I had the pleasure to attend and photograph UK legends Black Midi playing at Summerstage in Central Park, NYC, on a night kicked off by Sarah Squirm and Sal Valentinetti. Here are some of my favorite shots I took there:
Ney Matogrosso @ Central Park SummerStage
I had the pleasure to attend and photograph Brazilian legend Ney Matogrosso playing at Summerstage in Central Park, NYC, on a night kicked off by Fado Bicha and Francisco El Hombre. Here are some of my favorite shots I took there, while on assignment for Arte Institute.
Best Album Covers: June 2022
Continuing the series of posts where once a month I’m sharing some of my favorite album covers from music released on the previous month. Here are the ones released in June of 2022:
Bon Iver, live at Forest Hills Stadium (NYC, 2022)
When was the last time you went to a concert by an artist that you really like for the first time? Last week I got to cross an item from my bucket list and I saw Bon Iver live for the very first time, accompanied by my friend and talented musician Jenny Kern, and it was everything I could have imagined and more.
Prior to this, I can’t really remember the last time I attended a concert in an arena/stadium type of venue, and I must say that that was something I wasn’t missing at all. Nothing wrong with Forest Hills Stadium by any means, but when you play for a crowd that big, you’ll inevitably attract all kinds of people, including a considerable amount that is not even interested in the music you’re playing. And if you’re not seated closer to the stage (who can even afford good tickets these days anyway?), you’ll probably have so much going on around you (selfies, laughs, drunks, “instagramable” moments), that it can be very tricky to be present and focus on the performance, at least that’s what ends up happening to me in most cases.
Now back to the concert… On tour to promote their 2019 album “i,i”, they’ve played a close to 2 hours set that pleased fans throughout their whole discography, including Heavenly Father, an incredible song that unfortunately is not available on any streaming platform. Even though I’ve been enjoying their music since their debut record came out 15 years ago, and especially with the masterpiece sophomore album, the more recent releases didn’t really grab me that much right away, until recently when I decided to pay closer attention in preparation to the concert, and especially after witnessing the live version of each track, that somehow is even better than the studio version. It’s hard not to think that Bon Iver is just its frontman Justin Vernon, but seeing them live makes you realize how much every single one of them contributes so much to the whole experience. And speaking of experience, the music paired with the lighting design and stage takes everything to the next level, making the concert almost an outer-worldly experience.
I don’t consider myself a religious person, but if Bon Iver was a church, I’d be there every Sunday morning!
Listen to this playlist I put together with the setlist of the show, a great way to get familiar with their music.
Best Album Covers: May 2022
Continuing the series of posts where once a month I’m sharing some of my favorite album covers from music released on the previous month. Here are the ones released in May of 2022:
Jenny Kern
Here are some shots I took of singer-songwriter Jenny Kern at a concert at Mercury Lounge in NYC:
Susie McCollum
Here are some shots I took of singer-songwriter Susie McCollum at a concert at Mercury Lounge in NYC:
Jake Brewe
Here are some shots I took of singer-songwriter Jake Brewe at a concert at Mercury Lounge in NYC:
Best Album Covers: April 2022
Continuing the series of posts where once a month I’m sharing some of my favorite album covers from music released on the previous month. Here are the ones released in April of 2022:
Roopa Mahadevan
Here are some shots I took of the amazing Roopa Mahadevan at a concert at Joe’s Pub in NYC:
Best Album Covers: March 2022
Continuing the series of posts where once a month I’m sharing some of my favorite album covers from music released on the previous month. Here are the ones released in March of 2022:
Tipling Rock
Here are some shots I took of the band Tipling Rock at a concert at The Knitting Factory in NYC:
45 Riots
Here are some shots I took of the band 45 Riots at a recording session at Germano Studios in NYC:
Best Album Covers: February 2022
Continuing the series of posts where once a month I’m sharing some of my favorite album covers from music released on the previous month. Here are the ones released in February of 2022:
Tamar Eisenman
It was great being back at Joe’s Pub after 2 years last Tuesday, to photograph the amazing Tamar Eisenman at one of my favorite venues in NYC. Here are some favorites from the night:
🎬 Oscars 2022: a Notion Template
After the great feedback I got last year, I’m back with the 2022 version of my popular Oscars Tracker Notion Template, following the announcement of all the nominees this week:
Even though I'm calling this a template, since anyone can duplicate it into your own Notion system, this works more as a guide than a template, since all the content is already there ready to be used.
