Nadia Natario Photography » Nadia

awesome album art

admin — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 00:13:41 +0000

As I was going through my record collection, I began to wonder how many people out there still value the physical record. Back in the day, I literally spent my weekends at the record store, searching for new music, while admiring the artwork and interacting with others. It was like a ritual and it was sacred to me. Although, I’m the first to admit I wouldn’t be able to live without my ipod, nothing beats a trip to the store when a band I love releases a new album. People tend to forget that there’s a lot of thought (and not to mention work) put into the presentation of an album and all of that is lost in an MP3. So, here are some of my favorite covers.

AH, TECHNOLOGY…Remember this?

“These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things”

admin — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 01:28:55 +0000

Looking back on this past year, I thought I should make a list of some of my highlights / all time favs. Here ya go

Album(s): AB III by Alter Bridge + Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys by My Chemical Romance

Music Video: ‘Hurricane’ by 30 Seconds To Mars (the explicit/uncensored version…it’s actually a mini masterpiece)

Book: Hella Nation by Evan Wright

Film(s): Inception + Buried

TV Show: Dexter

Documentary: ‘Homeless: The Motel Kids Of Orange County’

Exhibit(s): ‘Who Shot Rock & Roll’ at Brooklyn Museum + Tim Burton at MoMA + ‘Never Can Say Goodbye’ at former Tower Records NYC

Gig(s): BBK Festival Bilbao + Alter Bridge at Hammersmith Apollo London / Razzmatazz Barcelona

Record Store: Looney Tunes, West Babylon NY (best place to buy music)

Restaurant: Red Bamboo NYC

Coffee Shop: Witches Brew, West Hempstead NY (been my favorite since college)

Clothing Store(s): Topshop London + Trash and Vaudeville NYC

For Good Times: Bowlmor Lanes NYC

For Drinks: Beauty Bar NYC

Social Networking Site of Choice: Twitter

Newly Discovered Band: Djerv

Guilty Pleasure: Lady Gaga

My Rock’n'Roll Life

admin — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 15:57:04 +0000

6 gigs. 7 days. 2 countries. I didn’t think I’d make it, but I did. Here’s a short recap:

Monday 18th October: ANTI-FLAG at Razzmatazz 2, Barcelona

Got back from Portugal just in time to catch Pittsburgh’s favorite punks at ‘Vans Off The Wall Music Night’, which included The Swellers and Pulled Apart By Horses. Right before the show, Anti-Flag went beyond the traditional ‘Meet & Greet’ and invited Rock Zone magazine and a few lucky fans to join them for lunch at a vegan restaurant. Anyone who’s seen them live can testify that their shows are a tour de force, but unfortunately they weren’t able to fill the venue this time around.

Wednesday 20th October: AVENGED SEVENFOLD at Sant Jordi Club, Barcelona

On the other hand, Avenged Sevenfold sold out in less than a week and had to upgrade the venue. Their first and only concert on Spanish soil made it one of the most highly anticipated gigs of the year (I heard people camped out for three days). Great show. Moving tribute to ‘The Rev’. But honestly, for a band that’s reinventing metal and with five albums under their belts, they should have given us more than 1hr and 15min.

Thursday 21st October: THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM at the Hammersmith Apollo, London

If you’ve never seen these guys live, shame on you! Make damn sure to catch them, next time they come to a town near you. You’ll thank me No bullshit egos, just four guys from New Jersey, playing honest music, filled with heart and soul. I’ve never seen anyone so genuinely happy and grateful to be on stage every night. It was their biggest U.K show to date. Here’s their AMAZING set list:

High Lonesome

Stay Lucky

Bring It On

The Diamond Church Street Choir

Old White Lincoln

Even Cowgirls Get The Blues

Old Haunts

Wherefore Art Thou

Casanova, Baby!

I Coul’da Been A Contender

Miles Davis And The Cool

Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts

Ida Called You Woody, Joe

Angry Johnny And The radio

The Queen Of Lower Chelsea

Film Noir

The Spirit Of Jazz

Señor And The Queen

Great Expectations

The ’59 Sound

We Did It When We Were Young

Encore:

She Loves You

American Slang

The Boxer

The Patient Ferris Wheel

Here’s Lookin’ At You, Kid

The Backseat

Friday 22nd October: ALTER BRIDGE at the Hammersmith Apollo, London

How can anyone not love Alter Bridge? This is a band that has all the great qualities of an 80s hard rock band (remember Bon Jovi? Scorpions? Guns’n'Roses?), those catchy choruses, those power ballads, those heart stopping guitar solos, with the added touch of 90s alternative rock. They’ve got that EPIC arena rock sound. And so what if they’re ‘radio friendly’ or ‘commercial’, so is Incubus, Metallica, hell, even Rammstein! You can’t deny that Myles Kennedy is one of the greatest rock’n'roll singers of all time. His dynamic vocal range is unmatched! London appreciates good music, they practically sold out the Hammersmith Apollo’s 5000 capacity. STELLAR show!

