Blackberry Smoke – “Yesterday’s Wine” from Jon Grimson on Vimeo.

Back in May of 2011, I handed footage that I shot of Blackberry Smoke during studio sessions in the summer of 2010 off to Jon Grimson, so that he could edit a music video for CMT. The song, “Yesterday’s Wine”, was originally written by Willie Nelson, and this version of the song was recorded in Nashville with the legendary George Jones and Jamey Johnson.

Fun-fact about my family and George Jones: when we lived in Nashville, we lived in the neighborhood next to him. As Boy Scouts, we were going door-to-door selling M&M candies. Good ol’ George, invited us into his home, and bought all of the candy that my two brothers and I had. ALL of it! So, with that in mind… it is pretty cool to me that so many years later I got to shoot footage that made it’s way into a music video with him in it. Unfortunately, the shots with George and Jamey in it is the only footage NOT shot by me… so I didn’t get to share that story with the man himself.

Regardless, I think this video turned out really cool, and I’m honored to have been a part of it. Very special thanks to Brit Turner for having me along to shoot it, to Richard, Charlie, Paul, and Brandon for always being great to shoot, and to Jon Grimson for editing it all together.Shot using Canon cameras (5DMKII, 7D, and XLH1). Be sure to check out more of my adventures with Blackberry Smoke by clicking here.

After the band’s amazing dose of ‘boot camp’, it was time to gear up for the show. Maj. Gen. James M. Milano came out on stage to introduce the band, and say some words for the troops.

Jim Beam’s own, Fred Noe then came out to thank everyone for coming out, and to introduce the band as well.

Big Daddy Kev then stormed the stage to get the crowd hyped up. The crowd was insane by this point!.

Showtime. As you can see… there were a TON of people.

I wasn’t aware that the crowd would be split like this… soldiers one one side, civilians on the other. It definitely made for a sight to see.

Richard kept things moving on bass.

While Paul was doing the same on guitar.

Brit layed down the tempo for everyone behind the drums.

Brandon on keys.

Charlie on vocals/guitar.

The soldiers had so much energy, and were VERY apparently LOVING the show.

All it took was a slight turn of the camera, and they would all go crazy!

This snap of Paul looks crazy with the giant spotlight shining down on him.

After the show, Maj. Gen. Milano presented the band with an amazing plaque.

It reads “Thank you for all you do in your continued support of Soldiers and their families. You are True Patriots!! Fort Jackson, SC, September 11, 2010”.

That wraps things up from Fort Jackson. Our time on-base was definitely a unique experience, and one I am extremely honored to have experienced with the guys!

After lunch we were taken to a firearms simulator. It housed MANY virtual firing lanes, in which M16 assault rifles were modified with an air system that accurately simulated recoil.

Using laser projections, you fire at a screen that simulates an array of different environments. It records all shots, hit or miss. Then you can review all the data after the session to see how accurate you were, shot/kill ratio, etc. It was really interesting, and extremely difficult.

Here they brought up a funny simulation where turkeys are attacking you. You had to shoot them several times, until they explode.

Brandon gunnin’ them down.

Brit and Richard went prone for more stabilty.

Paul taking out some enemies.

Charlie doing the same.

After 3 different environments (including one on Mars), the boys got to use the video simulator… that is shot with live-action video/actors to mimic real-life scenarios that soldiers will encounter in the sand box.

You weren’t allowed to shoot anything until there was a threat. Even if someone had a rifle… if they weren’t pointing it at you or someone else you couldn’t shoot. Here Brit is waiting for someone to make a move.

They told us how this simulator, while expensive to build… saves the Army millions of dollars annually in live ammunition. This is the first stop for soldiers in training who may have never held a firearm in their life. This way they get acclimated with the weapons before they ever fire a live round.

After we wrapped things up in the simulator, Drill Sargeant Ferguson let Richard try on his body armor.

Then it was back to the bus to get ready for the show. I snapped a group shot of the band with their Drill Sargeants: Ferguson, Crump, and Johnson… all of which were amazing hosts, and answered every question we threw at them.

This tour/boot camp was really something special. I couldn’t help but think during our stay… how many people get this sort of tour? It can’t be a lot. The hospitality of the Army, and Fort Jackson to give the band an experience like this is TOP NOTCH.

To honor our troops on September 11th, Kid Rock put on a HUGE show at Fort Jackson. He invited Blackberry Smoke to share the stage for the event, and I was lucky enough to tag along and document the day’s happenings… which included a boot camp of sorts and tour of the base for the band.

