There’s something in the water at The Template on Mondays (and it sounds a lot like GREAT FUCKING LIVE MUSIC)
Richard shares his experience shooting a professional musicians’ jam at The Template in Ocean Beach, CA.
Hello friends,
You might recall that back in March I wrote about a time where I briefly stumbled across an epic jam/drum battle while out on a walk with Erin. As I was writing that blog I made initial contact with @john_mdrums a.k.a. John Martinez drummer extraordinaire on insta who was the reason the jam was put together (1). As things go, I kept up with John because I knew how impactful the 10 minutes I shared with his crew was to me personally and he was my connection to that scene. So I kept my ears to the street for an opportunity to spend more time together and the opportunity soon came.
About a month ago I saw John post about a jam that he was putting together at The Template, this insane art café (2) in OB that I absolutely love. I mentioned that I’d love to come by and shoot photos sometime which John seemed receptive to but this wouldn’t be able to materialize until a month later (3) so I don’t think he put much stock into my threat. As luck would have it, the jams kept on and last Monday (4) I reached out to John to confirm as much.
“Yo man you guys jamming tonight?”
“Yes”
“Template?”
“Yes”
“Rad. I’ll see you there man.”
Now in hindsight I realize that I am a crazy person for thinking John would remember me saying I wanted to come take pictures of his jam a month ago but I showed up with my camera ready to shoot anyway. My month old intel had a 6pm start time and I strolled up at 6:15pm thinking I was late but as it turned out the jam was scheduled to start at 6:30pm and in reality it didn’t really get started until closer to 7pm. This was fine because it gave me time to meet some of the musicians that were hanging out waiting for things to get going.
I awkwardly wedge myself into some conversations and chatted up anyone who would have me which led to some great conversations and some …well pretty uncomfortable “Welp. See you later” moments. Luckily for me I’m able to see the humor in these situations and not take it as a slight against me. And for the record, there were only a couple of these hilariously awkward moments and most everyone I chatted with was super nice and welcoming even though I did show up as a complete outsider —with a camera no less.
After 30 minutes of schmoozing and occasionally flailing socially I sense things are getting close to starting so I start shooting a little. The musicians waste no time. After a collaborative effort to throw a massive rug over a support beam to help with the acoustics from the drum kit, they’re ready too. Their sound checks are not your typical snare hit, snare hit, snare hit, …symbol crash, symbol crash… No these guys just start playing —and fucking well. Really fucking well. I recognize some of them from the jam at the skatepark and I am immediately in that feeling again. The talent oozes from these players. It’s intoxicating. Surreal.
I don’t waste my time either (5). I jump in and start getting a feel for the various players and the space. After 10 minutes or so of this it is fully on!
Throughout the night there were a handful of drummers, a couple percussionists and bass players, a few key players, a flautist, a few horn players (two sax, one trumpet), one beatboxer, one singer who popped up near the end, and naturally a metric shit ton of guitarists. It is a “professional musician’s jam” and as such everyone absolutely rips it.
The house band leads the jam with John popping out from behind his kit to MC between songs. They play for two and a half hours straight taking only short breaks (6) between songs to occasionally shout out the players, and after a few songs to start cycling in other musicians who have been patiently waiting in the audience for their turn to shred. As much as I love music I’ve never been classically trained and therefore I’m not able to speak very intelligently about the genre of music being played, if any (7) but I’d say the music this night lived somewhere in the contemporary upbeat Jazz (8), funk, adult alternative, and rock world with plenty of room for anything and everything. To put it more simply you could classify it as great live music, with real life and soul.
To think that this is a FREE SHOW is almost unfathomable as it was truly one of the best live music experiences of my life, and not to suck my own dick here but I’ve been to a ton of incredible concerts, festivals, and shows but something about this jam... I mean the sheer talent, the improvised nature of it all, and the experimental vibe of The Template itself, it really just makes for something truly special. If you’re in San Diego or close by and you want to see some of the most talented musicians in the city put the plane together midflight as they rocket off the proverbial cliff, come through to The Template on Mondays 6:30pm – 9:30pm, get your face melted, and throw a $20 in the tip jar (9). If you are a LIVE music or jam band fan, this is for you.
(1) It was a birthday shed! (sung in the style of the Monster Mash “it was a graveyard smash” refrain)
(2) Picture Burning Man if it was a coffee shop.
