March 27, 2009 – Fresh from conquering Austin and SXSW, NYC’s own Semi Precious Weapons brought it home for a headlining concert under the big, beautiful lights of Blender Theater at Gramercy.
Playing to a crowd of die-hard fans and the newly initiated alike, SPW pulled out all the stops in a raucous, over-the-top spectacular of rock ‘n roll machismo, catwalk couture, and, above all, page six glamor.
Lead by the infamous Justin Tranter – jeweler to the stars, Perez Hilton’s pal, and your favorite glam rock superhero – the band sold the crowd on one simple idea: that rock ‘n roll never looked so beautiful.
Dressed in thick-striped leggings, a black blazer, patent leather stilettos, tassled gloves, and adorned with chains from his own Fetty line, Tranter was the ringleader of the evenings spastic, gyring spectacle.
On stage, shedding clothing throughout the evening, Tranter appears simultaneous calculating and impetuous, flitting from rock ‘n roll despot to the audience’s wide-eyed lover and then back in as many turns of the heel.
Axeman Stevy Pyne, dressed in a chartreuse Mandarin jacket, brought all the face-melting guitar love from his Les Paul, spraying riffs on his knees, on his back, and up on the wedges at the front of the stage, all with equal abandon.
All the while, Dan Crean banged out a savage beat to the circus in front of his spare, five-piece kit, quick on the sticks and splashy in all the right places.
Stage left, there was Cole Whittle – the boy raised by wolves – proof that nothing says chops like nailing a crushing bass solo while your megalomaniacal frontman drags you across the stage by your scalp. And, with all band members having studied at Boston’s Berklee College of Music, you’d expect nothing less.
They’ve got the celebrity endorsements, the skills, and the look. Go see these guys; a minute into the eyeliner, thriftstore street glam, and high kicks, Semi Precious Weapons will have your heart, too.
Photographer’s Notes:
Semi Precious Weapons are my favorite band to photograph. So much so, in fact, that I harbor small delusions about keeping them a secret from the rest of you fine folks. No offense, mind you.
Of course, there’s no keeping something so rock ‘n roll hush hush. Not when singer Justin Tranter breaks into the splits and starts singing so sweetly that angels in heaven start to weep. And certainly not when I want my friends to have all the success in the world.
I’ve photographed Semi Precious Weapons half a dozen times since meeting up with them in 2007, and every single show has been a blast. Their big, headlining show at the Blender Theater was no different.
There was no pit at the venue, so I grabbed a piece of the stage front and center. This position put me in the prime spot to photograph the band’s frontman, Justin Tranter. While it’s hard to single out just one member of the band when the whole group is so animated on stage, as Tranter sings, he’s been “magnetic since he was a baby.”
Last but not least, this concert was also a blast to photograph because it meant another opportunity to shoot with my brother, Chris Owyoung.
Yes, Chris is my brother. The rumors are true. I know what you’re thinking – “Two Owyoungs who are concert photographers? And they’re brothers?” It’s nuts.
Chris is going to be posting some great stuff sometime soon, too, now that I’ve thrown down the gauntlet.
End Notes:
2009 is the year of Semi Precious Weapons. Love to my friends in SPW for being great subjects, as always. If you don’t know them already, you will – good things are coming from these guys.
Also, big thanks to Shaun for helping coordinate everything. Shaun is really the fifth member of this band.
Lastly, stay tuned for promo shots Chris and I did with Semi Precious Weapons. I think you’ll like them.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 6th, 2009 at 9:24 pm and is filed under Music Photography and tagged with cole whittle, dan crean, fetty, flash, glam, justin tranter, nyc, rock, semi precious weapons, spw, stevy pyne. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Semi Precious Weapons — glam rock heroes, page six stars, my favorite band to photograph. Here’s why: http://is.gd/xnYB (@preciousweapons)
[...] before their headlining performance at the Blender Theater in NYC, Semi Precious Weapons took some time out to to do a set of promos with the Owyoung [...]
