The Verve Pipe - New Promo Shots

The Verve Pipe is leaving soon on a mini-world tour with concert dates in Spain, Italy and Hawaii...there may be other locations but those were the places that I remember cursing at in jealousy!

I shot TIGHT portraits of everyone plus a new full group shot. Such a great bunch of guys.

Above are the two principal songwriters for the band; Donny Brown and Brian Vander Ark.

I'm starting to construct a special "Music and Fashion" section for my full web site. You can see a preview of it here.

GR Press Review - Karma Generator at Waterfront Film Festival

On Saturday I attended the screening of our film Karma Generator at Waterfront Film Festival. The theater was packed and it was interesting to screen it before an audience that really had no idea what they were going to see (it was paired with an excellent film called The Linguists which was shown at Sundance a few months ago).

I noticed music/film critic John Serba of The Grand Rapids Press sitting just in front of us and had a chance to say hello before the film started.  He wrote about Karma Generator on his blog this morning. Here's a link to his very favorable review.

The audience really seemed to enjoy the film.  I relished the opportunity to grab some popcorn and be a fly on the wall and watch it with my wife Kathleen right along with everyone else.

And wouldn't you know it...you can now purchase Karma Generator!!!  The entire film is included as bonus material on Brian Vander Ark's new live concert DVD.  This is the now infamous concert that my brother Brad and I shot for BVA at Aquinas College in March of this year.  It was a 5 camera shoot and I must say it resulted in one heckuva fine concert DVD.  Brian and the band were truly inspired and the setting was incredible.  The shoot went smoothly and it's a beautiful concert film.

The best news is that the DVD is only $17...order it here...directly from Brian Vander Ark himself.  Feel free to pick up a few dozen copies!

Waterfront Film Festival - Karma Generator is IN!

Holy cow...I received word today that our short film documentary called Karma Generator is an official selection of the prestigious Waterfront Film Festival in Saugatuck.  It will be screened twice at some point during the festival's June 12-15 run.

I wasn't sure what to expect when, on a whim, I submitted our entry a full day past the deadline (with permission).  But this feels pretty great!  My brother Brad and I worked extremely hard on it and being accepted to WFF validates our emphasis on creating more films together...because we make a pretty great team (if I say so myself).

Perhaps I'll post an entry soon about our next film project which starts shooting a little later this summer...but for now I'm tight as a drum!  All I'll say is that it's a feature length project and not a short.

So tonight I'm working on press kits for the festival and filling out a Director's questionnaire that asks me if I'm interested in boating, golfing, dune rides and jet ski's while I'm attending the festival.  Let's see...wait for it...OH YEAH!

Karma Generator - Concert Wrap-up

Well, it's been a very interesting 5 month journey we've had with Brian Vander Ark and making the film Karma Generator. That journey concluded last night with a sold-out screening of the film and a blistering performance by BVA in front of a warm and appreciative audience of 400+ at Aquinas College's Performing Arts Theater. What a great venue!

Last November, my brother Brad and I loaded in some gear and headed down to North Carolina where BVA was recording in the home studio of producer Bill Szymczyk. Brad and I both didn't have much time...busy work commitments back home wouldn't allow us to stay very long. Our plans were humble, simply to grab enough footage to produce a 2-3 minute video to help promote BVA's album when it came out.

But we managed to get some great interview content...and my brother is the king of killer b-roll. So last night we screened our (now considerbly more ambitious) 25 minute Karma Generator on an amazing 16' x 9' wide screen...that's FEET people!

Somebody pinch me...

My email has been burning up today with well-wishes, wonderful comments about the film as well as the concert that Brian and his band put on. It's hard to describe what a passionate and polished performer Brian Vander Ark is...if you've seen him live you'll know exactly what I mean.

Oh...Brad and I also shot the whole concert performance for a future DVD release...

A new journey begins...

Tickets nearly gone - Brian Vander Ark concert

Just a quick post to give you a head's up. The Brian Vander Ark concert and film screening of Karma Generator is nearly sold out. There are only 48 tickets left as of now...