I've been using Notion for a while now to track all my content consumption, like movies I've watched, tv-series I'm currently watching, books I'm reading or want to read, music I want to listen to, even video games I'm playing. Especially now having a weekly newsletter where I share music recommendations (learn more about it), it's very important for me to have all this content centered in one place.
So here are a few screenshots explaining the basics of the template.
« 1 » This is the home page, where you'll get a quick explanation of how the system works, and links to the specific pages for the different pages:
« 2 » When you click on "Nominees", you'll access the database with all the films nominated in all the categories, organized alphabetically by title. Here you're able to quickly mark a film as "watched" and give a rating from 1 to 5 stars:
« 3 » Each film is its own clickable page where you can go a little further, adding a date when you watched (optional), watch the trailer, find a link to learn more about the specific film, as well as a dedicated space for you to write down a few personal comments:
« 4 » Back to the home page, clicking on "Watchlist" will bring you to a side-by-side view for a quick glance of the films that you've already seen and what's still on your watchlist. Once you mark a film as "watched", it automatically moves to the proper column, changing its view to the film poster instead of just the title:
« 5 » Back to the home page, clicking on "Favorites" you can access a separate page with all your Favorite Films, which means the ones that you rated as 3 stars or more. That way you can look back and remember your favorite films from the award season!
« 6 » And finally, as a bonus, I created a “Ballot” page, where you can simply mark your bets for the films you think will win and you want to win on each category, so you get ready to enjoy the big night!
If you download and use this template, please share your thoughts and any feedback with me through the comments section below, on Twitter, or by sending me an email.
And if you love music, like me, consider subscribing to Shuffle Sundays, my weekly Newsletter with personal recommendations to help you find your next obsession. All directly to your inbox for you to consume at your own pace. Click here to learn more!
Best Album Covers: January 2022
Continuing the series of posts where once a month I’m sharing some of my favorite album covers from music released on the previous month. Here are the ones released in January of 2022:
💽 » My 35 Favorite Albums of 2021
These are my 35 favorite albums of 2021, in chronological order by release date:
💽 Yasmin Williams – Urban Driftwood
🎶 acoustic guitar, instrumental, folk • 10 songs • 45 minutes
🎧 Listen on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
💽 Supercolisor - Viagem ao Fim da Noite
🎶 alternative rock, brazilian • 10 songs • 39 minutes
🎧 Listen on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
💽 Hayley Williams – FLOWERS for VASES / descansos
🎶 alternative, pop • 14 songs • 42 minutes
🎧 Listen on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
💽 SG Lewis - times
🎶 electronic, pop, disco • 10 songs • 40 minutes
🎧 Listen on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
💽 Architects - For Those That Wish To Exist
🎶 rock, metalcore • 15 songs • 58 minutes
🎧 Listen on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
💽 Really From - Really From
🎶 indie rock, emo, math rock, jazz • 9 songs • 34 minutes
🎧 Listen on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
💽 Sheep, Dog & Wolf - Two Minds
🎶 alternative rock, jazz • 8 songs • 41 minutes
🎧 Listen on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
💽 Selton - Benvenuti
🎶 indie-rock, pop, alternative • 13 songs • 39 minutes
🎧 Listen on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
💽 Porter Robinson - Nurture
🎶 electronic, indie-pop • 14 songs • 59 minutes
🎧 Listen on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
💽 Duda Beat - Te Amo Lá Fora
🎶 brazilian music, pop • 11 songs • 39 minutes
