Matt and I first stumbled upon Black Dub last year when we ended up at a Canadian Blast party right before the Grammys. I didn’t know what Daniel Lanois looked like at the time, but I remember this guy riding up to the valet on loud a motorcycle, clad in leather, and I thought, that’s pretty badass. Fast forward in the evening and he’s up onstage unveiling his new project with Trixie Whitley, Black Dub. He then followed up with an impromptu duet of “May This Be Love” with Emmylou Harris. So, yeah, I was right…he was pretty badass.
Daniel Lanois is a legendary producer (ever heard of a band called U2? How about Bob Dylan? Neil Young?!), so there was no doubt in my mind that his own project would sound stellar. I’d heard a couple songs on KCRW and couldn’t wait to hear Black Dub live again. From a photographer’s point of view, the night was a bit of a bust. With no photo pit and security leaning a bit more on the pushy side, finding a decent spot to shoot from became an arduous task. I shot what I could then opted to treat my ears to the music and my taste buds to some suds.
The music was fantastic and Trixie Whitley’s soulful vocals were the perfect soundtrack to mellowing out in the dark and moody upstairs bar, beer in hand. I was happy to have caught them again and will be happy to see them the next time they come around.
