Press On Fund
with David Childers
Paleface
Letters To Aibgail
Devil's Logic Brewing
Charlotte, NC
December 30, 2022
All photos copyright 2022 Daniel Coston
-Daniel
December 31, 2022
Saturday, December 31, 2022
Mark Arnold Interview With Myself AND The Cyrkle!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spl-48tdKII
Enjoy,
-Daniel
December 31, 2022
RIP Bob Dunlap of Part Time Blues Band, And More
RIP Bob Dunlap. Smile on forever. Keep the time for me until I photograph you again, someday.
-Daniel
December 31, 2022
Sunday, December 18, 2022
CFS Honors
I'm rarely speechless, but being awarded the Charlotte Folk Society's Heritage Award just left me stunned. In true me fashion, I was off photographing two other events when they announced that I had been given this honor. Thank you all that were a part of this last night, and I'll try to keep living up to this honor. And I'll see you at the next CFS gathering on January 14th.
Thank you again from behind the camera, and see you on the road.
-Daniel
December 18, 2022
Saturday's Happenings
Saturday, seven events, including Mitchell's Fund's Breakfast With Santa, Gray Holiday Party, Charlotte Folk Society's holiday party, and Acoustic Syndicate at the Visulite.
While I was away on events four and five, the Charlotte Folk Society honored me with their Heritage Award, for my many years of taking photos. Wow. Thank you all for being a part of this, and I promise I'll be there at the Youth Showcase on January 14th.
The Neverending Tour continues tonight with the release party for Falllift's debut EP at the Evening Muse. I co-produced the EP with Doug Williams, and I can't wait for you all to hear this. See you there, and see you on the road.
-Daniel
December 18, 2022
Friday, December 16, 2022
RIP Kim Simmonds
RIP Kim Simmonds. I spent a couple of years working on photos with Kim for both Savoy Brown, as well as his solo records. You were a gentleman and a character, sir, and I loved that you found a home in upstate New York. Sail on, sir, until I photograph you again, someday.
-Daniel
December 15, 2022
New Mark Arnold Interview With Me!
New Mark Arnold interview with me! Let's talk Cyrkle, Left Banke, Beach Boys and more. Enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrBmok3g5W0
-Daniel
December 13, 2022
David Leaf Interview
In 1996, I met author and filmmaker David Leaf at Farm Aid. I met the Beach Boys for the first time, and started thinking that I should be taking more photos.
Twenty-six years later, we meet again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KybaExMXavI
-Daniel
December 11, 2022
Tuesday, December 6, 2022
New Interview With Dean Kastran of the Ohio Express and Cyrkle
The Rock never stops, but we do pull the car over for interviews.
-Daniel
December 6, 2022
Saturday, December 3, 2022
No DDI Reunion Show This Year, Will Return Next Year For 50th Anniversary
Hi everyone. I wanted to let you know that there will not be a DDI reunion show this year, but there will be a big 50th anniversary event next year. In the meantime, please check out these upcoming shows, and continue to honor the DDI's legacy every day.
Carolina Blues Society December show, Neighborhood Theatre, December 4th.
Lenny Federal and the Mannish Boys at the Tipsy Burro on February 18th.
Tab Benoit with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band show at the Neighborhood Theatre on December 9th.
And more info coming soon.
Best wishes to all, Double Door Inn forever, and happy holidays.
-Daniel
December 3, 2022
Tuesday, November 29, 2022
Happy Birthday To Me
I'm proud to announce the beginning of my own 50th anniversary tour, after years of photographing and working on other 50th anniversary tours.
