B List: The Stories Behind The Photos, Pt. 2

7. They said, Yes!!!

[Trevor Garrod at Sullivan Hall]

My first photo pass, on Sept 8, 2007 for Tea Leaf Green at Gramercy Theatre, came courtesy of Madison House Publicity. Up to that point I had been shooting at the smaller clubs in and around New York City, dealing with low lighting and packed crowds with terrible vantage points. I was slowly getting better and hoping to get a chance to shoot more well-known bands at the bigger venues. Then one day it happened. Just two days before the show, I got my first “yes”. I danced around my work cubicle, threw fist pumps into the air, and even got my girlfriend to take me out for a wonderful steak dinner.

That Saturday, I got to the show almost two hours early, afraid I might miss my time allowed in the photo pit. The theatre finally filled in and the band went on. Man, what a rush; possibly the fastest 15 minutes I ever experienced. It was just a rush of electricity running around, crouching low, finding angles, and shooting, shooting, shooting.  After it was over, I went to the back of the venue and just smiled. A few months later the band returned to play a New Year’s Day show at the re-opened and newly named Sullivan Hall.  The venue was packed, the lighting terrible once again, but I managed to hold a spot up close for the entire first set and capture this one shot of Tea Leaf’s lead singer, Trevor Garrod.  I showed it to him months later and he laughed, lowered his voice and said , “That’s exactly what a night of New Year’s partying looks like!”

Sometimes I still love the little venues…

8. Angles, Angles, Angels

[Biodiesel at Camp Bisco 8]

The main stage is where you’ll find all the big acts. In the case of Camp Bisco, they can include anyone from Snoop Dogg to LCD Soundsystem to the members of the Wu-Tang Clan. Unless your name is Danny Clinch, Danny North or Dave Vann, however, your access is going to be three songs in the pit with tough angles, extremely limited backstage access, and definitely no shooting from the stage.

On the second stage, however, security is more lenient. If you’re aware and respectful, you can get up on the back of the stage for a great angle. One of my favorite aspects of this photo is Biodiesel bassist Clay Parnell’s stance. Another is the way I got the crowd, the camping, and a beautiful sky into the same shot. I added a little bit of on-camera flash to this daylight shot to bring out the detail in Clay’s shirt. Otherwise he would have become a full silhouette against the bright sky. Of course while shooting this, I temporarily forgot Rule #2 (to stay aware) and backed directly into the Biscuits keyboardist Aron Magner, almost knocking him off the stage completely and possibly out of the festival (Dolt!)

9. Personal Moments

[U-Melt at Sullivan Hall]

It’s every dedicated fan’s hope that his or her band makes it to the top, so that he or she can say, “I knew them when.” Yet for every Phish or moe., there are hundreds of bands that never found an audience or the luck to make it through the small crowds and long van rides and still come out intact.  On this day I had been given permission to attend U-Melt’s soundcheck early in the evening.  Due to infighting and health problems, it was to be [guitarist] Rob’s [Salzer] last night with the band; a band he co-founded and that would soon be going on a nationwide tour without him.  It one of those moments where nothing was really happening. Rob looked away and you could just see it all on his face.  So I slowly raised the camera up, careful not to disturb his thoughts, got the guitar and the band logo in the frame, and fired a couple of shots off before he looked around and got back to work.  It’s one of those photos I’m very proud of and yet I almost thought was too personal to show.

10. Location, Location, Location

[Vampire Weekend at Webster Hall]

There are some venues at which it’s a pure joy to shoot.  They have great lighting, great angles, a good photo pit and helpful security. Gramercy Theatre, with its stadium seating, and Nokia (now Best Buy) Theatre, with its multiple angles and levels, come quickly to mind.  On the other end of the spectrum are the large music halls that are usually oversold, contain massive floors that pack fans in like livestock, and terrible sightlines for everyone (including the photographer). Terminal 5 and Roseland are the worst in this regard, but Webster Hall is close behind.

On this night (one of three sold-out shows by Vampire Weekend), I was lucky in that there was a photo pit, as fans were perched on speaker stacks, chairs and anything else they could find to get a better look at the stage.  Unfortunately, one main problem is that you need to be escorted onto the main stage before the opener and jump in the photo pit. The second problem is that you need to be pulled back out of the pit by security (with twenty pounds of gear on your back). I failed miserably at this.

After the first three songs I started to move around the venue, looking for any type of angle to shoot from. Unfortunately, fans were almost five deep at the rail and nothing was looking good.  Slowly but surely I was able to stand at the back of the balcony and inch forward. Then I got lucky and the band lit up the disco ball.  Holding the camera up, I went for the Hail Mary over-the-head shot, firing away in bursts and hoping to keep the heads of the people in front of me out of the frame. I pulled the camera down to check for the exposure and the angle.  I got one shot I really liked and then headed home happy.  A couple of weeks later I got an email from Lon Ballinger, the owner of the club, on how spectacular he thought it looked. I guess I don’t hate Webster Hall so much anymore.

Thanks to all

[Barre, Vt. Zoot Suits, early ’30s, with Wendell Rennie, at the piano]

When I go home to see my parents, I often tell them about the shows and festivals and bands I’ve gotten to see, and my mother often laughs to herself.  She says I’m a lot like her father, who used to work as a draftsman during the day and play in bands in the evenings. He played in the Big Bands, marching bands, and even in the silent theaters for his friends when they needed an evening off. He told me there was sheet music there for him to play, but the really good piano players could just sit, watch the film, and improvise, adding their own artistry to the film.  It reminded me a lot of Marco Benevento playing his own soundtrack to the House of Usher or the Disco Biscuits having an entire set devoted to the movie Akira.  And although I can’t play a lick of music, it makes me feel connected to my grandfather.

I’d like to thank him, my parents, my friends including Kevin Ford who had the patience to edit this and especially my girlfriend Carla for helping and supporting my dreams and especially in my life.

We’ll, we’d like to thank Jeremy for his tireless dedication to making Hidden Track a success. Look for more of Jeremy’s work on HT soon.

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5 Responses

  1. Thanks for sharing Jeremy, your shots and the stories behind them were great! Keep up the great work!

  2. JG – What a great read this has been, thanks! We’re all very lucky to benefit from your passion. That picture of Rob is, to this day, one of my favorite shots. I’m glad it was included here. Love ya buddy!

  3. A++++. Really enjoyed this Jeremy. I can’t get over that picture of Rob from U-Melt, it’s really touching.

  4. I really enjoyed this column. Interesting to here the story behind the pics.

    Also, the Rob pic really captures that moment in time. Really great picture. Well done.

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