(3) As a parent it’s not always easy for me to get out on a weeknight and last month I was already pretty tapped out attending many events of a multi-week photo festival, and prepping and participating in my favorite art fair of the year —Look I was busy OK?!
(4) March 8, 2023
(5) I came to shoot music, maaaaaan.
(6) We’re talking maybe 30 seconds to a minute max.
(7) DON’T LIKE TRY TO PUT ME IN A BOX, MAAAAN!
(8) I’m just typing words. I have no idea what I’m talking about, but it feels right if that means anything.
(9) Or more!
Stuart Todd Whitworth: The Music Project Strikes Back
My extremely talented singer-songwriter friend, Stuart Todd Whitworth and I collaborate on a multimedia project.
I’d written before about my chance encounter with the incomparable Stuart Todd Whitworth briefly as an aside in another story regarding my music photography/project but as a refresher for us all I'll go into more detail (in case anyone is interested).
I’d first run across Stuart while I was filming some person-on-the-street interviews for a yet to be released video project. I had been bouncing all around San Diego County over the summer and fall during 2020 looking for places with people around and on this day I happened to post up in La Jolla. I had gotten some decent b-roll, a handful of participants recorded, and had been about at the end of my day. It was about the end of the day’s day as well as the sun had already set by this time, but something about Stuart’s… I dunno… aura (?) when he approached me made it feel like I NEEDED to shoot this one last interview.
Stuart gave a great interview and afterwards we started talking and he told me he was a musician and blah blah blah. I remember being pretty cooked by this time and therefore I didn’t think too much about Stuart or the fact that he was a musician. We traded information as Stuart had mentioned that he was always looking for someone to help with photo/video stuff but at the time, music work was not really something that I thought about pursuing in any degree.
Fast forward 6 months and I’d been inspired by a local jazz band that had been rehearsing near my girlfriend’s old place. I decided that there’s tons of great local musicians and I’d like to try and collaborate with them, if they’ll have me. So I’m at the Subaru dealership waiting for my car to be serviced when I get a random call from Stuart asking if I’d be interested in filming a show for him the upcoming weekend. I had plans already so it didn’t work out but I mentioned to him that I would be interested in collaborating on a photoshoot or some other project if Stuart would be interested.
He was.
Over the course of a couple months we’d catch up on the phone and meet up in person to brainstorm. Stuart told me all about his impending album release and his unorthodox process of completing the album, we listened to some of his music, and we tossed some pasta at the wall. Eventually we had a project idea that stuck and we both felt it would fit our style and artist voices. We decided on a photoshoot and interview to be smashed into a self-narrated slideshow and that is exactly what we came out with and I’m beyond excited to be able to say that it is available for everyone to watch RIGHT NOW!
I’m very proud of how this video came out so thank you for watching. If you enjoyed the video, you should definitely check out more of Stuart’s music. You can find all of his music videos on his website, or you can follow him on social to keep up with him. You can find all of his socials here. And lastly, but certainly not leastly, if you really want to support my man, Stuart, you can show love by buying his album which not only comes with a disc and download code, but also a really cool book with amazing artwork renditions of the cover art from multiple artists across multiple mediums. Like the man and the music behind it all, the album presentation is unique and beautiful.
Support the artists you love so they can keep making the art you love.
Día de los Muertos
A post and video about street photographer Richard Provencio and his experience shooting a Dia de los Muertos celebration in Old Town, San Diego.
Growing up I was not really immersed in the culture of my ancestors. While the adults in my life always called me and my cousins "mijo" and "mija," aside from that most of us weren't really in touch with our heritage. I didn't and still don't speak Spanish (1) and am what's known as "whitewashed." So much so that years ago my cousins, my brother, and I all stated calling each other "mijo" and "mija" as a bit of a goof. Personally I didn't even start eating Mexican food until high school! I know. I know... It's very regrettable but it is what it is.
At a young age my mom moved me and my older brother to one of the whitest, most conservative cities in San Diego County, in search of better schools and hopefully a better life than could have been provided in the neighborhood where we lived up until that point. Not speaking the language or being in touch with my roots made it easy for me to acclimate to the prevailing cultures of the scenes where I spent my time but it also meant that my roots or my connection to them faded just as easily.
I accept that I cannot change the past, and I am thankful to be where I am today, but accepting my lineage has been a long and slow process. One hindered by my inherited self-loathing/identity issues, the non-acceptance in the culture that I grew up in, and the general unconsciousness that I used to call my life. Growing older and seeking a spiritual awakening has allowed me to open up in ways that I never would have dreamed of in the past. I am constantly working to get more connected to the universe and a big part of that for me is to seek out more information about my roots on both my Mexican side and my Filipino side (2).
After hearing about one of my photography instructors' personal project where they interviewed their grandma and went through her photos, I began recreated the project with my Grams who is also my last living grand parent. We looked at her pictures, talked about where she grew up in Mexico, and she'd tell me the stories that shaped her as a person. It not only helped color my understanding of my Grams, but it also helped color my understanding of me. This is just one example of something I've done to start learning more about my people.
Sometimes I'm lucky enough to stumble into links to my culture through a popular band like The Mars Volta, or a TV show like Narcos (3), or in the case of Día de los Muertos through a movie suggestion from my girlfriend. Weirdly, I LOVE animation (4) and have seen most of the Disney and Pixar movies, but I hadn't seen the movie she suggested, Coco. It's actually not that weird at all though when you recall that I mentioned my inherited self-loathing and the reinforcement of those beliefs was fostered throughout my adolescence by the place I called home. That all made me very averse to anything “too Mexican," including even a Pixar movie which I'm essentially guaranteed to love on account of me loving animation and Pixar being the absolute best at that.
After watching the movie, which of course I loved, I was very excited. While I had long since given up on the Catholic Church (5) to eventually arrive at an agnostic/universal oneness approach to God or spirituality, the idea of Día de los Muertos did not really conflict with my new ideology. Regardless of if it did or not, after learning about the holiday (6) I was able to view it for the beautiful tradition that it is. One that comes from MY PEOPLE no less! Having seen Coco/learned about the meaning of Día de los Muertos only THIS YEAR made me very interested to learn more and how it related to my family.
The next chance I got I asked my mom if her side of the family ever celebrated the holiday to which she responded with a very unsatisfying "no" and a "I'm not sure" when I asked if she knew why. Then when I saw my Grams I asked her the same questions (she's my Dad's mother) and she more or less told me "No. Not really," but then elaborated that where she grew up in Mexico (7) it's at a higher elevation and so by November it was already way too cold for any prolonged outdoor celebration. So they made ofrendas and had some small ceremonies but essentially just quickly visited grave sites and then ran back in to the warmth of a fireplace or a stove. Now that was a satisfying "not really like they do in Mexico City."
After learning about this tradition and the virtual nonobservance in my family I became interested in seeing what the observations looked like in my hometown of San Diego, and that's how I found myself in the historic Old Town district on Día de los Muertos proper, November 2nd, which by the way also happens to be my birthday. How about that for a plot twist?! A Mexican-American man (8) born on Día de los Muertos who only learned about the holiday at 36 years old. Ay, DiOs Mío!
So with my camera in tow, and a GoPro fixed to it, I set out to shoot a POV (Point of View) street photography video of the celebration and parade. My interpretation of what was going on was that it was pretty much a normal Old Town scene; plenty of restaurants serving Mexican food; a good amount of live performances of Latin music; a marketplace with with a bunch of trinkets, traditional Mexican items like blankets and ponchos, and also a plethora of dumb bullshit like novelty t-shirts. The biggest differences between this Tuesday and any given Saturday in Old Town was that there were a number of big ofrendas setup throughout the district which takes up a couple of blocks, there was tons of face painting, and there was in fact a parade/ Procesión to the Cemetery performed by Latinx folks in traditional costumes. Additionally, there was a really great mariachi band that followed the Procesión, which was probably my favorite part of the evening.
All in all it was a solid day out and a fun event to shoot for sure. If you haven't been before and you live in San Diego it's worth checking out. One thing it did for me was make me thirsty for my new bucket list item: to see the Día de los Muertos celebrations in Mexico City.
Welp. That's pretty much it. Thanks for reading and if you haven't already, go watch Coco —after you watch my video and subscribe to my YouTube channel of course!
(1) I do try but I learned in high school and college with a 4 year break during my army years and I have never really been conversational.
(2) I have like ≈10% or something like that in my blood.
(3) Maybe not the most positive example...
(4) I studied animation for all 4 years in high school.
(5) I gave up on the institution of Catholocism, not necessarily the teachings of Jesus. An institution that condones covers up evil and rules through fear is one that I could no longer support but as the Doobie Brothers once said, "Jesus is just alright with me."
(6) In a nutshell Dia De Los Muertos a.k.a. The Day of the Dead is a joyous holiday which originated in Mexico. It is typically celebrated on November 1st and 2nd were family's make ofrendas/offerings to their deceased loved ones and share stories and photos to keep their memories/spirits alive.
(7) I think Chihuahua, but I could be fucking that up.
(8) Humour me (9).
(9) The British spelling of words is my favourite.
Comedy, I’m hooooooome!
A long and arduous post about my return to comedy after some time away.
For those of you that don’t know me, allow myself to reintroduce …myself. That’s a character I do called Austin Power-Z. It’s pronounced “Austin Powers” but just with a “Z.” …and the hyphen is to emphasize the Jay-Z reference…
Hi. I’m dumb!
Ok now that that’s settled let me explain. So for the better half of the past decade I’ve considered myself somewhat of an aspiring comedian. For a good consecutive 4 years I was doing stand up, hitting open mics, doing improv, attempting to write/film sketches, doing regular hosting gigs at mics and monthly shows. All this while managing a serious romantic relationship. Between all that, and a full time job (THAT I HATED) I eventually fizzled out.
It was back then during my comedy hay day that I picked up a camera (other than my iPhone) with any intent on being creative or artistic. —not that you can’t do that on an iPhone! —but let’s be serious: you can’t do a lot of stuff with an iPhone that you can do with a camera that can shoot on full manual. If you really wanted to compare, it’d be like a white woman, you simply just can’t even.
For any photography nuts/artists reading this and losing their shit, I get it, you actually can do a lot on a phone and they have great cameras blah blah fucking blah… yes. I know. But also, you know what I’m talking about too. Ehhhh?! <raises eyebrows>
I mean come on buddy. You know what I’m talking bout. Right?! <more eyebrows>
Ok I’m done caring about that.
So there I was about a year or so into standup and maybe 6 months into improv when I hilariously and I unironically thought “man I need to film my sets!” And from that point on I did film my sets. ALL OF THEM.
Every. Single. One.
At first it was with a point and shoot Olympus that I had bought a few years prior to take to Hawaii because it was a waterproof camera. Awesome for shooting underwater pictures but not great for video in dimly lit clubs where the audio is hugely important. The quality was very much 2009ish and this was 2015. Might not seem like a big deal but think about a 6 year technology gap now and it really puts it into perspective. It’d be like having an iPhone 7 now. Gross!
Anyway, it was time to upgrade and my older brother, who is an awesome photographer himself, recommended a DSLR as opposed to a camcorder which I was very familiar with from my skateboarding days a decade and a half earlier. —I’m 35 if you’re curious.
I took his advice went to Best Buy, told the dude “I need a camera and I have ≈$1,000 budget, what should I get?” He said he’d put me in a Sony a6000 with two lenses, a bag, and even offered to tie it to the roof for me. I was sold.
At the time I had no idea what the difference was between a mirrorless or DSLR. I didn’t care I was just excited to have a new camera that I could use for my comedy.
I drove home happy and did what I’d always done when I got a new camera. Immediately take uninspired pictures of stupid shit around the immediate spot where I had just unboxed the camera including and very much limited to the camera box and bag, and my living room. Shooting on full auto mode thinking to myself “yeah this feels like it’s got some good… ummmm… power? —yeah power!”
Eventually I’d show my brother the camera and he’d tell me “That’s awesome man. Here read this,” and handed me a really simplified book/pamphlet explaining the basic principles of the exposure triangle (camera stuff). It was completely liberating.
For decades I had been very intimidated by a full manual camera but after quickly going through the pamphlet and getting a grasp on some of the basics it started making sense and became way less intimidating. Shortly after, my GF at the time and my mom both got me a few books as part of my Christmas gifts and from that point on I was hooked. I read dozens of photography instructional books, started buying/subscribing to online courses, taking classes at a JC close by. I was hooked on learning. …and gear just a lil bit if I’m being honest.
