Sunday, May 20, 2012

Whiskey Tango Band at Harry's

Message: To read my latest Whiskey Tango Band blog entry, "Whiskey Tango Band - does it again!", click here.

The house was packed.  I was expecting nothing less.  The entire area was hopping, and the place to be was at Harry's of Arlington Heights watching Whiskey Tango rock it out.

I arrived a little late, and the band was already at stride right out of the gate.  A large crowd was there to enjoy the music, the band, and the marvelous Nancy Fisher who is the lead singer.  I am giving Nancy some early credit here because she inspired my photography this night.

I know only one member of the band - Tom Coll.  We recently met during a business event, got to talking, and found there was a connection beyond just work, which is the band, Whiskey Tango which he plays in, and my photography.  So I was given the invitation to come photograph.

Tom only planned to play one set this evening, and to allow his guest backup to play the remaining. So you will not see Tom throughout this blog. Just the beginning.

For you new comers, and I expect some, you can click on the photo to enlarge it, then click on the enlarged photo to index through.  With that, let me introduce you to Whiskey Tango . . .

Nancy Fisher - Lead Vocal

Tom Coll - Guitar, Vocal

Ray Bernier - Guitar, Vocal


Jim Mathews - Drums

Joe Kazlauskas - Bass

Guest - Tommy Antonelli - Guitar




Now, photos of Whiskey Tango . . .



I think the above photo says it all about Nancy.  I hope I get to meet her.  I stayed on the side line taking photographs, being as non-intrusive as I could, because this was my first time around the band.  It was fun to watch her presence set the stage for the band performance, setting the vibe in the air for me to photograph, and to energize the audience.  So if you see this in my photography of Whiskey Tango Band, give credit to Nancy . . .



I have seen my fare share of bands. What made this evening enjoyable for everyone was Nancy coming out to the audience. "Bringing it to the people" as it were, so that all of us felt part of her experience, creating our individual experience.



Nancy feels the moment when she performs.  It is magical for me watching her.  Yes she is a hot looking lady, however that is not what caught my eye.  Her comfort when performing  strikes me as amazing.  Her desire to entertain comes at you.  This is not to take away from the band, who the people who packed Harry's came to see.  Her uniqueness, her performance, and how the band is all integrated with her at the helm orchestrates this performance.  For me, the entire performance was heart felt. (I still remember walking down to the street to my car, smiling . . .)











I loved it when I saw Ray and Nancy feeding off each others vibe. Ray has a lot of energy himself. There were many times when Ray got all pumped up and had to let it out, taking the lead, with Nancy smiling and jumping (literally) right in.









I just love the photo above and below. I see a wonderful person, a performer, behind those glasses. (Okay, it may sound a bit corny to you, however as a photographer my energy to photograph a performer starts with the performer. I reciprocate back with a click of the shutter, which feeds back to the performer to re-energize them. Sort of cool if you ask me . . .)




This next photo sort of reminds me of Tina Turner . . . Oh Ya . . . kick it Nancy!



You can see that Nancy has a lot to give. She does not hold back on her performance. I really appreciated that . . .














Hold on to your head . . . it was fun taking this next set of photos.  Thank you Nancy!  (And all of the photos in the blog post are without flash.)










And couples were enjoying themselves as well . . .



I planned to stay in Arlington Heights after the show, knowing it would be a long drive back home. However, I was so wound up with Whiskey Tango's performance, it took me 2 hours to get to sleep, and it is only an hour drive back home. I like music, plain and simple, and Whiskey Tango is moving up the chart (okay, my chart - why not make it yours) of a fun rock band to rock out with.

This is a fun group of people, who happen to be band members, that call themselves Whiskey Tango.  I cannot wait to go back and photograph some more.  Thanks to the band, everyone at Harry's had the most enjoyable evening. (They did not want to leave!  Especially me!!!!)

Thank you Tom for the opportunity to photograph. I hope you will invite me back to do it again.

For information on Whiskey Tango Band . . .

Whiskey Tango Band
(a Rock Cover Band)

And thanks to Harry's for bringing the band in.  I think next time I am going to arrive early to eat!

Harry's
1 North Vail
Arlington Heights, IL
(847) 577-2525

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