LA Guns | Cheryl Spelts Photo Blog

December 11, 2010 by Cheryl Spelts

A Little Update…

A site called Mystic Metal in Australia did an interview with Tracii Guns back in August, and included some of my images of him and his band, LA Guns. I love the image of Tracii they chose, so I’m glad they gave me an excuse to use it again, in this post!

And in June The Quietus did a really interesting interview with Tracii, and included one of my images of LA Guns. (screenshot)

Then in October, Loud Magazine, in Australia, did an interview with Tracii, and ran the same image of the band. (screenshot)

And one final, little, silly tidbit… I love that my name is showing up on sites like bestbuy.com, cduniverse.com, fye.com, pricegrabber.com, buy.com, artistdirect.com, sears.com, and dozens of other big sites because of this CD – it’s fun!

September 23, 2010 by Cheryl Spelts

LA Guns “Shrinking Violet” Deluxe CD Cover

If you know me, then you know CD covers are my ultimate goal. The very idea of one of my images on a CD cover makes me happy!

And I’ve had some success in that arena – I did a couple of beautiful CD single covers for Marty Casey, and a CD single cover for Lukas Rossi – as well as two CD covers for an indie band back in the late 1990’s. But somehow, a full-length CD by a major band hadn’t come my way yet… until last summer!

I’d shot LA Guns live in concert and backstage several times in 2008 and early 2009, so when they called late in the summer of 2009, I was there! We shot the images in and around, and behind a rehearsal studio in North Hollywood, on the day before the band left on tour. Beautiful images. Some of my favorite images ever of the band.

It was nearly a full year later before I held the actual CD in my hands – but was it ever worth the wait! It’s a beautiful CD, and I’m totally thrilled with the way my images were used. Favored Nations’ graphic artist, Maria Villar, really did a bang up job! When you open the cover, and pop out the CD, you’re immediately hit with one of my images – it’s big and bold and backlit and beautiful!

And another of my images is on the back cover.

A little about LA Guns… The band was formed in the mid-1980’s by Tracii Guns, and at one point merged with a band called Hollywood Rose led by Axl Rose, to become a new band called Guns N’ Roses. Tracii eventually reformed LA Guns, and in 1989 they had a platinum album with Cocked & Loaded, and their single, “The Balled of Jayne” peaked at #33 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 1999, former Love/Hate singer Jizzy Pearl joined LA Guns, and with former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke producing, the group released the album, Shrinking Violet.

In 2006 bassist Jeremy Guns joined LA Guns, and in 2007, drummer Chad Stewart joined the band. This CD is actually a Deluxe Reissue of the 1999 CD – but it also contains five bonus live tracks with the current line up – which is why they needed new artwork – and why I got the call!

Seeing my name alongside Tracii Guns and Steve Vai and Gilby Clarke in the credits? That’s just the best! But perhaps even better is that in Tracii’s “Thanxs” section, he spells my name as Cheryl Speltz – instead of Spelts. My name is spelled correctly in the credits – it’s only spelled creatively in Tracii’s section – and I gotta say, when a guitar god with a name ending in two i’s gets creative with my name, it’s just fine!

>> LA Guns in North Hollywood
>> Marty Casey – I See Stars
>> Marty Casey – Crime of Fashion
>> Lukas Rossi – So This Is Christmas

July 27, 2010 by Cheryl Spelts

I found myself on eBay!

Seriously! I found myself on eBay! I was trying to find a magazine article that came out in June, so that I could finally blog it, and while searching I also found a reference to a CD cover I shot – on eBay – and as silly as it sounds, it made me super happy! I haven’t seen the actual physical CD myself yet, so even though I knew my images were used on the liner, it doesn’t really feel real until I can hold it in my hands – you know? But somehow, seeing my name listed in the credits for the CD, on this eBay listing, just made it all feel a little more real. Besides, have you really arrived as a photographer if you’ve never found yourself on eBay?

So here’s the article – it’s from All Access Magazine, the June issue – and they used some of my images of LA Guns in the article – which is very cool! And it’s a real printed magazine, not just online, which is doubly cool in my world.
Music, Musicians and Myths: by Kim Thore for All Access Magazine – June 3, 2010

And while we’re at it, here’s a link to an Italian music site called SpazioRock, that also has an interview with Tracii Guns – and uses one of my images.
Interview with Tracii Guns: by Daniele Carlucci for SpazioRock – May 27, 2010

I can’t wait to get a copy of the actual Shrinking Violet CD and see my images in person! But until then, it’s cool to stumble across my credit in a listing anywhere – even eBay – I’ll take it!

Shrinking Violet by LA Guns, was released by Favored Nations, and is available now on iTunes and at Amazon.com!

June 21, 2010 by Cheryl Spelts

LA Guns in North Hollywood

May 7, 2009 by Cheryl Spelts

L.A. Guns at House of Blues on Sunset

Some people think that a photographer just shoots what is. If there’s beautiful stuff in front of you, just click the shutter, and voilà! Instant art! But it’s not quite that simple. Yes, if there’s beautiful stuff in front of you, you’re halfway there, but the artist still has to chose where to point the camera, and what moment to capture – as well as a myriad of other more technical choices. With every shot, that artist is telling his own story and showing you his vision. And no two photographers, if presented with the same beautiful subject, will come up with the same way of presenting it. And honestly, even the same photographer on different days, will make different choices. That’s art!

