Music Monday: More Mountain Stage, Mostly Monochrome

A long-while back I posted a few images from Mountain Stage, when, “Live performance radio from the mountain state of West Virginia,” visited UAF. I also did a feature story for my student paper, The Sun Star. Here’s another selection of photographs in black & white, which is commonly referred to as monochromatic. Though monochromatic means one shade of color, such as varying hues of red, it expanded to include images in black & white.

Tim Easton, center, plays at the Davis Concert Hall, accompanied by Megan Palmer and Kliff Hopson for NPR’s production of Mountain Stage.

Tim Easton, accompanied by Megan Palmer.

Pat Fitzgerald and Robin Dale Ford, accompanied by the Mountain Stage band, play at the Davis Concert Hall. August 17th, 2012.

Backstage Davis Concert Hall for West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Mountain Stage.

And the single color image for today.

Very-Temporary Fossils

Alaska, architecture, Photography, Street, Wildlife

While nothing in Interior Alaska can be considered typical, Fairbanks – typically – isn’t very windy. This winter has brought no shortage of windy days. While occasionally bone-chilling cold, wind also creates exciting conditions. Ravens seem to have fun when currents whip up.

Ravens play in high winds above UAF’s Fine Art Complex. April 17, 2013.

The next day, slowly picking my way down a steep, slippery hill, my preferred route between car and classroom, I found evidence some ravens had been using strong winds and currents to their advantage.

Spiraling strike marks decorated the snow’s surface. A raven had been hunting, likely a small rodent. My friend accurately described it as a “very-temporary fossil.” Indeed unlikely the imprint would be preserved more then a day or two.

A hunting raven leaves evidence in the snow, April 18, 2013.

At the time I was en route to grab class materials, happy just to spot the strike, I didn’t linger. Deciding to court a safer path back up the hill, my attention was once more drawn toward patterns in the snow. I couldn’t pass the opportunity to photograph another strike mark. Even if it meant going back to my car to swap tennis shoes for boots.

A pedestrian walks up a path at UAF, near a imprint a raven left in the snow, akin to a temporary fossil.

A pedestrian walks up a path at UAF, near a raven imprint in the snow, akin to a temporary fossil.

Close-up of an imprint left by a hunting raven.

Music Monday: Eel House and St. Animal.

Alaska, Music, Photography

I had few gigs to juggle Saturday, April 20, 2013. I had a brief, but necessary, walk on part in The Firebird at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Between those was load-in and sound check for St. Animal, headliner at The Pub that night. After sound check a brief trip over to KUAC’s studio to help out with Alaska Live, feature Eel House. Immediately after the second performance of Firebird it was back to The Pub to soundcheck the opening band and start the show.

Eel House is a four-piece with vocals, their music is a mix of contra dance, bluegrass and indie-rock. I didn’t have to time to stick around and get all their names.

Keys, drums and vocals comprise part of Eel House, who performed on Alaska Live with Lori Neufeld.

Bass and fiddle make up the two-remaining members of Eel House.

St. Animal has six members who at any point in time play a variation of drums, bass, electric guitar, mandolin, fiddle, banjo, trumpet or trombone.

St. Animals plays an energetic set at UAF’s Pub, Saturday April 20, 2013.

Fine Art Friday: North Star Ballet’s “The Firebird.”

Alaska, Music, Photography, Portraits

A few weeks ago I mentioned a new posting theme: Fine Art Friday. That has been the first, and only, installment. Until now.

North Star Ballet School, in Fairbanks, Alaska, will premier The Firebird this weekend, a ballet based on a Russian fairy tale, and set to music by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. A full article about the local production with dancer, director and seamstress interviews can be found at the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

It’s a standard fairy-tale plot, a prince battles evil to free a damsel in distress, in this case calling on the Firebird to help him defeat the evil Kotschei. Dancers adorn bold, bright and colorful costumes, especially Kotschei’s cape and a group of monsters under his control. Continuing with vivid colors, the second act includes three short pieces, Red Arc/Blue Veil, Suite With Hats, and Der Rosenkavalier Waltzes.

Firebird has performances at UAF’s Salisbury Theatre, Friday April 19 at 8 p.m., Saturday April 20 at 2 and 8 p.m., and Sunday April 21 at 2 p.m.

Kotschie (Jarrin Overholt,) is banished by the Firebird (Wendy Langton,) as Prince Ivan (Ian Ziesel,) looks on

Monsters capture and torment Prince Ivan

The Firebird and Prince Ivan dance together in the forest.

Red Arc/Blue Veil is not a dance with a narrative. Instead it is a study in movement and music. Composed by Fairbanks-based, but internationally-renowned composer John Luther Adams, Red Arc/Blue Veil is metaphorical piece about the Aurora Borealis, exploring the geometry of time and color. Fluid successions of movement rise and fall, crisscrossing the stage. Lighting – green, red, blue, and purple – strengthen enhance the ethereal feel.

Movement and form is repeated in a canonical form, meaning the same steps but at different times.

Movement and form are repeated in a canonical form, meaning the same steps, but at different times.

A fitting, and fantastic, lens flare for a piece symbolizing the northern lights.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Change – A Few Interpretations.

Alaska, Photography, Portraits, Weekly Photo Post

Change is something we all deal with daily. Seasons, cloths, tastes, locations, personal attitudes and feelings, just to name a few. Change is good and bad, but in its very nature something different. Adjectives for change abound: life-changing, quick, slow, small, large, relative, unexpected and necessary.