Semi Precious Weapons http://bit.ly/M42DH
[...] more photos of Semi Precious Weapons, check out photos of their show at the Blender Theater at Gramercy, which was one of Top 10 Concerts of 2009 (if you twist my arm, I’m calling it #3). You can [...]
[...] I heard that Semi Precious Weapons were playing Gramercy Theatre, my favorite live music venue in New York City, it was a done deal: I [...]
Welcome to ishootshows.com, the premier site for music photography featuring daily concert coverage, portrait features, and photo advice from professional music photographer Todd Owyoung.
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My name is Todd, and I love the rock show. My work has appeared in publications such as Rolling Stone, SPIN, the New York Times, Alternative Press, Metal Hammer, Entertainment Weekly, and Billboard Magazine. I'm available for worldwide travel for editorial and commercial assignments.
Really awesome shots Tod. Some of the poses have animal like quality to them :)
Hey Paul, thanks. Nice to hear from you! Semi Precious Weapons definitely channel the beast at times.
Hey Todd. Did you ever catch that shot of Justin holding my camera and taking pics of the crowd?
Hey Mike, I can see if I saved any shots of that.
Hey Todd… These are great that guy is a super freak!! Especially the 6th one from the bottom! Yikes. Fisheye?
Hey Arian,
Thanks for the comment. Justin is awesome.
I shot this set with the Nikon 14-24mm and Nikon 24-70mm. No fisheye shots here, just the good ol’ ultra-wide.
I would sell a kidney to shoot SPW under those lights. Wow.
Fantastic shots, Todd. You + Justin = magic.
Funny you should say that, Tasha, because the day before the concert I woke up in a bathtub full of ice…
But in all seriousness, thanks for the feedback. When I heard the band was playing at the Blender, I knew what had to be done.
absolutely blinding todd. an explosion of character you have caught there. i can’t wait for this band to cross the water. must be a joy to shoot!
need to get myself a ultra wide lens though ;)
top notch pics and blog as always.
Hey John,
Thanks very much. Explosion of character – that’s what these guys bring to the stage every show. To be honest, SPW make my job a lot easier!
They did a short UK tour last year, but hopefully they’ll be over your way again soon. Definitely catch them if you can. And if you do, don’t forget the wide angle.
Damn dude, awesome shots. Way to light a fire under my ass to post mine. Sheesh.
Thanks, brah. Great shooting with you, can’t wait to see your shots.
Dueling Owyoung brothers?! ha ha…I can’t wait to see the “response” set…
Todd, amazing captures of this visually stunning band…and amongst all the colorful lighting, I am envious…
Hey Elisa!
Ha, anytime, anywhere. But really, I’m interested in seeing my bro’s take on the night. We were shooting about 3-feet apart. Thanks for the comment, I appreciate it. Nice to hear from you.
wow wow wow! I’m an artist myself and played a show with Justin years ago before he had formed SPW. Now aside from being a full time artist myself I’ve taken up the hobby of shooting shows. I am so inspired by your work Todd! Do you shoot much in LA? I’d love to tag along and learn some tricks if you need an assistant for a night!
Hey Michael,
Yup, Justin has really made a transformation after the last few years. Will definitely hit you up if I’m coming out to LA, thanks!
There’s just no point in saying anything anymore, hehe. Your work is always so darn good!
This is one hell of a set. The singer is so expressive and that sure helped those great shots you got from him. Amazing poses.
Cheers,
Daniel
wow.. Prince has nothing on him.. he has on like 4inch heels dude.. and the pants are mad awesome.. great shots..
Hey Arty,
Thanks for the comment. I passed your comment along to Justin and he simply replied, “AMAZING!” Justin could probably complete a triathlon in heels.
Hi Todd ,these are beautifully captured ,great poses and wonderful colours,it’s a pleasure to view them.
Hey Ian, thanks very much. Glad to hear you enjoyed this set.
I LOVE all your Semi Precious Weapons Photo’s. They’re brilliant. Both the photo’s and SPW.