I shot LA Guns last week at the House of Blues on Sunset, which is a great venue, with nice light – my favorite kind of place. And they sounded great and looked great – it was just the best of LA Guns, in every way. So a perfect night to shoot. And lucky for me, I came to that show so wiped out and exhausted I could hardly see straight. Lucky? Yeah lucky. Because shooting a concert is like crack to me – so of course I’m going to rise to the occasion. And of course how I’m feeling is going to shape what I see, and how I shoot – and that’s a good thing!

Earthy, sensual, and wild are how I’d describe my images from that night. I usually go for the extreme, but that night I was attracted to the moments in between – the moments when you take a breath. Not necessarily the moments when the musicians take a breath, but more the moments where you, the viewer take a breath. So go ahead, just breathe… and enjoy!

To see the slideshow from that night, go to:
http://www.rockbandlounge.com/news/2009-04-la-guns/

And remember to maximize your browser window – the images are large, and deserve to be seen that way!

There’s a discussion thread at RBL, too!
http://www.rockbandlounge.com/forum/topic.asp?topic_id=11229

January 15, 2009 by Cheryl Spelts

LA Guns at Brixton South Bay, in Redondo Beach

I got to start 2009 off right with a concert!

The venue was a small club in Redondo Beach called Brixton South Bay, the band was LA Guns, and I got to meetup with some old friends and meet some new ones. It was a fun night!

It was the first time the band had played together in a couple of months, and they sounded good. I think it’s safe to say that I got a little spoiled this summer and early fall – I got to see them in concert five or six times – but that was months ago, and I guess I missed them, because I really really enjoyed the show.

This particular venue wasn’t that exciting, but it did have some cool lights, so it was a fun show to shoot. I got a shot with Marty Casey and Tracii Guns bathed in orange light from one side and violet from the other. I call that RBL light, for obvious reasons, and it’s rare to see it, but always beautiful! But my favorite shots from the night may be the solo shots of Jeremy Guns and Alec Bauer.

I used a wide angle lens almost exclusively that night – and I really pushed the colors and textures – so the images are a little different, and a little out there – but I think they’re fun!

Oh, and the poster for the event featured one of my images!

And finally four-fifths of the band in the greenroom before the show with Darryl Boyd who owns Rock-n-Roll GangStar Apparel.

Edited to Add: A pop culture blog called Icon vs. Icon, recently named LA Guns one of the top Live Acts of 2008, and they used one of my images to accompany the article. It’s a live shot from Yucaipa, back in September. I really do love to see my images turn up in the press, when I’m not expecting it. It’s like an Easter Egg Hunt!
http://www.iconvsicon.com/2008/12/27/the-best-live-performances-of-2008-revealed/

November 30, 2008 by Cheryl Spelts

Expectations versus the Unexpected

Last month I went to a concert with exactly one goal – to get one perfect image with all five band members at the peak of action. Lofty, lofty goal. Too lofty really, but it was what I wanted. So I checked out the venue a couple of days before – a little club on the beach in Pacific Beach. The club is now 710 Beach Club, but prior to the summer of 2006 it was Blind Melons. So I knew the club – sort of – but things can change, and I really wanted that one perfect image, so it was worth a little research. Besides, how taxing is it to go check out a little bar on the beach? Not very!

On the night of the concert I had a plan, and I was ready! My expectation was that I would get that one perfect shot. But some days the universe has other plans, and no matter how much you plan and plot and no matter how clear your vision, you may get something you never expected. Maybe good, maybe bad…

So an expectation fulfilled versus something you never expected? Which is better? Can you roll with it? Can you appreciate the unexpected if it screws up an expectation?

I remember Blind Melons being a hot place for local bands to play. It was always crowded with students from SDSU and UCSD, so even a baby band with few fans could play for a full house, if they got on the bill there. And on a Friday night? Big crowd! But I’d heard rumors that things had changed. So I had zero expectations about the club itself, or about the crowd – and I was pleasantly surprised when the club was packed at midnight – just like the old days! And the crowd was enthusiastic and fun, and hell bent on having a good time. It soon became apparent that I wasn’t going to be able to get the shot I had in my head – there was just no way – too many people crowded up way too close to the edge of the stage – even if I could get in front, I’d be too close to the band to get all five band members in one shot, even with my widest wide angle lens. The crowd was a mass of waving arms, and bobbing heads, so I had no choice but to join the party!

Whenever an expectation goes unfulfilled there’s a moment of regret – I mean I really did want to get the image I had in my head! But at the same time, how could I reject the unexpected when it came in the form of a party? It’s FUN to experience a band I love with an enthusiastic crowd. It’s fun to dance with strangers and scream my head off. It’s fun to just let go, and figure there will be another day, and another concert, and another chance to get that perfect shot.

Sometimes the unexpected is worth the diversion from what I expected.

So no perfect shot of L.A. Guns for me that night. I had a different kind of fun! And there is a little slideshow of that below, if you’re interested. It’s a large file, so let it download fully, then watch it fast! It’s not the same as being there, but it’s a taste…

November 3, 2008 by Cheryl Spelts

Backstage with L.A. Guns!

http://www.rockbandlounge.com/news/2008-09-la-guns/

August 27, 2008 by Cheryl Spelts

L.A. Guns, Live at the Key Club in Hollywood

When a quintessential Los Angeles band like L.A. Guns comes home, after a summer on tour, it’s a big deal! And when that band has a new lead singer, and said lead singer is Marty Casey, and the band also includes Tracii Guns, and the venue is located on the Sunset Strip? Well then you know it’s going to be a great show!