Photos: Pharoahe Monch @ The Underground, Reno, NV 2011

Pharoahe Monch @ The Underground, Reno, NV 2011
Pharoahe Monch with gas mask in full effect...

Its not everyday that you see someone wearing a gas mask.  In fact, the last time I saw someone wearing a gas mask was during a zombie apocalypse film; and truthfully, civilization just isn’t to that point yet.  Realistically, I probably just need to go to Burning Man, and then this might not seem so extraordinary to me.  On the other hand, during that rainy evening of Sunday, June 5th, it was pure magic.

By magic, I’m referring to the stellar lineup found at The Underground in Reno, NV which was comprised of a slew of local musicians (NoBody Really we’re looking your direction), artists (Ashley Drake you’re awesome) and the hip hop legend whose parking spot I almost (unknowingly) stole, Pharoahe Monch.

As the show began, DJ Boogie Blind (X-Ecutioners), MeLa Machinko and Showtyme took the stage in saluting poses, the crowd packed in tightly against the monitors and our shutter began clicking away.  After a quick swipe from stage right to center and back again, I was in the perfect position to capture Pharoahe Monch’s arrival, gas mask and all.

In the two earlier postings from the evening of June 5th, I had noted that the venue was quite dark, especially if the performer(s) didn’t step all the way up to the front of the stage, extending themselves over the monitors. This did make for a challenging shoot, but luckily I was prepared for the worst, and hoping for the best.

That being said, I found that while shooting on my Nikon D7000 (Nikon 50mm f/1.8D lens) it was important to keep the aperture wide open at 1.8, my shutter speed relatively fast at 1/250th of a second and the ISO cranked up to 3200.  Admittedly, my thumb did take the shutter speed up a little bit accidentally at a couple moments in the evening (1/200th of a second was the fastest I noted), which may or may not be represented in one or more shots in the full gallery.

There are several crowd shots also included in the gallery, as there was an obvious and direct connection between those performing on-stage and the excitement found in the air, shared throughout the room.  In short, this was a show to remember for everyone in attendance, for a period lasting no less than a lifetime.

VIEW THE FULL PHAROAHE MONCH GALLERY HERE

DJ Boogie Blind with Pharoahe Monch @ The Underground, Reno, NV 2011
DJ Boogie Blind of X-Ecutioners rockin' the wheels of steel...
Mela Machinko with Pharoahe Monch @ The Underground, Reno, NV 2011
MeLa Machinko performing alongside Pharoahe Monch at The Underground...
Showtyme with Pharoahe Monch @ The Underground, Reno, NV 2011
Showtyme laying down soulful vocals alongside Pharoahe Monch on June 5th...
Pharoahe Monch @ The Underground, Reno, NV 2011
Pharoahe Monch taking full control of the mic, the audience and the room...
Pharoahe Monch @ The Underground, Reno, NV 2011
Always in touch with the audience, Pharoahe Monch keeps it rockin'...
Pharoahe Monch @ The Underground, Reno, NV 2011
The gas mask comes back out...

Camera(s) Used:

Nikon D7000

Lens(es) Used:

Nikon 50mm f/1.8D


Go On, Treat Yourself to Something Nice!

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Super-Happy Fun Bonus Pic!!!

Pharoahe Monch @ The Underground, Reno, NV 2011
Reno knows how to party, even on a rainy Sunday night...

NoBody Really @ The Underground, Reno, NV 2011

NoBody Really @ The Underground, Reno, NV, June 5 2011
Tony Walker and Tsuyoshi Curtis aka NoBody Really putting homegrown Reno hip hop on the map...

It was a dark and stormy evening…  Just kidding.  But seriously though, it was quite dark and an unseasonable downpour of torrential proportions rained down on the eve of Sunday, June 5th here in Reno.

The brave soldiers who made the trek down 4th St. to The Underground to catch the 1st ever performance of Pharoahe Monch in Reno were first treated to a slew of local artists, most notably NoBody Really, a group comprised of Tony Walker (aka Locus aka Talik aka doodles aka Poppa Fro), Tsuyoshi “Yosh” Curtis and Joel “JBird” Cowell.

The group started a bit later than their 10:30 time slot, but quickly gained control of the crowd with a breath of fresh lyrics and dope beats to match.

As per shooting on the Nikon D7000, I kept the ISO cranked at 3200 for a low-noise brightness, shutter speed at 1/250th of a second to capture the moment and a wide aperture of 1.8 to extract a realistic color scheme.  Overall, I think our readers will be quite pleased with the gallery, which could very well serve as a jumping off point for anyone interested in discovering one of Reno’s best kept secrets: NoBody Really.

For those looking to get a taste of what the group has to offer aurally, we recommend heading over to their BandCamp page and having a listen, geeking out to the visualization and possibly even taking the 7 track EP home for repeat future listening.

VIEW THE FULL NOBODY REALLY GALLERY HERE

NoBody Really @ The Underground, Reno, NV, June 5 2011
Tony and Yosh in full swing during their performance at The Underground...
NoBody Really @ The Underground, Reno, NV, June 5 2011
NoBody Really representing underground hip hop in Reno...
NoBody Really @ The Underground, Reno, NV, June 5 2011
Tony Walker of NoBody Really at The Underground on June 5th...
NoBody Really @ The Underground, Reno, NV, June 5 2011
Yosh sporting a big grin on stage at The Underground...

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!!!

Albumart @ The Underground, Reno, NV, June 5 2011
A sample of the many autographed event fliers found on the wall at The Underground...