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Welcome to HIGH ISO Music, an online publication providing extensive, unbiased photodocumentary coverage of live music and cultural events,
completely free of advertising.

Earplugs in.  Shutters screaming for mercy.   ISO cranked.   Experience captured.


Blog

We’re taking a break…

It’s pretty obvious that things have slowed down on the  High ISO Music website.  We’re working on a few very time-consuming projects and our celebration of live music is suffering accordingly, at least for now.  In the meantime, please feel free to dig around in the archives and enjoy yourself.  Maybe we’ll see you in the photo pit in the future.

 

G&E

L7 and ¡No Acción! at the Catalyst!

Really loving a band that’s “gone” is rarely enough to make them come back, because who’s that generous? But we’re stubborn (and our love stronger than most), so we resorted to love tinged with voodoo. Strategy: Play “Scrap” from the L7 “Bricks are Heavy” album on repeat, forever, until the band reforms. Love every moment of the experience. And well, voila. Similar attempts failed in the past for Led Zeppelin and The Beatles, but 1 out of 3 for a mystical strategy ain’t half bad.

We caught L7 in Santa Cruz at the Catalyst and got more than our money’s worth for playing “Scrap” 13,738 times in a row at high volume, wearing out seven pairs of expensive Focal speakers in the process. After all, what’s $63,000 in busted speakers and a few excessive noise citations when you get the baddest female hard rock band in history back together?

L7 at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz. (High ISO Music)

L7 at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz. (High ISO Music)

L7 at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz. (High ISO Music)

L7 at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz. (High ISO Music)

L7 at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz. (High ISO Music)

L7 at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz. (High ISO Music)

Openers were ¡No Acción!, an explosively energetic local band whose themes largely target social change (for the better). Not social change like ’60s folk bands.  More like Iron Reagan focused on affordable housing.  ¡No Acción! is Josh on guitar and vocals, Lupe on bass, Americo on drums, and Lazaro on guitar and vocals. If you’re in CA, check ’em out! Their new EP is available on Bandcamp.

No Accion at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz. (High ISO Music)

No Accion at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz. (High ISO Music)

No Accion at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz. (High ISO Music)

Check out the rest of the photos of L7 and ¡No Acción! from the Catalyst show in the gallery below.

Jazz Fest 2017 Walkabout

Our Jazz Fest 2017 Walkabout, dedicated to D. L. Menard (RIP, and a great last show).

Putting Sonny Rollins Back in the Playlist

I’ve been listening to Monk and Miles almost non-stop for the last year and somehow Sonny Rollins fell off the playlist.  On a recent roadtrip, I tried to correct that error and listened to a bunch of Sonny Rollins stuff, and my appreciation for how spectacular the album Saxophone Colossus is was quickly renewed.  I had a chance to see Sonny Rollins in 2011 at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, just a year before he stopped performing publicly due to respiratory issues.  While his playing in 2011 was still spectacular, he was clearly suffering from serious problems with his hips and was barely able to walk.  He spent a lot of time playing with his back turned, but with some effort I managed two decent shots (below).  If he feels better at some point and can play again, don’t miss the opportunity to catch one of the true colossi of jazz. We’re blessed that he’s still among us, as most of the old guard is gone, including all of the other fantastic players on Saxophone Colossus (Tommy Flanagan on piano, died in 2001; Doug Watkins, on double bass, died in 1962, before I was born; and Max Roach, who I also saw last at Jazz Fest, died in 2007).

If you haven’t done an extended playlist of Rollins recently, it’s more than worth your time.

Sonny Rollins playing at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans, LA on the final day of the festival. (Golden G. Richard III)

Sonny Rollins playing at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans, LA in 2011.

Sonny Rollins playing at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans, LA on the final day of the festival. (Golden G. Richard III)

Sonny Rollins playing at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans, LA in 2011.