Reggie Watts vs. DieHard

(Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

While doing my daily blogroll, I came across the video below. And it's amazing for several reasons.

I'll get to that. First, the 90 second spot:



First, it's Reggie Watts. Former lead singer for the Seattle soul band Maktub, now solo artist. The man is quite simply a talent supernova. Funny, improvisational, smart, fearless and a voice that leaves velvet feeling coarse. Let me put it this way, once you see his full range of talents, his epic fro is the LEAST interesting part of his persona.

Second, it's a great TV spot. Smart creative paired with good production values and shot well. I'd love to know how many takes there were. Probably many, and I bet they're all different. And awesome. (Thank you advertising gods for them NOT using the low-hanging "wattage" pun.)

Lastly, I hope this brings Reggie's sweet gentle creative goodness to more people.

My path crossed with Reggie's a few times in Seattle. The first, I think, was at a party hosted by my artist friend Cassandria Blackmore circa 2001. I'd seen Maktub and loved them. We struck up conversation and I was immediately impressed by how nice this guy was. No ego whatsoever.

We would meet again two more times while I photographed him for KEXP.org.

Truthfully, I had forgotten about Reggie after I left Seattle. That is, until last night when I saw DieHard Battery vs. Reggie Watts. Such a nice surprise. I hope he begins to get the wide-ranging recognition he deserves.

Be sure to check out more of his amazing performances on Youtube.


(Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

Rogue Wave's "D Tour"

Evan and Pat. (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

I had another “hey I know these guys!” moment last night while watching TV. Though, this one more somber than the last. I came across an Independent Lens documentary on PBS last night called D Tour: A rock 'n roll film about life, death and bodily functions. It is the story of Pat Spurgeon, drummer for the great Bay Area band Rogue Wave. Pat was born with one kidney. The original transplant he received 15 years ago began failing just as the band began to reach success. The mostly self-shot documentary follows his grueling wait for a new transplant organ as well as his amazing decision to tour while on dialysis. (Which gives the film its name, “D Tour.” D is for dialysis.)

I photographed Rogue Wave for KEXP in NYC while they were there for the CMJ music festival in 2005. They seemed like really nice guys. Really driven, nice guys. They were obviously a tight group but after seeing this documentary I had no idea to what depth.

This moving film is eye-opening. Stunning. It touches on love, friendship, passion, loyalty, endurance and the incredible pain that comes with heart-wrenching life-and-death medical decisions. It also touches on the very timely topic of the state of healthcare in America. I’ve met so many musicians over the years that have no health insurance. Not out of complacency, but simple financial necessity. And on occasion, one of them gets injured or sick. But I can tell you that every time that happened, the wagons were circled, benefit shows were booked and healthcare simply becomes friendcare. The story of Pat Spurgeon, and his former bandmate and close friend Evan Farrell, is as inspirational as it is heart-wrenching.

And I can think of no better time for people to see this than now. Now that legislators are deciding who lives and who dies based on how much of a premium they can afford.

Rock and Roll Takes Its Toll

(Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

Was sifting through some archive disks last night. Came across this image I'd completely forgotten about but have always loved. It was a band from Tacoma, WA called The Jet City Fix.

PJ's Smile

I learned yesterday that a friend in Seattle I met while working with KEXP passed away Monday evening. Her name was PJ.

My path crossed with PJ's on many an occasion during my time at the station. In particular, an evening in 2005.

I was shooting impromptu portraits at the Bumbershoot Gala for a One Reel project. I had a backdrop set up and was asking passersby if I could take their photo. It was then that I saw a spritely young woman with fire engine red hair jump into frame. It was PJ and she was all about having her photo taken.

At that point I had known PJ for just a short time, but she didn't hold it against me. At first I wasn't sure if she'd want her photo taken. Many in her position might recoil from the idea of a portrait. Truth be told, most people I meet recoil from it. But not PJ. She was all smiles that night.

The portrait I chose for inclusion in the final gallery showing of End of Summer is, to this date, one of my favorite photographs ever. Her ear-to-ear grin, the hair matching the stripes on her shirt, her courier bag matching her bracelet and her blue, blue eyes. And of course, all the KEXP swag. Come to think of it, I don't think I ever remember her NOT wearing some sort of KEXP paraphernalia. She was so proud of the station. And it showed. Quite literally.

I have the 33" x 22" print from the show in my studio here in LA. It's been on the wall since I moved in and it's right by the door and her smile greets me every time I leave the studio. At first it was just a convenient place to hang the big print on the big wall. But after time it acted as a reminder. A reminder to persevere in life and do it with a smile. Just like PJ did.

There will be a memorial for PJ at the Vera Project in Seattle on Thursday, 7/23, from 4-6PM.

Phoenix (de la France)

Live in-studio. (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony


Thomas. (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

A few weeks ago, while flipping through channels on a Saturday night, I was pleasantly surprised to see the French band Phoenix performing as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. I had photographed them back in April of 2005 in New York for KEXP 90.3 FM. Their in-studio was mid-week, way too early and downright, unapologetically incredible. It was about 8am, the band looked hungover and there were about 12 people there. Half of which had never heard of them. The whole front row was empty. But you'd never know by the way lead singer Thomas Mars performed. All out.

Now, four years later, they're on SNL, Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel and a slew of other big, national spotlights. Kudos to them. And for their first release from the new album, 1901, they've created one of the most creative, beautiful music videos I've ever seen.

KEXP Audioasis - One Last Time

Discover America, live at KEXP © William Anthony

Many Seattle locals know and love the great "listener powered" radio station 90.3 FM, KEXP.ORG. From November 2003 to November 2005 I was their photographer of record. (They now employ a team of volunteer photographers.) And nearly every Saturday night from 6-9pm, I dropped by to photograph the local music show Audioasis. It was always great fun to cram into the tiny live performance space with local bands and shoot their in-studios. All the while doing my best not to unplug or knock over anything by accident. I met some great people during my stint there and really came to love being at the station, hanging out with the DJs and musicians alike. It also gave me a chance to cut my teeth, photographically. It was a great experience all around.

So, with just a week or so until my relocation to Los Angeles, I decided to call up my Audioasis DJ buddy Abe Beeson and ask if I could drop by and shoot one last in-studio. And lucky me, it was the great local outfit, Discover America.

Shooting their set brought back a lot of really good memories.This is a small edit from their live set.

Farewell mighty Audioasis.




Discover America, live at KEXP © William Anthony


Abe Beeson with some product placement for Tacoma Screw.
© William Anthony

Update: See the rest of the set here.