I don't expect them to last too much longer. BVA and I are appearing on The Kevin Matthews Show on WLAV this Thursday morning plus the WYCE interview for Local Resonance is airing on Friday morning.

Follow this link to order tickets online...

This concert is a major production and BVA is pulling out all the stops. We're filming the concert for a future concert DVD release so it's going to be a GREAT show!

The Fonz, Radio Interviews and Chaplow

It's been an extremely busy week and a bit unusual. I taped two in depth radio interviews this week with Brian Vander Ark to promote our film Karma Generator that is screening before the BVA concert on March 22 at Aquinas College...plus I had a busy week of shooting for various clients.

The first show we taped was for a fantastic program on WCYE (88.1) called Local Resonance with host Kevin Murphy. It will air Friday, March 21 at 11 am (you can stream it online if you're not in GR...so tune in!) . BVA played two songs from the new album and we all chatted about the film and what went into it. We taped the interview at Michael Crittenden's Mackinaw Harvest Studios right here in GR...that's an amazing studio complete with fireplaces and a lodge-like interior. It was good to meet Michael as I've been a fan of his band Troll for Trout...not often does it take a decade to bump into another artist right here in good ol' GR but in Michael's case it did.

The second interview was with Shelley Irwin on WGVU radio (88.5). Shelley hosts a great morning program that airs weekdays at 9 am (I'll find out exactly what day we're on). Shelley just won her 5th consecutive Gracie Award which is a national award for broadcasting excellence in public radio (I believe). She's a pro...very insightful and smooth. It seemed like we chatted for 20 minutes or so and BVA played two acoustic songs.

Rounding out the week for me was hanging out with Henry Winkler (The Fonz, baby!). He was an inspiring and very genuine guy. Mr. Winkler was helping to raise money for teaching scholarships at Aquinas College and I was documenting his visit for the college. And no...I didn't give him a thumbs up or ask him to jump a shark tank with his motorcycle...although that would have been frickin' sweet.

I also shot an absolutely beautiful home on Reeds Lake with uber-hot interior designer Kathryn Chaplow. Her work is gaining national recognition and she's had her homes featured in national magazines (even a cover spread in Home!)

Quite a week...I wonder what's in store for next week?

On-the-Town article - Karma Generator

Hey...things seem to be really taking off for the March 22 Brian Vander Ark concert at Aquinas College Performing Arts Theatre. We're screening our film Karma Generator before the concert and we're also filming the entire show for Brian for a future DVD release...he's pulled out all the stops for this one!

The latest buzz is in the March issue of On-the-Town Magazine...OTT gives the film a very, very nice write-up. There's also a great review of Vander Ark's new self-titled album on the same page.

If you haven't ordered tickets yet for this concert and film screening on March 22...ummm....what the heck are you waiting for? Ticket sales have been strong so far. Here's the link to order and see you at the show!

Here's a shot from North Carolina and the making of the Karma Generator (thanks for the photo Lisi Szymczyk!). This shows me interviewing Bill Szymczyk and my brother Brad giving directions to the ice cream buffet (our rider specifies that a full spread of ice cream be chilling at all times):

new photos and Knape's Corner plug

If you haven't been to my photography web site in a while I've recently updated the site with a few new images you might want to check out...enjoy.

And many thanks to top business writer Chris Knape of The Grand Rapids Press for giving me a huge plug on his Knape's Corner blog. It was a nice suprise. Chris talks about finding out about my film Karma Generator and Brian Vander Ark's March 22 concert right here in my little corner of the blogging world. We'll see you at the show, Chris!

"Karma Generator" - Short Film Documentary - Trailer Released

What the heck is a Karma Generator you ask?

It's a killer short film documentary that my brother Brad and I made. Last November we shot Brian Vander Ark recording his new album in the mountains of North Carolina with legendary producer Bill Szymczyk.

