My apologies for the lack of input this month, it's been an intense month full of work, more work with a little extra work thrown in for good measure. Spent the first week of the month out again with Def Leppard. Had a blast with them as they rehearsed in Nashville with Taylor Swift for the CMT Crossroads TV show. An unlikely match that at first you would think wouldn't work. I'm happy to say that my first thought of "Oh, that's a strange match" was very much wrong. The fact is that the Lepps along with Taylor and her band gelled really well together performing each others songs. The rehearsals at the sound stage in Nashville and then at the Acuff theater were a lot of fun on both sides of the camera. Everyone had a great time and I got some excellent photos in the process although I did get my bottom pinched several times by various and unknown females on the front row. Saucy beggars! Went out on the town after the filming of the show and tore it up in Nashville with a couple of the guys from Def Lep and most of Taylor's band as well.. Much much fun was had and anything past that would be more than what I swore to...hehehehe...

Everything is pretty much under wraps at the moment with the photos but I'm sure you'll be seeing some of them here and on the Def Leppard official website shortly. The Crossroads show airs on CMT November 7th so look out for it then. Plus, there'll be another little surprise coming shortly that a number of you will like I'm sure.

After we got done in Nashville we headed up to sunny Detroit, cultural capitol and pinnacle of refinement to rehearse and film a live TV performance for the NHL. As we drove through downtown Detroit I was shocked at how many old buildings were boarded up, razor wired off and abandoned. I felt pretty sad especially knowing what a power of industry the city once was in it's heyday. It sucks that we're getting our asses handed to us by foreign car manufacturers but the truth is that they build better cars than we do these days. The mess that the auto industry here is in is the auto companies owns faults... They want 25 billion to be bailed out?!!! Let the OIL companies bail out the auto companies and use our tax dollars on something better like putting Americans back to work. Saying that, I do still love the Jeeps that I have. The Fox theater was a beautiful old building, probably built in the 20's and very ornate inside. It's a pity that there aren't more historical buildings like this here in the States. We tend to build to last 20 or 30 years and then knock it down.... A pitiful mindset and a guarantee that this country will still be way behind the rest of the world when it comes to historical buildings.

Anyway, I ramble and blabber... Rehearsals for the guys were long, very long in full make up and stage wear. I have to say that the highlight of rehearsal was Joe having to pretend that a big black coffee urn was the Stanley Cup. The look on his face holding that was pricelessly funny. Maybe if the NHL had the actual cup on hand he wouldn't have put it upside down on the night of the show... Hockey fans everywhere whined about him doing this but he'd never seen the bloody cup before and to be fair, a cup is narrower at the bottom and wider at the top... All went well though and the crowd loved the performance.

So I've just spent the better part of over two and a half weeks sifting through over 3,000 images, sorting, categorizing and editing. My eyes sting, my arse is numb and my back aches. Other more well known photographers have minions and re-touching people to do all this work for them but not here... I just have Daisy Buttons who sits by my monitor supervising the proceedings. Still, at least the whole thing from start to finish is my work eh. ;O)

The new Guitar world has three ads this month featuring my work. EMG pickups, GHS Strings and Jackson Guitars.. Sweet!

 

By the way, as I write this drivel that you're using to pass your time, I'm firmly ensconced with a numb bum at 33,000 feet en route to Connecticut for a photo job with the lovely Miss Taylor Swift who has personally requested my presence and photographic services for a couple of days. I hear that the weather there is cold enough to freeze the you know what's off a brass monkey.......GOOD! I'm sick of the heat in South Texas...bring on the icicles! I just hope that the driver is on time waiting for me at the airport as it's a late arrival.

Keep your eyes peeled for more ramblings here soon.

ASH

 

 

Headed up to San Antonio today for a quick endorsement shoot for EMG. This one was with Rich and Chuck who play guitar and Bass in Toby Keiths band. Really nice guys, easy to work with and fun to talk to. I wish every job was as straight forward as this one. The only challenge of today was the heat which was 110 degree heat index and finding power outlets to power my strobes. Sat the guys on a grass bank outside near catering and did our thing. Chuck said the venue staff killed a rattlesnake there earlier in the day so we were watching out! Pics came out good though so the sweat and sunburn were worth it. Sat down in the dressing room after the shoot with the guys and had them pick out the ones they liked best. I didn't even have to stay and shoot the show so I was back home by 8pm which made a nice change.
  
  

Ahhhh....Sunday.....day of rest right? Wrong! With a paw on the head and a lick on the nose with a raspy little tongue Daisy Buttons spoils my one chance of laying in today.

