Marty Casey on the Sunset Strip

If you watched my favorite show ever, Rock Star: INXS, this singer/songwriter may look familiar. And even if you didn’t watch the show, you may recognize him from the commercials that were all over CBS that summer. Marty Casey was the fan favorite, and millions of people voted for him – he’s an amazing musician!

We shot this session on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood – but not at night, when the strip is at it’s most recognizable… We shot during the day, and were gifted with soft hazy light for most of the session, and then brilliant sun for the balance. Perfect!

Marty Casey | Pay Phone

Marty Casey | Silvery

Marty Casey at Whisky A Go Go

Marty Casey | Reflection

Corner of Clark and Sunset

Marty Casey at the Roxy

Marty Casey on the Sunset Strip

Marty Casey on the Sunset Strip

Marty Casey | In the Sun

Marty Casey on the Sunset Strip

Marty Casey | Flower

And there’s more! To see the whole session, go to Rock Band Lounge!
http://www.rockbandlounge.com/news/2008-06-marty-casey/

Or to discuss it on RBL, go here!
http://www.rockbandlounge.com/forum/topic.asp?topic_id=6701

Lukas Rossi and Stars Down

Last Friday night I went to see a brand new band – Stars Down – featuring one of my favorite singers, Lukas Rossi. It was their very first show, and they opened for Berlin at Crash Mansion in Los Angeles. It was great! Lukas and his new bandmates play like they’ve been together forever – it was a totally polished performance. Plus, I just love seeing Lukas with a full band!

Then the next night they threw a party for their families, friends and a few of their biggest fans at The Mint. I got to go because I know a few of his biggest fans, and they got me in – and I was really grateful, because it was a fun show! The images below are all from that night!

Stars Down

Lukas Rossi and Stars Down

Stars Down

Lou Dawson

Lukas Rossi at The Mint

Stars Down

You can see more of my images on RBL at:
http://rockbandlounge.com/news/2008-05-stars-down.asp

Backstage at MTV’s Rock the Cradle

Lucy Walsh, backstage at MTV's Rock The Cradle.
Lucy Walsh, daughter of Joe Walsh, guitarist for the the Eagles.

Lucy Walsh, backstage at MTV's Rock The Cradle.
Lucy Walsh

Crosby Loggins backstage at MTV's Rock The Cradle.
Crosby Loggins, son of singer Kenny Loggins.


Dee Snider of Twister Sister, and father of Jesse Blaze Snider.

Lara Johnston backstage at MTV's Rock the Cradle.
Lara Johnston, daughter of Doobie Brothers’ singer Tom Johnston.

Rafael Moreira, lead guitarist in the House Band, backstage at MTV's Rock The Cradle.
Rafael Moreira, lead guitarist in the House Band.

Nate Morton, drummer in the House Band, backstage at MTV's Rock The Cradle.
Nate Morton, drummer in the House Band.

Jesse Blaze Snider and Dee Snider backstage at MTV's Rock The Cradle.
Jesse Blaze Snider and Dee Snider


Lucy Walsh


Lucy Walsh

Live taping of MTV's Rock The Cradle.

Nate Morton, drummer in the House Band, on set at MTV's Rock The Cradle.
Nate Morton

Chloe Lattanzi, Executive Producer David Goffin, Lucy Walsh, and Jesse Snider.
Chloe Lattanzi, Executive Producer David Goffin, Lucy Walsh, and Jesse Snider.

Chloe Lattanzi, on set at MTV's Rock The Cradle
Chloe Lattanzi, daughter of singer Olivia Newton-John and actor Matt Lattanzi.

MTV's Rock The Cradle

Rafael Moreira on the set of MTV's Rock The Cradle
Rafael Moreira

House Band on MTV's Rock The Cradle.

Matt Lattanzi, Suzette Snider, Dee Snider, Olivia Newton-John, and Kenny Loggins // Photo: Cheryl Spelts
The parents of the three finalists – Matt Lattanzi, Suzette Snider, Dee Snider, Olivia Newton-John, and Kenny Loggins.

Live taping of MTV's Rock The Cradle.

