UnfortunatelyLit By J. Krawczyk
Artist’s Statement
Much like any other creative endeavor, concert photography sits on a wide spectrum. A lot of professionals try to record the image with little-to-no fanfare: evenly lit images of the artist standing center frame. Quality, sure, but it doesn’t really capture the essence of the show you experience. And part of that experience is the venue. You experience almost as much downtime and setup as you do music. There’s an exhausting anticipation that comes in those dead spaces and, within that, its own treasures. There are some sights, moments, and textures right before a band performs that can be just as mesmerizing as the show. Here are some of my favorite forgotten images that are ever-present behind the music.
A Soft Glow at Hard Luck
Hard Luck Bar is a tiny venue in downtown Toronto made out of crinkled posters and ratty patches. Even though it looks like a typical metal bar, it has the clearest and cleanest sound system I’ve ever heard.
Progressive Bathrooms
The Garrison in Toronto is by far one of my favorite venues, and their restrooms have become gender-neutral. One quick observation since the switch is the amount of bathroom graffiti. Anything scribbled that is obscene or profoundly stupid is usually accompanied by a plethora of witty retorts. It’s also generally cleaner. Win-win all around.
Equipped with Coffee
I love this photo because it looks like it was taken at night on a grizzled soundboard, but it was actually taken in a recently built tent at noon at the Mayhem Festival in New Jersey.
Dial It Up
Props to the KahBang Festival in Bangore, Maine. It rained the entire time, so everything was miserable and slathered in mud. They set up some tents and moved the sold-out Dr. Dog show into a nearby field. Not ideal, but here I am writing about it years later.
Othello
This is how Shakespeare envisioned his legacy: Having his work so incredibly saturated that you can find random copies of his plays translated into easier-to-read books and tangled under XLR cables in small music venues.
Silence
You kind of lose the idea of how heavy speakers can be. Not only are they supremely dense, but they’re usually aggressively vibrating and suspended above fragile skulls.
Retired Bass
The band was called Retired, but they sounded employed. I have more photos of guitars and basses leaning on amps than I can count. It was a tad refreshing to see someone leave theirs on a chair.
Pre-Show Pre-Game
There are only so many things you can photograph during soundcheck, but booze is usually an option. All secondary colors as well, so that’s a plus. This was taken at a Wolf Eyes show during Moogfest in Asheville, NC. It’s an electronic festival, so most people were not ready for their intensity.
Step Up to the Mic
This microphone became a focus test for a This Will Destroy You show. It was taken at the Opera House in Toronto, which occasionally hosts The Pancakes and Booze Art Show, something I recommend all venues do.
Wrekmeister Harmonies
I try to capture how the artist would like to see themselves portrayed. This dude was riddled with details and moved in very slight gestures, so I assumed he’d like a more intimate portrait. I could take pictures of these hands all day. I usually do.
All together now –
A happily married writer/director despite dyslexia his. Having previously written and directed movies that have premiered at festivals like SXSW and Fantasia, I look to explore and hone my craft in the literary world. The surprise hit, He Never Died, is currently on Netflix with the sequel, She Never Died, on Amazon Prime and another production being filmed in the fall of 2021 (Covid Goddamn Permitting). With a loyal fan base, I am beyond humbled by the reception.
Twitter: @every1question | Website: everyonequestion.com | Writing Credits: IMDB | Photos: Flickr | Watch: He Never Died (password – RollinsLives) and She Never Died
Why we chose this piece: Jason originally only submitted Wrekmeister Harmonies to us, but we were so intrigued by the lighting on that hand playing an Epiphone SG that we invited him to send us a photo essay instead. He did, and wow, he did not disappoint. The lighting, use of focus, and composition were all wonderful. We loved the concept of waiting behind the scenes at a show, and the stories behind all the photos brought his career to life for us.
My students will have to do a photo essay later this semester. I’m going to suggest they look at this as an example.
[…] Soundcheck […]
I love this. Like a backstage pass or few days on a tour bus.