice. 1 pm yoga. Ebay. A lounge room with endless distractions… and spoonfuls of milo.

J: How do you normally work on your shows, where does it all begin?

It all begins with lots of drawing. Then I stick them to my walls with masking tape and decide which ones I should finish to show.

J: Any tips for other aspiring illustrative gurus?

Its going to sound clichéd but I think the most important thing is to stop talking about what you’re going to do and just start.

J: Last words, what do you think the future holds for Kareena?

More drawings. A solo show in Melbourne… and hopefully, Christmas in Scandinavia.

Thank you Kareena!
*All images from http://www.kareenazerefos.com/

The Golden Tunes

Thursday was rather wet and I really should have been staying home to nurture my throat in with some soup.
But I had promised Sweetie that I'd come to her birthday and take some photos at the opening of the Neverness show to keep the sponsors happy and continue to supply the gallery with some nice booze.

Yes I think I am a pretty good friend too. Thank you!
Everyone was happy by the end of the night and I got a surprised call to go to the Peanut Butter Wolf gig. I didn't plan on taking any photos at the show, I was not equipped for such a dark setting with my humble lens.

The Peanut Butter Wolf show was awesome, the array of 80s and 90s hip hop being projected on the big screen with his set just made the experience so much more exciting. The choice of tunes were obviously banging but when he wanted the crowd to decide on what the last song to be. Chaos erupted with hands flying up in the air and there were EPMD and Big L requests flying all over amongst numerous other equally good acts.

I don't even what he played last but he did put on an amazing show and I am glad I was not too busy taking pics.
x