Carter Avenue | East Nashville | Studio Yuda
Shhh... Billie Eilish Intimate Secret Show at Third Man Records
FEATURED IN :
Words combined from stories by Charilie Zaillian (Rolling Stone) and Laura Hutson Hunter (Nashville Scene)
“On Wednesday night, the 17-year-old pop phenom born Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O’Connell played a secret show at the Blue Room in Jack White’s Third Man Records. It was an invitation-only affair that brought out lots of music-biz insiders and performers — among them Jason Isbell, the Watson Twins, Bully’s Alicia Bognanno, Michelle Branch, Vanessa Carlton, Tristen and others — as well as a smattering of superfans who gathered near the front of the stage.
As with many of the Blue Room shows, Eilish and O’Connell’s performance was recorded direct to acetate for a record to be released via Third Man. The vinyl version of the recording will be available in December at TMR's locations in Nashville and Detroit, with a limited-edition version (featuring splatter paint artwork by Eilish) available to the attendees only — the invite-only crowd — a Venn diagram of local scenesters, industry types and mom-and-dad-of-the-year-candidates with kids in tow.
When Eilish looked up into the audience, her posture changed, her eyes sparkled. Onstage she isn’t a timid teen — she’s an international superstar. Her brother and collaborator Finneas O'Connell was at her side, switching between guitar and keys throughout the set.
Where a full-scale Eilish concert is a maelstrom of macabre visuals, seizure-inducing lights and screaming teen admirers, at Third Man she was freed from having to simultaneously work a giant stage, hype up an audience and sing the songs. The Blue Room’s “recording” light flipped on — the stakes got higher, the safety net was gone, and it was time for the audience to share responsibility for making the record. The stage lights turned red, and Eilish moved into elemental versions of the mischievous, vaguely menacing “All The Good Girls Go to Hell” and “Bury a Friend”, which elicited rapturous call-and-response from those up front; for the neo-soul-styled “idontwannabeyouanymore,” meanwhile, and “Come Out and Play,” a heartstring-tugging standout, there was pin-drop quiet.
She laughed her way through a minor flub in the chorus of “Bad Guy,” and the front-row fans cracked up with her as she brushed it off with ease. Calling that one an audience favorite might be an understatement — members of Eilish’s young, rabid fan base down in front reacted gleefully (and loudly) to that one. But instead of trying to manage the crowd, Eilish leaned into their wildness, no longer a performer in a high-stakes recording session and instead an increasingly charismatic show woman.
During the break between recording her A and B sides, Eilish turned to the audience with an awareness of how awkward it felt to pause a performance right in the middle. “So, how’s your day?” she asked. Her face changed as she recognized a fan in the front row: “Oh my God, you brought me a puppy once! How’s he doing?” Another fan said this was their 11th time seeing her perform.
In a September issue of The New Yorker, Michael Schulman wrote an article about fandom. A line from that story — “At its core, fandom is a love story” — kept coming into my mind throughout the show. Billie Eilish is an incredibly talented singer with an uncommon range and vocal control. The vocals on set-closer “When the Party’s Over” span three octaves. “I Love You,” which Eilish described as “long and sad,” has a climbing melody similar to that of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” But she’s not Celine Dion-ing her way through these songs, laying on melismatic flourishes. Her songs are more complex than most pop music tends to be.
Before closing the show, Eilish thanked Jack White for “inspiring a whole generation to do what they want.” I can’t think of a more succinct affirmation.”
Set List
Wish You Were Gay
All The Good Girls Go to Hell
Ocean Eyes
Bad Guy
Idontwannabeyouanymore
Bury a Friend
Come Out and Play
Copycat
I Love You
Bellyache
When the Party’s Over
Starcrawler Casting Spells at Third Man Records
SEASON OF THE WITCH x HALLOWEEN AT THIRD MAN RECORDS
STARCRAWLER | JACUZZI BOYS | BBYMUTHA | KENT OSBOURNE | HEAT TAPE
Full story + gallery over at Nashville Scene !
