For the uploads to YouTube of this project, I decided that I would make two videos. I chose the split to be where the fireworks video would fit. It turned out to be a rathe long project when I finished it so thought perhaps splitting it could result in easier viewing for those who care enough to watch. I uploaded the first part to find it was blocked due to YouTube copyright issues with some of the songs. I wasn't able to mute those songs or otherwise fix it so it wouldn't be blocked. I decided to try to upload it again and see what would happen after uploading the second part and it not getting blocked (even with one song overlapping that was on the list of blocked songs). The second upload attempt seems to be allowing for viewing of the project so I deleted the first upload.
I decided to 'retire' the daily apocalypse count with this project due to life beginning to be 'normal' with shows being back and indoor capacity restrictions being eliminated. Throughout the summer we increasingly began to live a more regular type of life, though I kept my bandana on for the times when establishments continued the masking safety protocols.
I also decided to retire the apocalypse intro clip and instead just had a few photos scroll through ending on the one of Stein sunning in the window which is taken from the opening clip. The title created and edited using Motion 4 on a Macbook. Instead of photographs of the lightning, I took one of the slow motion clips of lightning I created and added that in among other weather related photographs.
There are several "life" clips and mini projects that I posted separate from the seasonal project. Even though they are also included in the project with some additional soundtrack, they are also included in this blog as separate clips and placed as appropriate according to the timeframe when it occurred.
https://youtu.be/M0hQt2ytMFY
As stated above, the first clip is Stein sunning in the window from Wednesday June 2nd, 2021. We returned home the night before from a little road trip through the northern Midwest and I was preparing to go to work. On Thursday June 3rd, 2021, Elphie captured a clip of Stein while he was purring loudly. On Friday June 4th, 2021, I shot my Excalibur Bulldog 440 Crossbow at the target I purchased. It took me a bit to figure out why when I tried to fire nothing would happen but once I realized I had not cocked the string all the way to the trigger, I took a shot. I hit a bit right of center and high when looking at the target. I would need to work on getting it sighted in but for now I was happy to shoot and hit the target rather than shooting it into the wall of the garage.
Welcome Back Garden Room Show...First LIVE in person show since the pandemic (06.05.2021)
"Non Ho Piu Para Di Domme (I'm Not Afraid To Sleep Anymore)" by Leper
https://youtu.be/IIq33yoCa4M
"Think Of The Sparrows" by The Ghost Servant
https://youtu.be/DiXWsUxAWRs
"Real Thing" by Teel Short
https://youtu.be/CPFnzvhkYjA
On Saturday June 5th, 2022 I attended the first live show in person with others in a room with the artists since March 2020. I wrote a blog when I originally uploaded the clips above celebrating the return of live music! In that blog I stated that I probably wouldn't write a blog for each and every show and that has held true. The live footage I captured using my Canon Rebel T6. As I wrote in the blog dedicated to this show, I intended on using that camera as often as the situation would allow for live concert captures. I captured a song from each artist. Leper, The Ghost Servant, and Teel Short are all artists who reside at J.P.U.S.A. This show was more or less a private event but even in the community of J.P.U.S.A., this was among the first events in which folks were able to gather together in one space with few if any restrictions. I also captured some footage of art that was on display as well as the impromptu hair cuts that were going on later in the evening with Christie Raney.
https://youtu.be/VphWCkKmoX8
I uploaded this clip after driving home from getting groceries on Sunday June 6th, 2021. There was significant traffic on the highway so I decided to take an exit I don't usually take to get home. A truck began to tailgate me on the exit ramp then whipped around us, driving fairly erratically on the berms of the road and running red lights. The license plate had 'F' and 'P' indicating fraternal order of police...it is likely an off duty cop showing this disregard for law and order. I decided to add a commentary to this video. I also included the timestamp that's part of the video file captured with the CrossTour CR900. Usually I crop that out. I used a circle blur effect to blur out information that was unnecessary for this purpose.
On Tuesday June 8th, 2021 I used the CrossTour CR900 to capture the low clouds and fog during my commute home. Once home, the neighborly opossum came through the front yard, smelled the flowers then went under the steps of the porch. On Thursday June 10th, 2021 as I made my commute home a bit later than usual, I captured the Navy Pier Ferris Wheel lit up as a rainbow. On my commute on Friday June 11th, 2021 I captured some boats off the shore as I drove down Lake Shore Drive. On Saturday June 12th, 2021 as a storm passed through, I hoped to capture some lightning. It was mostly just flashes from what I could tell with some decent thunder claps. I think I captured more heavy rain than anything. That evening, we went over to Andy's Custard as sort of a beginning to celebrating our anniversary.
On Sunday June 13th, 2021 we celebrated our anniversary by going out and about in Chicago. We had not really gotten to do that since the pandemic began so it was nice to get out with few if any restrictions. We used CTA to get around. We ate brunch at Wildberry then walked around Millenium Park for a bit, stopping by the Bean. We walked over to Buckingham Fountain and I captured the art installation of Malcom X and Martin Luther King. The fountain began shooting high while there so I captured that as well and some guy was making bubbles too. We decided to take the bus to Lincoln Park Zoo since we found it was open a bit later than usual. We hung around there until it closed then road the bus back to walk the Magnificent Mile. I captured some footage along the way including some store fronts still boarded up from last year with murals painted on them. There was also a strange stuffed animal laying on the sidewalk. Elphie wanted to go to Ghiradelli but the line was ridiculously long. We crossed the river and walked to the Riverwalk to see if there might be anything for her to get there. We also found a way into Lower Lowe Wacker Drive then decided to find the Heald's Square Statue of Liberty so we could knock off a couple Atlas Obscura sites. We hung around by the river a while and I took a few shots of the moon. We ended up walking to a Baskin Robbins later so Elphie could get some ice cream. We passed the Gothic Target as well.