The tour begins now. See you there, and see you on the road.-Daniel
November 30, 2022
Monday, November 28, 2022
Chris Garges Interview, 2012
1. How did you start playing music?
I was always into music, even as a little kid. There were serious musicians on both sides of my family. My father's younger brother was a hippie guitar player/songwriter in Boone and my mother's uncle was a jazz trombonist and music educator in Colorado. My mother played piano, as well. My parents always took my brother and me to concerts of all types-- popular music, classical, musical theatre, all that. My elementary school had a radio station in it that the kids ran and it broadcast via closed-circuit TV. So in 4th grade, I became a deejay and started buying records. Every two weeks when I got my allowance, I would ride my bike down to Park Road Shopping Center and buy 45s at Ernie's Records. By the time I was in 5th grade, I really developed an interest in actually playing music. I loved the bassoon and wanted to play, but when I signed up for school band, I was told to start on a single-reed instrument. Well, Men At Work had a pretty cool saxophone player at the time, so I thought that was the route to go. I wound up playing saxophone in school band all through junior high school, even though I developed other interests. Drums got me pretty good not long after I started playing saxophone. I remember seeing footage of Stewart Copeland and thinking, "That's what I really want to do." So, over a period of a few years, I begged my parents for drums, built a drumkit out of upturned plastic buckets, bought a Kent snare drum at the flea market for $25, and made noise for a while. On my 12th birthday, my grandparents took me to a bunch of pawn shops to look for a set of drums and we found this great gigantic 11-piece drumkit. That helped me get past the big drumkit thing pretty quickly. I didn't find out until like twenty years later that they did this without consulting my parents! My grandparents were great supporters of the whole thing. They had seen all the great big bands and all the great big band drummers and hipped me to a lot of really great, great records when I was a kid. My grandfather also bought a couple of the first Walkman-type devices when they came out and he used to record everything. He was a pretty serious documentarian. My parents were also EXTREMELY patient and supportive of the whole thing -- driving me to band rehearsals or allowing kids to "jam" at our house and stuff. There was very little music stuff they ever tried to talk me out of doing.
All through junior high school I took classical percussion lessons from an amazing teacher named Carol Stumpf, who was the timpanist in the Charlotte Symphony at the time and one of the most amazingly musical people I've ever met. She was an intense teacher and instilled a lot of really, really great life lessons, in addition to musical knowledge. At the same time, I was also studying piano with Mark Tysinger, who was the pianist in the Charlotte Symphony and playing alto sax in the school band. We had an amazing band teacher at my junior high school named Bob Reid. He was a big prog rock fan who hipped me to all kinds of great music and was really, really supportive. All of that continued up until high school, basically. I continued studying with Carol until I went to the University of Miami and she's still a good friend and mentor to me to this day.
So, I had interests early-on, but I also had a lot of great people around as my "support system."
2. What got you into engineering, and producing?
I was in a band in high school called Relayer (that included Bruce Hazel and Justin Faircloth) and we decided to record an EP. Our bass player, Joe Wilkie, had a connection at Jay Howard Production Audio and so we went there to record. (Jay Howard Production Audio would actually become my freelancer "home base" studio for several years before I took over at Old House.) Lucky for us, we got to work with David Floyd, who is an absolutely amazing recording engineer in Charlotte. David had a reputation for being particular, but he was incredibly patient and good to us high school kids. I remember being really fascinated by the process and David was good about explaining things. So after like five or six days of working on this stuff, we had a cassette to sell to people, which I thought was terrific. You could do all of this work and have something to show for it, which was different from playing a gig and just having the memory. But the process of recording and the creation of sounds was interesting to me, so I looked into it further. I would borrow Tascam four-track recorders from Joe Wilkie or Justin Faircloth and just make these demos all the time. I was in a band called Lefty for a little while and we actually recorded an EP in the basement of the Children's Theatre on Moorehead Rd. with that little setup. I loved it. And when I got to Miami, I spent a bunch of time hanging around the Music Engineering majors and soaking stuff up, even though I was a Studio Music and Jazz (performance) major. I did a bit more "guerilla recording" stuff in Miami and then basically talked my way into a job at a studio when I moved back to Charlotte. I joined a band with a guy named Eddie Z, who owns a rehearsal building in Charlotte called The Playroom. At the time (the mid 90s), the Playroom was over on Graham Street downtown and there was a recording studio in there. Eddie needed an assistant and I knew just enough to be able to help him out. He showed me a bunch of stuff and was kind and trusting enough to eventually let me run the place for a while. I worked for Eddie for about three years.
