Austin Vittles

I took this photo a few months back at the Frantic Clam EP Release Party at the Beauty Bar in Austin, Texas.

Zack Hadley - Frantic Clam

I took hundreds of photos that night, all with my Tamaron 17-50mm f/2.8 lens that I probably overpaid for at Precision Camera & Video.  It’s a decent lens, and I bought it used so I didn’t pay that much, but I really should have been using something with a lower aperture because I wound up with very few images that weren’t blurred or severely noisy.

Anyway, I haven’t posted for a while and figured I would share this photo with whatever audience is left out there

Local rockers Frantic Clam are finally releasing their long-awaited EP titled Lolita: Singles.  It is a superb record with incredible songs, including the highly acclaimed Sasha Grey which received national attention when it was initially leaked.

The party is going to kick some serious ass.  Here are the details:

• When: This Thursday (Jan 14, 2010)
• Where: Beauty Bar, Austin
• Who’s Playing: FRANTIC CLAM, The Pons, Motel Avivi, Candi and the Strangers, DJ Czech One
• Drinks: Free Treaty Oak rum after 10pm!

And the best part about this show is that you can get in for only $3 if you RSVP here.  So you get to see a bunch of awesome bands, drink free Treaty Oak rum, and hang out with weirdos like me, Tyler Groover, and Frantic Clam, for only three dollars!  You aren’t going to find a better deal than this on Thursday night!

I have more Free Week photos to share from the Beauty Bar early last week.  I went to see Major Major Major, one of my favorite Austin bands, and I had a great time seeing GOBI play just before MajorX3 went on.

Major Major Major is just awesome, they put on a very entertaining show, but, more importantly, they make fantastic music.  The whole band has a lot of energy, and frontman Adrian Sebastian puts real passion into his vocals while guitarist Seth Whitsitt plays killer, sometimes hauntingly good riffs over perfect bass and drum lines.  Do not miss your next chance to see Major Major Major play a live show, they are worth going out of your way for!

Adrian Sebastian

Seth Whitsitt

Major Major Major

As for the photos, the lighting at Beauty Bar was really fun, and I learned a lot from the shots I took that night.  I came away from this show with a better understanding of what various ISO settings will do on my camera, and my goal since this event is to shoot at the absolute lowest ISO I can manage.  I threw away a lot of images that were just far too noisy at high ISO values, and I think I will be (for the most part) better off having a little less light in my photos in exchange for a lot less noise.

I went to the Beauty Bar the other night to check out one of my favorite local bands, Major Major Major, who I thought would be playing at 11:30 that night.  When I showed up around 11, another band was setting up on the stage.

GOBI is an electro dance group originally from San Marcos, Texas, who relocated to Austin in 2007 and have been playing the circuit around town, mostly in the Red River district but also at The Parish with some regularity.  I wasn’t prepared for how good these guys are.  To start with, I was incredibly impressed with the drummer, Matthew Kevin Dunn, for playing such destructive beats in between taking shots with his fans at the front of the stage.  All three of these guys have massive energy on stage, and they do not disappoint in any way.

Justin Dillon

Combined with the lasers and lighting at the Beauty Bar, this was a fantastic performance.  I will definitely be heading to The Parish tonight to see GOBI perform, especially since that is my absolute most favorite venue in Austin.

GOBI is currently finishing up their first EP, titled “Music Save Me”, which should be released late this spring.