Head off up the road later to San Antonio for a photo shoot with the mighty Judas Priest. Actually it's with the three guitarists KK Downing, Ian Hill and Glenn Tipton for an EMG Pickups ad. Am kinda worried though as the rain has been bad the last few days and is threatening to drench us yet again in this afternoon. It's not a bad drive there, only a couple of hours but the South Texas landscape between where I live and San Antonio leaves a great deal to be desired.

Get to the venue and pick up my pass and call up Weasel who's KK and Glenn's tech. He arranged for me to park backstage by the tour bus and meets me as I pull in. Really nice guy who took pity on me not having an assistant by helping haul my gear from the Jeep. Usually at this venue I set up and shoot outside by the tour buses but being that the sky is slate grey and mocking us with beads of precipitation I set up under a big tent that's backstage. It's not ideal by far but when you're faced with no other option and a shoot with some rock legends then you have to pull the odd white rabbit from your camera bag from time to time....

Weasel is an old hand at this business. I ask him when he started in the biz to which he replied "1971".... hey, the year I was born! Needless to say he knows what he's doing and all of the guitars were tuned and ready hours ago so he continues to help me out setting up and posing for test shots. Super bloke! I've been very fortunate to work with some great folks that work behind the scenes for various bands. All too often they're the unsung heroes that save the day and the concert more often than not.

I'm supposed to get 15-20 minutes with guys so I know I have to work fast today... This is pretty much standard when a band doesn't know you and I've only ever shot them live once before back in �05. Ian Hill comes out first and we chit chat a little and get started. He's a really nice guy, not at all as I imagined. I ask him if he still lives in England and it turns out he does and not far from his roots... Get what I need of Ian with his Spector bass and KK and Glenn appear with their guitars at the ready. Shoot the three of them together which is really quite hard on this shoot as I can't back up any further. My mate and fellow photographer Gary takes a few shots of me working with guys, he's a rare breed is Gary, one of those photographers you meet in the pit that doesn't look down their nose at you because of what kind of camera you're using or even worse...just because you're there! Those types, and they are there at all levels are wankers... Ones that give photographers a bad name. Anyway, I try giving directions to the fellas but Heaven and Hell who are mid set as I work are so bloody loud that they can't hear a word I'm saying. They're good sports about it though and know what they're doing and I know when I have what I need so Ian departs and I finish off shooting KK and Glenn. All done in almost ten minutes, this has got to be a record for me so far! That and I didn't make a band groan with one of my limericks :O)



The admirable Weasel appears once again and starts helping me break down my gear and load it into the Jeep. People outside are being eaten alive by mosquitoes the size of sparrows! Everyone is being nibbled on and bitten except me... Some girl walks up and asks why they don't bite me.... I tell her that they don't like foreign food and she looks blankly at me... Humor bypass surgery will do that you kids ;O) Truth is that I made a humongous chicken curry the night before with two huge white onions and tons of garlic..... The mossies HATE both... My curries are legendarily hot.... So lip burningly hot and twice the heat coming out..... Hehehehe... More for me!

So it's been a bloody long time since I posted a blog here... Lots and lots of things have been happening and lots of things planned and organized. My apologies for the absence but hopefully the blogs will be a little more frequent than previously.

As I sit here and write this my arse is numb, I'm hungry and my flight to Glasgow has just left 3 friggin' hours late out of Newark, New Jersey... They ran through a crap load of pathetic excuses for the delay this time from poor weather, luggage problems to pixies jigging on the runway!



Anyhow, after placating Daisy Buttons this morning I'm now well on my way to Bonnie Scotland to kick off a couple of weeks out on the UK tour with My mates Def Leppard who kindly asked if I would be their photographer whilst they pay a visit home and play to the home crowds... Of course I obliged, I'd be mad not to as I grew up listening to them and as well as them being fine musicians they're all a jolly nice bunch of chaps from just down the road from my hometown in Yorkshire. Now if the pilot would just put his bloody foot down and get on with making up for lost time instead of feeding us excuses... By the way, the new Def Lep single "C'Mon C'Mon" is being released as a special 12" Vinyl featuring my pics of the guys on the cover... Check it out below...