3. What was some of your first gigs as an engineer, and producer?
The first commercial release that I ever did any engineering for was interesting. There's a dude in New York named Eytan Mirsky who writes very cool pop songs. He was friends with this guy in Miami who I played with for a couple of years. Eytan came down to visit and was there for like a month before I found out that he sang or wrote songs. Anyway, he asked me to play drums on a recording at this home studio that my friend had and I wound up doing a lot of the engineering. We didn't finish the record down there, but Eytan took the masters back up to NY. Not long after, I moved back to Charlotte and about six months later, I got a handful of CDs in the mail. It was Eytan's record and he had finished it up there and sent it to me. That was the first time something like that ever happened to me and it was great. Strangely enough, I met Michael Slawter (of The Saving Graces) years later and he told me that he really liked my playing on the Eytan Mirsky record! Small world. Eytan has actually popped into my life again on a few coincidental occasions over the years. He's one of those guys with far-reaching connections.
Other than that, my first few years at the Playroom were really important. I did a lot of recording with Mike Shannon, who was eventually in Big Bus Dream, and Mike was really good to me and fun to work with. The first record I actually produced was for the band Static..., who I wound up playing with several years later. They were young and they won the recording package in a raffle. I asked Eddie if I could produce that record and he said yes. I'm really thankful that all happened because all of those guys have remained very good friends of mine over the years. I did one of my favorite recordings, ever there, too -- the first Tesser EP, which I don't think was ever commercially released. I did some very early recordings for Joe Firstman when he was in college, before he moved out to LA and signed with Atlantic. Gabe Dixon also played on a session I did there. I also got to assist on a fair amount of pre-production stuff at the Playroom, including Jolene's In The Gloaming, where I met Jeff Powell who is still a friend, and tour rehearsals for Buck Cherry and Aliyah.
4. For the laymens out there, what is the difference between producing, and engineering?
Well, engineering is the technical side of recording. Setting up mics, operating the recording devices, making sure there's no unintentional noises or distortion or stuff breaking. Producing is a more nebulous thing. Traditionally, a producer's job was quality control for a record label. Their job was to make sure that the artists were submitting a record that was going to make money for the label. That primarily means something that is somehow marketable to someone and done within the budget allowed. Over the years, that has frequently morphed into a quality control job that often inflates the budget. Not always, but often enough to mention. But where the engineer is supposed to fix mechanical problems, the producer's job is usually to help guide the artistic decisions. Is that note out of tune? Are the musicians playing with an appropriate amount of energy for the song? Was that take worth keeping? All that sort of stuff. Sort of like a movie director.
I always go into a recording project just assuming that I'm going to just engineer, unless the band specifically asks me to be the producer or to help out with the producing end of things. Eventually, certain suggestions come up in either scenario that cross the line, but those are the basic differences.
4a. Chris, you did some work at Arthur Smith/Studio East. Talk about that, and the musicians you worked with there.
It had been called Studio East for about 15 years when I started working there, but the Arthur legend still loomed large because he's such an important figure in entertainment in the south and quite a character. Arthur's nephew, Tim Smith, was another mentor of mine growing up, so I knew all about Arthur and partially because of Tim, I managed to do a fair amount of recording with Arthur some years after that at Arthur's home studio. Studio East was a great room at the time. It was a large studio with a lot of great history. I was there for about two and a half years and most of what I did there were sound-alikes. Like, recreating hit songs for karaoke or commercials and that kind of thing. That was their bread-and-butter. But I also brought in bands that I knew and would record them there. It was pretty well-equipped and I had a lot of fun experimenting. Probably the most memorable work I did there was with the late, great General Johnson. He was at the studio almost every Thursday when he would come up from his home in Atlanta and record before going out and doing gigs over the weekend.