The finale of Rock the Cradle is this week – Thursday night at 10PM – and it’s live! The final three singers in the competition are Chloe Lattanzi, Crosby Loggins, and Jesse Blaze Snider – three VERY different performers – so it looks to be a really fun finale!

The images above are just the highlights, for the full photo essay go to:
http://rockbandlounge.com/rock-the-cradle-backstage/

And the discussion thread is here:
http://rockbandlounge.com/forum/topic.asp?topic_id=6436

Lukas Rossi at the Viper Room

I got the opportunity to shoot Lukas Rossi at the Viper Room last night for ROCKBANDLOUNGE.COM, and it was such a great show!

Lukas is sounding better than ever. His voice has always been extremely expressive, but I think some of that got lost on TV. But live, on his own, with just a guitar and one other musician onstage, you really get the best of Lukas. It was a very memorable night!

Lukas Rossi at the Viper Room // Photo: Cheryl SpeltsLukas Rossi // Photo: Cheryl Spelts

Lukas Rossi // Photo: Cheryl SpeltsLukas Rossi // Photo: Cheryl Spelts

Lukas Rossi // Photo: Cheryl SpeltsLukas Rossi // Photo: Cheryl Spelts

Lukas Rossi at the Viper Room // Photo: Cheryl Spelts

Lukas Rossi // Photo: Cheryl Spelts

Lukas Rossi // Photo: Cheryl Spelts

Discuss this Photo Essay at ROCKBANDLOUNGE.COM

Backstage at Rock Star: Supernova

On Sunday, August 13, 2006 I shot a photo essay backstage at Rock Star: Supernova and it’s huge, but I think it’s definitely worth viewing. You may even learn something! I spent about two hours backstage before the show started, and it was a lot of fun!

Here are a few of the images, the rest can be seen at
http://rockband.com/news/rock-star-backstage/

To see the rest of my photo essay, go to: http://rockband.com/news/rock-star-backstage/

If you have any questions about what you see in the images, ask them here and I’ll do my best to answer.

Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1995

Tyne Daly being interviewed by E! // Photo: Cheryl Spelts

May 20, 2015

These images have never been seen before! I was a photography student, taking my very first photography class, and so of course I took my camera along when I decided to spend a couple of days in Los Angeles for my birthday. Looking for fun things to do, I saw a blurb in the newspaper about a star unveiling on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly, on March 29, 1995 – so I went!

Why did I never share them? Well in 1995 there was no such thing as social media or a blog, so if a photo didn’t fit any of my class assignments, or wasn’t special enough for me to want to work on in the darkroom for some other reason, it never got beyond the negative stage. And frankly even then I knew these are not special – they’re just a step above the snap shots the other tourists were taking with their disposable cameras.

So why am I sharing them now? Well I’m going through my negative archive, and scanning stuff that I had forgotten about, partly to document how far I’ve come, and also as sort of a historical documentation of my own history. And honestly? Seeing the fashions and the big cameras? It’s fun to remember what the world was like in 1995!

On the day of the event I drove to Hollywood Boulevard, and stood on the sidewalk with the rest of the crowd, and was close enough to see Sharon Gless get her star. But there were so many heads in front of me that I didn’t bother taking a single photo.

Hollywood Walk of Fame // Photo: Cheryl Spelts

By the halfway point I decided to try and find something worthy of shooting. The unveiling was in front of the Screen Actors Guild building, and I found a spot that was up closer to the building, where I could shoot the whole crowd.

The Press // Photo: Cheryl Spelts

I got a little closer, and shot the press lined up behind a barricade, ready to jump into action when something interesting happened.

Tim Daly in 1995 // Photo: Cheryl Spelts

When I realized there was nothing standing between me and the guys lined up in the press area, I decided to just join them. With my tiny little 35mm camera and 50mm lens, and wearing a dress! I did not look like those guys, but no one said anything to me, and I managed to get this close to Tim Daly, because it wasn’t the best angle, so no one else really wanted to shoot from there.

Hollywood Walk of Fame // Photo: Cheryl Spelts

These guys were right in front, and shooting straight on, so I decided to get a little closer to where they were located.

Tim Daly on the Hollywood Walk of Fame // Photo: Cheryl Spelts

I ended up with a pretty good spot to shoot! I remember I was right next to a camera crew from Brazil. Me, a first semester photography student, with a tiny 35mm camera and even tinier 50mm 1.8 lens, next to a camera crew from another country. I was very aware of them and stayed out of their way, so once they got that I wouldn’t jostle with them for space, they kept flashing me big smiles and we laughed a lot. It was fun!

And Tim Daly? At one point he did a double take and pointed at me, and mouthed, “How did you get up there?” and I just shrugged, and he laughed. The outfit he’s wearing may look a little odd in it’s circa-1995-ness, but he was super hot and it was fun to interact with him, even if it was at a distance!

Michele Lee // Photo: Cheryl Spelts

Michele Lee, from Knot’s Landing, speaking about Tyne Daly, who is standing directly behind her.

You can just barely see Tyne’s great 1995 boots! And yeah, I had a pair just like them at the time. White perforated leather in a lace pattern, with little pointed toes and pointed heels. I didn’t know it at the time but the woman in the floral dress and the girl next to her were both related to Tyne Daly, and I think may be her daughters.

Tyne Daly and Johnny Grant // Photo: Cheryl Spelts

Tyne Daly receiving what I think is the proclamation. The gentleman handing it to her was the honorary mayor of Hollywood for many years, Johnny Grant.

And the woman in the bottom left corner? I kept looking at her, wondering if she was Julie Harris? I never did find out for sure, but it would make sense since she was on Knot’s Landing with Michele Lee, so there was a link. And she was in the inner area, and included in some of the photos, so maybe?

Tyne Daly pulling the cover off her star! // Photo: Cheryl Spelts

Tyne Daly pulling the cover off her star! The little girl watching is maybe her daughter? And there’s a better shot of the woman I thought might be Julie Harris, sitting on the edge of the staging area, behind Johnny Grant.

Tyne Daly gets a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame // Photo: Cheryl Spelts

Tim Daly leaning over to see his sister get her matching plague.

And look at the guy with the sunglasses and afro, clapping, directly behind Tim. Does he look familiar? He did to me that day, but I’m still not sure if I should know who he is, or if he’s just an unknown person who just happens to look impressive? But he was in the section reserved for important people, so he may be someone I should know?

A Daly family snapshot... // Photo: Cheryl Spelts

A family snapshot…

Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly // Photo: Cheryl SpeltsSharon Gless and Tyne Daly with Johnny Grant // Photo: Cheryl Spelts
Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly with Johnny Grant, posing with their plaques, in front of their stars.

Hollywood Walk of Fame // Photo: Cheryl Spelts

Posing for photos after the ceremony ended. From left to right, Ed Asner, Michele Lee, Buddy Ebsen, Sharon Gless, Johnny Grant, John Karlan, Tyne Daly, Tim Daly, and Kathy Baker. Quite an impressive lineup of TV actors!

Hollywood Walk of Fame // Photo: Cheryl Spelts

Star Unveiling on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Tyne Daly. // Photo: Cheryl Spelts

I love this reporter’s dress! It’s like one of the cast members of Friends or 90210 came out to Hollywood Boulevard and started to interview Tyne Daly! But yeah, we all dressed like that in 1995. In fact, I remember what I was wearing and it was very similar, down to the cross on a black cord, around my neck.

Tyne Daly being interviewed by E! // Photo: Cheryl Spelts

And finally, Tyne Daly being interviewed by E! You can see the top of Sharon Gless’ head just behind her, as she’s also being interviewed.

My photos skew heavily to Tyne, and there’s not much of Sharon, but it wasn’t intentional. Sharon received her star first, and I was still standing with the crowd on the sidewalk when it happened, and couldn’t see much over the tops of the heads of the people in front of me. I didn’t move until after her unveiling. And once the whole ceremony was over and the two of them posed together, Tyne was just closer to me, and there was no way to get over to where I would have a clear shot of Sharon.

Despite how it may look, I was very aware that the real photographers had a job to do, and that I was just a photo student with a basic camera, so I stayed out of their way, and only shot when I wouldn’t be in the way of someone else. And I was lucky, I got some good shots! Not as good as I would have gotten if I’d had a little more experience and maybe another lens or two, or perhaps a press pass… But pretty good for who I was at the time – just a girl with a camera, in her first photography class!