Upon our arrival we were all given U.S. Army hats. Here, Brit is proudly displaying his, before getting suited up for repelling.

Paul and Charlie were all ready to go… and were having a laugh at the others getting all tied in.

Drill Sargeant Ferguson gave them a quick lesson on how to lean back and let your ‘guide hand’ stop you in the event of trouble. Here he is demonstrating how you can hold all your weight with one hand. This tower had an incline to it to prepare them for the next round of repelling action.

After the demonstration, it was time to scale the tower.

Richard went first.

Then Charlie.

Next up was Brit.

Then Paul.

And finally, Brandon.

Next up was the 45-foot tower. No incline here, and much more intimidating. This gentleman set the tone for not to do things. You can see about half-way down, his decent goes awry, and he slams hard enough to make a shock-wave. Luckily, the material he fell on is finely shredded tires – which was surprisingly soft.

This soldier was climbing down this giant rope wall. About 3/4 of the way down they would have to drop off backwards onto a giant pad filled with air. It looked scary!

Lucky for the band… there was a stairwell that led them to the top of the tower. It didn’t seem so bad from the ground – but once up top… it was VERY intimidating! Here the boys are sizing things up.

Brit was the brave one, and went down the wall first.

Richard had some solid hangtime on his way down.

Brandon repelled next.

Then it was Charlie’s turn.

And finally Paul’s chance at death.

Here you can see Drill Sargeant Ferguson recapping what they just did through the reflection in Charlie’s glasses. Everyone agreed that by the time they got about 2/3 down the wall, it got easier… and they wanted a bit more wall to repel down before they reached the ground.

Next it was off to check out soliders being trained in MMA hand-to-hand combat. We got to try Army-issue ‘Gatorade’, called Victory Juice. It was REALLY good.

After we observed the fight training… it was time for lunch! I was fascinated how the soldiers stand in line for the cafeteria. I also thought this photo was cool considering the painting on the wall.

It really was an honor to be on base on September 11th.

The guys enjoying Army food. I’m sure if you eat it every day… it gets old – but we all enjoyed the food. I thought it was really good!

So good, in fact… that I took more than I could finish. I had chicken and rice (sweet & sour-ish), cottage cheese, veggies, and a heaping of baked beans. I was STUFFED.

Stay tuned for more from Fort Jackson, as we get to enter a firearms simulator and do some shooting!

After the show in Detroit, we made a mad-dash down the East coast to Coyote Joe’s in Charlotte.

Showtime once again.

This venue had a huge dancefloor in front of the stage. It is hard to tell from the photo… but plenty of line-dancing was being had.

Brandon looking patriotic behind the keys.

I loved the lighting at this venue. Such rich color raining down on Brit behind the drums.

More dramatic lighting pouring down on brother Richard.

After the show it was back to the bus, and southbound… home to Atlanta.

Our second day in Detroit meant another crazy opener for Kid Rock at DTE. Hanging out backstage with the band is their friend, Billy Graham.

I don’t know what a ‘chicken wing party’ is… but Kev’s shirt was hilarious!rn.

Richard was taking it easy before the show.

Brit was in final stages of bandanna prep.

Brandon all ready to go.

Billy was on point for sound.

Lights up…

Showtime.

Paul layin’ it down.

The engraving on Richard’s bass is awesome!

Brandon laying down the keys.

The last song they played was ‘Freedom Song’. Charlie dedicated it to our troops and the crowd went CRAZY.

After the show, we had to pack up fast to make the drive all the way to Charlotte for day 5 of tour (well… day 5 for me)

Stay tuned!

After opening for Kid Rock, the guys had an acoustic show lined up at Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill.

I thought the lighting was great here. It allowed for some great video.

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For some reason I really love this shot of Brandon on keys. Something about the way the drum set in the foreground framed it up… combined with the green lighting just turned out awesome.

Paul having a good time.

Brit was using this resonance box for percussion. It has 40 snare spirals inside, and sounded awesome!

The girl in the photo, Vanessa, worked at the bar, and was celebrating her birthday. She hooked us up with FREE CAKE.

She told us she could ride the bull standing up. We didn’t believe her. She could… and I’m not gonna lie – it was pretty hot. Big Kev said he wanted to marry her on the spot.

Shorly after the show it was back to the bus to rest up for the next day’s gig.

Kevin and DTE crew members got the trailer unloaded first thing.