Working with General was amazing. He was always really protective about his age, but you know he was very, very young when he got his first record deal. And all that stuff with The Showmen was really early experience for him. So, he had been at it a really long time. He understood the process and always had a vision for whatever he was doing. He always pushed everybody. He was good at figuring out people's strengths and making use of that. If he had a song that he waned Danny Woods to sing, he would cut the track and add a scratch vocal to it for Danny to learn. But he would do the scratch vocal while imitating Danny. And he could do it! When he was producing, he would be up dancing in the control room and he was always full of energy when he was working. A friend of mine in LA did a session with Quincy Jones and his stories about Quincy sound VERY similar to my experiences with General. He was very particular about things, but he was right. He had a great wit and was a phenomenal story teller, too. General inadvertently gave me one of my favorite compliments. The first time I ever mixed anything for him, he didn't use my mix but had Joe Kuhlmann re-mix the song instead because he thought my version sounded "too rock." HAHA! Mission accomplished! Playing drums on the re-make of "Give Me Just A Little More Time" -- the one that's on his anthology -- is one of my proudest achievements. I never got credited for it and the entire rest of that album is programmed drums, but I'm happy to have been able to do that.
But really, I recorded a lot of great stuff at Studio East. I worked with David Via, the bluegrass artist. I recorded three different college big band jazz albums there. I did entrance music for WWF wrestler Even Karagias. That had Calvin Richardson singing on it, a few months before he got signed to Hollywood. I did some development recording for Calvin there, too. He was great to work with. And I learned an awful lot in having to do those sound-alikes. Mundane as it seemed, it was a terrific way to figure stuff out quickly and it really helped get my engineering and listening chops together.
5. What led you to form Old House Studios?
Well, I didn't really start it. Old House was converted from an 1870s Gaston County farm house into a studio by David Black and Scott Applegate. It was a really great studio and right before I left Studio East, when I started doing more freelance stuff, Old House was one of the places I started taking projects. David Black and I became good friends and I liked working there. When David passed away in 2005, Scott and David's wife Janet asked if I would be interested in continuing to run the studio, which I did for seven years.
***********This next part is completely cool to publish if the book's gonna be out after like December.**********
In 2012, I bought the studio from Janet and Scott and moved all the equipment to Charlotte. It was always a very comfortable and well-equipped, musician-friendly studio and we're working hard to keep the same kind of vibe at the new location.
6. What are the advantages of running your own studio?
Not having a boss!!! HAHA! No really, I like that I can be responsible for stuff and take care of things like they should be taken care of. I can't stand having broken equipment and that has been an issue at every studio I've ever worked in for any period of time. If it breaks, get it fixed! But I also like, for instance, always knowing where the flashlights are and where the extra batteries are and knowing that if I get out of the studio late one night and don't have something booked the next day, I can just leave everything up and not have to tear it down for the next guy. And of course, buying gear is always fun. I've only got so much room in my house, so having a studio in which to store it becomes an important factor. But having my own place also means I've got a little bit more flexibility to provide certain things for clients that might not necessarily be possible if I'm working at someone else's studio. I still do that on occasion when it makes sense, but I really, really like working at Old House.
7. What has been some of your favorite artists, and records to produce?
I wholeheartedly endorse Mike Strauss and Sunshone Still. I've done multiple records for both those southern artists and they are both an absolute joy to work for. Their records are rewarding on so many levels and they're just plain good people. I'm very proud of the work I've done for both of them. With Mike, I've just engineered. With Chris (Smith, of Sunshone Still), I recorded some early demo stuff for him, but I mixed the first two Sunshone Still records and he was kind enough to give me a co-producer credit on the latest one (ThewaytheworldDies). I did a beautiful jazz piano trio album for bassist Ron Brendle entitled Photograph. It features pianist Frank Kimbrough and drummer Al Sergel. We recorded it with a remote recording setup in a church in Charlotte and the whole session, setup and all, took less than three hours. It was amazing. I've done a couple of records for Todd Bush that were crazy good. I engineered the Flyweb album and I mixed the Bushovski album. I'm kind of an archivist for folk singer/activist Si Kahn, who is also one of my favorite people on the planet, and I do a LOT of recording with Si. In the last few years, I've done several projects with Bon Lozaga, who was the guitarist in Gong, including the last Gongzilla album, Five Even, an EP for his new band, Tiny Boxes, and some solo stuff that he'll finish and put out some day. I've mixed two records for indie rock band Lunch Money (Original Friend and Spicy Kid) that were pretty great. Wisconsin-based David Tomaloff's album Birds On Wires is another one of which I'm really proud. I played drums on it, engineered a good bit of it, mixed it, and co-produced it with David. I've done some really good recordings for pianist Chad Lawson. I also got to spend three amazingly intense days in the studio with Oteil and Kofi Burbridge, Kenny Soule, Ron Brendle, and Scott Sawyer for Scott's album, Go There, which I engineered and co-produced. That was a totally magic experience. And Burning In Hell by David Childers and the Modern Don Juans is another favorite. Of course, I'm also really happy with the albums I've done for my own bands, including Bunky Moon's Schtuff We Like, The Public Good's A Varied Program..., and the self-titled Big Octave album and I've been working on a fun recording-only project with some out of town friends for a few years under the name A Town Called Robot.
