Last time we talked about the upcoming festivals 2012. These 10 acts are not only worth seeing in our pictures but also on stage: Cee Lo Green, Beth Dito, Coco Summer, Katie Melua, Al Green, Joss Stone, the Black eyed Peas, Karen O, Friendly Fires, Les Niosettes. Can you guess which picture refers to which musician? Here are 10 facts you should know about them:

Photo: Isabel Schiffler

This singer-songwriter won the british Talent Show Stars Up Their Noses in 1999 and started her career in 2003 when she released her first album Call Off the Search. She is famous for her calm and lovely voice which fits perfect to the Jazz-, Blues- and Folk-tinted music she plays.

                                                                                            Photo: Gary Stafford

She is tough, crazy and the vocalist of the indie rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Growing up in New Jersey, this woman started to play the piano at the age of six. She gave herself a stage name which is formed by her prename and the first letter of her family name.

                                                                                             Photo: Gary Stafford

When you ask them where they got their band-name from, you will be surprised: “The name stands for Soul Food and we make Soul Music”, was the answer they used to gave years ago. Interestingly, they don't sound like a Soul Band anymore... One should find out for oneself, if this was the best decision.

                                                                                Photo: Jenny Anderson

A special woman with a special voice. Together with her band The Gossip, she has won one award after another. So, she not only gained the sympathy of Karl Lagerfeld – which is crumbling, by the way – , but also of us.

Photo: Joseph Kerr Sharjo Photo Agency

Being the daugther of the famous british musician Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner – also known as Sting –, this woman always had struggle with proving herself. After publishing a few videos on myspace many labels envinced interest in her music and she soon became one of the most popular newcomers in the pop-industry. In 2010 she had her first breakthrough with the song Selfmachine.

                                  Photo: René Otto

What most people don't know: This man's name isn't Gnarls Barkley. Latter is a Soul Duo comprising Brian Joseph Burton aka. Danger Mouse and the man on our photo. It must be admitted that Mister Burton mostly effaces himself in public.

                                                               Photo: Isabel Schiffler

The American gospel and soul music singer reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970's, with hit singles such as You Oughta Be With Me. Apart from singing he also made a career as a priest but hung it up after getting famous.

                                                                                 Photo: Gary Stafford

In English they would be called The Hazelnuts. Why they have chosen this name is not clear but what we know is that they make good music.

         Photo: Isabel Schiffler

This soul singer always performs barefoot. No matter if it is a festival or a TV show. If you want to listen to “her total vocal range, spanning three octaves” (Wikipedia) live, you have to visit the Highline Ballroom in NYC. This year she unfortunately won't be seen at any festival.

Photo: Charlie Raven

The members of this band met at St Albans School in England and set up their first rock band First Day Back, covering songs of famous rock bands like Greenday. Finally they started up with a new band and had success. Happy to see that they could agree on Indie Rock and on playing their own songs.

by Honey M. Khalkhali

This summer we send our photographers to the best festivals all over the world. So look forward to live photographs of spectacular moments, famous bands and the typical festival feeling.

In the UK, our photographers will take pictures at the Bestival, Solfest, Evolution Festival, Creamfields, Global Gathering, Wilowman Festival, Leeds Festival, Bingley Music Live and the ATP (I'll be your mirror). As always, the best musicians rally round the island of festivals: Stevie Wonder, The xx, The Black Keys, Foo Fighters, Florence and the Machine, The Cure, Friendly Fires, Two Door Cinema Club, Mogwai, TEED, Caribou, etc.

At the same time, our photographers will be in the US for the Austin Psych Fest, Free Press Festival,Lollapalooza Festival, Chicago Blues Festival, Outside Lands, Woodsist Festival, Insub Fest and Treasure Island. There, we have the opportunity to photograph acts like Mavis Staples or the Meat Puppets and various special guests.

Of course we are also around in Germany, Belgium, Italy, Spain and the rest of Europe. Besides the Rock Hard Festival, Wacken and the Summer Breeze Festival, we will have photographs from Impericon Festival, Party.San, Off-Festival, Rock-Verchter, Groezrock, Roma Festival and Primavera Sound Festival.

We will keep you informed via our blog or Twitter. All pictures are available on our website: http://www.musicpictures.com/

Have a nice spring,

your Musicpictures-Team

 by Honey M. Khalkhali

Last month the memorials of the Streets, written by Mike Skinner himself, were published in Great Britain. To the delight of the German fans, it is now available on Amazon. The book called “The story of the Streets” tells many background stories about the band, Skinner's projects and, to the surprise of many, includes pictures of him as a schoolboy. Reason for this is the increased examination of his past. "Mum gave me a stack of photo albums. Got a bit emotional. Where I'm starting school and that.", he tweeted last year.

Most of his fans regret the Streets' demise but it seems that Skinner has made the right decision. Having mainstream success with his DJ set and new film projects, Mike has no time left to wallow in old memories. With this book he has had the chance to close a chapter once and for all on this part of his life.

