17Mar

Holtby gets back on track in win over Islanders

Just 24 hours after thumping the Islanders 7-3 in Brooklyn, the two teams squared off again as the Washington Capitals hosted New York at Capital One Arena, March 16. Franchise goalie Braden Holtby, coming off a rare rough patch in which he was pulled from net in three of six outings, got the start and did not disappoint — stopping 22 of 25 shots he faced to earn his first victory, a 6-3 rout, in nearly two full weeks. While Alex Ovechkin did not score any of Washington’s 13 goals during the home-and-home series against the Islanders, plenty of his teammates did. On this night, winger T.J. Oshie, center Nick Backstrom and defenseman Matt Niskanen helped the Caps to jump out early and never look back.

The only downside as Washington picked up a fourth-straight victory and regained sole possession of first place in the Metropolitan Division was the injury to center Evgeny Kuznetsov, who crashed hard into the boards during the second period and did not return. After the game, Caps coach Barry Trotz said Kuznetsov is now day-to-day with an upper body injury. To see more of my photos from this game, head over to The Sports Capitol.

06Mar

Beal and friends hold off Heat for overtime victory

Led by All Star shooting guard Brad Beal, the Washington Wizards jumped out to a huge first quarter lead over the Miami Heat at Capital One Arena, March 6. Unfortunately for the home team, by the time the opening quarter ended, Miami had already cut the deficit to just five points. At halftime, the Wizards led by nine. But once again, the Wiz were unable to close out the Heat. Thanks to 30 points from Beal, who made six of seven shots from three-point range, and 19 points and seven assists from point guard Tomas Satoransky, the Wizards were able to hold off and eventually spick up a 117-113 overtime victory.

With point guard John Wall still sidelined as he recovers from knee surgery, these are the types of gritty performances Washington needs more of if they’re going to make any noise come playoff time. To see more of my photos from this game, head over to The Sports Capitol.

16Jan

Wizards have no answers for Antetokounmpo

After winning six of their previous eight games, the Washington Wizards hoped to continue their hot streak as they hosted the Milwaukee Bucks for a Martin Luther King Jr. Day matinee matchup at Capital One Arena, January 15. Shortly after tipoff though, it was readily apparent that forward Giannis Antetokounmpo had other plans. The Greek Freak dominated the day with 27 points and 20 rebounds, leading the Bucks to a relatively easy 104-95 win over the Wizards. All Star point guard John Wall had 27 points and nine assists, but Washington’s 24 turnovers were simply too much to overcome. To see more of my photos from this game, head over to The Sports Capitol.

16May

Catfish and the Bottlemen

If I’m being completely honest, I don’t know a thing about Catfish and the Bottlemen.

According to their Wikipedia page, they’re a British rock band from Wales and they got together in 2007. Oh, and apparently their lead singer, Van McCann, used to be in a Beatles cover band with bassist Benji Blakeway. So they’ve got that going for them, which is nice.

All jokes aside, even though I wasn’t familiar with their work, Catfish and the Bottlemen was extremely popular with the crowd at DC101’s Kerfuffle. And, from my point of view, they looked the part of rockstars, played a lengthy set and were incredibly easy to photograph during their performance.

To see my full gallery of photos from throughout the day at DC101’s Kerfuffle 2017, go here.

16May

Fitz and The Tantrums

 

Since they burst onto the scene in 2008, Fitz and The Tantrums have produced a series of high-energy hits. Regardless of whether you consider them indie or pop, chances are you’ve heard your fair share of the Los Angeles-based band’s top tracks, like “Moneygrabber,” “The Walker” and, most recently, “HandClap.”

While they were only able to play an abbreviated set at DC101’s Kerfuffle this year, they did not disappoint during their time in the spotlight. Lead singers Michael Fitzpatrick and Noelle Scaggs can both sing, but they are also solid performers. Their synchronized dancing and overall showmanship kept smiles on the faces of those in attendance.

To see my full gallery of photos from throughout the day at DC101’s Kerfuffle 2017, go here.

15May

Jimmy Eat World

For three years of my life, I worked as a bartender at my father’s bar on the weekends to make some extra cash. While much of that experience was highly enjoyable, not everything was sunshine and lollipops.

For example, during that timeframe I can conservatively say that I heard roughly six million renditions of “Sweetness,” “The Middle” and countless other tracks from the Jimmy Eat World catalog. After covering their performance at DC101’s Kerfuffle 2017, I am relieved to report they are much more talented than the drunken karaoke duds I was subjected to for all those years.

 

Jimmy Eat World kicked off their set with “Bleed American,” which was a nice way to get the crowd fired up for their hourlong performance. From there, they did a masterful job of weaving through high-energy tracks and some of their softer selections. In total, they played a really-enjoyable 16-song set that included pretty much everything you could ask for.

Here are a few of my favorite shots from their set. To see my full gallery of photos from throughout the day at DC101’s Kerfuffle 2017, go here.

15May

Weezer

Sat It Ain’t So. Island in the Sun. Buddy Holly. Beverly Hills. Hash Pipe. Undone – The Sweater Song.

The list goes on and on.

For more than 20 years, Weezer has delivered. When I saw that they were among the performers at DC101’s Kerfuffle this year, I knew I had to be there. When I found out I was going to be credentialed to cover the show on behalf of D.C. Music Download, I was beyond ecstatic. And anyone who takes a quick peak at their setlist for that evening, will likely feel the same way. Even though they only had time to play 13 songs, they made the most of it.

Unless they have special permission from the band, photographers are only allowed to shoot during a band’s first three songs. After that, you and your camera take a walk until the next band hits the stage. Even though the first three songs flew by, I was more than happy to put the camera away and enjoy the rest of Weezer’s set. Here are my favorite images I was able to capture during those first three songs.

To see my full gallery of photos from throughout the day at DC101’s Kerfuffle 2017, go here.

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