Carriers Kickin' It Curbside LIVE @ Tack Room (06.16.2021)
https://youtu.be/rLZGLmG7JRk
I left work a bit early on Wednesday June 16th, 2021 to see some friends play some music in Chicago. Curt Kiser was a neighbor for a time when I lived in Cincinnati and worked with the Pomegranates and Enlou prior to starting Carriers. He has also played in or with several others bands. Cory Pavlinac of Zoo is also in the band and it was good to catch up with him as well. Also, Alex McGrath from The Soil And The Sun and now Turtle Doves is in the band. It is a very talented group and it was good to see them. I captured a clip from this show using my Canon Rebel T6 as well. We were sitting in the street to watch the show. It was a pretty cool concept to work within pandemic restrictions in this way...even as the restrictions were loosened or completely lifted.
Reggies (06.17.2021)
Josh Caterer
https://youtu.be/B0jtdDOJMwU
Wither by 6'10
https://youtu.be/QCDQy3UvBaQ
The next night on Thursday June 17th, 2021, 6'10 played with Josh Caterer of the Smoking Popes at Reggies in the old record shop that has been turned into Bananna's comedy club. So far I've only attended shows in this room. We tried to take the CTA but the scheduled bus never arrived. As we waited, it seemed like a possibility that getting there may not happen or the show might begin before we get there so we changed out minds and I drove. I accessed Spot Angels to figure out where we could park for free. It began raining while we were there so perhaps it was for the best to drive. I captured "Wither" by 6'10 which is a song that was released earlier in the week as a music video! I captured a clip from Josh Caterer as well. It had been a long time since seeing a lot of these folks so that was nice to get to hang out with them! Again, I was able to use my Canon Rebel T6 to capture this show!
Navy Pier Fireworks (06.19.2021)
https://youtu.be/1fQrj-yLEGE
On Saturday June 19th, 2021 I stopped at Phantom Fireworks on our way to Meijer to get groceries. Audiofeed was delayed until Labor Day weekend so I decided I'd participate in the neighborhood fireworks! After getting home, I captured a clip to show the arsenal I had purchased. We decided that there should be enough time to venture downtown and see the Navy Pier Fireworks. We decided to try to use the CTA. This time the Archer bus near our home arrived and got us to downtown with plenty of time to spare. The busses that go to Navy Pier never arrived though...we finally decided to walk to where we could view them and got there just in time. I used my Canon Rebel T6 to capture the entire fireworks show though I was out of focus a bit at the beginning and had to work at getting in focus. I also captured some skyline footage and buildings as well as the Buckingham Fountain from a distance. I also captured some footage of fish under the pier we ended up standing on. We went home after this.
Summer Solstice Sunrise (06.20.2021)
https://youtu.be/lygmuYOEWfU
I got up very early on Sunday June 20th, 2021. This ended up being the first official day of summer. Since capturing the sunrise during our spring trip to the south on the Jacksonville beach I wanted to try to capture one in Chicago over the lake. I'd also like to try to capture one when the lake is frozen sometime. Anyway, when I woke I looked to see if the sky seemed clear. I woke early on Saturday too but it seemed cloudy so I went back to bed. On this morning it seemed clear enough so I gathered my Canon Rebel T6 and tripod and drove to a beach that I scouted out using Google maps as being a potential good spot. As I drove the sky was already very bright and almost seemed like the sun had already risen. I missed where I meant to turn but I still was able to get turned around and parked (though illegally) and get set up before the sun actually rose. It did seem like there might be some cloud cover at the horizon and there were some other high clouds in the sky but I got aimed, zoomed, and focused in the right area as the sun came up. The camera made some focus adjustments automatically as the sun rose. I continued to film for a bit after it had officially left the horizon. I then filmed the city from the spot I was at as well as some art along a trail. I decided to walk to where an Atlas Obscura site was listed called "The Secret Mermaid" and I found it! I got a shot of it with the city in the background. There was another site from Atlas Obscura not too far away where the remains of a shipwreck can be seen but I felt it was a bit too far to walk. As I returned to the car I captured a coyote on the beach trying to rip open garbage bags left after folks had been partying the night before. Apparently some significant fireworks had been shot off in the beach area as well. On my way back home I decided to capture the street art on a building at Archer and 35th. I captured this in the spring as well but this time there was less traffic and I captured it with my iPhone 8 instead of the CrossTour CR900.
Summer Solstice Sunrise - Sped Up 5x (06.20.2021)
https://youtu.be/IynS-O2CPHA
I decided to try speeding up the sunrise to see how that might turn out. This clip is that experiment.
https://youtu.be/IlWvYsBP3jM
In the evening, a storm came through Chicago that had tornados associated with it. I went outside to capture some of the lightning and hoped for better luck than earlier in the season. I did capture some decent lightning bolts during the storm and I tried slowing them down a bit to better see the actual bolt. I think I slowed it down a bit too much actually. This was also captured using my Canon Rebel T6.
On Thursday June 24th, 2021 I captured some footage of the clouds from the storms rolling into Chicago during my commute. I'd end up saving a lot of similar footage throughout the summer.
Celebrating Our Anniversary at iFly in Rosemont (06.26.2021)
https://youtu.be/WR90_WmjT_c
On Saturday June 26th, 2021, after some more storms blew through the region, we headed out to Rosemont to the iFly. Elphie and I booked a session for indoor skydiving and a few of our friends were going to join us with some observing and others flying. It was a pretty cool experience. Thankfully the weather did clear out for the drive. As we went, I taste tested one of the new Mountain Dew Baja variants. It was called Baja Flash which seemed like it would be good. It was yellow and had pineapple flavor. What I failed to read and realize was it also had coconut flavor. I do not like coconut. I opened it and it smelled like sunscreen. I took a sip and the coconut was too much for me! I hated it! I gave it to Elphie. While we drove, using the CrossTour CR900 I captured a person standing on an overpass with a large sign that read "Unmask." I also noticed some Q-Anon stickers on cars as we drove. It would turn out that this person has been on the overpass was protesting masking mandates and other protocols meant to help end the pandemic pretty much throughout the pandemic. Toward the end of summer, I ended up seeing a news report about this woman having passed away due to COVID19 and having refused any treatment other than Ivermectin, the horse de-wormer.
After arriving at iFly and waiting on the rest of our group, I captured an airplane coming into O'Hare for a landing. Once inside and participating in our indoor skydiving session, our friends Anastasia and Josh Robieson kindly captured our flights on our phones for us. I enjoyed my experience and took the option to be flown higher on my second flight. This cost an extra fee but it was worth it. Everyone else took the option too. Everyone, except Elphie. She wasn't even able to take her second turn so I got to take a third turn and was taught how to steer side to side and front to back. For Elphie the wire floor and the wind were too much for her. She has a fear of heights and thought the tube we flew in would be like a padded room. But she did give it a try!
Afterwards we went to Denny's to have a Flying Winchester. I captured more shots of airplanes coming into O'Hare and as we drove home, I used the CrossTour CR900 to capture a light display along the highway and the moon over the city.
As we went to Highland, Indiana to get our groceries on Saturday June 27th, 2021, I decided to take the car through the Speedway car wash. I decided to keep the footage of that. On Sunday June 28th, 2021, I captured the last few fireworks being shot by some of our neighbors.
On Thursday July 1st, 2021, there was a lot of fog as I made my commute to work. It was also Canada Day so I decided it was a good day to order poutine from The Bad Apple for my lunch to celebrate!
2021 Neighborhood Independence Day Fireworks (07.02.2021, 07.03.2021, 07.04.2021)
https://youtu.be/nmoIt8gLPho
Once again, with Audiofeed not happening over the 4th of July weekend, I decided to participate with the neighborhood firework shenanigans. We wondered exactly which day it might occur with the 4th falling on a Sunday. We invited some friends over for either or both days of the weekend. It turned out that they would come on Saturday.
I shot some bottle rockets on Friday July 2nd, 2021 and filmed that. I also taste tested another Mountain Dew Baja variant called Baja Punch. I liked this a lot more than the Baja Flash though there may have been some little hint of the coconut flavor in this as well. If so, it was thankfully a low enough amount to not ruin the drink for me.
On Saturday July 3rd, 2021, while waiting for folks to arrive and waiting to prepare food, I decided to do some work on my deer skull in effort to display it somewhere. I had pulled the deer skull from the compost where I left it in hopes that bugs and worms and such would scavenge any remaining fleshy parts from it a few weeks earlier and had it sitting on a milk crate beside the house. At some point I decided to try to spray it with a hose to wash out any remains as well as critters. While doing so on this day, the bottom jaw cracked in half. I believe I did clear out most of the critters and any remaining fleshy pieces during this time but I set the skull back on the milk crate.
We thawed some deer meat to share with out friends whenever they would arrive. Most everyone arrived quite late. I burnt some wood in the fire pit and shot my crossbow at the target some more. Skot and Rachel Shaw arrived first. They ate what they wanted to eat and Skot shot the crossbow a few times. I put it away and Kathleen arrived. The fireworks that we were accustomed to had not begun. We decided to start shooting our fireworks. Moses joined in as well with his stash from the year before that didn't get used due to his not feeling well. For the most part, it was a good time. We mistakenly did not shoot a group of three into the sky as they were meant to using the mortar launcher. Apparently Moses wasn't aware that the balls with fuses were meant to go into the launcher. He tied the fuses together, we set them in the road, I ignited them and they exploded it seemed a couple times...initially to launch then the explosion that should be far above our heads. It sort of felt like everything sucked in then exploded out. The cover image for the video is a still shot captured of the moment of the explosion. Thankfully no one was injured during this particular moment though fiery shrapnel did fly toward us. I think I was hit by a piece and Kathleen sounded like she said she might have been at least nearly hit. She also talked of wearing flammable clothing which wasn't the smartest choice in fashion for such a day. Unfortunately later, a much smaller firework sort of fell apart with a rocket flying out and hitting her causing a pretty severe burn. This was certainly not what we wanted to have happen and I am very sorry about it. This ended the fun for the most part for the night. We cleaned up and then I began to move everything to the back of the house away from people. I shot a couple more pieces off but saved the rest for Sunday.
No one decided to come back over on Sunday July 4th, 2021 as the neighborhood went into war zone mode with fireworks going off everywhere. I shot off the rest of what I had and mostly ended up watching the neighbors shoot their own fireworks. It was too much for Elphie but I enjoyed it.
I used both my iPhone 8 and my Canon Rebel T6 to capture the firework footage throughout the weekend.
Unfortunately the video file I uploaded after editing the firework footage into a project and adding a soundtrack is blocked on YouTube due to several of the songs. I tried to mute that song but after several attempts, YouTube stopped letting me.
https://youtu.be/YjRz13kUpY0
A "Goodbye Thiesens" House Show in Joliet, IL (07.11.2021)
"Someday Hun" by 6'10
https://youtu.be/CQobAFqqqDo
"Cup Of Tea" by The Uh Ohs
https://youtu.be/XJWRTv4z4RQ
Due to various circumstances, some of which are a bit unsettling, the Thiesen's decided to move out of their home in Joliet. To commemorate the history in that house and the move as well as Bob's birthday, they decided to host a house show with 6'10 and The Uh Ohs...bands who have been good friends to the Thiesens and their kids. It was a fun show. I captured the live footage using my Canon Rebel T6. This show was on Sunday July 11th, 2021. I also captured a couple other clips of Anastasia making bubbles and some neighbors shooting off fireworks.
On Monday July 12th, 2021, it was another very cloudy commute so I captured footage of that using my CrossTour CR900 as I drove to work.
