a TigerRAWk Film

Friday, January 19, 2018

A Shared Life: Spring In Chicago (April, May, June 2017)



This project ended up being much longer than I anticipated it would be. There were a few events that we captured a lot of footage during that I didn't feel could be cut down much more than what I did. Perhaps it is times like these that having an editor would be a good idea.


Spring 2017 started out with the passing of my Gramma Sorensen so on March 31st, Elphie and I made a trip to Pennsylvania to celebrate her life with the family. We hung around through the weekend and returned on Monday, April 3rd after visiting my Grandpa in the nursing home. I ended up having to take another day off of work due to what we assume must have been food poisoning from our Taco Bell stop in Ohio while on the road back home...no footage included of this.

After recovering and returning to work, I decided to go see an old friend, Mike Mains, and his band (that used to be called The Branches) play with Motherfolk at the Beat Kitchen on Thursday April 6th. I ran into Daniel Chimuroso (Daniel In Stereo) as well as he happened to be running the merchandise for Motherfolk. It was good to catch the show and catch up with these guys.



By My Side by Mike Mains LIVE @ Beat Kitchen (04.06.17)


Motherfolk LIVE @ Beat Kitchen (04.06.17)

On April 8th, I drove down to Indianapolis to see ZAO play. I also decided it would be good to get some Primanti Bros. while there. Unfortunately, the downtown location did not seem to parking friendly so I drove to a more suburban location before the show...I missed most of the rest of the show. ZAO was great and it was definitely worth the trip to see them. They had a guest vocal on Five Year Winter. After I posted this video on my YouTube channel, they shared it. Thanks guys!


Five Year Winter by ZAO LIVE @ the Emerson Theater (04.08.17)


In an effort to avoid a bug infestation being in a basement apartment, we regularly spray our apartment. We took Stein to spend the day in the attic where he saw his reflection for the first time. He reacted to it more than the video ends up showing. On Wednesday April 12th, we got reservations to eat at Saved By The Max one last time before it closed in Chicago. There were no celebrities this time. Elphie flew away on vacation to spend time with her family as well as some friends while I stayed behind in Chicago for Easter weekend. I decided to take in some Wrigley Field baseball games featuring the Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs over the weekend which resulted in a sweep for the Pirates! Then the following weekend I went to Shedd Aquarium to hang with Chicago Chalk Champ Shaun Hays while he does an exhibit for Earth Day on Saturday, April 22nd.

On Sunday, April 23rd Il Neige and Erin. played at Wilson Abbey. Also, we were told on this day that Josh and Stasia would be getting married in the coming months.



Battle Cry by Erin. LIVE @ Wilson Abbey (04.23.17)


Il Neige LIVE @ Wilson Abbey (04.23.17)


On a warm Monday I decided to spend my lunch break outside enjoying the warmth in Uptown. Down at the Montrose Dog Beach, I witnessed some high waves at the beach. On Saturday April 29th, my birthday, I drove to Shaun Hays' house and road with him to the Kodesh Mishkan Ministry Group training. It was good to see some friends. My main goal in this was to get some  additional footage for a couple other projects I was working on:



While working on these videos, Stein came into the studio to pay me a visit.

On Wednesday, May 10th, 6'10 played a show at Wilson Abbey that also featured Bird And Herd, Kevin Schlereth, and Amessa. I attended this show while watching the Pittsburgh Penguins defeat the Washington Capitals to advance to the Eastern Conference Championship round!



Timothy by 6'10 LIVE @ Wilson Abbey (05.10.17)


Bird And Herd LIVE @ Wilson Abbey (05.10.17)


Kevin Schlereth LIVE @ Wilson Abbey (05.10.17)


Amessa LIVE @ Wilson Abbey (05.10.17)

The next day, Thursday, May 11th, Elphie returned from her trip to the south and I picked her up at the airport after a bit of a delay waiting on her luggage to arrive. On Friday, May 12th, some of the friends Elphie visited were in town and we all went to Dong KY for Pho as part of Elphie's birthday celebration which continued into Saturday, May 13th when we went to McKinley Park to hang out with wildlife, Cheesies for dinner, and then to Briar Street Theater to see The Blue Man Group.

On Monday, May 16th we had the opportunity to see Bush at the Riviera Theatre...so we did. The Kickback was opening and played pretty cool stuff. I captured MachineHead.


MachineHead by Bush LIVE @ Riviera Theatre (05.15.17)


The Kickback LIVE @ Riviera Theatre (05.15.17)

On Tuesday, May 16th, a Winchester was held back at the proper Denny's after the debacle at the other Denny's a few months back. Cindy was there this time which allowed for a discussion on possible room sharing for Audiofeed.

