Jay Blakesberg Archive

Brokedown in Bakersfield at the Great Amaerican Music Hall.  Channeling the music of Merle Haggard…full photo gallery at:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jay-Blakesberg-Photography/108844062482118

John Lee Hooker - 01.19.01 - Square Portrait Series.  This was shot in the entry way of Hookers last home he lived in before he died.  Los Gatos.  It had a very cool wood inlay of a guitar and his initials right below where he was sitting.  It was shot for Guitar World.  I loved Hookes hands.  They were big and old, and looked like leather.  So I asked him for a hand shot…

Joe Satriani - Feb. 09, 2000 - Square Portrait Series. I have done MANY photo shoots with joe. Magazine covers, magazine features, CD covers, movie posters, ads for gear companies. This was done for Guitar World Magazine. My idea was to take the alien concept a little further. This was shot with my Hasselblad in my studio - PRE photoshop. I would make the first exposure, re-adjust the positioning of my camera, cock the shutter without advancing the film, and shoot the next exposure…repeat. Actually got quite a few really interesting images from this shoot.

The new Joe Satriani 3D film is out!  and the movie poster, cd and dvd cover all have a photo taken by me…Very excited about this.  I have been shooting Joe since the late 1980’s and not only is Joe an incredible player, he is a truly wonderful person.  He is a San Francisco treasure!  

Red Hot Chili Peppers - September 16, 1989 - shot for the cover of BAM Magazine.  I set up a backdrop in the upstairs balcony of the Fillmore and had about 15 minutes with these guys.  Every frame was a new pose!  Frusciante had just joined the band and they were ready to explode!  I Love this series of photos of this band from over 20 years ago!

Radiohead…again. July 13, 1995 - Square Portrait Series. This was shot in the alley behind Slims in San Francisco where they were playing that night.  It was shot for a feature in Rolling Stone Magazine.  This was for The Bends, and was a few months after the free show in downtown sf.  My studio was 2 blocks from Slims and after we did the portraits, the whole band walked to my studio to look at the live shots from that free concert.  It was just a casual hang.  I did not go to the show at Slims that night because I apparently had other plans…what a stupid move!  I guess I figured I already got the shot that day…I will post other shots from this session.

Sticking with the Radiohead theme here is a live shot from the free Radiohead concert presented by Live105 on April 3, 1995 in downtown SF.

test from email