Reggies (07.14.2021)
"Ya'll Mother Fuckers Need Jesus" by The Goddamn Gallows
https://youtu.be/3ZojYwLPnHo
Railway Gamblers
https://youtu.be/NcE-HsaIDa8
St. Marlboro
https://youtu.be/5xJtRovAXrE
The Decayed
https://youtu.be/sR0Y1I5umwo
I guess this was the first official show we attended after the COVID19 restrictions were loosened. It was in Reggies Rock Club on Wednesday July 14th, 2021 and it was a packed room. Most people didn't wear masks and seemed to be happy to be together again. It was sort of a kickoff show for National Independent Venue Week which was a celebration of opening venues for live music with live audience again. We've wanted to see The Goddamn Gallows for a while now. We've seen Mikey Classic a few times and FishGutzzz as well so we wanted to see the full band. I had to capture "Ya'll Motherfuckers Need Jesus." The show featured Railway Gamblers, St. Marlboro, and The Decayed as well. There was a fun sign welcoming back the live music and good times at the bar. I captured the footage using my Canon Rebel T6. Before going to Reggies that night, on my lunch break I went to Metro to pick up tickets for Nocturna and the Neo Reunion that was coming up.
On Thursday July 15th, 2021 it was yet another extremely cloudy commute that I decided should be documented.
Gathering Of The Ollie Mob (07.16.2021, 07.17.2021, 07.18.2021)
https://youtu.be/rsFtQS0bzvY
The Ollie Mob set up a weekend of events for folks to come to Chicago and gather again since most everything we all usually did had to be canceled over the last year and a half. The official weekend festivities were a free show at Reggies in Bananna's Comedy Club on Saturday July 17th, 2021 and a BBQ at Tobin's house on Sunday July 18th, 2021. Flatfoot 56 played the Reggies show with Josh Caterer opening and 6'10 played the BBQ with Brandon Good opening. Other activities that some participated in were a White Sox baseball game and a Punk Rock and Paintbrushes art show on Friday July 16th, 2021.
Elphie and I went to the Punk Rock and Paintbrushes art show on Friday July 16th, 2021. It was in Logan Square. We were able to meet with Chris and Becky Smith for a few minutes there. There were a lot of different artists involved. I was most familiar with Christian Hosoi and Matt Hensley. There was some pretty cool stuff there and it was a fun thing to do for the evening.
"Ollie Ollie" by Flatfoot 56 @ Reggies
https://youtu.be/6gTSjlzvQR0
Josh and Phoebe Caterer @ Reggies
https://youtu.be/oD1M9fCpSHk
Saturday July 17th, 2021 was the free show at Reggies. We decided to host Kristina and then Tobin asked if we could also host Jeb. We said yes. In the afternoon we drove over to Union Station to pick up Kristina. She took Amtrak in and as has happened before, she hit some delays along the way. It seems to be a thing with Amtrak. Thankfully, she arrived in plenty of time for the show. Jeb ended up arriving at the house while we were just getting back from picking up Kristina. We relaxed a bit then went to the show. I filmed clips using my Canon Rebel T6. Jake Book had originally been set to be the opening act but had a family emergency so Josh Caterer stepped in. The song I captured was with his daughter Phoebe. I captured "Ollie Ollie" from Flatfoot 56. It seemed fitting. The room is awfully small so getting the sound set up for Flatfoot 56 was a bit of a chore for the sound guy. There were tables and whatnot so it wasn't quite the typical Flatfoot 56 show but it was fun. Kids ended up taking the front row. We hung around for a while after. It was good, again to be in the same room with lots of friends!
After the show, Elphie, Kristina, and I went to Nocturna at Metro. It was the first Nocturna to be held in person after the pandemic restrictions were loosened. I captured the footage at that event just using my iPhone 8.
After driving home and finding somewhere to park (we let Jeb use our spot) I found that someone had lost their Cards Against Humanity in the street! Also, someone parked in front of the hydrant near our house.
"6'10" by 6'10 @ The Ollie Mob BBQ
https://youtu.be/XTlDw1q0fLA
Brandon Good @ The Ollie Mob BBQ
https://youtu.be/jI_6Bv4G8tQ
Elphie and I decided to sleep in while Jeb and Kristina went to Hope Church. I felt a bit under the weather during the show and Nocturna so I took NyQuil and Ibuprofen in hopes to get whatever it was out of my system. I woke up feeling a lot better. We headed over to Tobin's house, enjoyed hanging with friends and eating great food, and got to hear some good music too. Brandon Good opened up with his new musical project. It's a bit more country themed. I captured 6'10 playing "6'10." I wore my Punk Til You Puke tshirt and that got a call out, ha! It even ended up getting an Ollie Mob run printed in the aftermath. I used my Canon Rebel T6 to capture most of the footage I that captured during the BBQ.
As I left work on Tuesday July 20th, 2021, I passed a crime scene in Uptown. Unfortunately there had been a shooting. On Friday July 23rd, 2021, I decided to take the CTA to Wicker Park to catch some of Wicker Park Fest. I found out it was a suggested donation to get in and I wasn't actually that interested in the acts performing so I listened from outside the gated area on both sides for a bit. One side had Masked Intruder playing and the other side had a Reggae event going on. I got some clips during the Reggae event. As I left, I decided to get a couple shots of the moon over the city with my iPhone 8. When I got home I decided to try again with my Canon Rebel T6 and see if I could adjust the settings to get a clear shot of the detail of the moon and bring down a bit of the brightness. I was able to achieve it temporary while holding the shutter button but it still was not what I wanted it to be. This will also be a reoccurring theme throughout the summer trying to get some good footage of the moon.
On Tuesday July 26th, 2021, when I left work, my car wouldn't start. All indications pointed to the starter being the issue. Thankfully I wasn't parked in a restricted area so I left my car for the night and took the CTA home. While riding on the Orange Line, I noticed a suction cup dart had apparently been shot at the window of the train! Ha! At home I decided to document the deer skull after I had glued the bottom jaw back together and put the teeth back in. I planned to have it sit in the back window of the car. On Wednesday July 27th, 2021, my car was fixed but my commute home was very delayed due to Lollapalooza preparation. I decided to use the footage from my CrossTour CR900 to show the delay but sped it up. I also got clips of the signs indicating that jumpers would be prosecuted (a challenge?) and someone pulling off to pee along the fence which you could see through. I left the audio of these clips in...what I recall hearing sounded like Billy Idol. I'm not sure if that's the audio I captured.