On Wednesday, May 17th, there was a show in JPUSA's Garden Room with NAAL, Every Day, and Qajaq. It was a good little show put on by Charity.


NAAL LIVE @ JPUSA’s Garden Room (05.17.17)


Every Day LIVE @ JPUSA’s Garden Room (05.17.17)


Qajaq LIVE @ JPUSA’s Garden Room (05.17.17)

After a free day, we had the opportunity to see Tape Face on Friday, May 19th, at Park West. It was a fun show. Afterwards we hung out with Moses and Mary trying to find a new sculpture but it was too dark. We got dinner then saw the alley where John Dillinger was killed across from the Biograph Theater. On Saturday, Elphie and I got to go to the Museum of Science and Industry with Josh and Stasia. It was a lot of fun hanging with them and experiencing this place. Afterwards, we were part of the first Promised Land Variety show at Exodus Ink.


Promised Land Open Mic @ Exodus Ink Tattoo Shop (05.20.2017)
*Included is footage from the July edition as well but I felt it was easier to just post the playlist in its entirety.*

On Monday, May 22nd, Elphie installed the bidet I got her for Christmas. It has revolutionized our bathroom experience.

On Tuesday, May 23rd, I went to the Chop Shop for the first time. October Bird of Death were playing with some other punk bands. I missed the opening band but saw Mystery Actions and Go Betty Go - both all girl punk bands that were great! October Bird of Death had some technical difficulties during their set unfortunately.


Go Betty Go LIVE @ Chop Shop (05.23.17)


Death Made Its Offer by October Bird Of Death LIVE @ Chop Shop (05.23.17)


Mystery Actions LIVE @ Chop Shop (05.23.17)

On Wednesday, May 24th, was the “Dave Simon Is Broken” Benefit at Cobra Lounge headlined by Flatfoot 56. Dave Simon assisted during a a car jacking and was injured needing surgery thus left with a big bill to pay. This show was a lot of fun and it was nice to be part of a good cause. Fear City, Mexican Werewolf, and one of Dave's bands, The Crombies also played.


I Believe It by Flatfoot 56 LIVE @ Cobra Lounge (05.24.17)


Fear City LIVE @ Cobra Lounge (05.24.17)


The Crombies LIVE @ Cobra Lounge (05.24.17)


Mexican Werewolf LIVE @ Cobra Lounge (05.24.17)

The next night, May 25th, I watched the Pittsburgh Penguins win the Eastern Conference again and celebrated another chance to be part of the heritage of the city of Champions! On Saturday, May 27th Josh and Stasia had a wedding shower where a balloon escaped. On Memorial Day, May 29th, there was a party and bonfire with live performances. I also watched the Stanley Cup Final Game one during this party which in hindsight may have been in bad taste. The next week was Dave Canfield's two night birthday party movie marathon (June 2nd & 3rd) which was fun. We haven't hung out with Dave too much so it was good to get together with him.

On Sunday, June 4th, another show was put on by Charity in the JPUSA Garden Room. This one featured Kevin Schlereth, Qajaq, and Josh and Stasia with Ryan.


Kevin Schlereth LIVE @ JPUSA's Garden Room (06.04.17)


Qajaq LIVE @ JPUSA’s Garden Room (06.04.17)


Stasia, Josh, and Ryan LIVE @ JPUSA’s Garden Room (06.04.17)


After getting an almost impossibility to occur of getting a face value ticket by way of craigslist, Elphie went to see Tool at Allstate Arena in Rosemont on Thursday, June 9th, while I stayed home hoping to see the Pittsburgh Penguins lift the Cup again...while that did not occur, Elphie and some of our Take Hold friends returned after the show and we hosted them for the night. It was good to hang with those guys and catch up a bit.

Friday June 9th, the Wilson Abbey hosted Desiring Dead Flesh, Self Proclaimed Narcissist, The Ghost Servant, and Endolphins. It was a fun Friday night punk show! It had been a while since seeing the Desiring Dead Flesh crew due to sickness stopping me from making it to the last show when they were in Chicago. Also, I hadn't seen Self Proclaimed Narcissist in a couple years either.



Chuck's Lawn Is A Mullet by Desiring Dead Flesh LIVE @ Wilson Abbey (06.09.17)



The Ghost Servant LIVE @ Wilson Abbey (06.09.17)


Endolphins LIVE @ Wilson Abbey (06.09.17)

On Saturday, June 10th, there was a Hardcore Hearse Club Show at Brauerhouse in Lombard, Illinois where we ran into Andrew Tromaton. On Sunday, June 11th, we had a backyard barbecue with the rest of the tenants of our house. I listened to the Xenophobe 7" vinyl from ZAO prior to watching the Pittsburgh Penguins win the Stanley Cup. I shot off a few fireworks in celebration. At work, I watched the Stanley Cup return to Pittsburgh on June 12th then I watched the Stanley Cup Parade during my lunch break on June 13th. That evening, Elphie and I celebrated our anniversary by getting dinner at Brie Thai then we hosted some more friends who were passing through for the evening. On my walk home from work, I saw a rainbow and decided to capture a clip of it on Thursday June 19th. 

On Saturday, June 17th, my friend Derek Zanetti came to town to play as The Homeless Gospel Choir at Subterranean. It was good to hear some of the new tunes and also a lot of fun to hang out with Derek afterwards.



Elphie and I had some fun with Siri on our way to Bat Night at the Wehr Nature Center in Wisconsin on Friday June 23rd. Saturday June 24th was supposed to be another Promised Land Variety show but there was confusion so it didn't happen. On Sunday June 25th, we experienced a wedding at Tattoo Church.

The day before we left for Audiofeeed, we went to the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, Illinois to see Rammstein and 3Teeth. It was my first time seeing either of these bands and I enjoyed the show. I'm glad Elphie wanted to go so I could experience this.




3Teeth LIVE @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre (06.27.17)

The following morning, we left for Audiofeed. You can find the video and blogs regarding that here.

Additional soundtrack includes "1 Corinthians 15:55" by Johnny Cash, "Saved By The Bell Theme," "Leave Here A Stranger" by Starflyer 59, some Pittsburgh Pirates highlights audio used in a Benstonium clip, "Hello Mannequin Part 2" and "Nikola Tesla" by Joy Electric, "Party Hard" by Andrew WK, "Black Heart Hearse" by White Collar Sideshow, and "The Bat Storm" by The Blamed.

Filmed using an iPhone 6 by Elphie and Joel A. Swanson. Edited using Final Cut Pro on a Mac Mini by Joel A. Swanson
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Thursday, January 11, 2018

A Shared Life: Winter In Chicago (January, February, March 2017)



This footage was compiled throughout the winter months, January, February, and March 2017. Elphie and I did not return to Chicago from our holiday trip until about a week into January due to attending to family matters over that break.

Feeling confident in the Pittsburgh Steelers chances, I filmed reaction to their victories over Miami and Kansas City on January 8th and 15th. I did not film reaction to what happened against New England. While I was gone, we lost some folks at work so some added responsibility was added to my plate which included working early hours on a few Saturdays. I filmed the early morning drive along Lake Shore Drive one of those mornings on January 14th. On January 20th, I was watching a video of my friend Spike doing a duck call. It intrigued Stein so we captured video of this moment. On January 23rd, I went to Burlington Bar to see October Bird of Death. I captured a newer song called "Shadows Like Teeth."


Shadows Like Teeth by October Bird Of Death LIVE @ Burlington Bar (01.23.17)

Again, on February 8th, i went to Burlington Bar to see October Bird of Death and hang with the guys. I captured "Goons."


Goons by October Bird Of Death LIVE @ Burlington Bar (02.08.17)

February brought the goodness of Shamrock Shake Season! So I went to McDonald's to get myself a Shamrock Shake during lunch break. On February 11th, I decided to go to a sold out show at the Riviera Theatre to see mewithoutYOU. They were playing with Circa Survive who had an interesting stage design with hot air balloons with projectors showing images on them. There was also a lot of confetti. While I had hoped to get a newer song during mewithoutYOU's set, I missed my opportunity so I got January 1979 which ended the set.


Circa Survive LIVE @ Riviera Theatre (02.11.17)


January 1979 by mewithoutYOU LIVE @ Riviera Theatre (02.11.17)

While I was at this show, Elphie got video of Stein while he watched videos of other cats on YouTube. On February 17th, Elphie decided to serenade her friend for her birthday. A heatwave hit Chicago so we spent the day on February 18th hanging out in McKinley Park feeding squirrels, ducks, and geese. that night we went to Nocturna at the Metro. With the warm weather continuing into the next week, I walked around Uptown on lunch breaks getting some footage for another project idea I have. Elphie got more footage of Stein watching YouTube videos and me playing with him. On February 25th, I decided I wanted to go to the Stadium Series game being held in Pittsburgh that night at Heinz Field between the Penguins and Flyers. Since it had been warm for a week, I hoped the weather would be alright to do this so I made the long drive out to Pittsburgh. I got a lower level ticket through StubHub while making the drive and while it definitely was cold, I persevered and the experience was a lot of fun. The Penguins won too! I started to drive home that night and got through most of Ohio before pulling over at a rest area to nap. I continued the journey and made it back around noon after passing what appeared to be a pretty nasty wreck.