Shortly after a (wonderfully) catered breakfast, Kid Rock’s tour manager, Shakes, pulled up in this wilder-than-wild Pontiac Bonneville. I snapped a photo of Brit standing next to this crazy thing.

The car, built for Hank Jr.’s 15th birthday, was crafted by renowned tailor-to-the-stars Nudie Cohn. Can you imagine a 15-year old cruising the strip in this thing?!rn.

The dash, steering wheel, door panels, and child seat were adorned with dollar-coins. The saddle in the center-seat position was a child seat. This car was made pre-seatbelt/child-safety laws for sure.

Guns are all over this car. The door-handles, latch for the glovebox, trunk, hood, rear quarter panels, shifter, horn button… all laced with pistols.

The backstage passes were hysterical. KENNY. POWERS.

Charlie enjoying a smoke while talking to Kevin.

Guitars perched for action.

The band hit the stage for sound-check.

Sound master, Billy Kirk, surveying the acoustics.

After sound-check, Charlie and Brit had an interview with WYCD.

Shortly thereafter, it was showtime. Big Daddy Kev hyped the crown and brought them onstage.

The fellas played a great set.

More on the way from Detroit! Don’t wander too far…

Before we made it to Flint, we stopped Cumulus Radio in Toledo, Ohio where the band had a radio interview with K100..

Paul was having fun.

Even more fun once we left, hahaha.

It was back to the bus and back on the road until we arrived at the Machine Shop in Flint, Michigan.

Since we had time to kill, we went across the street to check out a consignment store, and stumbled upon this crazy mall that had it’s hallways adorned with an insane amount of wild stuff. Stuff like this old robot that once answered questions about Ford Motor Cars and a suit from Red Planet.

This chiseled-looking bicyclist sculpture, and a life-sized C3P0. There were also a life-sized Storm Trooper, Darth Vader, and R2D2. I could probably fill an entire post with the plethora of wild stuff there.

My favorite was a life-sized likeness of E.T… just hanging out at the mall. Probably looking for Reese’s Pieces.

After our stint in the crazy mall, we grabbed a bite and headed back to the bus where Charlie was messing around on the guitar.

The band pretty much had the night off, and only came through Flint to see their friend, Randy Houser. That didn’t stop Charlie from getting on stage for a song with Whitey Morgan!

Stay tuned for more as we make our way to Detroit!

I had a chance to hit the road with the boys from Blackberry Smoke for a week while they played shows en route to two sold-out shows with Kid Rock.

I went along to document video footage from the road, backstage, on-stage, etc.This is the tour bus the band calls home. This was my first time on a bus like this, which was pretty awesome! It was tough to get used to sleeping when the bus was in motion, but it was super-comfortable..

The driver, Rusty, was a cool guy that took great pride in what he did. He was always washing, shining, and polishing the bus when we were stopped.

First stop was Indianapolis, for a gig at a HUGE week-long fair. First thing I saw when I looked out of the bus was this equally enormous sculptured likeness of Grant Wood’s American Gothic.

I wandered around the fair until they were slated to be on-stage. I went for a tractor-ride around the fairgrounds that took about 45 minutes to get me back where I started.

There was a huge lot of vintage tractors. The fair had a whole commerce section of the fair revolved around farming and agriculture.

O

ld versus new. There was also an area of the fair specializing in the sale of windmills.

After a brief sound-check, the band had a radio interview on-site with WFMS. My lens was way to long to shoot in the mobile-station, so I shot from outside where you could still hear the broadcast. Richard told me I was number one. He was right! The great thing about shooting this band, is that I’ve known some of the band members for 9 years… so everyone was themselves. No awkward vibes having some random dude wielding a camera in their faces.

They hit the stage and played a great set, despite the scorching heat. I got a ton of great footage from the show.

A mother and son soaking in the music. I always enjoy the family vibe at fairs like this.

You can see it all around you… young and old.

After the show, they had a police escort to sign autographs for the fans.

Afterward, we wandered around the fairgrounds in search of deep fried bacon… and we found it. The lady was kind enough to let us have it for free. She insisted we try it with gravy, but we were all kinda like… enough is enough. Regardless… Kev was pretty excited!rn.

I ate enough to say that I’ve tried it (read: one bite). Once our indigestion settled a bit, it was off to Flint, Michigan for a Machine Shop visit to see the band’s friend Randy Houser… then onto Detroit.

More to come, so stay tuned!