On Thursday July 29th, 2021, we headed to Warren, PA for a memorial service for the family members we lost among the Sorensen and Johnson family. It would also be a bit of a reunion. During the drive, we encountered what seemed to be a pretty bad accident. We also kept experiencing delays along the turnpike so I eventually decided to get off the turnpike and take a scenic route through the rest of Indiana and into Ohio. I'm not sure how much more time this added to the trip but seemed better than sitting in traffic on the turnpike. We resumed our regular route near Cleveland. After entering Pennsylvania, we hit some dense fog patches and the moon sitting low in the sky glowed red. the temperatures were quite cold when we arrived in Warren...40s I believe.
On Friday July 30th, 2021, we visited my grandparents grave...as well as my Uncle Andy and several other family members. My mom went with us because I didn't know where the cemetery was. The headstone for my Uncle Andy sits near my Grandpa's grave. It seemed a bit too close considering my Grandpa was quite the tall man! After, we drove by some properties that belonged to Johnson family members. I decided after this to go out to my chosen hunting spot and work a bit on the fort I had built up. I wanted to build it a bit higher and ensure it would be sturdy for leaning on it when taking a shot and also ensure I had a way to shoot in any direction dependent on the movement of deer. I took an ax and hatchet with me to cut some wood to fit where I wanted it to go. I think I spent about an hour working on it before feeling like I had built it as good as it needed to be.
On Saturday July 31st, 2021, we went to my cousin Brynne's house in Clymer, NY for the memorial service. There were displays out to honor our recently departed family members. My uncle Steve performed the service. I did not capture any footage of this because I think it was meant to be private. Elphie got quite a bit of footage of the gathering including the chaos of getting pictures taken. I chose to use "It Is Well" by 6'10 because it was among the favorite songs of my Grandpa. I also included "There Is No Death" by The Soil And The Sun, "That Where I Am There You May Also Be" by Rich Mullins And The Ragamuffin Band and Friends, "Heaven Is Home" by The Waiting, "Heaven (Balcony Sunset Version)" by Pomegranates, and "Heaven's People" by Carriers because they all felt appropriate for the occasion. At the end of the day, I captured the sunset over Cabbage Hill.
On Sunday August 1st, 2021, we drove back to Chicago. Along the way, as we left the Speedway, we encountered a couple of folks feeling lucky. While in the gas station I noticed them buying lottery tickets and they appeared to be smoking while fueling their vehicle. We captured the sun in the clouds and the sunset along the way back to Chicago along with our usual state signs and city shot as we entered Chicago.
Because I was permitted to use bereavement time to go to the Memorial service, we decided to use a PTO on Monday August 2nd, 2021 to go to Six Flags in Gurnee, IL. Elphie's day didn't start out so great. She got sunscreen in her eyes. She also had difficulty with most of the rollercoasters so I ended up riding solo most of the day. I captured our return into Chicago. I sped up the footage from the CrossTour CR900 as we drove into Chicago.
Liar's Club (08.04.2021)
The Dreamflowers
https://youtu.be/_G_wQT1MGsc
Extravagant Now by Sally Grayson
https://youtu.be/bFaG6ACl-ZM
The Answer by Kat Jones and Sally Grayson
https://youtu.be/CijUgO22clY
Dear Apocalypse by Kat Jones
https://youtu.be/X5myedPmwbQ
Tiberius Strange
https://youtu.be/lp07LzN6-dc
On Wednesday August 4th, as I drove home, I passed the Reggies bus! I had never seen it in the wild before so that was cool That evening I went to Liar's Club to see Sally Grayson and Kat Jones. Sally came through a couple years back with her band Black Swift while touring with Nate Allen. Her bass player stayed at our house for a couple days. I enjoyed their music and so it was cool to see her again playing some of her solo material. I captured one of her new songs "Extravagant Now" and a Black Swift song she sung with Kat Jones called "The Answer." I captured "Dear Apocalypse by Kat Jones. Also playing were The Dreamflowers and Tiberius Strange. I got to talk a bit with Sally and officially meet Kat, though I think there may have been another time that our paths had crossed. It was a good night. I captured the footage using my Canon Rebel T6.
Hollywood Casino Amphitheater (08.05.2021)
Kryptonite by Three Doors Down
https://youtu.be/d5WdE5uLF6A
Nobody Praying For Me by Seether
https://youtu.be/sRWZ0QimEuU
On Thursday August 5th, 2021, we went to Hollywood Casino Amphitheater to see Three Doors Down and Seether. The tickets were only $20 through a special at Live Nation. Three Doors Down was celebrating 20 years since the release of The Better Life. I captured "Kryptonite" and "Nobody Praying For Me" from Seether. I used my iPhone 8 so as to not deal with venue camera restrictions.
On Saturday August 7th, 2021, we went to Metro for the Neo Reunion event. This was the beginning of events implementing stricter adherence to safety protocols as the more contagious Delta variant began to spread and probably just generally with people being among people again COVID19 was spiking to some extent. It was a fun event with DJs from various eras of the club's existence. It also was a variety of music played.
On Monday August 9th, 2021, as we drove home from a run to Costco, we passed a guy as he wiped out on his bike. I put the video in slow motion and still don't know why exactly he wiped out but his front wheel turned sideways and over the handlebars he went. A pretty big storm came through on Tuesday August 10th, 2021. It brought down branches in our neighborhood. Once the storm was over, we walked around to see the damage and debris. At work the next day, Wednesday August 11th, 2021, I thought I saw debris as well. There was a tarp or bag over a street light. I found out later that an artist working on a mural had put it up due to the light interfering with his ability to paint.
The Fox And Beans Art Show @ Endiro Coffee (08.14.2021)
My Dear by The Castros
https://youtu.be/3A0wZIaUA-c
Marco Castro's Stand Up Comic Debut
https://youtu.be/6dJwJvh6bVw
After a trip to Highland, Indiana to get groceries at Meijer on Saturday August 14th, 2021, we decided to head to Aurora to see Sara Castro's art, which she brands as Fox And Beans, at Endiro Coffee. It turned out that The Castros decided to play a show as well to warm up for the next night in Chicago. I captured "My Dear" and then Marco started to do a comedy routine which I captured as well. In the clips are clips of the art as well as the funny restroom sign and that art in there.