So all the while, I was using the camera for the intended purpose of filming my sets, but also I was doing way more with it. I was learning how to take photos and I was shooting often. Like ALL THE TIME often. I would annoy the shit out of all the other comics but that was kinda just part of my persona and they eventually grew to accept it. Despite the acceptance like the heart of the ocean, the ridicule would go on. Sometimes they’d take a break from ball busting and even pose for me though so that was nice. I’d fuck up the pictures a lot though especially early on when I was still learning the basics. Eventually I’d get pretty ok and other comics would ask me to shoot shows. At the time I didn’t take the time to process and think about what I wanted to do photographically because I didn’t see myself as a photographer but I did know that I liked the “candid” shots of the comics the best.
I carried on like this for years and then when I finally realized how unhappy I was at my work I realized I needed to get out of my soul sucking industry (tax accounting) much sooner than my comedy/writing “career” would allow for. So I shelved comedy to focus (pun intended!) on getting a photography business going.
I had done some research and some trial by fire stuff and quickly realized I didn’t really want to do family portraits or weddings which are really the main money makers in commercial photography. Especially if you’re just getting started. Eventually I’d find family photojournalism and pursue that hard. It was the least cringy type of commercial photography and you can make great money. To be honest it’s not really cringy at all. It’s a total niche but as far as family photography goes, it’s excellent.
I was all set to completely transition out of accounting and into my commercial photography business full time after the April 2020 tax season. I even had a couple clients lined up for after the deadline. One small hiccup though: a global pandemic happened.
Devastated to lose track of my dream and wake up amid the nightmare that was unraveling all around the world I stayed at my accounting job totally depressed. Luckily after a couple months I was eventually mercy fired by my boss and that was the freedom I needed. I’d spend the summer and my unemployment checks chasing history. I was shooting every BLM event I could find. I was shooting/witnessing history. It was invigorating.
I took a self funded trip up to Portland to witness the federal police riots taking place up there. Then I found my indigenous friends protesting the border wall construction just a little east of my home in SD. Then I’d swing by a trump supporter rally. Then I’d swing by a white nationalist rally/Antifa-counter protest where there were constant skirmishes involving fists, bats, and pepper spray. One of the skinheads even pulled a hunting knife just after being maced and thankfully decided he didn’t want to kill someone that day. But to me it all became too much. Not to mention my attempts at picking up photojournalism work or getting into the newsroom at the local paper had failed.
Either way I had watched the protest scene go from a broad support, peace and love movement, to two small groups bent on violence and as a pacifist it just took too much of a toll on my heart. I had to take a step back.
Meanwhile, since the pandemic started I had put together a support group consisting of some of my best friends that I’d made through comedy and we’d hang out on Zoom every Tuesday night sometimes into the wee hours of Wednesday’s. We’d talk about serious shit if we needed to but mostly we would just fart around and do bits just like in what’s known as “the hang,” which takes place in and around comedy clubs, shows, and open mics. At these places comedians hang out and speak in comedy the way only comedians can. By being funny, sharing jokes, challenging others’ opinions, busting each others’ balls —or clams!, etc.
It was totally therapeutic and exactly what I needed. Especially early on during the lockdown when my mental health was starting to really suffer. It not only helped me with my mental state but it also really started giving me the itch to get back on stage (when it would be safe to do so).
So after a long year of masks and lockdowns when I had finally been vaccinated I knew it was time for me to make my return to stand up and start back from square one. Only this time things would be different. I no longer cared about trying to get on shows. I didn’t care about starting from scratch. I just wanted to do bits and push limits on what I can do onstage. I didn’t give a shit about bombing or not either because I was only doing mics.
One thing I did care about though was documenting everything photographically. By this point I had to embraced the role of photographer and have figured out how I like to shoot and what subjects I like etc. Mainly I shoot people which is great because comedy is filled with people and a lot of them are also great characters (or at least working on becoming one).
For the longest time I saw photography and comedy as two separate parts of my being but it wasn’t until now that I realized there’s a lot of overlap. And actually the photography is actually my main purpose for my going out to the mics. As an added benefit when I’m onstage I don’t feel any pressure to have a good set. It’s been completely freeing and it’s been more fun than it’s ever been.
In the back of my mind I’m putting together an act and a way to tie everything together (comedy and photography), but for now it just feels great to be back and I’m enjoying the ride.
