Month: December 2015

It was a special show at a special venue !!   An honest mix of virtuosity and deep feeling went into all aspects of this show @ Live at the Falcon in Marlboro, NY last night.  This was their last show before going into the studio together.   Historic and epic !!

Chris Thile & Brad Mehldau, Live @ The Falcon, Marlboro, NY, December, 29th, 2015. Photograph Copyright, John Rocklin. All rights reserved.

Chris Thile & Brad Mehldau, Live @ The Falcon, Marlboro, NY, December, 29th, 2015. Photograph Copyright, John Rocklin. All rights reserved.

A true gentleman and amazing musician.  I was very fortunate to have been able to photograph him and The Clinch Mt. Boys.  I enjoyed a great conversation with him about BB King, Death & The Wayne County Fair among other topics.  The show was amazing but if the audience could have heard them warming up in the dressing room………….Priceless !!

Photograph Copyright, John Rocklin. All rights reserved.

One of the best performances I ever witnessed was “Lazy Lester” at the Blues 2000 & Beyond Festival in Ellenville, New York.  I remember he closed his set with a Hank Williams tune that he played guitar on.  I saw him another time and he was great but thjat day in Ellenville was pure magic !!

Mr. Leslie Johnson, (Lazy Lester), Photograph Copyright, John Rocklin. All rights reserved.

One night I brought Little Sammy Davis down to the Stanhope House to check out The Kim Wilson Blues Review.  Rusty Zinn was playing guitar and Gene Taylor was on the Keys.  Kim was the only harp player I ever saw who intimidated Sammy a little bit.  When they took a break though I kind of pushed the issue a little bit with Sam and introduced him to Kim and the boys.  They were extremely respectful of him and he got up and played with them.  A few years later Rusty recorded one of Sammy’s songs.  Many years later I was at The Chenango Blues Festival and the T-Birds were there.  Hanging out in the Barn I asked Gene Taylor if he remembered me bringing Sammy to the Stanhope House that night and he said no he didn’t…….. just then I felt a tapping on my shoulder and I turned around to a huge grin on Kim Wilson who said ” I Remember” !!!

Kim Wilson

Glad to see my buddy Sean doing well in the world of the Blues !!

Sean Carney, Syracuse, NY 2008.

I first met Sean many, many years ago when I was an Off-Road Congressman for the American Motorcycle Association.  Every year I would spend a few days in Columbus Ohio & was lucky enough to have found Sean playing in a local tavern on my first trip.  We have been friends ever since and I had him play at my Honesdale Roots & Rhythm Festival in 2007.  I am glad to see him doing well as he deserves to for all the many years of dedication and hard work that he has devoted to his music.  I have been lucky enough to have worked with him as well as enjoyed his shows quite a few times.  This month he is the cover story of Blues Blast Magazine, look him up @ http://www.bluesblastmagazine.com/issue-9-51-December-17-2015/  

I was very happy to Read this morning that I have been selected to be a part of a group showing at the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance “About Face” Exhibit!!

BB King, Wilkes Barre, Pa. 3.19.06

WHAT: “About Face,” a group show

WHEN: February 6– March 26, 2016

Opening reception from 2 – 4 p.m. on Saturday, February 6, 2016

WHERE: Alliance Gallery, Delaware Arts Center, 37 Main St,

Narrowsburg, NY

COST: Free and open to the public

Alliance Gallery kicks off the 2016 gallery season with a group exhibition of artworks titled “About Face.” The exhibit opens on Saturday, February 6, with a reception from 2 – 4 p.m., and will be on view through March 26.

The title ’About Face’ is an exhibition about faces and their complicated expressions. “The face is the mask we present to the world. This focus on the face can draw the viewer into the subjects inner world where each expression reveals a whole array of possibilities about their personalities and emotions.” says gallery director Rocky Pinciotti who is curating the exhibition from artists who submitted work to the Alliance gallery program. “A theme typically surfaces as I look through the submissions and this year there were a number of unique works involving portraits. There are images of happiness, sadness, fear, pensiveness, mystery and intensity all through the artists focus with the personality of the face. Each artist has chosen to portray their subjects charisma, temperament, individuality and psyche in such a way that the gallery goer is pulled into the subjects world all through the vehicle of the face.

The exhibition includes an assortment of media including painting, photography, collage and woodcut prints. Artists in the exhibit include John Rocklin, Miguel Tio, Lisa LoCurto, Claire Lambe,Richard Seehausen, Scott A. Woolsey, Mark Ciocca, Akira Ohiso and Charles Maraia.

I am very excited to have my work recognized and accepted by this prestigious and important arts venue as well as humbly glad for my work to be able to be seen by many new eyes.

Hope You Can Make It !!

I had the honor of being selected to photograph the amazing Larry Carlton @ The Towne Crier Cafe Thursday night.  See more photo’s on my Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/johnrocklinphotography

Larry Carlton, 12.10.15 @ The Towne Crier Cafe, Beacon New York, Credit: John Rocklin for Towne Crier. Photograph Copyright John Rocklin.