Shakey Graves Rocks The Needle Vinyl Tavern After Edmonton Folk Fest Evacuation - August 10, 2017

Dana Zuk August 15, 2017

PHOTOGRAPHED FOR EXCLAIM.CA

After a sudden performance cancellation due to a weather evacuation on the first day of the Edmonton Folk Music Festival on August 10th, the self proclaimed Gentleman from Texas, Shakey Graves found himself playing an impromptu set late Thursday night down at The Needle Vinyl Tavern in Edmonton.

This was a super exciting time for me over the past weekend. My disappointment of having to leave the festival grounds early on Thursday night before the evening's headliners could hit the stage was easily made all better, thanks to the ever-so accommodating folks down at The Needle, and their notable speedy invitation-tweeting, which spread like wildfire throughout the Twitter world.

The venue started to fill up almost instantly once word got around about Shakey Grave's making an appearance on their stage. Hitting the stage at approximately 11 pm, Shakey and his band of jammers brought the house down entirely for an hour and a half in front of a full floor of people, eager to take in some of his classic southern-blues-meets-bluegrass tunes.

Needless to say, this was a huge weekend-highlight for me, and it's easily something I won't be forgetting about any time soon!

Couldn't make it in time to see Shakey Graves at The Needle? Don't worry! Exclaim! has you covered with the review right HERE!

Edmonton Folk Music Festival 2017 - August 10-13, 2017

Dana Zuk August 14, 2017

PHOTOGRAPHED FOR EXCLAIM!.CA

The 38th annual Edmonton Folk Music Festival took place in the heart of Alberta this past weekend. Residing in the infamous Gallagher Park, close to 20,000 people gathered each day from Thursday to Sunday to watch some of the finest acts in folk music today, all while taking in the beautiful downtown skyline of Edmonton.

This was my first year shooting the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, and needless to say, it surely won't be my last. I had a wonderful time shooting the bands on the main stage, and discovering new music throughout the weekend, and that's just something that cannot be beat, if you ask me. The weather was gorgeous for the most part, despite the rain on the final day of the fest, and an evacuation on the first day due to severe winds in the area, which in turn, resulted in a last minute performance by fest scheduled artist, Shakey Graves, down at The Needle Vinyl Tavern a few hours after the evacuation of the festival grounds. A blog about that adventure along with a full gallery of photos will be coming soon, I promise!

On the bright side, all of the main stage acts that I covered completely blew me away with raw and pure talent. I felt mesmerized at times while photographing some of the artists, and completely captivated by what they were doing on stage. Luckily, through my amazement I was able to capture some interesting shots of the bands. Below is a gallery of some of my favourite snaps shot over the course of the weekend, and full galleries can be viewed over at Exclaim!.

Want to know more about the 38th annual Edmonton Folk Music Festival? Check out the official Exclaim! reviews HERE!

Lakou Mizik - DAY 1

Lakou Mizik - Day 1

Brandi Carlile - DAY 2

Rhiannon Giddens - DAY 2

Rhiannon Giddens

Rhiannon Giddens - DAY 2

La Santa Cecilia - DAY 3

Valerie June - DAY 3

Leon Bridges - DAY 3

Shovels & Rope - DAY 4

SHOVELS & ROPE - DAY 4

City & Colour - DAY 4

St.Paul & the Broken Bones - DAY 4

Queen + Adam Lambert Bring Rock n Roll and Boisterous Bombast to Edmonton's Roger's Place - July 4, 2017

Dana Zuk July 5, 2017

PHOTOGRAPHED FOR EXCLAIM!.CA

The month of June felt slow, and seemed to drag on for me leading up to this highly anticipated gig. The late, great and legendary Queen accompanied by former American Idol contestant Adam Lambert ,hit the stage together at Edmonton's own Roger's Place on Tuesday night, and it was nothing short of spectacular. With Lambert practically oozing with sexuality with every stage move, he made it clear to Queen's Edmonton audience that he was the perfect person to fill the bedazzled boots of their former singer, Freddie Mercury. This was without a doubt one of the most impressive performances that I've been so lucky to have in front of my lens, and it's something that I wont soon be forgetting.

Missed the show? Don't worry! You can check out the official review courtesy of Exclaim! Magazine HERE!