Enjoy my multiple interpretations of change.

One of the most wide-spread changes in popular culture is Halloween, where people change into whatever form they desire.

Halloween at UAF’s Pub, 2012.

Changing into triceratops and sagittarius for the night.

Changing lightbulbs at night in UAF’s metal smithing room.

David E. Sanger lecture at UAF.

Alaska, Photography, Portraits

Chief Washington correspondent for the New York Times, David E. Sanger, recently visited University of Alaska Fairbanks to meet with journalism classes and give a public lecture.

Over 100 people attended his lecture in Schaible Auditorium as he spoke about his most recent book, Confront and Conceal: Obama’s Secret Wars and Surprising Use of American Power. Critics and pundits consider the most important section of Sanger’s book a chapter titled “Olympic Games,” the codename given by the White House for the stuxnet computer worm. Though still never admitted by U.S. officials, stuxnet was determined a collaboration between the U.S., Israel and Germany, its goal – to inflict severe damage on Iran’s nuclear centrifuges.

Other topics included the dichotomy between covertness and admission with the U.S. drone operations, as well as surrounding legalities and ethics. Foreign policy triumphs and blunders in Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, North Korea and handling of the Arab Spring all came up in discussion.

Sanger spoke about his books, Confront and Conceal and The Inheritance.

A diverse crowd turned out to hear Sanger speak on March 25, 2013.

Sanger has been to Fairbanks on multiple occasions, but admitted this was the first time he wore a tie in our town.

David Sanger was brought to UAF through a endowment by Helen Snedden in honor of her late husband, former Fairbanks Daily News-miner owner, publisher and journalist, C. W. Snedden.

Music Monday: Clinton Fearon

Alaska, Music, Photography, Portraits

Please excuse my lack of posts in the previous week, I had been traveling with limited use to internet.

Jumping back into posts today with a brief Music Monday. Clinton Fearon, Jamaican Reggae artist, played a solo show on Alaska Live with Lori Neufeld March 8, 2013. Check out his podcast on KUAC’s website.

There was a shortage of light during this particular shoot, so even at ISO 3200 my shutter speed was a somewhat testy 1/25th of a second. Thanks to a steady hand and image stabilization I was able to get a few sharp shots. One cool effect of a slow shutter is the blurring of Clinton’s strumming hand.

Clinton Fearon uses music to spread his message of hope and love on Alaska Live, with Lori Neufeld.

Music Monday: Steve Brown and the Bailers at the UAF Pub

Alaska, Black & White, Music, Photography, Portraits

Fairbanks-based rockabilly band Steve Brown and The Bailers will perform at the UAF Pub this Saturday, March 30, 2013. Here’s a great show poster created by Sue Sprinkle of 5th Avenue Design & Graphics.

Their most recent show was also at UAF’s Pub, February 24. After helping set up microphones and patch them into the snake I hung around to dance and photograph.

I’ll be the first to admit, this isn’t my finest edit. First off, none of my images are exceptionally sharp, rather they’re quite fuzzy. Second, either I misplaced, or didn’t even shoot RAW images, so my hack-job edit today was of small, unforgiving JPEGs.

For those who don’t know, a RAW image is 16-bits per color, uncompressed and the complete, unaltered file captured by the camera. In comparison, JPEGs are an 8-bit, compressed file. While a RAW file can be many-times bigger then a JPEG, the nature of the file allows for digital manipulation without altering the pixels. There are drawbacks other then large file sizes, but for all intensive purposes, shoot RAW.

Hope you enjoy!

Steve Brown and the Bailers at the UAF Pub, Feb. 24, 2013.

Steve Brown and Robin Fienman on guitar and vocals sing together February 24, 2013.

With their groovy melodies, expert playing and relatable lyrics, Steve Brown and the Bailers inspire a dance floor of all ages and abilities

Making sure everyone hits the last note of the night together.

Making sure everyone hits the night’s last note together.

Fine Art Friday: World Water Day

Photography, Uncategorized

It’s another inaugural themed post, “Fine Art Friday.” Today I’m combining it with World Water Day. Since 1993 World Water Day has advocated for the sustainable management of freshwater resources and brought attention to the importance of freshwater.

World Water Day was brought to my attention by fellow blogger FrizzText, who linked to a lovely collection of water-related photos assembled by boston.com. It even includes an night shot from the 2012 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race of a racer collecting snow to melt.

Musher Bill Pinkham collects hot water during his stop in Takotna, Alaska, during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on March 7, 2012. (Marc Lester/Anchorage Daily News/Associated Press)

My World Water Day image is of unwanted water. It’s springtime, and more then a few structures at UAF have leaky roofs. At the Fine Arts Complex – hence the relation to Fine Art Friday – the rhythmic drip-drop of water leaching into the building did a good job distracting from class.

Ripples radiate on a window sill in UAF’s Fine Art Complex during a warm March afternoon. March 8, 2013.

Music Monday: Nor’easter, With Video.

Alaska, Black & White, Music, Photography, Portraits

Boston-based band Nor’easter, founded by Max Newman of Fairbanks, spent some time sharing music in the KUAC studios Feb. 1, 2013. This contra-dance band features Max Newman on guitar and mandolin, Cedar Stanistreet on fiddle and Julie Vallimont on piano and accordion.

Being a band with Alaska roots, Nor’easter got the filming treatment during their Alaska Live session, which I will embed at the end of this post. Want more? Check out their full Alaska Live podcast.

It’s evident they have fun sharing their music, which indeed induces foot tapping.