Oh and lets not forget London’s SLAVES TO GRAVITY who supported them on their U.K dates. They rocked that stage like they owned it!

Saturday 23rd October: MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE at the Hammersmith Apollo, London

One of the biggest bands of the last decade are ready to contaminate the world with their new record ‘Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys’. This was the very first show of their first tour in three years and it sold out in less than 5min. You can imagine what it was like, complete insanity. Read my full review in next months Rock Zone. Here’s a pretty good recording of the first three songs:

Sunday 24th October: SICK OF IT ALL and MADBALL at Razzmatazz 2, Barcelona

No sleep in 42hrs, but it had to be done if I wanted to make it back down to Barcelona for the ‘New York United’ tour with Sick Of It All and Madball. Hardcore at it’s best!

PHOTOS WILL BE UPLOADED SOON!

“is it too late to reverse what we’ve become?”

admin — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 16:50:13 +0000

When I was a small child, I never enjoyed eating meat. Sometimes I remember sitting at the dinner table, sobbing into my plate, trying hard not to throw up. Back in the 70s, vegetarianism was not hip and raising a vegetarian child was pretty much taboo. So I dealt with it. But when my family and I moved from Switzerland to China in the early 80s, my distaste for meat grew stronger. My mom used to take my little brother and 8 year old me grocery shopping at the local market, where we had to pick our chicken out alive, while the guy who sold them chopped their heads off right in front of us. This is just one example of many. Moving from country to country, having to adapt to multiple cultures at a very young age, helped me make certain decisions about myself and the kind of life I want to lead. But this post isn’t about vegetarianism. It’s about making the right choices in life and most importantly; being COMPASSIONATE.
This is why I wish there were more bands like RISE AGAINST. A band with a strong political message. A band with true passion and compassion. I’ve had the joy and privilege of photographing them numerous times over the years and every time I see them live, it feels like the very first time.
I know this is an old video, but if you haven’t seen it, PLEASE, I urge you to watch it…ALL of it!

For more info on how you can make a positive change, visit PETA and Sea Shepherd.

The Space Invader

admin — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 15:15:48 +0000

A few months ago, as I was wondering the streets of New York City, I stumbled upon an art exhibit called ‘Never Can Say Goodbye’, organized by No Longer Empty at the old Tower Records store on Broadway. All of the art was inspired by music and it was one of the most amazing shows I’ve ever seen. But there was one artist in particular who really BLEW my mind. He is French and goes by the name of Invader. He recreated album artwork using Rubik’s cubes. Yes! I kid you not. Check out the photos above that I took at the show of The Clash cover. If you squint you can see it a little clearer.

RUBIKCUBISM: Early 21st-century movement in fine art which use Rubik’s cubes to create pieces of art. This movement is believed to be originated by a French artist known as Invader.

This guy has since become one of my favorite artists. Check out the video below, where he shows us how it’s done:

TOP 10
Cargado por extermitent. – Videos de arte y animación.

He also travels the world, creating little mosaics, that look like arcade game figures in different cities. Next time you’re in Paris or Bangkok try searching for one. It’s like a treasure hunt

This Is Why I Do What I Do!

admin — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 21:46:17 +0000

Last August (2009), I flew to Amsterdam to interview and photograph Californian rock band AFI (A Fire Inside) for the October (2009) issue of Rock Zone magazine.

Then a couple of months ago, I received a very touching email from one of our readers. His name is Hernán Montenegro and he lives in Mar Del Plata, Argentina. We published his email in the June 2010 issue of Rock Zone. I posted a scan below. Here is the translation:

“Rock Zone, I want to introduce myself. My name is Hernán Montenegro, I’m 18 years old and I live in Mar Del Plata, part of Buenos Aires in Argentina. A few days ago, I was walking through the streets of my city, while passing a news stand, I noticed a copy of last years Rock Zone magazine (the one with Muse on the cover). What drew my attention was not Muse, but the smaller photograph: my four heroes and second from left, the love of my life, Mr. Havok. I don’t know if you’re aware of the devaluation of my country’s currency and how your money is worth four times the amount, but that didn’t matter to me and it didn’t stop me from purchasing the magazine. And when I saw the interview by Ms. Nadia Natario, I knew that it was worth every cent. I know that this is going to sound unbelievable, but this is the first time in my life that I hold in my hands a magazine with an interview of AFI (obviously they are not well known in my country) and after reading the (Crash Love) review by Jordi Meya, of the band that had a real impact on me, I’m going to explain myself. I first heard of AFI when I was 14 years old, thanks to a friends’ compilation which included the song ‘File 13′. You can imagine what it was like for me when I realized that it was the same band that wrote ‘Miss Murder’. But thanks to bootlegs, I was able to get ‘Shut You Mouth And Open Your Eyes’ and it blew me away! Then I got ‘Black Sails In The Sunset’, ‘The Art Of Drowning’, ‘Answer That And Stay Fashionable’, ‘Very Proud Of Ya’, ‘All Hallows’…every song I could hear on You Tube or download. Later on I got ‘Sing The Sorrow’ and ‘Decemberunderground’. I remember how excited I got with every song, the joy I felt listening to them when I was sad, the urge I felt to go on stage and sing and the wish I had to see them live. My search for original copies of AFI began with ‘Decemberunderground’ and then ‘Sing The Sorrow’, the only two records that are actually released in my country. But, I didn’t give up and I finally found an import of ‘Black Sails In The Sunset’ for $100 (in your country it would be a CD for 100€), but just like the magazine, I didn’t think about it and bought it. Looking at the CD booklet and listening to the actual record was amazing. Not owning an original copy of ‘Crash Love’ like I want to, still hurts, but I would need to save 120 pesos to order it. Being able to see AFI live in Argentina seems like a lost cause, but I never give up hope. They are my favorite band, the first band that I was devoted to, the band that introduced me to straight edge and veganism. They were my first tattoo, my first extremely expensive CD, the first band that made me laugh and cry, the band that gave me the courage to get on stage and sing without carrying about my image or how my voice sounded. They are the band that pushed me to make my own demos. I just wanted to thank you for giving me the chance to see AFI in a magazine and to read this interview. And for once, it’s something that gave my heart a moment of joy in this country in which AFI appear not to exist. Regards to you all.” (Hernán Montenegro)

Grey Britain

admin — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 01:07:17 +0000

Well it’s been another crazy busy and mostly grey month in London. June began with an amazing Alkaline Trio show at The Roundhouse and a very special guest appearance by Gallows who’s set was much too short, but still as brutal as always. Before the Trio took the stage I had a chat with front man Matt Skiba on his upcoming solo album ‘Demos’. You’ll be able to read all about it in the September issue of Rock Zone magazine.

Unfortunately, I didn’t make Rage Against The Machine’s victorious ‘Rage Factor’ event at Finsbury Park, but still had a blast at the ‘After-Party’. Now, if London wants to reach the same level of awesomeness as that of New York City, then they better start running their tube all night. It sucks having to leave a party early in order to catch the last train at…11:30?!?! Please, that’s just not cool.

The most exciting U.K hardcore/punk band, Gallows were supporting Cypress Hill at Brixton, so I was thrilled to be able to see them and shoot them again, the second time in two weeks. If you’ve never been to a Gallows gig, then you haven’t really lived. I’m serious; it’s a life changing experience. Make sure you have their albums ‘Grey Britain’ and ‘Orchestra Of Wolves’ and if not, go out and buy them NOW! There’s only one way to own an album and that’s the physical kind!! I also had a chance to interview Lags and Stu before the show. They are rad dudes. So make sure to pick up a copy of July’s Rock Zone magazine for news on the band. And for those of you in España, you can catch them at the Resurrection Fest; I’ll be there for sure

The following day I shot Stone Temple Pilots and I swear I never thought I’d see the day. I bought ‘Core’ the moment it hit the shelves, so it was a night of nostalgia. After seeing Nirvana and Pearl Jam in the early 90s, now I kind of feel ‘complete’. They were on top of their game; lets just hope it stays that way.

A few days ago, I flew back down to Barcelona, just in time to shoot Placebo Over the last 10 years, I’ve photographed them numerous times in 6 different countries, so I wouldn’t have missed it for the world! Their shows are always memorable. I spoke to Stefan about they’re incredible discography, which will also be out in Rock Zone.

Now I’ve got just enough time to repack my bags before a 14hr road trip to Switzerland and Germany. I’m getting used to living out of a suite-case, it’s not that bad, really.

Here are some Gallows for ya!

AFI at the O2 Academy in Brixton Review for Rockzone Magazine

admin — Thu, 13 May 2010 10:02:53 +0000

My review of the AFI London show, which has been published in this months issue of Rockzone magazine, is also posted on the AFI News Headquarters site (the #1 source for AFI news)! So, check it out:)

Finally, My Very First Blog!

admin — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 14:41:56 +0000

I know, I know, it took a while. To be honest, I’m not really into ‘Blogging’ or getting too personal and spilling my guts out on the internet (like some people do), so I can’t really tell you how often I will be posting. But, I will try my best to keep you all informed on my ‘Globe Trotting’ adventures and the fascinating people I encounter. I really am, ALWAYS on the road!

I’ll also include some gig reviews, interesting art exhibits, musical discoveries or any info I may find of value.

So, stay tuned:)

Much Love,
Nadia