Here's a three minute trailer for the short film that we've titled "Karma Generator". The final film takes you behind the scenes as Brian Vander Ark poors his soul into a new record. It's an amazing document of a great singer/songwriter working.


karma generator trailer from Brad Kelly on Vimeo.
We'll officially screen the entire film before Brian Vander Ark's concert at Aquinas College Performing Art Theater on Saturday, March 22....BE THERE!

Album Cover - Brian Vander Ark

If you follow this blog you know I've been working a lot lately with singer/songwriter Brian Vander Ark. I've documented some of his studio sessions in North Carolina, dodged hunters with shot guns in the woods, and also shot a film documentary (much more on that later).

The new songs were wrapped up a couple weeks ago but we still needed to create a killer cover shot for the record. So BVA came to my studio on a Sunday night just before the New Year. We worked a few different looks and actually got more than what we needed. The session resulted in 2 other images that made the back cover and a large interior spread as well....a pretty productive evening if I say so myself!

I'd highly recommend that you pick up Brian's new album on his myspace page. It's available now! He's produced the finest album of his illustrious career. He always does West Michigan proud so here's your chance to support a national artist who calls Grand Rapids his home base!

Brian Vander Ark plays The Photography Room

If you were at our gallery (The Photography Room) this past Saturday, I don't need to tell you what an inspiring performance Brian Vander Ark put on for all of us. I've been getting email and calls all day from people saying it was one of the best shows they've ever seen!

A curious side note; this show quickly sold out by mid-November! The gallery is arguably the BEST venue in Grand Rapids to listen to music in an intimate setting. Capacity is only 140 people. I spent a good amount of time last week deflecting calls asking for tickets (people were begging and there was nothing I could do!).

Enjoy the hand-held video below...it doesn't really do BVA justice. Let's hope he plays the gallery again soon...if so get your tickets FAST!

Brian Vander Ark - short film

Just got back from NC late last night...a mind-numbing 14 hour drive. Over the next day or two I'll be posting some quick photos of Brian Vander Ark as he put the finishing vocal touches on a new record with legendary producer Bill Szymczyk. Bill's worked with The Eagles, The Who, Bob Seger...Brian Vander Ark...you get the drift.

My brother Brad (that's him with the camera) also shot hours and hours of film footage to be cut into a redBrick short film documentary that will debut before the album is released (target of February). Brad drove back to Boston to start cutting the film together. We've got really interesting interviews with Bill, Brian and tons of North Carolina scenery to hype the new record...

My first impressions of Brian's new album...his best yet...both lyrically and sonically. It's fantastic.

It's exhausting work. Here BVA takes a combat nap next to James Brown (who apparently still isn't buried and is staying at Bill's home).

Brian Vander Ark - North Carolina

Here's a couple photographs I took with Brian this morning. We had to scramble down a small ridge and dodge some hunters with dogs (and shot guns) to get to this location. The large rocks and morning sun peaking over the ridge made this particular shot work well.

Here's another shot close to Bill Szymczyk's house...there's a cool old mine near there. We tried a few things with the mine in the background but we both weren't really feeling it. So instead I put the sun right behind Brian's head to create a dramatic portrait.

Shooting Brian Vander Ark

Exciting news! I just got confirmation this morning that I'm going to North Carolina next week to photograph Brian Vander Ark while he records his new album. We'll shoot some cool portraits and hang out in the recording studio. It'll be fun to watch the creative process of a great singer/songwriter.

I've been fortunate to work with Brian in the past and he's just the best...he'll do whatever it takes to push the envelope and get something outside the box. Here's a shot from a session we did in 2006 for his last album, Angel, Put Your Face On. This shot didn't end up being used but it's still one of my favorites from that shoot.

My brother Brad (who is a killer cinematographer) is coming down as well and we'll also be shooting a mini-documentary/short film of Brian as he records the album. We'll be doing interviews with Brian as well as his legendary producer, Bill Szymczyk. We'll cut and edit this footage into an EPK (electronic press kit) to promote the release of the new record.

Brian tells me the new album is targeted to be released in February...lots of work to do for all of us!