I've also had the good fortune to work as alongside some really, really great producers and engineers including Eric "Roscoe" Ambel, Mark Berry, Don Zientara, Jamie Hoover, Arthur Smith, General Johnson, Mark Lynch, Randolph Lewis, Matthew Everhart, Daniel Grimmett, Mark Williams, and Brian Paulson.
8. How do you balance producing other artists, and playing with your own band(s)?
It's just a matter of scheduling. And I really do just sort of book on a first-come, first-served basis. If Mitch Easter books a tour and I can move some stuff around to do it, I might do that, but it's rarely an issue. It's important for me to try to not move things once I've committed to them. I love both playing and recording because it allows for a lot of outlets with a lot of different people in both areas. If I'm playing in a band or a few bands or whatever, doing different stuff and doing what's enjoyable for me, that allows me to be way less dictatorial in the studio. Bands can do what they want and I'm there to facilitate that. I don't have to foist my own creative outlet on their stuff because I have these other outlets. I also think it's helpful in my desire to be a musician-friendly recording guy to be out there "in the trenches" playing and going through the same stuff my recording clients do. And in fact, it's not uncommon for me to sub with some of my recording clients on occasion if their drummer can't make a gig. I get asked to do that a fair amount and it's a lot of fun.
9. Talk about the North Carolina music scene. It's diversity, any specific musicians you like working with, as well as being a part of the NC scene.
North Carolina has an enormously rich history of great music. Even stuff that isn't generally associated with North Carolina can be traced back here. I mean, several of the most gigantic jazz innovators of the 20th Century were from NC, even if they left for New York or Philly before figuring out their thing. Arthur Smith was a pioneer in recording in the South. He had the biggest, baddest studio around for a long time. Not just in NC, but basically the biggest place between like Austin and Philly or something like that. And he had one of the first mixing consoles with pan pots on each channel. That was a big deal! WBTV was one of the first and largest TV stations in the country and many people don't know that RCA/Victor had a huge office and sort-of recording facility in downtown Charlotte for most of the 20th century. And although there have been trying times, Charlotte has maintained a ASOL Symphony Orchestra for 80 years. The Arts & Science Council is an extremely successful example of an arts support group in the US, as well. Even when I was a kid, there was lots of live music in Charlotte and a lot of good original music. I was playing gigs with other junior high school kids in Charlotte in the late 80s. There were those kinds of outlets. And for as weird as Charlotte can be about tearing down old architecture, you have to give credit to places like the Milestone and the Double Door Inn for their longevity and ability to survive some really tough times.
Outside of Charlotte, there's a rich history of pop and college-oriented music in the Raleigh and Chapel Hill areas. Black Mountain was an amazing haven of arts development in the earlier part of the 20th century. And this is all modern stuff compared to the generations of passed-down folk music like bluegrass and gospel that are a key part of North Carolina's history.