So! What's been happening recently? Well...of course apart from the planning of me being on tour with the Lepps I've been busy setting other stuff up also. Took a short trip up to Austin a few weeks back and paid a visit to Todd Sucherman's home and studio for a cover shoot for an upcoming issue of Modern drummer magazine. For those of you that might not know, Todd is the very accomplished drummer for STYX, a fine band known for many 80's hits who are still going strong to this day. As well as being one of the finest drummers and rhythm technicians out there Todd like myself happens to be one of the biggest Keith Moon fans. Of course this meant an instant connection and barrage of Moonie trivia and quotes... A few hours later and several set ups in Todd's more than adequate home studio at his beautiful home we're done with the shoot and quite pleased with the results... Time for a quick bevy and a few personal pics and I'm back down the road for a short 4 hour drive home... 4 hours is a quick run out for us Texas folks y'all ;O)
 


Al Jourgensen and the Ministry boys are still out there doing their farewell tour and have now invaded the European shores with their volley of Industrial Metal and mayhem. Check out a couple of my pics below that have been used recently.



Popped up to San Antonio a couple of weeks back to shoot and hang out with my mates in Hatebreed and Type O Negative. The Hatebreed fellas layed it on thick and heavy as usual and worked the crowd up into what can only be described as a sweaty spumescent froth of enthusiasm whilst Type O Negative continued to secure their place in my top 5 favorite bands of all time... I love these guys on and off stage. They're all so different personality wise but their music bonds them into a brotherhood of gothic metal that just keeps their fans coming to shows. Got to spend time hanging and catching up with Pete Steele before and after the show. It was nice to see him again and he seems to be in a bit better place than when we last spoke. By the way, ol' Pete is not stood on a box or anything for that matter�he is that tall!!
 


Here's a full page EMG Pickups ad that's running in Guitar player magazine this month. This pic is from a session I did in January with the legendary guitarist Steve Lukather at his home in the Hollywood Hills. Smashing bloke with a wicked sense of humor and he laughs at my stupid jokes and limericks so he's alright in my book...hehehehehe...If you ever get bored then Google Steve Lukather and look up his discography and be prepared to be amazed at just how many well know songs and albums that he's contributed to in his colorful career...VERY impressive!


Total Guitar Magazine (UK) feature on my buddy Marcus Henderson, the man behind the guitars on the Guitar Hero games that everyone loves to play... Pics by yours truly in this feature.



Well, they just served dinner here on the plane... Folks are nodding off to sleep and turning out their lights for now. We land in Glasgow in a few hours and I get to check in to the hotel before the Lepps arrive this afternoon. Must get some rest for a couple of hours before and then clean my sleazy ass up a bit.

ASH

Well Well Welcome to this crisp new website! Slicker than a fresh pail of baby poop and fresher smelling than an English Meadow! So! Where did I leave off? Hmmmm...NAMM in Los Angeles...what a zoo of a place, 88,000 vendors, buyers, musicians and many more checking out all the new music industry tools and instruments, artist appearances a virtual assault on the senses and is totally relentless from start to finish each and signings over a 4 day period! The noise in these giant halls is astounding! It's day. There's no bloody wonder that we all hit the bar at the Hilton right after the show!!

So I got to Anaheim Wednesday, flight on time, nice rental car. Got to the hotel and Expedia.com's computer system screwed up the bloody reservation... No confirmation and no rooms! Two hours later expedia.com has a new orifice and Ash has an even better hotel and a bigger discount! Cue Marcus Henderson of Guitar Hero game fame...my room mate fresh from a secret TV show audition in Burbank... After a quick freshen up we head out for a quick bite and then hit the bar at the Hilton where we proceeded to imbibe the local liquid offerings. Saw my mates Marco Mendoza and Doug Aldrich from Whitesnake and spent some time catching up whilst Marcus Henderson rediscovered his passion for ornamental animal anatomy...

Thursday I headed up to the Hollywood Hills to famed guitarist and songwriter Steve Lukather's home for a photo shoot with him for EMG. Found him to be really easy going and he laughed at my crappy jokes so he's alright in my book. Got some great pics that I'm real happy with including ones of him with his very cute Pug "Swink".

Back at NAMM Friday, saw so many of the folks I've worked with or shot over the last couple of years trolling around the aisles and checking out all the new gear... Bumped into Jason Bonham on his way to do a signing... Chit chatted for a while and caught up with him about the Zep thing, Def Lep etc...

The guys at EMG Pickups really did a bang up job with my photos on their stand this year featuring a ton of my photography. Neil Zlozower even payed me compliment on the work! Not to mention the 2008 EMG Calendar with 9 months of 12 featuring my artist pics.

All in all a great NAMM show, new clients, and reconnected with old friends, tons of networking and new business possibilities... I'll let the pics show the rest...