On March 1st, the Penguins made their way to Chicago so I bought a ticket on StubHub again to see them play the Blackhawks on the day of the trade deadline. Josh Yohe of DK Pittsburgh Sports did a subscriber meetup but unfortunately the Penguins lost. Elphie got a clip of Stein hitching a ride on my back. We caught Il Neige playing at an art gallery in Berwyn called OuttaSpace on March 3rd. It was a good set and the place had some cool art too.


Il Neige LIVE @ OuttaSpace (03.03.17)

On March 4th, Flatfoot 56 officially released their album Odd Boat at Reggies. I captured the opening song of the set with a little help from Elphie from her perch in the balcony. Also playing that night were The Crombies, Mickey Rickshaw, and Turnspit. 6'10 had a pre-show in the restaurant next door with Greg Rekus opening.


Stutter by Flatfoot 56 LIVE during the Odd Boat Album Release @ Reggies (03.04.17)


The Crombies LIVE @ Reggies (03.04.17)


Mickey Rickshaw LIVE @ Reggies (03.04.17)


Turnspit LIVE @ Reggies (03.04.17)


Someday Hun by 6'10 LIVE @ Reggies (03.04.17)


Greg Rekus LIVE @ Reggies (03.04.17)

On March 7th, while eating lunch at JPUSA, Stasia and Stewart decided to sing a duet together. Our friend Barb got married to Roy in a Steampunk themed wedding so we made a trip down to Cincinnati leaving on March 10th. We stayed with The Humans who made us a welcome sign. We also got to hang out with several friends during the visit including Josiah, Aaron, and Lisa. We went over to The 86 for the evening on March 11th then the morning of March 12th we visited University Church with the Humans and got Pho before heading for home. We also made a stop at a candy shop in Cincinnati as well as at Albanese Candy Factory on the trip back to Chicago. We made it back to Chicago in time to catch The Crossing play at Wilson Abbey for their annual seasonal show on March 12th.


Home by The Crossing LIVE @ Wilson Abbey (03.12.17)

On March 14th, Elphie brought some snow in for Stein to play in and filmed this. While I was working, I was tipped off to a last minute free Flatfoot 56 show to be held on March 16th, at Henry's in Chicago. It turned out to be some sort of party for Tullamore Dew and the venue was downtown Chicago...it was a slightly unusual place for this kind of show but it was fun nonetheless. The drink perks were great too!


Odd Boat by Flatfoot 56 LIVE @ Henry’s (03.16.17)

On Saint Patrick's Day, Elphie and I went to Aurora for the annual Flatfoot 56 show at Ballydoyle Pub where they play two sets with a set from 6'10 as intermission. I decided to capture the medley of "You Are My Sunshine," "This Land Is Your Land...," and "Dirty Old Town" from the first set and "Penny" from the second set with Vanessa doing a guest vocal. I captured 6'10 doing "Hurricane." It is always a fun show on Saint Patrick's Day...it's a perk of living in the Chicago area to see these guys do these shows each year.


Penny by Flatfoot 56 featuring Vanessa LIVE on Saint Patrick’s Day @ Ballydoyle (03.17.17)


Hurricane by 6'10 LIVE on Saint Patrick’s Day @ Ballydoyle (03.17.17)


You Are My Sunshine/This Land Is Your Land.../Dirty Old Town Medley by Flatfoot 56 LIVE on Saint Patrick’s Day @ Ballydoyle (03.17.17)

On March 19th, there was a suspension event at Disgraceland Wasteland that we attended. On March 23rd, we went to a Winchester with Josh, Andy, James, Helen and some others but the Denny's chosen for this particular Winchester was not up to par. Josh forgot his bag so we added a few items for his troubles. On March 25th, Andy invited us to spend the day for his birthday at Galloping Ghost Arcade. It was fun playing PacMan, Q*Bert, and other games. I set a few high scores as well...at least for that day. On March 30th we got dinner at Cheesies then went over to The Vic for Jay and Silent Bob Get Old.

Additional soundtrack includes “Renegade” by Styx (Steelers and Penguins versions), “Winter” by Il Neige, “Winter” by Travelogue, “2000 Winters” by All the Day Holiday, and “Penny” by Flatfoot 56.

Filmed using an iPhone 6 by Elphie and Joel A. Swanson. Edited using Final Cut Pro by Joel A. Swanson.

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