S T A R C R A W L E R
T H I R D M A N R E C O R D S
N A S H V I L L E , T E N N E S S E E
Delorean 1982: In Honor of Dee
In honor of my grandmother, Dee Quirk
Thanks to my dad, Jaan, and Robbie
a dream vision becomes reality
shot on 35mm film
nashville, tennessee
BILLIE
B I L L I E E I L I S H
WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP TOUR 2019
NASHVILLE TENNESSEE
Shot for the Nashville Scene, all photos online
Tame Impala ~ Nashville
Tame Impala swimming in daydreams in Nashville, Tennessee, diving into an unforgettable Thursday night performance.
“You guys look beautiful, the city looks beautiful, you smell beautiful.”
Photos by yours truly up on the Nashville Scene and in the May 9th weekly print issue.
Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA
Down at Mardi Gras this year, I had myself a ball & a biscuit of a time, soaking up sunshine, snappin’ away left and right, sippin’ on lemonade shandies, and stuffing myself with seafood (and po-boys) at every opportunity. A beautiful, blissful week of costumes, libations, friendship, and parading through my favorite streets and old haunts. I spent all of Mardi Gras day dressed head to toe as a rose garden, an homage to my time spent living in New Orleans, the city where I fully blossomed into my true self.
I drove home with not one, but two, full size king cakes in my passenger seat to prolong the sweet celebrations as long as reasonably possible, as well as a couple bags of fresh coffee beans from the French Truck. Now I’m able to wake up with a little taste of New Orleans from the comfort of my own home, at least for a little while.
Upon my return home after three weeks of traveling, I came to discover upon developing my film that my once-trusty point and shoot camera had been a little shaken up, maybe took one too many rough and tumbles, as mysterious black borders and lines unknowingly appeared across multiple rolls of film. At first glance of the negatives, I felt the onset of heartbreak as I realized some photos would be completely lost to time. I paused, took a moment and some deep breaths, and allowed myself to embrace the abstract framing and the creative decisions it allowed me to make with my final photos, lending a hand to the creativity and freedom that bleeds out of the soul of the city of New Orleans.
I’m learning from this as it’s a beautiful little reminder to always be present in the moment and to remember that life ain’t always perfect. It’s not always gonna be what you expect. It’s a little rough around the edges, and you’ve gotta embrace the beauty inside of what you do have and are able to experience.
Laissez les bon temps rouler, they say!
until next year ~
xo
Five Years of #SXSHESHREDS
I'm honored I was able to be a part of the She Shreds SXSW experience this year. I was involved with the one two years ago, as well, but this one was especially... special. Originally, the day was supposed to be at a space called Kinda Tropical - an old gas station convenience store turned cafe and small local market with cool teas, local beers, iced coffee on tap, and breakfast tacos. Everything was beautiful - the aesthetic could not have been more ideal and She Shreds had swagged up the place with decor, merch, cacti, banners, prayer flags, gender neutral bathrooms, and a breezy little stage on the back patio. The sun was beaming, and Shamir took the stage as I sipped the first few sips of my extra strong, bone chilling iced coffee as I began to shoot photos for the day.
And then... barely 30 minutes into the set, cops appeared and began roaming around the scene, eventually shutting us down due to a double whammy of overcapacity and unknown lack of a permit from our venue. Everyone lingered around like "Whaaat" for about the length of time that it took to make some phone calls, secure a new location, pack up all the merch, the gear, and relocate EVERYONE - the whole dang crew of show-goers and show-players. The Sahara Lounge saved the day in under 45 minutes. The show must go on!
Everyone packed into the teeny tiny super cozy bar that smells of old (and new) Lonestar beer. Like 500 bodies. A whole community. We were still all in this together, no one was letting anyone give up. The bands played on, and the day evolved into it's own beautiful success story. I was there to document the whole dang thing and I'm happy to share my photos of #SXSHESHREDS with y'all.
FULL STORY AND ALL PHOTOS HERE!
Thanks for reading, see you out there next year!
xo, Emily
And to close this out, here's me, fresh faced and super stoked to shoot the full day ahead!