At the time the following picture was shot, Mike Skinner still called himself “The Streets”. Our photographer Richie Soans caught him in a moment where he seems to be deep in thought for a short moment. What exactly he was thinking about, we are not sure. Maybe about a break? Certainly this one is a worthy picture of the month.

 by Honey M. Khalkhali

The person in the following pictures, shot in 2010 at the "Forum" in London is certainly an outrider. Andrew Wyatt has performed with esteemed musicians, like Madonna or Depeche Mode. Their albums sold in record time. Besides being the frontman of the elektro-pop group Miike Snow, this singer-songwriter from Sweden finds himself in the middle of a distinguished career.

Still, he never seemed to register on the media radar. On the contrary, he seemed a little too dull to fill a headline. But he has always been a very interesting and unusual musician. So how did he accomplish the goal of living like this? Now-a-days it needs a lot of effort for a successful person to retain sufficient privacy. Sometimes the only solution is to stay anonymous. And which method would be better than hiding your face? Of course this is not the only reason for wearing a mask. Many musicians just wear them to stand out from others or – ironically – to attract attention.

The kind of sound coming from Miike Snow, plays a key role in postmodern culture and its music. Producing it, does not only mean playing some notes on your synthesizer, hoping that the result is fairly melodic strung-together tones: as many of his predecessors used to hope. (Interestingly many musicians still think that this is the goal to a successful career). With the release of their new album "Happy to You" it has been shown once again how ingenious Miike Snow can be. The first two singles "Paddling out" and "The Wave" expose a new, bizarre side of Andrew and the related music videos kicked off a debate about hidden symbols within their confusing plots. We recommend: just lie back and enjoy it!

 by Honey M. Khalkhali

The American photographer Ansel Adams once said: 'A photograph is usually looked at – seldom looked into.' But in certain rare cases, in an epic moment, a photographer gets the one and only chance to catch the inner life of a person and everything bound with it. The following picture can be seen as one of them.

The person in this photograph, used to symbolize youth and free will. However, rumors about him never stop. Unfortunately he is also famous for drug abuse, threats of suicide or being jailed. At the beginning of this year he promised rehab and an end to the drugs. Suddenly it went quiet around him; up to this month. According to various reports the famous singer- songwriter had seen the ghost of Amy Winehouse, who passed away last year. This story is not verified but it has reminded us of him.

Being the the front leader of the two bands The Liberties and The Babyshambles,Pete Doherty shaped Indie music forever. We have only been able to see him on stage alone for a few years. Our photo of the month, shot in 2011 by our photographer Charlie Raven, shows Pete in a moment of full concentration towards his guitar and the music. The situation is so intimate as if he just wants to play for himself, though he is in the middle of a concert. One can almost hear the D-chord he is playing. All the rumors and the trouble around him seem to stand still for a second.

 by Honey M. Khalkhali

'

The Faces will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2012 if rumour is to be believed. On tour for the last time in 1975 before breaking up, Rod Stewart went on to forge a hugely successful solo career and Ronnie Wood became a Rolling Stone.

What happens when you and your camera get behind the scenes access to one of rock's legendary bands? Tom Heaven asked Music Pictures photographer John Conroy a few questions about his career and those photographs.

How did you become a photographer?

In 1970 I received a 126 film camera as a gift and I was shooting landscape snapshots in Jamaica or Porto Rica and I had this thought "what a great way to make a living". I soon upgraded to pro 35mm equipment and went off to study photography at Brooks Institute in California. I loved the city and the climate and stayed on for several years working for a weekly alternative newspaper. That job opened many doors.

We love your photographs of The Faces. How did the shoot come about?

One of those doors that opened was a fairly regular gig shooting for a concert promoter out of Los Angeles, who at the time was called Pacific Presentations. It was through my affiliation with Pacific Presentations that I hooked up with The Faces. Pacific Presentations was promoting and booking the whole tour. By this time I was contributing to Rolling Stone Magazine and my editor wanted images of this tour. I actually drove with a writer from California to North Carolina for the last day of rehearsals and the opening of the tour. A few days into the East Coast leg of the tour, I met Billy Gaff who was manager for Rod and Faces. I showed him some of my photos of the band from a year before and he commented, "these are fantastic, how is it I have not seen these before". He asked if I could join on as tour photographer and the deal was made. We left the car in Washington, DC and boarded the crew plane for the remainder of the tour. Who knew it would be the end and last tour for Rod Stewart and Faces. Faces are being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year and it is rumored that Rod has asked Ron Wood, Ian Mac Lagan and Kenney Jones if he can come along.

How has music photography changed over the years?

When I began this journey there were not many pros shooting concerts and musicians. One job would lead right into the next and most bands welcomed the attention of a photographer. Today, you can not take a pro camera into a concert without the approval of the band, the record company, PR people and the concert venue staff. It's a lot of red tape and then most of the time you can only shoot during the first two songs. I look now for "off stage" opportunities.

