Garage A Trois: Shooting Breaks

Best Instrumental Album of the Year. End of story.

An Assignment I Will Never Forget

I never thought this photograph would accompany a story about murder

In February, I wrote a very simple article about a teacher who won an award and had an all-girls A Capella group sing at the presentation. One of those girls and her father were kind enough to speak with me for my piece, and it breaks my heart to report she’s been murdered in Wayland weeks after graduating from high school.

As mind blown as I am that a former interview of mine came to such a horrific end, I can’t even begin to imagine the pain being felt by her father, friends and community.

At the time, the most memorable part of that assignment was that the award winners’ wife was an old administrator of mine who I was far from fond of. Now, one of the most insignificant puff pieces I ever wrote is the one I will never forget.

Lauren Astley, Rest In Piece

Nuclear Arms Race: Ready… Set… Go!

For as long as Iran has been developing a nuclear program, their opponents have warned that a nuclear armed Islamic Republic would create an arms race in the Middle East. Today, it seems as though the race is about to begin. Saudi Arabia, the region’s strongest Sunni-Arab state, stands to lose the most if Iran, a Shia-Persian theocracy, gets a bomb (sorry Israel).

SaudiArabia’s American ambassador told NATO allies: “[A nuclear bomb in the hands of Iran] would compel Saudi Arabia… to pursue policies which could lead to untold and possibly dramatic consequences.” He didn’t get specific, but an advisor of his came out yesterday to clarify the message saying,” We cannot live in a situation where Iran has nuclear weapons and we don’t. It’s as simple as that. If Iran develops nuclear weapons that will be unacceptable to us and we will have to follow suit.”

The Saudi’s have plenty to freak out about. Iran has a habit of building proxy armies throughout the region, including Hezbollah, who is reported to have tens of thousands of missiles stocked up for their next war with Israel. Additionally, things have gotten ugly for Saudi Arabia’s neighbors and Iran is making things worse. The Arab Spring that has spread throughout the region has brought thousands of protesters into the streets of Bahrain, an island kingdom so close and small it looks like a wart on a map. While Saudi forces have (brutally) helped the Bahraini government suppress the unrest, Iranian agents are making matters worse.

If the Saudis and Iranians get all India/Pakistan on each other, it’s only a matter of time until Egypt (the Arab world’s most populous country) gets in on the antics, and before long, Jordan is going to see what the fuss is all about.

In the event of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East there is one demographic that are the undisputed winners: Residents of the International Space Station. A nuclear blast in the Middle East would be so hot, entire deserts would turn into one big plate of glass. That would look cool from space…right?

NOLA Jazzfest: WHO DAT!?!?!

My review of Jazzfest just went live, but they had their own photog so I thought I'd post some of my own photos here. Dig it.

Maceo Parker

Mardi Gras Indians

Lucinda Williams

Lauryn Hill

Arcade Fire

Bonerama

Lupe Fiasco

Willie Nelson

Kermit Ruffins

Kid Rock

Wilco

Sonny Rollins

Robert Randolph

We're Only Gonna Die...

One of my photos running on Glide

I checked out Bad Religion for the first time in damn near ten years last month, and although I stayed out of the mosh pit, I managed to snap off a few shots. Glide Magazine’s got the gallery people.

AB

New Orleans/Zydeco Queens

First thing in the morning, I’ll be traveling down to the bayou to begin working on my coverage of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. I anticipate funky grooves, late night shenanigans, plenty of performances by Boston’s own Po Boyz, and as many deep-fried swamp creatures as I can eat.

Although I will be reporting on the event on behalf of Relix Magazine, I will be proving some first-person insights and photos via my twitter account. Stay Tuned…

One Less Beard: Bin Laden is Dead!

Alive my ass!

I’ve waited almost ten years to type that headline and it feels really great! Osama Bin Laden has been brought to justice, and the United States is in possession of his rotting corpse. Apparently this cave-dwelling extremist was hiding out in a mansion right outside the capital of Pakistan. CNN reports this was not a drone operation but whether this was military or CIA operation remains unknown.

We have been hunting Bin Laden since the first attack on the World Trade Center in 1993, and following attacks on American embassies in Africa, President Clinton launched Tomahawk missiles at Bin Laden’s base in Afghanistan, a country President George W. Bush invaded in response to the attacks on 9/11.

George Junior wanted Bin Laden dead or alive but Bin Laden was brought to justice on President Barack Obama’s watch. Obama deserves credit for doubling down on the effort to kill this bearded bastard, but the intelligence community is most deserving of claiming victory.

Things have been tense with Pakistan as of late. Seeing Public Enemy #1 was hiding out in so close to that nations seat of power, there is sure to be skepticism about how little Pakistan (and their Taliban-supporting CIA counterparts) knew about Bin Laden’s location. But if Pakistan helped logistically or by providing intelligence, this could boost the historically low relations between Pakistan and the United States.

I look forward to dancing on Osama Bin Laden’s grave, but as a good friend has pointed out, hopefully he will be denied one.