Afterwards, as we got ready to leave, we were told that the Mirth mobile from Wayne's World was in the nearby Hollywood Casino so we went to see that. We were turned around at one door due to someone having a beverage or something but we found it along with the Wayne's World coveted guitar and a car from The Untouchables and a lot of other Hollywood artifacts and photos. We went to Aurora on our honeymoon partially due to lack of funds and thought we'd find some Wayne's World sites while there. We didn't know about these artifacts in the casino and didn't see anything that had references to Wayne's World which was disappointing. I guess this sort of made up for it...a little. I included the Wayne's World theme into the soundtrack here.
HVAC Pub (08.15.2021)
Savannah by The Castros
https://youtu.be/9H52yXoixMc
On Sunday August 15th, 2021, we headed to Chicago's northside. We got dinner at Cheesie's then walked to Wrigleyville. The Castros played that night at HVAC Pub but over at Wrigley Field there was a big show going on! Green Day with Fall Out Boy and The Interrupters opening. We walked around the stadium and listened to The Interrupters set then went back over to HVAC Pub to see The Castros. I captured them playing "Savannah." We had been in Savannah during our trip at Easter to visit with Elphie's family so I thought it was appropriate to capture the song (and I used it in the video project). Before they played there was a DJ set up. They opened for a band who was touring from California then later that night was an Offspring tribute band. We left after the band from California played and took transit home in hopes of beating the crowds coming out of Wrigley Field.
On Monday August 16th, 2021, a couple of the characters on the streets of Uptown were out and about as I drove home. I decided to keep the footage of it. On Friday August 20th, 2021, as I arrived to work, the Blue Angels were practicing their flybys. They would be the only part of the Chicago Air and Water Show for 2021. While standing outside of Cornerstone Community Outreach, I captured footage of one of the jets doing its maneuvers over the city. That night, I shot the moon again using my Canon Rebel T6. I ended up shooting it each night over the weekend trying still to figure out the best settings to get a good clear shot. On Saturday August 21st, 2021, we went to the Wheaton All Night Flea Market. We ended up taking Paul Harrison with us. I bought a painting he did of Elephant On The Dock and when we told him our plan and offered that he could come along he decided to join! It had rained earlier before we got there. We got some food and made some other purchases before leaving. I shot the moon again. This time there were some clouds passing through as I tried to get my shot. After, Elphie and I headed to Metro for Nocturna. On Sunday August, 22nd, 2021, I took some more moon shots.
The following week, was stormy. I captured some crazy clouds and lightning on my commute home using my CrossTour CR900 and while at home using my iPhone 8. Lightning from this week is what I compiled in slow motion and used in the intro to this project. I captured the footage on Tuesday August 24th and Wednesday August 25th, 2021.
Hollywood Casino Amphitheater (08.27.2021)
Shoots And Ladders by Korn
https://youtu.be/3Z0xZLDG0QI
It's Been A While by Staind
https://youtu.be/VlOgQ8R-UZ4
Bad Bite by '68
https://youtu.be/3ke3LoCxKq8
On Friday August 27th, 2021, we went to Hollywood Casino Amphitheater to see Korn with Staind and '68 opening. It was another show where we got $20 tickets through the Live Nation special. I was there to see '68. I was interested to see what Korn would do. I was told of the bagpipe use and hoped it would happen. Jonathan Davis and perhaps others had gotten COVID19 and this was the first show back on the tour. Unfortunately the make up dates caused for '68 to have to drop off Furnace Fest so I am glad I got to see them at this show. Elphie used to really like Staind. I posted a picture of '68 on my Instagram and got a message from Nissan about a free upgrade of our seats if we wanted them. I decided to take it up and it was a patio to the side of the stage. It actually was harder to see from there than the lawn were we had been. Elphie decided to go back and I stayed there. Staind was fairly disappointing, unfortunately for Elphie. Jonathan Davis talked about having COVID19 and used it to hype the crowd to get him through the set. I captured "Bad Bite" from '68, "It's Been A While" from Staind, and "Shoots And Ladders" from Korn with the bagpipe intro.
The Forge (08.28.2021)
Portrait by P.O.D.
https://youtu.be/RnSdugHjvRk
On Saturday August 28th, 2021 we went to Joliet, IL to see P.O.D. at The Forge. Before the show we decided to go to Skooter's Roadhouse to get BBQ Baked Potatoes. After getting them at Spudnik in Savannah, we decided to try them whenever we could! They were pretty good. The restaurant was quite a ways outside of Joliet and probably could have been accessed easier but the GPS gave the wrong coordinates for some reason. We got to The Forge while the first band was about done with their set. I wasn't that into any of the opening acts and didn't capture any footage of them. I used my Canon Rebel T6, even shooting some photographs with it. I captured the song "Portrait" from P.O.D. They played through Satellite as a 20th anniversary tour and I'm not sure I ever saw them play "Portrait" live and wanted to capture it. I thought about a few others songs such as "Ridiculous" but decided on "Portrait." After the show, Marco Castro wanted to go behind the venue where the bus was parked to see if Sonny was there. Sure enough, he was. He talked to us for a while, we shot some photographs with him. We also got a couple with Tim who played percussion and Marco before leaving. It turns out Davey Policastro was driving P.O.D. He was asleep in the bus but said he'd have come to hang out with us if he knew we'd be there. Bummer that we missed the opportunity.
On Sunday August 29th, 2021, while going to get groceries at Meijer, a storm came through leaving a rainbow which I captured before going in.
J.P.U.S.A.'s Garden Room (09.01.2021)
Maple Leaves by The Uh Ohs
https://youtu.be/3sO1Hys98ko
Wildflower by Josh Crozier
https://youtu.be/tGMSAgrqy7g
On Wednesday September 1st, 2021, there was a show being filmed using Cornerstone Community Outreach as the set. It seemed it could be that was was being filmed at the time was something to do with social services and possibly even services for homeless folks. Ironic that in a way, they displaced homeless services for a few days so that they could film. They did pay Cornerstone Community Outreach a fairly good amount but ironic nonetheless. We also had to try to be quiet while working so as to not disturb the set.
