Photos: Reverend Horton Heat @ The Alley

Reverend Horton Heat @ The Alley, Reno, NV 2011-07-10
The Rev laying down a smoking hot set at The Alley...

Rockabilly, Psychobilly, Country, Surf, Rock n Roll; call it what you will, it is the facilitation of the exact moment when one is able to forget everything else and truly leave their body on an unparalleled musical high.  Reverend Horton Heat made this dream a reality for a packed venue at The Alley earlier this July.  Swingin’ Utters put on a floor-spitting, microphone stand smashing-ly uproarious opening set and the sardine-like crowd wanted their fix … and boy did they get it!  From the opening moments of “Marijuana“, The Rev, along with band mates Jimbo Wallace (bass) and Paul Simmons (drums), unleashed their unique collaborative musings and the sweat started to pool along eyebrows and foreheads all throughout the jam-packed club.

While I did have to battle the 7 year old pictured below for positioning (this is not even a joke in the slightest sense of the word), I was able to maneuver my way around microphone stands and bouncing bodies well enough to capture some close-ups of The Rev and company with my trusty 50mm f/1.8D lens attached to this up-and-coming DX shooter’s favorite, the Nikon D7000.  During some initial testing, I somehow came up with an aperture of 2.5.  In retrospect, this could have been fully opened to 1.8.  Shutter speed stayed put at 1/250th of a second and ISO was static at 1250.  Looking back, I’d say the ISO could have been bumped up to 1600 at least.  All the more reason to make an attempt with an auto ISO ranging from 800-3200.  Fingers have been crossed.

VIEW THE FULL REV. HORTON HEAT GALLERY HERE

Reverend Horton Heat @ The Alley, Reno, NV 2011-07-10
The Rev crackin' a smile for the camera...
Reverend Horton Heat @ The Alley, Reno, NV 2011-07-10
Jimbo Wallace filling the low end of the aural spectrum with a resonating bass line...
Reverend Horton Heat @ The Alley, Reno, NV 2011-07-10
Paul Simmons keeping the set right on time with drumsticks in hand...
Reverend Horton Heat @ The Alley, Reno, NV 2011-07-10
It's her birthday! (the one on the right)
Reverend Horton Heat @ The Alley, Reno, NV 2011-07-10
Despite it's simplicity, this backdrop still remains strong in my memory...

Camera(s) Used:

Nikon D7000

Lens(es) Used:

Nikon 50mm f/1.8D


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Super-Happy Fun Bonus Pic!!!

Reverend Horton Heat @ The Alley, Reno, NV 2011-07-10
A young concertgoer shoving up against the stage for Reverend Horton Heat at The Alley...

Photos: Swingin’ Utters @ The Alley

Swingin Utters @ The Alley, Sparks, NV, 2011-07-10
Johnny Peebucks of Swingin Utters delivering an explosive performance...

To be completely honest, I did not do my homework on Swingin’ Utters before heading out to shoot their opening performance for Reverend Horton Heat at The Alley this July.  Had I done even the slightest of research, I would have learned early on that this was not ‘just some band’ hopping over the hill from the San Francisco Bay Area punk scene.  Swingin’ Utters are actually a pretty big deal when it comes to the streetpunk genre, and even more so when it comes to expanding the genre to include elements of Irish music, a little bit of that country twang and at times a nostalgic Clash-era reggae influence.  What seemed even more impressive was the fact that there were members of the audience who would, have, will again and most definitely did drive for miles to see Swingin’ Utters perform live in Reno/Sparks; regardless of whoever might be headlining the evening.

As far as shooting goes, there is no pit at The Alley.  It is every man, woman and child for themselves when pressed against the 2-3 foot tall stage, making room for moshing, jumping, fist pumping, slam dancing and any overall exaltation of life.  I was using the same Nikon 50mm f/1.8D lens that has been attached to my Nikon D7000 since SXSW this past March and, much like other recent shows, aperture and shutter speed were set to 1.8 and 1/250th of a second, respectively.  The ISO however, did find it’s home at 2500 for this set, letting as much of the nominal stage lighting in as possible without introducing undesirable noise.  In retrospect, I should have opened it up to 3200 on some of the shots, but then anything under the white spotlight would have been overexposed.  Well, maybe we’ll try a show with auto ISO set between 800-3200, whaddaya say?

Bonus:  While conversing with several audience members, I tried pinning down a great ‘introductory’ album to lead a new listener like myself into the sounds of Swingin’ Utters … you know, something that these undeniably devoted fans would feel comfortable recommending to a noob like myself.  The general consensus was the 1996 release, Juvenile Product of Working Class (Fat Wreck Chords).  Great jumping off point if I do say so myself.  Thanks for the recommendation guys, and to those who may just now be discovering Swingin’ Utters — Enjoy!

 

VIEW THE FULL SWINGIN’ UTTERS GALLERY HERE

Swingin Utters @ The Alley, Sparks, NV, 2011-07-10
Greg McEntee hammering it home on drums...
Swingin Utters @ The Alley, Sparks, NV, 2011-07-10
Darius Koski crankin' out the feedback...
Swingin Utters @ The Alley, Sparks, NV, 2011-07-10
How to play bass with only three strings...
Swingin Utters @ The Alley, Sparks, NV, 2011-07-10
Guest vocals by Austin Bunnell...
Swingin Utters @ The Alley, Sparks, NV, 2011-07-10
Johnny apologized for spitting on the stage...

 

Camera(s) Used:

Nikon D7000

Lens(es) Used:

Nikon 50mm f/1.8D


Go On, Treat Yourself to Something Nice!

Do you buy stuff online? Do you buy camera stuff online? If this post or anything else on ishootreno.com was helpful to you, please consider supporting this site and making your next photo gear, music or general purchase through one of our affiliate links:

Every time our readers buy new gear through our affiliate links, it helps us bring to the table more of that which brought you here in the first place — the ‘money’ shots!

The best part?!  It doesn’t cost our readers anything extra to show their support!

If our readers do pick up some new gear, please drop us a line … we always love to hear about your new additions!

Comments, Praise, Feedback?  We’re all ears!

Please let us know what you thought of this post on ishootreno.com!

Super-Happy Fun Bonus Pic!!!

Swingin Utters @ The Alley, Sparks, NV, 2011-07-10
Austin Bunnell jumping on stage for a couple of verses ... go Austin!