It’s only been a few months since I’ve been back and who knows if we’ll shut down again due to the variants and what not but either way here’s a taste of the work so far. Also, I will definitely be writing more about my experiences and observations being back in the scene, so this is just kind of an intro to my project titled Comedy I Love You.
Welp. Smell ya later! (still working on my blog sign off)
-Richard :)
Rumba Ketumba: the Music Project Begins
A post about the beginning of a documentary photography project centered on music —and there’s other cool stuff too! (Not really though).
I was at the Subaru dealership getting my car a long overdue oil change and servicing. Just sitting on the patio furniture, reading my book (Brandon Stanton's "Humans"), and listening to some music when my phone rang from a number that I didn't recognize.
-A little context: I subscribe to the idea that "things happen for a reason" or in a nutshell, the universe will present you with gifts if you're open, willing, and looking for them. This serves me well in my street photography and in life. Ok back to the story-
When I get a call from an unknown number it's usually pretty hit and miss. This day, I answered.
It was a musician (Stuart) that I had met maybe nine months ago when I was out on filming "man on the street" interviews all around town for a documentary project that I am currently working on. He was calling to see if I could film an upcoming show, but it was too short of notice and it didn't work out for that particular gig.
Unbeknownst to him, I had been contemplating "music" as a personal photo project for a couple months and I was feeling like this could be the universe speaking to me, so I asked if he'd want to set up a photo shoot down the line. To both of our excitement he was interested. So I ended the call feeling really connected with the universe and genuinely stoked about finding a natural starting point for my music project.
As I settled back into my surroundings I look past the coffee table, to the chair cater-corner to mine and see a man, maybe sixty, playing what looked like a green, toy, nylon string, guitar. Only he is not just playing it, he is playing the shit out of it! And singing too!
My headphones were still in but since I just got off a call there was nothing coming through. I listened surreptitiously as he shared a beautiful Latin tune. "What a talent" I thought. And what crazy timing after my "music project" just slapped me in the face out of nowhere!
After he finishes his song, I compliment his playing and singing and we get to talking.
He tells me he's rehearsing some songs for a weekend wedding gig he had a couple hours away in Palm Springs.
He told me how he lived in several Latin countries and how he'd been playing guitar for some time. He told me a great anecdote about how he met some of the Gypsy Kings, and an even more surreal story about how he randomly met Tony Bennett.
I told him a little about my past and my complete obsession with photography (The Sickness) and how I always carry a camera with me.
It was a great conversation with such a kind and open soul.
It wasn't too long until my car was ready so we swapped info and he told me he had a gig the following Thursday with a newly formed band.
I looked at his card, John "Juanito" Tidwell, gave the obligatory "nice to meet you" and told him I'd be there.
The gig was at Cafe Sevilla in the Gaslamp Quarter in Downtown San Diego. I'd never been before but the vibe was essentially everything that I imagined it would be. Upscale restaurant with a Latin theme and live Latin music.
I showed up a little too early so I spent a good couple of hours shooting some street photos around the downtown area and wandered back in time to meet Jaunito as he was the first one to arrive and begin setting up.
He tells me that there are three other band members and raves about how great they are. Having spent many days of the last week listening to some of Jaunito's albums from another band he plays with, I was not surprised. The guy is crazy talented and even though he may be one of the nicest people on the planet, I couldn't imagine him playing with bums.
The rest of the band popped in one by one and eventually they get set up and start playing. The first song is a slower one. It sounds great and the crowd seemed to dig it but on the following song they started playing some dance rhythms and you could feel the energy build in the room. It was electric.
Jaunito had told me this was the band's first time playing together and that they hadn't rehearsed at all, but they were clearly all strong enough musicians that it didn't matter at all. Not for a second.
Jaunito's eldest son, a musician himself, even sat in with the band for a song as he belted out the vocals in a very Mars Volta like wail. There's definitely something in the water at Jaunito's house!
All in all it was a great night. From the moment they started playing they were in the groove, having fun, and surfing that wave of energy that filled the room. It was magic.
It was magic, revealed to me by a chance encounter at a car dealership service center.
The universe is speaking to us all, we just have to listen.
If the universe sent YOU here, check out Jaunito's band Rumba Ketumba which are featured in the photos or his other band Malamana who has music on Spotify.
Thanks for reading,
-Richard :)