What makes a good photograph?

Subject, composition, lighting and exposure. That has stayed constant from film to digital. Of course, everyone has their own opinion on what they like or dislike about a photograph. Every picture tells a story don't it!
 

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Hundreds of new photographs are uploaded onto the Music Pictures website every week of every month of every year. As this year draws to an end, so the time for drawing up lists is upon us once again. Are these the best Music Pictures photographs of 2011? We don’t know… there are simply so many on the Music Pictures website… there are no doubt countless other gems lurking in our servers. We just decided to choose a few that stood out from over the past twelve months and asked our photographers to tell us just a little bit more about them. More Music Pictures at our website: www.musicpictures.com Otherwise give us a call +49 (0)30 4900 4618 (Germany), +44 (0)20 7099 4043 (UK) or drop us an email contact@musicpictures.com

Signals Midwest at their 7" split release party at 222 Ormsby in Pittsburgh, PA

Caroline Moore Signals Midwest and Shady Ave had been talking about doing a 7″ split together for about three years, and finally made it happen this past October. Since 222 Ormsby was the first out of town venue Signals Midwest had ever played (they’re from Cleveland), they decided to do the release party show for the vinyl there. It’s just a house that’s been rented out and used as a venue space. Unfortunately, I don’t know who the guy in the photo is. Someone from the audience just grabbed the mic and went at it.

Stephen Barnes The shot was taken during Rihannas recent visit to Northern Ireland and was shot on the second day of her filming the video to “We Found Love” in the New Lodge area of Belfast. Rihanna “threw a strop” when some photographers were caught in-shot. She stormed up to us and the previously controlled crowd all swarmed in on her. She started pulling photographers in towards her to ask that we move back. Just after this shot was taken she grabbed me by the shoulder and pulled me right in beside her. To be honest, I haven’t washed that shoulder since!

Ri stopped filming for 30 mins as they had lost control of the gathered crowd. The Police had to be brought in to restore calm, and Ri continued filming.

On the previous day, Rihanna was asked to stop filming in a field in Bangor after the farmer objected to her being topless on his property.

Biffy Clyro at Glastonbury Festival UK 2011

Charlie Raven The Biffy photo was taken on the main stage at Glastonbury 2011, the pit was very busy with dozens of photographers jostling for space and the ‘money shot’. Simon Neil is reknowned for his performances and he didn’t disappoint utilising the entire stage. This image captures one of his guitar solo moments, playing against the amplifier and flicking his sweat ridden hair. Always guaranteed action when shooting Biffy Clyro!

David Burn Detroit Social Club

David Wala This shot was taken at a sold out gig by Detroit Social Club at a sould show at London Water Rats. It was one of those gigs when everything clicked the crowd and band were sensational – I hope this image captures some of the energy on that Saturday night in London.

Skunk Anansie at Sziget Festival Budapest , Hungary , 2011

Silvio Severino I took this picture in the Sziget Festival, Budapest. Skin was beautiful as usual, dressed as a Beatles ‘Blackbird’ song. She is an incredible performer, full of energy and presence. Her personality took over the night!

Public Enemy - Fear of A Black Planet 20 Yr Anniv Tour at Yoshi's San Francisco

Wilson Lee Public Enemy celebrates the 20 Yr Anniversary of the release of Fear of A Black Planet, on tour, Yoshi’s Jazz Club in San Francisco, CA, January 15, 2011

Concert for Haiti

Henryk Kotowski The picture of Melissa was taken in January 2011 during a fund raising concert in Warszawa, Poland. The event was staged by The Poland-Haiti Foundation, supporting reconstruction projects in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. Melissa is of Haitian decent, born and living in Canada. She is a singer-songwriter, playing finger-style guitar.
I used a 200 mm lens and could come quite close to the performers. The other featured artist of this charity gig was Pako Sarr from Senegal. It is true fun to shoot musicians when the music is good, the lights are sufficient, the PA system is balanced and one can freely approach the artists from different angles.

The Darkness

Duncan Forrest This Gig was a sell out following The Darkness’s ‘re-emergence’ as a band a few months before. The Darkness are a local band and there was a lot of local support as well as diehard fans, fantastic atmosphere at this poular venue.

The Charlatans at Shrewsbury Fields Forever Festival

Katie McGuinness

Marina and the Diamonds

Andy Zhang Marina’s gig at Sziget Festival began with some of her most emotional yet energetic songs – this picture captures that in all her eccentricity quite well I think, but I think that it’s best to let the picture speak for itself!

Murderdolls

Daniel Fellowes The Murderdolls gig is still the only gig I’ve ever been to where I’ve found myself as the only photographer, it was great having the freedom to shoot the whole band uninterrupted by other photographers – especially such a theatrical band that were happy to play up to the camera with a bit of encouragement. Joey was a great sport, captured in this shot of him growling straight into the lens.