🎧 Listen on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
💽 Manchester Orchestra - The Million Masks Of God
🎶 alternative rock, indie-rock • 11 songs • 46 minutes
🎧 Listen on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
💽 Rodrigo Y Gabriela - The Jazz EP
🎶 acoustic guitar, jazz, instrumental • 3 songs • 20 minutes
🎧 Listen on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
💽 Erika de Casier - Sensational
🎶 r&b, pop, soul • 13 songs • 42 minutes
🎧 Listen on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
💽 Olivia Rodrigo - Sour
🎶 alternative pop, pop-rock • 11 songs • 34 minutes
🎧 Listen on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
💽 Jonathan Ferr - Cura
🎶 jazz, brazilian, piano • 9 songs • 40 minutes
🎧 Listen on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
💽 Black Midi - Cavalcade
🎶 experimental rock, jazz fusion, math-rock • 8 songs • 42 minutes
🎧 Listen on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
💽 Tuyo - Chegamos Sozinhos em Casa
🎶 r&b, pop, soul, brazilian • 19 songs • 66 minutes
🎧 Listen on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
💽 Amaro Freitas - Sankofa
🎶 jazz, brazilian, piano • 8 songs • 45 minutes
🎧 Listen on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
💽 Hiatus Kaiyote - Mood Valiant
🎶 r&b, jazz, soul • 12 songs • 43 minutes
🎧 Listen on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
💽 Laura Mvula - Pink Noise
🎶 r&b, soul • 10 songs • 38 minutes
🎧 Listen on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
💽 Leon Bridges - Gold-Diggers Sound
🎶 r&b, soul • 11 songs • 36 minutes
🎧 Listen on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
💽 Billie Eilish - Happier Than Ever
🎶 alternative pop • 16 songs • 56 minutes
🎧 Listen on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
💽 Foxing - Draw Down the Moon
🎶 indie-rock, emo, post-rock • 10 songs • 39 minutes
🎧 Listen on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
💽 Ty Segall - Harmonizer
🎶 indie-rock, psychedelic-rock / 10 songs • 35 minutes
🎧 Listen on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
💽 Meet Me @ The Altar - Model Citizen
🎶 pop-punk, emo • 6 songs • 19 minutes
🎧 Listen on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
💽 Big Red Machine - How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last?
🎶 indie-folk, alternative • 15 songs • 65 minutes
🎧 Listen on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
💽 CHVRCHES - Screen Violence
🎶 synth-pop, indie, alternative • 10 songs • 43 minutes
🎧 Listen on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
💽 Imagine Dragons - Mercury - Act 1
🎶 alternative rock • 13 songs • 42 minutes
🎧 Listen on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
💽 Spiritbox - Eternal Blue
🎶 metalcore, rock, metal • 12 songs • 43 minutes
🎧 Listen on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
💽 Jenny Kern - I Never Thought That You Were Listening
🎶 singer/songwriter, alternative • 4 songs • 15 minutes
🎧 Listen on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
💽 AXTY - Helpless
🎶 metalcore, rock, metal • 12 songs • 38 minutes
🎧 Listen on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
💽 Alice Caymmi - Imaculada
🎶 brazilian music, pop • 10 songs • 26 minutes
🎧 Listen on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
💽 Caetano Veloso - Meu Coco
🎶 brazilian music, singer/song-writer • 12 songs • 43 minutes
🎧 Listen on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
💽 Fresno - Vou Ter Que Me Virar
🎶 rock, emo, brazilian • 11 songs • 43 minutes
🎧 Listen on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
Best Album Covers: November 2021
Continuing the series of posts where once a month I’m sharing some of my favorite album covers from music released on the previous month. Here are the ones released in November of 2021:
Best Album Covers: October 2021
Continuing the series of posts where once a month I’m sharing some of my favorite album covers from music released on the previous month. Here are the ones released in October of 2021:
