Thursday, January 8, 2009

Jingle Ball @ Anthology




Anthology; one of the finest live music venues in San Diego. This place offers class all the way with a friendly staff, great music, and an exquisite interior decor. The annual Jingle Ball was hosted here offering a mix of musical talent and donating all the proceeds to Becky's House, a local San Diego charity. 

Matt Nathanson is a singer songwriter from Lexington, MA. Nathanson did a fabulous job of keeping the crowd entertained with his witty humor including deep-throating one of the stage cameras. His music blends folk and rock making you wish you knew the words to his songs so you could sing along. 





A true gem, John McLaughlin plays the piano with fierce talent. His powerful voice sends chills down your spine and keeps you wanting more. 





I have to admit, I was pretty surprised how well the Plain White Tee's did during their all acoustic set. Their sound was much more crisp and pleasing to the ear compared to their usual radio banter. They incorporated a few holiday songs in their set to get the crowd excited about the holidays. 






Stole the show!! Sara Bareilles, one of my favorite female singer/songwriter/pianist was breathtaking. Her voice reverberated throughout the venue when she sang a few from her album "Little Voice," and her a cappella version of silent night. Not only was her onstage performance fabulous, her off-stage cordiality was unheard of. So amazing!

Cute Is What We Aim For & Secondhand SereGAY






Cute Is What We Aim For started the show at HOB with a packed audience and screaming tween fans. Although they embody the epitome of "pop-punk" they still managed to keep my interest with somewhat interesting lyrics and catchy melodies. 
A little meet&greet



I've shot at the HOB many times, and never have I had the pleasure of shooting in such perfect lighting. But with the good, comes the bad which pretty much sums up the performance of the headlining act Secondhand Serenade. Frontman John Veselys' whiney pitched voice, lame lyrics, and awful hair styling skills had me running for the door. Come on HOB, we know you can do better booking than that. 

Sayvinyl, This Holiday Life, and Stripes and Lines



Stripes and Lines headlined the show at the Belly Up


This Holiday Life


Sayvinyl

Aimee Mann X-Mas Variety Show





The Aimee Mann Christmas Variety show was a great way to celebrate the holidays! She sang holiday classics, as well as songs from the award winning movie Magnolia. Appearances were made by comedian Patton Oswalt, a magician, and various holiday characters such as a snowman. Her hilarious parody of "A Christmas Carol" stole the show, thanks to a special sponsorship of Activia Yogurt? 

Friday, January 2, 2009