Winding Up in Toronto

A few months ago, I was in Toronto working for Avril Lavigne. Coincidentally, my friends at Wind-Up Records were shooting a TV show in Toronto with some of their bands on the day before my shoot.

I was asked to document the live performances, but I brought my lights with me and took the opportunity to do some portraits as well.

First I worked with country artist Eric Durrance. We had dinner the night before and he’s the real deal. Down to earth guy with a big heart and that country twang.

For the shoot, I worked in a big room behind the old church where they were shooting the show. Luckily there was a cool door with some character that I thought would play well with Eric’s look.

I also did some tight headshots and the label is using one of them on his upcoming album.

The other band I shot was Thriving Ivory. Man, what a sound. Lead singer Clayton Stroope has one of the most distinctive voices I’ve ever heard. Think Axl Rose meets Robert Plant.

During their live show, the band occasionally throws in a little Led Zeppelin and Clayton’s high register perfectly matches Plant’s near the end of “Stairway to Heaven.”

Thriving Ivory’s musical style is “piano rock” and their epic sound has been compared to U2 and Coldplay. You can listen to the single “Angels on the Moon” on their website and buy the album on itunes.

I wound up doing a few quick portraits with the guys in that room behind the church. They’re now using this photo in some promos (vote for them on VH1), on their Facebook and MySpace pages, etc.

Because that shoot went so well, Wind-Up recently sent me to San Francisco and Las Vegas with the band to shoot more photos. I’ll put some of those up after they pick their favorites.

I sure am glad I brought my lights with me on that Toronto trip!

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