Weezer Jams Classic Tunes at Spring Fling Concert with The Trews & The Flatliners at Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton - April 4, 2017

Dana Zuk April 11, 2017

PHOTOGRAPHED FOR EXCLAIM!.CA

While I still scramble to play catch up with mountains of photos to post, I had a great time photographing local radio station 100.3 The Bear's new all-ages concert series, The Spring Fling, for Exclaim!, featuring Weezer, The Trews and The Flatliners at the Shaw Conference Centre last week on Tuesday April 4th.

Want to know more about the show? Check out the official show review HERE at Exclaim.ca!

WEEZER

THE TREWS

WEEZER

THE TREWS

WEEZER

THE TREWS

WEEZER

THE TREWS

WEEZER

THE TREWS

THE FLATLINERS

THE TREWS

THE FLATLINERS

THE TREWS

THE FLATLINERS

Wesley Schultz & Jeremiah Fraites - THE LUMINEERS

The Lumineers Strum and Stomp Out Sing-Along Tunes to Rogers Place on Cleopatra World Tour - March 31, 2017

Dana Zuk April 7, 2017

PHOTOGRAPHED FOR EXCLAIM!.CA

This was the first of two shows for me on March 31st, chalking the date up to an excellent Friday night in Edmonton. First of which, The Lumineers at Rogers Place; this being my first time shooting in this new, extravagant venue. I was thrilled to be stepping foot on the floor of Rogers Place, and to have this legendary folk-rock group in front of my lens, as they strummed and stomped out numerous fan favourite sing-along tunes to a packed house in Edmonton.

Check out the official show review and more photos of The Lumineers in Edmonton HERE at Exclaim.ca!

Billy Talent Takes Edmonton Higher on Afraid of Heights Tour Stop at the Shaw Conference Centre - February 21, 2017

Dana Zuk February 22, 2017

PHOTOGRAPHED FOR EXCLAIM.CA

A buzz was in the air on Tuesday night in Edmonton, as Billy Talent, one of the city's favourite Canadian rock groups, brought their genius to the Shaw Conference Centre with their current Afraid of Heights tour. The energy amongst eager concertgoers of all ages seemed to build in the room as the minutes rolled down until showtime, greatly adding to the anticipation for what was in store.

A wave of roars erupted from the audience as the lights dimmed and each member of the band took to their spots on stage. Starting things off with a bang, the band roared into "Devil in a Midnight Mass," causing a frenzy of shouts from those gathered in the front row. The show lost no momentum as the familiar plucking of "This Suffering" floated out of the monitors soon after.

Billy Talent gave it their all throughout the entirety of their heavy 22-song set, which included a healthy balance of hits both old and new, obliging their die-hard fans and new listeners alike. As the show seemingly came to a close, the band slammed into "Devil on My Shoulder," which seemed to give everyone an extra power-boost, which only intensified as Billy Talent kicked their encore into high gear with "Fallen Leaves."

Concertgoers across the room could be heard singing along to their favourite Billy hits. Looking around, one would be hard-pressed to find someone without a smile on their face or mouthing the words.

Sticking to the typical Canadian ways, the band politely exchanged smiles, thanked those who came out to the show on a weekday night and expressing their immense appreciation for the support that Edmonton so generously provided that evening.

Ghost Brings Ritual and Worship to Calgary's MacEwan Hall on Popestar 2016 Tour - October 11, 2016

Dana Zuk October 12, 2016

PHOTOGRAPHED FOR EXCLAIM!.CA

Halloween arrived early this year in Calgary, as Sweden's infamous, anonymous, satanic musical sensation, Ghost, graced the stage at MacEwan Hall to a packed Tuesday night crowd. Numerous fans could be seen wearing their best Ghost-inspired costumes, many faces were painted like skulls in honour of the band's only visage.

As church-like choir and organ music filled the room, five of the six anonymous band members each took to their place at their instrument onstage, silhouetted against thick fog, with beams of purple and red lighting shining upon them, creating an eerie mood for concertgoers. As the lights began to settle, the band immediately boomed into their 15-song set with "Square Hammer," resulting in a deafening eruption of joyous cheers from the audience. Then, they amplified as the staple figure, and frontman of the band, Papa Emeritus III, appeared front and centre in full mock pope-attire and began to unleash his hauntingly beautiful voice upon the crowd.

As the night progressed, the anonymous sextet clergy had their loyal fans greedily eating out of the palms of their hands as they sang along loudly to each song. Many fan favourites dominated the setlist: "From the Pinnacle to the Pit," "Secular Haze," "Body and Blood" and "Year Zero" all satisfied the many long-time fans.

