Tegan and Sara’s new record Sainthood is officially released and has hit the shelves! It’s the band’s sixth full length album (Vapor/Sire Records) and Spin Magazine gives it four out of five stars. Nice work girls!
While they were in Seattle finishing up the record and playing a sold out show at the Showbox, they managed to squeeze in a two day photo shoot for the album artwork and press junket with Los Angeles photographer Pamela Littky. I was sooo happy they called me to do hair and makeup, I’m a huge fan! Their record ‘The Con’ is one of my favorite favorites! We shot most everything at Ben Gibbard’s (Death Cab for Cutie) capitol hill loft, and Gasworks park.
It was magic watching Emy(super-genius art director) pull out props that she made for the shoot. She jumped from the laptop to sewing machine, to set, back to sewing machine. Her graphic projections brought the set to life. I can’t wait to see the other photos in print. Especially the shots at Gasworks park, Pamela spotted a tuba player rehearsing with a Scandinavian dance troop, and ran over to borrow the instrument. It was massive!! Somehow, Tegan was able to navigate it for a few shots..
The show was AMAZING! It’s no wonder they sell out venues.
Yaaay!! You never know when you’ll see work in print, so it feels like Christmas when you discover something new. Seems like i’m always at Easy Street Records in West Seattle when it happens. The Big Takeover and Sound Magazineboth featured the Decemberists in the last months issues. All the shots were from a Portland shoot with LA photographer Autumn De Wilde .
If you haven’t heard the Decemberist’s new record The Hazards of Love, it is soooo good… Just FYI..
Super fun shoot for Alternative Press Magazinewith Seattle photographer Lydia Goolia and Patrick Stump, lead singer of Island/Def Jamrecording artists, Fallout Boy. Patrick was rad!! He was wearing the coolest Chanel glasses that I’ve ever seen. We bonded over the video games on our Blackberry 8190’s and it warmed my heart to know that he is as addicted to the Word Mole game as I am. Ha! The shoot took place at a recording studio in Ballard before the Fallout Boy show at Key Arena. The rocker arrived in a Lincoln Town car complete with abody guard. Nice.
My recent photoshoot with Capitol Records recording artist The Decemberist’s was an adventure! The photogragraphy for their new album Hazards of Love was shot by LA photographer Autumn De Wilde. I carpooled with Jenny Jiminez, Autumn’s assistant and Sarah Murphy, producer. We piled into the Subaru at 3:30 a.m. in Seattle and made our way to Portland, Oregon on one of rainiest mornings in Washington’s history. It continued to rain throughout the day.
We arrived just in time for our 8AM call time at the Ace Hotel, grabbed coffee from Stump Town and headed out to Colin Meloy’s house. It was on the outskirts of Portland and up a huge winding hill, felt like we were in the middle of a forest. We quickly set up in Colin’s garage and I did makeup for the five band members and two guest vocalists, Lavender Diamond out of Los Angeles and My Brightest Diamond out of Brooklyn. When makeup and hair was set, we headed out for a fifteen minute hike up to the first location, in a down pour!! Garbage bags and umbrellas were used to protect the camera’s and equipment, and it was hard not to slip on the muddy trail. The location was incredible and worth the soggy journey. I was soaked for the entire day!
The second location was the studio attached to the Ace Hotel. Dry land!! Autumn had a gigantic backdrop ready and had built a diorama out of black cardboard panels and cut-outs of cactus’ with weeping willows. Her creativity has no bounds. It ended up being a 14 hour day and at the end we discovered that all the freeways into WA were closed due to a huge sweeping flood. We ended up staying at the Ace that night, then I flew home next morning. Can’t wait to see the photos come out in print, it was truly one of the most memorable shoots that i’ve ever done.
Band members: Colin Meloy, Chris Funk, Jenny Conlee, Nate Query, John Moen
Guest vocalists: Becky Stark (Lavender Diamond), Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond)
Photography: Autumn De Wilde Assistant: Jenny Jimenez
Seattle’s ownblonde bombshell singer/songwriter Zera Marvel is releasing her debut solo album ‘Birds and Bullets Fly’ this month. Her sound has been compared to Seattle superstar Neko Case, her songs are dark with sort of a mystical softness. Listening to Zera’s music will have you walking down an old dirt road with your heart in your hands. I did Zera’s hair and makeup for her cd artwork with photographer Troy Critchlow, and i’ve worked with her on other shoots as well. Amazing beauty and talent.
Behind the scenes..
Zera’s cd release party is tonight at the Tractor Tavern in Ballard, free cd w/ paid admission.. good excuse to get out of the house!
Move over Portishead! Seattle’s music scene has fostered some of the most iconic musicians of all time, it’s a gold mine. According to Seattle Sound Magazine, Barbara Trentalange is a musican to look out for. Her music is in regular rotation on Mtv, VH1, and The Oxygen channel. Trentalange is a Seattle gem, and about to release her second record ‘Awakening: Level One’ on Coco Tauro Records. I had the pleasure of doing hair and makeup for the shoot with photographer Renata Raudys, a beautiful sunny afternoon at Discovery Park.
The cd release party is tonight, 8pm at the Mars Bar. Don’t miss it!
