The Eastern family (includes Banjo)

They have a new CD out

The Eastern 'Arrows'

buy it now ... no questions!

These guys deserve success ... they work hard and they sound great!

Say no more.

more ...

This town, Lyttelton, is inhabited by artists, port workers, librarians, vegans, fast-food workers, teachers, authors, poets, real-estate agents, carnivores, designers, musicians, coffee addicts, and several photographers.

It is very real and surreal in the same moment.

I have never been to war, and have lead as normal a life as most, suffering only at the hands of love, fate and opportunity. I did once find a dying man, and have often wondered if I could have saved him had I not been only 11 and naive to the ways of people.

I have nothing to say that hasn't been said before.

In a short time I am making a tour of the UK to talk about my photography.

What can I say?

I thought about musicians ... not the rock stars, but the ones who are musicians because they need to tell a story to those who will listen.

I thought about the musicians that write a great song or three, and want to share it with the world, not because they want to travel the world in limousines, but because they have stories to tell. Their stories are made up or based on their experiences. Sometimes they tell other people's stories. This is me, I am telling other people's stories, but as I see them. I photograph who they are, and the things and people they Cherish. I create a story for them, in a moment, or over time. This is the luck I have created for myself, it is the privilege of telling the stories of others.

So again I ask what can I say?

I want to tell a story about love. I want to tell another story about death, and then one about life. These are my stories. The stories themselves will probably change very little for you if you are a photographer coming to hear me speak, but if you can understand 'why' I am telling you these stories, and how that is important for you, then I will have done what I set out to do. I could teach photoshop, I could teach business ideas , I could talk about album design (and I probably will)

I guess that what I want to do is not to talk you into becoming more like me, but better at being you.

If I was a musician this tour would be acoustic, honest, and personal. I hope that if I end up somewhere near you that you will come and see me.

cheers

Johannes

'They' did a good thing.

There is a wonderful honesty in this music.

I went through University on the music of this man.

This review fills in the gaps.

I normally resist live recordings but this one deserves a listen.

If I was to relate this to photography it would be photography with film using a manual camera, a trust in your own feelings, and some truths. This is where the magic is in the experience not the capture and control.

You need to buy it for all the reasons that you would normally buy an album, ... you love the music, you've got $30 in your pocket, you want to be moved by sound, .... but more importantly you get that little bit closer to the Eastern Family.

I cannot say enough good things about this band. Most of all they deserve greatness.

But don't just listen to me ....  The Eastern by Johannes van Kan put it on High Quality viewing, and crank up the volume!