Tomorrow, my boyfriend embarks on yet another tour. The mission? To embrace the freedom on which rock ‘n’ roll began.
I had the pleasure of doing a little photo shoot of David and Matt McCloskey, who is the front man for the band with which David is touring. They’re pretty hilarious yet totally fitting for the journey.
You can follow David, Matt, George, and Kendall at www.theseamericantimes.com
Last Friday, Jaimee Harris and David Ramirez at Clementine Coffee.. along with 3 other “surprise” guests… Regardless, we had fun. Thanks to everyone who came out!
And yes, the photos are supposed to look grainy.
As I’ve mentioned many times before, my boyfriend is an incredible musician. Yesterday, he released his brand new album American Soil!! I’m super excited because it’s pretty much EPIC. He’s having release parties here in Austin and Dallas but we kicked it off yesterday back home in little old Sugar Land to celebrate with friends and family.
David’s amazing parents hosted the party in their backyard and it was a huge hit. My parents just recently bought me some new lighting equipment so I decided to do a photo booth for the event. A big thanks to Natalie for helping me out so I could hop in a few.
These are just some of the photos..to view all the photos, visit my website www.paigenewtonphotography.com and go to Client Login. The password is “americansoil”
Okay so I know this a ton of text but, in this case, the text is more important than the photos. So I encourage you to take the time and read this if you can.
So here’s the story. My boyfriend David just moved to Austin in December. If you’ve been following my blog or know us personally, you know he’s an incredible musician. He’s had a ton of success at his shows thus far which is awesome since he’s only lived her for a short period of time. Beyond sharing his music and connecting with his audience, David’s heart is to create community among local musicians. Luckily, there’s a ton of those around these parts and he’s met and connected with quite a few.
So one day he was hanging at Dominican Joe Coffee off South Congress and started chatting with the manager Marcus, who also happens to do the booking at DJ. (Side note: Marcus moved here from Fort Worth last fall and really has a heart to live life to its fullest and just has a ton of amazing things to say. If you ever meet him, I encourage you to pick his brain. He’s pretty incredible.) David’s already played a few normal shows there but he wanted to pitch some new ideas to Marcus. He brought up the idea of getting local musicians together to play tribute shows to various bands and songwriters who we all know and (hopefully) love. Of course Marcus loved the idea, especially because David happened to mention his favorite band, Radiohead. So it was decided and David started gathering musicians to take part in the first Dominican Joe tribute show.
This first time around, David mainly stuck to musicians he already knew fairly well. The night was an enormous success, in my opinion. A ton of people showed up.. friends, family, and strangers alike. It was so neat to see each musician interpret Radiohead in a way that still showcased their own personal style. Anyway, I’ll stop rambling. The point is– it was amazing and I hope you come out next time. They’ll be tributing Ryan Adams on July 31. So if you’re a musician and want to get in on it, let me know and I’ll connect you with David.
A big shout out to all the incredible musicians who played (in this particular order, in fact): Jaimee Harris, Adam Ellis, Brady Davis and Chase Van Haselen, manager Marcus and his lovely wife, Matt McCloskey, Brian Douglas Phillips and The Reliques, and David Ramirez. I’ll put names and links by each of their photos below.
Jaimee Harris:
Adam Ellis:
Brady Davis and Chase Van Haselen:
Marcus and his wife:
Matt McCloskey:
Brian Douglas Phillips and The Reliques:
David Ramirez:
Great job everyone!
Okay, I’m finally getting around to my last session from my Urban Portrait Madness. Kris Collins is an aspiring musician from Houston, TX and he needed some shots for his upcoming album. Kris had seen Kelsey and Kyle’s engagement session where I took photos of them on a couch in the middle of South Congress and he really wanted to do something similar. Luckily, we only got harassed by one cop..
After SoCo, we headed to this little field off South 1st I’d been wanting to shoot at for awhile. Kris wanted a sort of hippie vibe to his photos so hopefully these make the cut.
This is very, VERY important. I need you go to the following link and download some epic music from here.
I’m no music critic but if I MUST give you a reason… here are a few. I’m not asking you to do this because the musician who penned these tunes happens to be the love of my life. Nope.. that’s actually not why. Okay.. maybe a little. But really and truly, I have been listening to David Ramirez’s music on a consistent basis since before he and I were really even friends. So I can say, with an unbiased confidence, that his music has evolved into something that is both relatable and magical, honest yet mysterious, and both lyrically and musically driven. It’s folk but by no means is it a simple acoustic album.
An incredible team of Nashville musicians recorded with David and an amazing producer helped “American Soil” become exactly what it should. The first time David showed me some of the rough recordings, I was blown away by the depth and creativity that ebbed and flowed throughout.
This is the album of the year for me and I can assure you, I’ve had to listen to it non-stop since the project began. There are layers upon layers of absolute magic that call for you to drive across the country, or at least around your town while the sun sets and your windows are down.
This album is not only for driving but for living. I hope you take the time to visit the link and download the songs to get a feel for the upcoming album, which will be released in June.
Cheers.
Here are some photos I shot for the Dallas event LOVE.
It benefited Falling Whistles, an organization that raises money for art therapy that helps to rehabilitate former child soldiers in the Congo.
Check them out at fallingwhistles.com. You can also check out the blog I maintain for the Austin branch: fwaustin.blogspot.com.
a few weeks ago, i photographed ryan parker at his house of blues show.
check his music out here: http://www.myspace.com/ryanparker.
i wasn’t allowed to use a flash (thanks a lot, house of blues) so i had to work with the incredibly low lighting. buttt i made do. 
here’s a few for your viewing pleasure.
my incredibly talented boyfriend, david ramirez, also played but i did more watching than shooting. check him out @ www.myspace.com/davidramirez