As far as people I like working with, the list is HUGE. I'm extremely fortunate to work with the people I work with. In particular, I have to mention bassist Ron Brendle, one of the most fantastic musicians and cool people I've ever met. I've played in a trio with Ron and John Alexander called Big Octave for something like twelve years. "Johnny A" is a terrific saxophone player and composer and those two guys really have a great grip on the concept of trio playing without a chordal instrument. They can also play a huge variety of styles. I've learned a lot from those guys. Guitarist Troy Conn, who is in Bunky Moon with Ron Brendle and me, is another stellar, stellar musician and great guy to be around. My bandmates John Elderkin and Steve Ruppenthal in The Public Good are really terrific songwriters and brilliant guys. They were in the Chapel Hill band The Popes, and later in the bands Stumble and The Lovely Lads in Atlanta. I was a huge fan of all those bands, so for me to be playing with those guys is like a dream come true. For several years, I was a frequent drummer in Don Dixon's live band with guitarist Jamie Hoover and being on the road with those guys is great. Some of my fondest memories on stage have been with those guys and I owe a lot of my career and playing personality to them. And of course, my dear friend, mentor, and bandmate Mitch Easter is one of the coolest people I've ever met. I'm fortunate to have played in his band since late 2006 and I have the utmost respect for him. He is absolutely astounding at what he does both playing-wise and recording-wise and he in one of the most knowledgeable people I've ever been around. It would also be a travesty to not mention drummer/percussionist Jim Brock, one of my heroes, mentors, and friends who is a beautiful soul, as well as an extremely gifted and largely under-rated musician.
10. At the end of the day, what do you hope that listeners get from CDs that you've produced, or engineered?
I hope that there's something that someone will like about an album enough to play it over and over again. I have so many albums that I was obsessed with as a kid (and still am) and I hope that someone, somewhere can get that same kind of enjoyment out of at least one record I do in my lifetime.
Tuesday, November 22, 2022
Sunday, November 20, 2022
Falllift Debuts New Single
Song premiere by Falllift! Again overseen by myself and producer extraordinaire Doug Williams at Electro Magnetic Recorders. Enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jflq5b0Gyww
-Daniel
November 20, 2022
Thursday, November 17, 2022
Soccer Mommy Photos, Charlotte, NC, November 16, 2022
Soccer Mommy
Neighborhood Theatre
Charlotte, NC
November 16, 2022
All photos copyright 2022 Daniel Coston
-Daniel
November 17, 2022
Wilco YHF boxset Gets A Grammy Nomination!
The Wilco YHF boxset has been nominated for a Grammy. Dang. Congrats many times over to Cheryl Pawelski, and the Wilco team for this. I'd like to think that my ten pages of photos in the boxset put them over the top.
And congrats to Ted Olson, who used my interviews with Love in the Forever Changes boxset, for also scoring a nomination!
-Daniel
November 15, 2022
Friday, November 11, 2022
New Cyrkle Album! Buy It Now!
Hi everyone. I hope you enjoyed Warren Kurtz's interview with Dean Kastran and Pat McLoughlin. Here's the scoop on the new album, and more details.
-The Cyrkle is back with their first studio album in 55 years, Center Of The World.
-We're targeting next Friday, November 18th, as the official release day, or the day that copies of the new album will begin to ship out.
-You can purchase the album now, via this link.
Or messaging the band via their FB page. More ways to buy the album are coming soon, as well.
The new album has thirteen songs, including new recordings of Red Rubber Ball, Turn Down Day, and The Visit. The album features several new songs written by Don Dannemann, Mike Losekamp and Pat McLoughlin. It also features the reunion in sound of Dannemann with the Tom Dawes on two songs, We Thought We Could Fly, and He Can Fly. My sincere thanks to Andrew Sandoval for allowing us to use his 2003 recording to make this happen.
We also welcome back the band's 1967 producer Charlie Calello, as his provides his mixing touch on the band's new single, Dance With Me Tonight.
Much more about this, and more news will be coming soon.
Stay tuned, and spread the word.
-Daniel
November 11, 2022
Sunday, November 6, 2022
This Weekend
Friday, photographed five concerts and events in the evening. Not bad for a day off. Saturday, photos of Rhiannon Giddens with the Charlotte Symphony.
RIP Mimi Parker of Low. Play their music loud tonight.
Stay tuned for news this week on the new Cyrkle album. Safe travels out there, and see you on the road.
