Daniel Lanois’ Black Dub

I’ll start by saying that if you get a chance to see this band, just go. Don’t worry about what else might be going on that night or getting the required 8 hours of beauty rest, just go. This was my first time seeing / hearing this band and if there is a god in this universe it will not be my last. Check out their website for tour dates, they are on the road right now. www.blackdub.net To start with, you might not know who Daniel Lanois is. You have heard his music, at least I know you have heard the music he has produced since it includes artists like U2 (he produced Joshua Tree alongside Brian Eno, remember that one?) Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Willie Nelson. Seven albums that he produced or co-produced have been nominated for Album of the Year Grammys and three of them have won. In late 2009 he formed the Black Dub, a four piece band that consists of Daniel on guitar, Brian Blade on drums, Daryl Johnson on bass, and singer Trixie Whitley who also plays drums, guitar, keyboards and pretty much anything else. This is the band that played at the House of Blues in San Diego on May 31 and i was lucky enough to be there.

I have always said that my favorite subjects to shoot are those that are truly enjoying themselves on stage. I don’t really want to photograph someone just going through the motions, I want to photograph someone having a good time. This band looked like they were having a good time, a really good time. The stage layout was not set up as a traditional band with the lead singer out front and the drums in the back, instead the members were all in a straight line across the front of the stage giving each member equal status, at least visually.