That evening, The Uh Ohs played in J.P.U.S.A.'s Garden Room with Josh Crozier. I captured "Maple Leaves" by The Uh Ohs and "Wildflower" by Josh Crozier using my Canon Rebel T6. I had been trying to improve the quality of my videos and photographs using the Canon Rebel T6 and trying different settings and experimenting with shooting the moon among other things. Before this show, I spent time looking into different settings and tips from other photographers to see if there was anything I could figure out before going to the show. One of the things was trying to determine the best possible exposure to use in live concert settings and get a better understanding of shutter speed and a few other things I just don't know about. I think the footage turned out ok but I think I can get better. A lot of what I did using the Canon Rebel T6 over the summer was experimenting to improve the quality of what I do.
This was to be the beginning of Audiofeed but it had been canceled due to the COVID19 Delta Variant surge.
Endiro Coffee (09.03.2021)
Fly Away by The Castros
https://youtu.be/pgJSrgCHwqk
On Friday September 3rd, 2021, after taste testing the Mountain Dew Spark, which was pretty good, we went back to Endiro Coffee in Aurora for another show by The Castros to end Sarah's art show there. I captured "Fly Away" which was a song that they planned to properly release around that time but hadn't yet. I used my Canon Rebel T6. As we left, I saw a pretty funny sign on a dumpster and got a clip of that.
The Electric Jesus Film Screening And Concert @ Wilson Abbey (09.04.2021)
https://youtu.be/ZtQcPzCsA20
Cast It At The Setting Sail by Danielson Famile
https://youtu.be/bScqFGG0_6g
Don't Toss Us Away by Three Sick Teens with Sarah Wember
https://youtu.be/NypGc-bHAOQ
Commando For Christ by Three Sick Teens
https://youtu.be/Kkm-_Js6pz0
Unstoppable Me by Jeff and Melody Elbel
https://youtu.be/QqLQewNUwxM
Due to the unfortunate cancellation of Audiofeed, the Electric Jesus event that was to be held there ended up coming to Chicago to the Wilson Abbey! This took place on Saturday September 4th, 2021 so it worked out well I suppose for anyone who took time off that they could perhaps travel. We got to see several of our good friends that we've not seen in a couple years now including the Bradshaws and Hamptons. It was really good to catch up with them. We had to abide by mask mandates for this show as COVID19 was spiking again with the new Delta Variant. This was the reason for Audiofeed canceling along with a lot of tours and other large events (though sports played on as well as some of the other big money events).
We drove up to Uptown and I decided to capture some of the ride on the CrossTour CR900. There was a beach volleyball event going on that was drove passed. We found a great parking spot and headed to Everybody's Coffee to hang out until doors opened We ended up hanging with the Hamptons for a while there. The day began with a showing of the movie Electric Jesus and a Q and A with members of the cast and crew. I enjoyed the movie. I found humor that was intended for the world I knew and grew up in. During the short break between the movie and the Q and A session, I helped Jeff Bradshaw find free parking...it turned out to be directly behind our car!
There was a dinner break so we went to Uptown where I got a Pizza Puff and free fries. We sat in the Everybody's Coffee patio area on the ground since all the furniture had been taken inside and ate our meal with the Hamptons and Jonathan Magee, a new friend we met that day. He is an Audiofeed regular from Georgia. He was dressed in 80s fashion with a Stryper shirt and we talked music for a while. He's friends with the Allens and other folks we knew. He flew in just for this event! His wife gifted it to him for his birthday. It would turn out he was also going to Furnace Fest so I figured we'd probably reconnect there too.
The evening was a concert featuring Jeff Elbel of Ping. He had his daughter Melody sing some songs with him. I captured "Unstoppable Me" (though I captioned it incorrectly). The band Three Sick Teens played next. This was the band from the movie though the actual band were some members of Danielson Famile and session musicians from the recording of the soundtrack. The singer from the movie, Michael played by Wyatt Lenhart, was the singer in the band as well as a couple guest vocals from Shannon Hutchison, the actress who played Sarah Wember. I captured "Commandos For Christ" and "Don't Toss Us Away." Danielson Famile closed the night and I captured "Cast It At The Setting Sail." It was a fun show and overall a great day of hanging with folks who we haven't seen in way too long. We're hoping that life can at least give us back our socialization with friends during events throughout the year such as Audiofeed soon. We lost two summers now. That said, it was good to connect and spend time even if it was just one day in a different setting than usual. I captured the concert footage using my Canon Rebel T6.
During the drive home, as we took the ramp to Lake Shore Drive, we saw a mattress in the middle of the driving lanes. It was causing some vehicles to stop and others appeared to be hitting it as they swerved around it or perhaps it was shrapnel that had fallen off. I made a joke about it possibly being the Hampton's mattress as they have lived in their van. I sincerely hope it wasn't though. As we drove we saw the Navy Pier Fireworks. We got to see most of the show but part of the grand finale was behind a building as we passed by. There were quite a few cars pulled over on the bridge on Lake Shore Drive to watch the fireworks. I think that seems like a bit of a poor and dangerous choice.
On Thursday September 9th, 2021, as I drove up Lake Shore Drive to go to work, my car got his by a flying stick! I didn't realize what it was at the time and was a bit concerned that something damaged my car or something in my car broke and would need repaired. I really didn't want to have to deal with another repair right before a road trip! During my lunch break, I walked to where I had parked to see if there was any visible damage but I didn't see any. I took the card out of the CrossTour CR900 and reviewed the video at the time of the incident. I narrowed it down by the sound of the impact then slowed it down frame by frame until I could see the stick. I decided this was worth documenting and kept the footage.
On Saturday September 11th, 2021, during another trip to Indiana for groceries at Meijer, I took the car through the Speedway car wash again. While in Meijer, we encountered a robot called Telly. It checks the inventory on the shelves. On Sunday September 12th, 2021, the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Buffalo Bills. It was a highpoint in the early season that was otherwise disappointing.