-Daniel
November 6, 2022
RIP Aaron Carter
My first gig for the Charlotte Observer was an Aaron Carter concert. That day in October of 2000, I photographed a twelve year old in a Walmart parking lot, surrounded by screaming young girls, signing autographs, then hopping back on his tour bus. It seems so long ago. My best wishes to his family, and I hope that Aaron enjoys better travels on the great highway.
-Daniel
November 6, 2022
Friday, October 28, 2022
RIP Jerry Lee Lewis
In September of 1997, Jerry Lee Lewis played a music festival in Charlotte, in the middle of Tryon Street, in a stage that was less than a foot tall. I was several months into my discovery of photography and music, and seeing Jerry Lee was an absolute must, even if the Foo Fighters were playing at that exact time, several blocks away.
Knowing of the Killer's reputation, I originally hid in the crowd with my camera. For whatever reason, and feeling that I had nothing to lose, I found a place on the ground in front of him, although I kept my distance by shooting with a zoom lens.On any night, Jerry Lee was something else. On a night when he was in a good mood and having fun, it was something special. I shot all four rolls film I had in my bag, the most I had photographed any artist up to that point.
I also noticed that Jerry Lee had an amazing guitarist to his right, although I could never catch what his name was. When someone asked me the following week, "Was James Burton with him?" I figured out who that guy had been.
At the end of the night, Jerry Lee starting tapping on his drummer's cymbals, and smoking a pipe. "Jerry's in a really good mood tonight!" an older man next to me exclaimed. It was one of those shows that continued to make me a believer in music, and made me a better photographer.
And yes, I did still make it over to catch the end of the Foo Fighters set. After Jerry Lee was done.
Safe travels, Killer.
-Daniel
October 28, 2022
Photo copyright 1997 Daniel Coston
Wednesday, October 26, 2022
New Event Photos Now Online
Photos from the Bella Notte gala, and other recent photos are now posted over at danielcoston.photoreflect.com. Much more events coming in the next few days. See you there, and see you on the road.
-Daniel
October 26, 2022
Sunday, October 23, 2022
Falllift Debut Single Out Today
Over the last couple of years, I've enjoyed watching and listening to my friends Steven and Micah put together Falllift. When they asked who could help them together their first EP, I said, "I can, and I know just the guy to help you get the sound you want."
Doug Williams and I have been friends, and fellow 60s geeks-in-arms for the past twenty years, when we first met while working on the Avett Brothers' Mignonette album. We had talked about working together on a project, and as if it was meant to be, Falllift appeared. And now, it has come to be.Falllift's first single, "Scale Of Life" is out today via the links below. Enjoy, and trust me, there is much more to come. Cheers to Steven, Micah, Doug, and everyone else that is a part of the story.
https://onerpm.link/284687944332?fbclid=IwAR39vEZSUtaIXXgTC02_b66sgsE5ycx7l_XFpN449MFgcqqBcRFQtAyI0Fw
-Daniel
October 23, 2022
Monday, October 17, 2022
New Interview With Myself, Plastic EP, and Beau Charles Of The Knickerbockers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krzmC5QzQOk
Enjoy,
-Daniel
Wilco YHF In The Top Five!
Hello all-
The new Yankee Hotel Foxtrot boxset, which features ten pages of my photos, debuted at number four on the national album charts, and number one in boxsets. Wow.
More about those heady days soon. In the meantime, go to my Instagram page (@danielcostonphotos) to see several photos from the boxset, and more. Enjoy,
-Daniel
October 17, 2022
Wednesday, October 12, 2022
Friday, September 30, 2022
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Boxset Out Today!
Out today! Complete with ten pages of my photos of the band in 2002. Enjoy, and more soon.
https://wilco.lnk.to/YHF?fbclid=IwAR1H6WZ9GJ4xEXY1NhZFGndbjqb6M3LJDvaqXFtd3LT-0jODcYRT2waCYqw
And go to my instagram page for more photos from the boxset.
