Among the films featured this year in the After Dark Horrorfest is the Brian Pulido directed flick "The Graves," starring Tony Todd, Bill Moseley, Clare Grant and Jillian Murphy. I was lucky enough to get to shoot some studio shots for the website. The movie also features a cameo appearance by Calabrese, a great horror punk band based in Phoenix and one of my first clients.
From the website:
Present
day. Arizona. Megan and Abby Graves are inseparable sisters that
couldn’t be less alike. Megan is a self-assured, naturally attractive,
ass kicker. Abby is a cute, caustic, Hot Topic Goth who’s afraid of her
own shadow.
They do share a few things in common: a life-long
obsession with comics, pop culture and rock ‘n’ roll. Simply put, they
are beautiful geeks.
In a few days, Megan will start a new job
in New York. To send her off in style, the Graves sisters go on a wild,
pop culture bender that includes a trip to uncharted Arizona in search
of a kitschy roadside attraction.
Instead, they’re lured to
Skull City Mine, a weather-beaten, abandoned mine town that harbors
terrifying secrets. It appears to be haunted — Its twisted caretakers
are murderous — Victim’s souls are ripped right out of their bodies –
and that is only the beginning…
When Megan suffers a mortal
wound, Abby must save her sister, but to do so, she must confront her
fears and unlock the mystery of Skull City alone.
Can Abby survive Skull City’s threats? Can she rescue Megan or are they doomed to a fate much worse than death?
This didn't end up being the official poster, but created quite a stir, including Mr. Gaiman himself posting it on his blog.
If you want to check out the trailer, go to the official website.
Brian Pulido directing Clare Grant and Jillian Murphy at the photo shoot. And the final result:
And for the record, not only can pretty girls be geeky and in to comics, but they can be silly too. You have to love photo shoot outtakes.
My pal Nick Feratu of The Limit Club just did a podcast with Blaqart Radio worth checking out. I've always said I've met few with such a vast knowledge of music from so many eras and genres, and this show is another example of that.
Listen to Blaqart Radio Episode 38 – "Cutthroat Business 1" online: Featuring Nick Feratu from The Limit Club
To download this episode simply click on the picture!
hosted by Steven Blaqart along with Nick Feratu of The Limit Club… we spin a couple of our favorite hits from the lesser known.
I'm going to guess that many who may stumble on this blog will have no idea what Hamtramck Blowout is. In fact, you probably have never heard of Hamtramck.
What rock have y'all been living under? I recently saw a list on AOL along the lines of "Fastest Dying Cities in America"
and guess who made the top 10? That's right, Hamtramck is number 7
according to Forbes. Or, "Hammy," once you get to be on a first name
basis with her and all.
So anyway, this city on the edge of Detroit is a Polish neighborhood of
bakeries and discount shopping by day, and the stomping grounds of
Detroit musical bohemians by night. So what better place to have the
largest music festival in the country, with 275 bands playing in four
days?
Wait…make that four nights. Just under 300 bands playing
between the hours of 9pm-1am on those four nights. Pretty impressive,
eh? Does that sound like a dying city to you?
As you can imagine, this took place over many venues, but most
within close enough proximity for walking. Doing my first Hammy Blowout
was like a Detroit music sampler platter, and I would shoot 10-15
minutes of a band's set, then move to another venue. With a few
exceptions, where I lingered a bit longer.
Running with Panthers is not breaking new musical ground. They are not challenging the accepted conventions of rock music. They're simply a bar band who rocks out on stage and puts on a good show. They are obviously having fun, and that's contagious.
And that's kind of the point. Not taking yourself so damn seriously — it's rock and roll for chrissakes.
Which brings me to why I chose to start blogging Hamtramck Blowout with this particular band. Below I've reposted a video from their site…MTV Cribs, "Running with Panthers" style.
Humor is a good thing, even in rock and roll. Especially in rock and roll.
Shit
like this still makes me seriously happy. And I get giddy when I see my
work on albums, cds and posters. I'm still such a little kid about all
this.
Does anyone out there just care about making great music more than being "rock stars?" Of course, yes, some do, hence this particular blog. But really, this takes the cake.
Groupies (Metro Detroit)
Reply to: emailaddressdeleted [?]
Date: 2009-02-05, 3:48PM EST
One of Metro Detroits Finest Rock and Roll bands is looking for groupies,
Free drinks, photos in local mag`s, never a cover charge
free entry into bigger venues, Emerald,I-Rock,Token ect.
We need up beat females to be loud and proud at our shows
Location: Metro Detroit
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
Compensation: no pay
I'm all about trying to be successful and grooming an image, but, call me old fashioned…seems to me like groupies should be earned. I mean, damn, some things in rock and roll must be kept sacred, don't you think?