Aragon Ballroom (09.14.2021)
Black Friday Rule by Flogging Molly
https://youtu.be/T8b7zaBkYKw
Color Me Once by Violent Femmes
https://youtu.be/V4wtW1tmDh8
Sweet Caroline by Me First And The Gimme Gimmes
https://youtu.be/SY4mc8CofV4
Thick
https://youtu.be/e_tqVmXN16o
On Tuesday August 14th, 2021 we went to the Aragon Ballroom to see Flogging Molly. We ate at Sonic before going. Again, we were supposed to be wearing masks while in the building but more people were not wearing their masks than were. Thick opened the show. I like them. Next up was Me First And The Gimme Gimmes and I captured their cover of "Sweet Caroline." It was a fun set. Violent Femmes were up next and I captured their song from "The Crow" called "Color Me Once." Flogging Molly closed out the night and I captured "Black Friday Rule." They talked of recording their next album in Chicago in the fall or winter and made me think there'd be the possibility of a secret show at some point during that time. I used my iPhone 8 due to venue camera restrictions.
Hollywood Casino Amphitheater (09.15.2021)
Creep by T.L.C.
https://youtu.be/5pIxZCi0ToE
Crossroads by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
https://youtu.be/OcJVtdA2tCM
On Wednesday September 15th, 2021 we headed back to Hollywood Casino Amphitheater for T.L.C.'s celebration of CrazySexyCool. They had Bone Thugs-N-Harmony with them. We had used a $20 special deal from Live Nation for this show as well. Unlike the Korn, Staind, and '68 show, we ended up in a seated section. We sort of figured it might not be the largest turnout and that ended up being true but the parking situation was such that we had to go nearly completely around the venue and then only one side of the entry gates were open. We missed most of the Bone Thugs-N-Harmony set. I figured there might be another set to open before Bone Thugs-N-Harmony but that wasn't the case. I captured "Crossroads" which was at the end of their set. T.L.C. had a hype man that opened their set hyping for a while. I ended up capturing "Creep." This was a show that Elphie wanted to go to so we went. It wasn't really anything I cared much for. It was interesting... and it was better than another show we attended a couple years ago though. I used my iPhone 8 for this show again due to venue restrictions on photography. As we left the show and headed north into Chicago, we encountered some traffic and roadwork delays. We also encountered Mexican folks celebrating their independence by driving around with their flags on display. We saw one car lose its flag and had to dodge another flag already laying on I-55. It was fun driving among it all. Apparently traffic conditions were much worse on Lake Shore Drive and the celebrating was much more crazy!
On Thursday September 16th, 2021, I captured footage of a car smoking on Lake Shore Drive using my CrossTour CR900 as well as more Mexican Independence celebrations.
Liarpalooza @ Liar's Club (09.18.2021)
Murphy's Law
https://youtu.be/VaPwAeXCfDc
Squared Off
https://youtu.be/E4GIFIVNntM
Shitizen
https://youtu.be/2HzLfLiTyoM
On Saturday September 18th, 2021 I decided to attend the Liarpalooza show at Liar's Club featuring Murphy's Law, Squared Off, and Shitizen. It was a fun hardcore punk show. This was something of an afterparty for Riot Fest that was going on that same weekend. I had forgotten that Murphy's Law was among the acts who played a controversial event in New York City in the spring. Some of the between song banter definitely caused me to remember. I used my iPhone 8 for this show because I didn't want to deal with carrying my Canon Rebel T6 at this show.
On Sunday September 19th, 2021, we bought some Mountain Dew VooDoo at Meijer so I gave it a test. It reminded me of the Mountain Dew Baja Punch but something was a bit different. I liked it. While at work on Monday September 20th, 2021, Elphie told me about a secret Metallica show at Metro. It would cost basically $10, cash only and in person ticket purchases only. There was a line around the block. I walked over to check it out and felt that the likelihood of actually getting a ticket if I got in the line was quite low. While walking around, a COVID-19 VW Beetle drove by. Driving home from work on September 21st, 2021 I captured some footage of the waves on Lake Michigan. At home, I prepared for leaving for our trip through the south and Furnace Fest.
Additional soundtrack includes "L'Artist Dentro De Ti (The Artist In You)" by Leper, "Staring At Each Other" by The Saudades, "Own True Love" by Zoo, "Sunrise" and "Sunrise (Slow Rise Demo)" by Starflyer 59, "Storm" by Glenn Kaiser Band, "I'll Fly Away" by Glenn Kaiser, "I'll Fly Away" by Johnny Cash, "I'll Fly Away" by Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch, "I'll Fly Away" by Flatfoot 56, "Fly" by Sugar Ray, "I Believe I Can Fly" by R. Kelly, "Fly Away" by P.O.D., "Fly Away" by PAX217, "Time Of Your Song" by Matisyahu, "LSP vs DPR" and "LSP vs DPR Dub Version" by Lee Scratch Perry and Dread Pirate Roberts, "There Is No Death" by The Soil And The Sun, "It Is Well" by 6'10, "That Where I Am There You May Also Be" by Rich Mullins And The Ragamuffin Band and Friends, "Heaven Is Home" by The Waiting, "Heaven (Balcony Sunset Version)" by Pomegranates, "Heaven's People" by Carriers, "On Yer Bike!" by Kevin Max, "Wayne's World Theme" by Mike Myers and Dana Carvey, "Following The Moon" by Travelogue, "Into The Storm" by Five Iron Frenzy, "Tin Cans" by The Castros, "San Patricios" by Street Dogs, and "Menudo Fresh" and Menudo Lounge" by Crush The Enemy.
Filmed using an iPhone 6 and 8, Canon Rebel T6, and CrossTour CR900 by Elphie and Joel A. Swanson. Titles, animations, and maps created using Motion 4 on a Macbook by Joel A. Swanson. Edited using Final Cut Pro on a Mac Mini by Joel A. Swanson.