-Daniel
September 30, 2022
Wednesday, September 28, 2022
RIP Sonia Handelman Meyer
Being around Sonia Handelman Meyer was always special. Stories of the old New York that gave her such a beautiful canvas. The photos she took of children, of subways and street corners, and life. She had taken the first ever professional photos of Pete Seeger and the Weavers, and had been the only full-time employee of the influential Photo League. The world finally began to pay attention to Sonia at the age of 87. Recognition does not always arrive in one's life span, but Sonia thankfully had more than a lifetime on this earth, and she embraced it when the honors finally arrived.
A few years, I was honored to scan and digitize her work with the Weavers. Contact sheets and negatives that document a moment in music history, and world history. Sonia's photos from that day are amazing, and I look forward to when you all can see more of those photos. They, like Sonia, will live forever.
I loved spending time with Sonia. I loved documenting her, and her newest exhibits. I loved the way she scolded me for "taking too many photos" of her, knowing that she also loved the attention that she and her work were now receiving. It was a conversation that I never wanted to end. At 102 and a half years old, I had hoped for more time with her. Perhaps that the greatest thing you can say about anyone.
Farewell, Sonia. You will always be a friend, an inspiration, and a New Yorker. A neverending window to possibilities, and a voice that will remain as familiar as my own.
Until the next adventure, see you in the stars.
-Daniel
September 28, 2022
Sunday, September 25, 2022
Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Box Out This Week
Busy the last several days, and I'll be really busy this week. I did want to take a moment to celebrate the work of Cheryl Pawelski, Wilco and everyone else involved with this Friday's release of the Yankee Hotel Foxtrot boxset. The collection features much of my photos of the band in 2002, from shows in Nashville and Philadelphia. Those were remarkable adventures, and I hope to post the story of those days sometime this week.
Thursday, September 15, 2022
New Article In ESQ Magazine
Hello all-
The new issue of Endless Summer Quarterly Magazine features my photos and review of Brian Wilson's show in Charlotte on July 1st. Check it out.
www.esquarterly.com
-Daniel
September 15, 2022
Friday, September 9, 2022
Events Last Weekend
Last weekend, photos of all three days of the Earl Scruggs Festival in Tryon, NC, two JazzArts events in Charlotte, one photo shoot in Shelby, NC, and closed out my Avett Brothers photo exhibition. Stay tuned on where the show will go next.
Tuesday, finished work on the Cyrkle's first new studio album in 55 years, and one interview with WSGE in Gastonia, NC. More news on both soon, as well.
Lots to do this week. See you there, and see you on the road.
-Daniel
September 5, 2022
Show Opening Tonight (September 9th)
One show closes, another opens. I have nine photos in this new show that opens tonight. My thanks to Tom and Amelia for inviting me to be part of this part. I will be there tonight, sometime in the 6pm hour. See you there, and see you on the road.
Wednesday, August 31, 2022
Cyrkle Photos, Mansfield, Ohio, August 27, 2022
Cyrkle
with founding members of the Ohio Express
Mansfield, Ohio
August 27, 2022
All photos copyright 2022 Daniel Coston
August 31, 2022
Thurston Howell Band Photos, Matthews, NC, August 19, 2022
Thurston Howell Band
Moochie's Tavern
Matthews, NC
August 19, 2022
All photos copyright 2022 Daniel Coston
August 31, 2022
Thursday, August 25, 2022
Recent Photos/Avett Exhibit
This past weekend, photos of the Queen City Jam Session, Dine & Shine event, LAWA golf tourney, Thurston Howell Band setting sail in Matthews, NC, Snail Mail at the Neighborhood Theatre, and more.
Just two weeks left for my exhibition of Avett Brothers photos at the Earl Scruggs Center. Let me know if you're stopping by, and I hope to see you there, and see you on the road.
-Daniel
August 22, 2022
Snail Mail Photo, Charlotte, NC, August 21, 2022
Snail Mail
Neighborhood Theatre
Charlotte, NC
August 21, 2022
Photo copyright 2022 Daniel Coston
-Daniel
August 25, 2022
Queen City Jam Session Photos, Charlotte, NC, August 20 & 21, 2022
Queen City Jam Session
NoDa Brewing
Charlotte, NC
August 20 & 21, 2022
All photos copyright 2022 Daniel Coston
-Daniel
August 25, 2022