Crib Notes

Outtakes is a series of blog posts in which CL staff photographer Joeff Davis talks about photo shoots from last week’s Music Issue:

The original idea for the Coathangers shoot was to photograph them in a junkyard. I always wanted to do a shoot in a junkyard and the Coathangers seemed like they would contrast well with that setting.

I stopped by three different car junkyards to see if we could shoot there and I got rejected at all three. One asked me for money, one denied me for “liability reasons” and the third just said “NO!”

I ended up finding some equally gritty locations, but perhaps they were too gritty. ’Cause before we could even set-up to take a picture at the first location we started getting hounded by people asking us for money or making comments about the pretty girls in tattoos. The Coathangers were obviously uncomfortable. So we only got to shoot briefly at two of the locations before bailing to more comfortable surroundings.

Nevertheless, one of those gritty locations — in front of a white hearse — produced the image we decided to use in CL’s print version (although it got cut due to space). I felt a little weird about using the hearse as a backdrop — especially when one of the Coathangers showed up wearing an O. J. Simpson t-shirt — but I liked how it produced an eerie, edgy vibe.

Mixtape Love: Outtakes, pt. 2 with Grip Plyaz

Mixtape Love: Outtakes, pt. 1 with the Balkans

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Outtakes is a series of blog posts in which CL staff photographer Joeff Davis talks about photo shoots from this week’s Music Issue.

Grip Plyaz, “Fuck Dat Hipster Shit”

Grip is a cool dude. We did the photo shoot on his birthday, and when we showed up to meet him at the pizza joint on Edgewood where he works he was wearing a hat that read “Teenage Millionaire.”

When I heard his name for the first time, I immediately thought of shooting him in a dentist’s chair with a dentist coming at him with a huge pair of pliers — which is my own personal worst nightmare. But I didn’t think we would ever find a dentist willing to let help make it happen. On a whim, I left messages at like 20 different dental offices and when I came in the next morning I was surprised that I had received responses from half of them saying we could do the shoot in their office.

We settled on the office of Jeffrey and Sarabess Baumrind because they were a father and daughter team which seemed really cute. They were also based downtown and claimed they had several other rappers as clients (though they told us they couldn’t reveal their names).

We got the huge pliers from a local store. In talking about how to pay for them with CL’s music editor, he suggested we just “rent” them — which meant buy them and return them after the photo shoot, he explained.

I was like, “We can’t do that. That’s not cool.” So I called the store and spoke to the manager, who also suggested that we buy the pliers and return them. That’s exactly what we did.

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Holly Lang – Founding editor of Pine Magazine

My mixtape:

Brigette Bardot “Ça Pourrait Changer” Best of Bardot
Blackalicious “Chemical Calisthenics” Blazing Arrow
Les Savy Fav “Wake Up” The Cat and the Cobra
Galt MacDermot “Coffee Cold” Shapes of Rhythm
Serge Gainsbourg “Ballade de Melody Nelson” L’Histoire De Melody Nelson
Margo Guryan “Someone I Know” Take a Picture
Neutral Milk Hotel “Aeroplane Over the Sea” In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
Toshack Highway “The Sounds and the Times”
Magnetic Morning (split with Sianspheric/Aspirin Age)
Deerhunter “Rainwater Cassette Exchange” Rainwater Cassette Exchange
Dr. Dog “Little Bird” Passed Away, Vol. 1

My favorite Atlanta band? I’d have to say Club Awesome. Easily one of the more fun bands around, they tend to go ridiculously balls out at their shows, complete with weird outfits and strange showmanship. But while many bands who use props and costumes during shows tend to lack in skill and talent, Club Awesome is actually pretty good. Their new album Dynamos is as energetic as the band, and features that atypical style of pop that separates them from most the other bands ‘round these here parts. Plus they sometimes have pool parties at their shows. Who doesn’t like to get half-naked and wet while watching a band play?

Check out Mixtape Love: CL Music Issue ‘09

(Photo by Justin Sias)

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To celebrate CL’s annual music issue we asked a random mix of Atlanta tastemakers, critics and promoters to share their greatest playlists.

Lance Ledbetter, founder of Dust-to-Digital

1. Rev. Johnny L. Jones “God Specializes”
2. Omar Souleyman “Leh Jani”
3. Chubby Parker “Bib-a-Lollie-Boo”
4. Andy Iona and His Islanders “Ta-hu-wa-hu-wa-i”
5. Cecil Barfield “Georgia Blues”
6. Brother Claude Ely “There Ain’t No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down”
7. Chrissy Zebby Tembo and Ngozi Family “Trouble Maker”
8. Marika Papagika “Smyrneiko Minore”
9. Group Bombino “Imuhar”
10. John Fahey “Desperate Man Blues”

My favorite Atlanta-based artists is Rev. Johnny L. Jones of Second Mount Olive Baptist Church. His nickname is the Hurricane, and after you hear some of his songs and sermons you’ll know why. The music is supplied by organ and tambourine with the congregation backing Johnny, and the result is some of the most ecstatic sounds I’ve ever heard. Check him out on WYZE 1480AM every other Saturday at 11a.m.

Check out Mixtape Love: CL Music Issue ‘09

(Photo by Chad Radford)

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To celebrate CL’s annual music issue we asked a random mix of Atlanta tastemakers, critics and promoters to share their greatest playlists.

Bean Summer
Video artist/Lenny’s promoter

Top 10 Playlist
1. Roger Miller “Chug-a-lug” Golden Hits
2. Talking Heads “Once in a Lifetime” Best of the Talking Heads
3. Summer Hymns “Trouble” Clemency
4. God Speed You Black Emperor “The Dead Flag Blues” F# A# (Infinity)
5. Alejandro Jodorowsky “Psychedelic Weapons” From the Holy Mountain soundtrack.
6. Beck “Hollywood Freaks” Midnight Vultures
7. John Oswald “Power” 69 Plunderphonics 96
8. Johnny Cash “Busted” Blood, Sweat and Tears
9. Throbbing Gristle-everything they ever did!
10. Thurston Howl III “Still Lives with my Moms,” Featuring: Master Fuol-Skillionaire.

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