I came across Lindsey Stirling purely by accident. One night there happened to be a Behind the Scenes video for her latest music video, Elements on one of the photography sites I visit. In it she discusses how she handles the editing and was out picking up the props used in it at Home Depot and had her mom with her.
I thought she seemed like a really nice young lady and the fact that she is “Cute as a Button” as Mr. Ball phrased it, when I sent him her info, did not escape me either. So I watched the BTS stuff, and then followed the link to the actual video, which is damn cool. From there I headed to the Internet and You Tube where all of her other videos reside.
I spent the next four hours watching her videos. I really enjoy her music and I was taken by the variety of looks Ms. Stirling dons in each video. If she was not such a talented musician she could be an actress, I do believe. I started my video tutorial with Crystallize one of her most popular videos. It was filmed at the Ice Castles in Silverthorne, Colorado. It is one of my favorites as well, and there is a scene where she moved seductively and glances to the right that just floors me! I so want to spend DAYS photographing this young lady!
While I won’t go into what I like in each video photographically, another thing about Lindsey’s music is the collaborations she has mixed with other You Tube artists. My first discovery was the Skyrim video she created with Peter Hollens. The video is very cool, filmed in costume. As you listen note that you are listening to one voice, and one violin recorded over 120 tracks. Amazing to me!
Then I found another collaboration with her and Peter using the theme to the Game of Thrones. Similar one voice and one violin. This time 140 tracks and Ms. Lindsey even looks like the character in the show!
My next shared video was Lindsey and Alex Boye’, (along with Nathaniel Drew and the Salt Lake Pops) doing a cover of the Bruno Mars song Grenade! Finally my third video collaboration was one I must admit I kept passing over, something about the avatar image for the video maybe? It is a cover called Starships done with Megan Nichole; I finally watched it and I loved it!
Ms. Nicole’s singing is great and Lindsey is just so funny in her character. I could not help but laugh! Anyway I started to research Megan as I really enjoyed her voice. Come to find out Megan is a Texas girl, not just a Texas girl but Houston, Texas by way of Katy Texas girl. She just signed a record deal, Local Girl Done Good! Megan does a cover of Bruno Mar’s The Lazy Song that is so funny. I guess I ought to check out this Bruno Mars? So thanks to Ms. Lindsey, I discovered three other artists who I admire! Not too bad after just connecting to the Lindsey Stirling party late.
Lindsey is a classically trained violinist who took her love for the violin and added a kick to it! She does Dub Step Violin (I have NO IDEA what Dub Step is, young people seem to). I guess I could look it up on Wikipedia. All I know is, I like her!
Seems Lindsey was on Americas Got Talent where she made it to week 4 before being voted off the show by Piers. Having completed a sold out US tour in 2012, she is now in the process of completing a sold out European and US tour. I would say the AGT event did not do her any harm.
Lindsey composes, choreographs and directs all of her original music and videos and has enlisted the talents of Devin Graham to shoot the videos. Her You Tube channel Lindsey Stomp has over 1,600,000 subscribers and 232 million hits!
Each show has VIP upgrades, which allow those who partake to meet Lindsey, Drew and Gavi the two guys that help bring Lindsey visions to reality on stage. The House of Blues where Lindsey was performing has a very strict three song policy. Some photographers complain that bands don’t really getting charged up till later in the sets, but not Lindsey. She hit the floor at full speed, and while I would have loved to have photographed the entire show, I had a great time! Besides I am positive I will be seeing more of her soon. She kept looking at me, while I was shooting and we do make such a cute couple!
Us fans should take the time to thank Mom & Dad Stirling. Had it not been for them hauling the family to free neighborhood community concerts, or the daily sounds of Tchaikovsky, Beethoven and Mozart playing at home, she might not contain her deep love of music.
At age 5 the young Ms. Lindsey started begging her parents for violin lessons, demonstrating the same determination she processes today, they finally relented after a year. Unfortunately, very few teachers were willing to give lessons to a six year old. Plus, things were tight around the Stirling household. So mom was forced to find someone willing to teach Lindsey, on a strict budget of 15 minutes, every other week! Thinking she would get bored, the journey began.
Lindsey Stirling’s music appeals to such a diverse group of fans from young girls with their violins, to the gamer geeks, thanks to her Skyrim, Zelda’s Melody and Assassins Creed III videos, to older guys and girls with grey hair. Everyone seems to love Lindsey Stirling and her music! Hell the Empire was even short one Strom Trooper the night of the concert…Lindsey Stirling is rocking the Universe!
Till Next Time,
–RFR