With a quick wardrobe change from Satanic pope to maestro, Papa Emeritus III began to conduct the audience with a wave of his hands, and in return, voices echoed throughout the Hall, repeating the chorus to hit song "Cirice" in unison, giving the song a truly spooky vibe. Then, millions of pieces of metallic confetti and dollar bills with Papa's face on them rained from the air as the band glided into "Mummy Dust."

Ending the night on a strong note with "Monstrance Clock," the singing voices of Ghost's audience still echoed throughout the room, as the choral ending to the band's big rock'n'roll finish began to fade out, leaving only the voices of the concertgoers to fill the silence, putting the cherry on top of this night of ritual and worship.

KONGOS Rocks Union Hall on Egomaniac Tour - September 29, 2016

Dana Zuk October 4, 2016

PHOTOGRAPHED FOR EXCLAIM!.CA

Edmonton's Union Hall played host to the one and only KONGOS last night, as they tore up the stage with harmonious excellence, with The Joy Formidable rockin' along at their side.

I was particularly looking forward to this gig after catching the gentlemen of KONGOS at SONiCBOOM 2015. Despite the dreary weather that tried to put a damper on the festival that year, KONGOS still managed to put on a wickedly entertaining set. This time in Edmonton, the brothers did just that, with a little extra "ooph" to get the ball rolling, and to keep the anticipation amped throughout the crowd.

The music was on point, the energy in the room was great, and yet, my photographers-brain still wandered to things that most concert goers don't notice, or pay any mind to... Lighting. I've always been a sucker for good, creative light set ups at concerts (as many fellow concert photographers are) and the light show that KONGOS had programmed last night, though challenging at times, proved to be no less than creative. With light beaming on the band as each member took turns singing lead vocals throughout the set, the literal spotlight would illuminate each member in a way that complimented the mood that the band was trying to portray with each of their songs, making my job of catching the guys in action a little easier.

All in all, last night's show was great. The energy in the room was more than what you'd expect at a week day rock concert, and everyone, on the stage, and within sight of the stage seemed to have smiles on their faces and appeared to be having a great time. Of course, as those of you who regularly follow my blog postings know, sights such as this, makes me one happy gal.

Missed the show? Don't worry! Check out the official show review HERE courtesy of Exclaim! Magazine!

KONGOS

The Joy Formidable

Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer, Paul Stanley - KISS

KISS Unleashes Freedom to Rock Tour on Edmonton - July 12, 2016

Dana Zuk July 18, 2016

PHOTOGRAPHED FOR EXCLAIM!.CA

After a weekend of camping in the mountains with some of my closest friends, I've finally had some time to collect my thoughts about my time spent shooting the one and only KISS last week. It was three years to the day since the hottest band in the world graced the stage at Rexall Place, bringing the heat with their current Freedom to Rock tour, KISS electrified Edmonton, and had Northlands park rockin' on Tuesday July 12th.

Being a huge fan of the band since I was little, having the chance to see them for the second time was just as magical as the first. The lights, the pyro, the theatrics! Turning those who gathered at Rexall Place into creatures of the night, who wanted nothing more than to rock and party the night away. From a photographers perspective though, being close enough to touch the members of the band was surreal to say the least, not to mention that having the "Star Child" himself, Paul Stanley, flick a guitar pick directly to me while I was shooting was something out of a dream.

This is certainly a memory that I will cherish forever. It's not all too often that concert photographers get an opportunity to photograph their favourite bands, so needless to say, I am quite honored to have had the chance to have rock n roll gods and hall-of-famers such as KISS in front of my lens. After an outstanding performance, and ending the concert on a high note, this gig will certainly be a hard one to top!

Missed the show? Don't worry! Check out the official show review courtesy of Exclaim Magazine HERE!

Leftover Crack Makes Edmonton Debut at the Starlite Room- June 28, 2016

Dana Zuk June 29, 2016

PHOTOGRAPHED FOR EXCLAIM!.CA

The infamous politically-charged punk band, Leftover Crack, made their first debut in Edmonton last night, as they stormed the stage at the Starlite Room to unleash their chaos on a sold out house. Opening up the night with Edmonton's very own psycho-billy rockers, The Devil's Sons, to set the mood for what was to come.