West Seattle on a Sunday AM, I was at Easy Street Recordseating a Beck omelet and working on my fourth cup of decaf coffee. Out of the corner of my eye I notice the the new Big TakeoverMagazine sitting on the rackwith Death Cab for Cutie on the cover. It took a second to register that it was the Death Cab shoot that I worked on with photographer AutumnDe Wilde a while back. Woo!! I love seeing work in print, so cool!! Especially since I am a HUGE fan : )
I worked with Seattle band The Believers recently to create the artwork fortheir latest cd release Lucky You (Chinese Baby Records). It was shot in and around the Sunset Tavern, the venue where Cynthia Frazzini and Craig Aspen first met and where they played their first show together seven years ago. Their sound has been described like this: what Johnny Cash and theTennessee Three would sound like if they jammed with the Whitestripes (Rock and Reel Magazine, UK).. The Believers are about to kick off a west coast tour and will be back in Seattle on November 19th at the Tractor Tavern.
YAAY!! I got to work with Death Cab For Cutie and LA Photographer Autumn De wilde for the recent release, Narrow Stairs, on Atlantic Records. Super-star crew, including stylist Brandy St John (who made those amazing button suits for The White Stripes!). We shot at the Stimson Green Mansion on Capitol Hill (Seattle), and around First Hill. It was the one of the best days ever. Ben Gibbard is my hero. I’m a HUGE fan, there are three death cab cds in my six disc changer as we speak! I’m the luckiest girl on the planet.
Band Members: Nick Harmer, Jason McGerr, Chris Walla, Ben Gibbard
Another rad shoot with LA Photographer Autumn De Wilde and her crew! Interscope Records recording artists, Switches(from the UK) were in Seattle for 24hrs, on the last leg of their US tour. Just enough time to do promo shots for thieranticipated debut U.S release Lay Down The Law.
Everything was shot in the Capitol Hill Boutique ThePretty Parlor, across the street at the Biltmore, and at the venue they played that evening, Nuemos.The day was packed! Stylist Anna Lange did an amazing job of dressing everyone, and the guys were adorable. LOVE the british accents. Final destination: CD Release party @ TheRoxy Theatre in Los Angeles.
I want that scarf and yellow sunglasses!
band members: Matt (lead vocals & guitar), Thom (bass & backing vocals), Ollie (guitar & backing vocals), Steve (drums).
Jesse’s vocals and Phil Wanderscher’s guitar playing are synergistically perfect. They are so amazingly talented, and so down to earth. I am a huge fan! I ran into Jesse at Fred Meyer about a month ago, they had just returned from their European Tour. I made a jacket for bassist Bill Herzog before they left, and I think it got destroyed during a wild night after a show. Bill told me that a while back that they had the opportunity to play with Coco Rosie(my favorite, favorite, musicians from Brooklyn, NY) at a tiny venue in France with about ten people in the room. Those ten people must have been the luckiest on earth, I can’t imagine how cool it must have been.
I also had the chance to help with a music video of the song “Troubled Soul” ( Oh My Girl, Barsuk Records 2005), shot at the historic Capitol Theatre in Olympia. The makeup was clean and simple for all five band members, a team effort with stylist Jen Hensler.
The Decemberists shoot, Portland Oregon. June 23, 2006. Period styling. Press shots for Capitol Records.
A 14 hour day. The Decemberists had just signed on with Capitol Records and were getting ready to release their new cd, The Crane Wife.
Autumn de Wilde (the photographer) had flown in most of her crew from LA, and brought some of us up from Seattle. I had worked with Autumn on several other shoots for Barsuk Records, along with some of my favorite people in Seattle assisting and styling. My good friend Jenny Jimenez was Autumn’s assistant, Anna Lange (owner of the Pretty Parlor) was the assistant wardrobe stylist, and I was assisted by Jenni Hensler. The first location was the John Palmer House, a historical victorian estate on Mississippi Avenue. Rooms and decor befitting the band and it’s sound.
Here is the video of the shoot:
The sounds of obscure instruments filled the house, along with the banjo, guitar, and Colin Meloy singing. It felt like a party. Everyone was tinkering with something. The stylists were busy steaming vintage costumes, Autumn was busy framing different shots, and Jenni and I kept up with powder and lip balm. One shot featured a Geisha inspired look (the Crane Wife is a Japanese folk tale). We put Jenny Conlee in a black wig, used a white airbrush foundation by Temptu, and a MAC lipstick called Lady Danger.
The down time was spent in the kitchen with amazing food from the caterer (McMenamins), or out in the back yard laying in the grass.
The second location was the Crystal Ballroom on W. Burnside, a historical dancehall built in the 1920’s. The floor upstairs is built so that it bounces when you walk. A Huge backdrop of Mt Fuji was hung from the Balcony, and the prop stylists had brought these amazing hand made umbrellas. My favorite was the umbrella raining coins on the inside, shown in the photo above.
After a long day of shooting and hanging out, the crew was exhausted and starving, as were the band. We got the gear packed up, and headed back to home base at the Jupiter Hotel. There was a cool restaurant/bar called the Doug Fir next door, so we ate a huge late night feast without having to go driving around. We all got our second wind after dinner, so with four girls sharing a room, there were pillow fights and loud laughter until 3am.
We left early the next morning back to Seattle, and listened to the Decemberists’ album Picaresque on the way home. Jenny J. also played me a cd of a band she plays with called Night Canopy, I loved it. A few months later I walked into Sonic Boom Records on Capitol Hill and saw one of the images from the portland shoot on the cover of a magazine called The Big Takeover.
erin skipley makeup + hair stylist | los angeles - seattle 
