Last month – that’s March, if you’re out of the loop – festival season officially ignited. As such, our feet shuffled away from the desks and into the sun and sweat. We were everywhere that had a festival: Cypress Hill Smokeout in San Bernardino, CA; Orange You Glad Festival in Orlando, FL; South by Southwest in Austin, TX; and Ultra Music Festival in Miami, FL. Then there were the dozens of tours that came through our respective hometowns, too. It would be pretty asinine to collate all of that excitement into just ten of our favorite photos, but hey, that’s what we did.
Event: Wavves @ South by Southwest 2012
Photographer: Jeremy D. Larson
What Jeremy Says: “Nathan looked down at me and said ‘Sorry is this bothering you?’ I said ‘No’. Thirty seconds later, that joint was in my hand.”
Event: Ezra Furman @ South by Southwest 2012
Photographer: Heather Kaplan
What Heather Says: “Ezra Furman’s to-do list at the CoS showcase ran a little something like this: 1) soundcheck, 2) remove clothing, 3) pick up guitar and play. After the initial surprise wore off, our sock-and-skivvied troubadour treated the crowd to a heartfelt, raw, vulnerable acoustic set.”
Event: Free Energy @ South by Southwest 2012
Photographer: Heather Kaplan
What Heather Says: “Due to circumstances beyond their control (seriously!), Free Energy watched as time ticked away on the curfew clock. With their set time cut to about half, Paul Sprangers and co. attacked the stage with intensity, reinvigorating the crowd (including your exhausted photographer) and ending the night on a high note.”
Event: Grimes @ South by Southwest 2012
Photographer: Harley Brown
What Harley Says: “Grimes is the not-so-secret reason I attended Fiona Apple’s Pitchfork showcase at SXSW. Crouching with the other photographers before Central Presbyterian Church’s cavernous “stage,” I was almost too entranced to catch this shot of Claire Boucher’s intimate relationship with her synthesizer.”
Event: The Black Keys at Madison Square Garden (3/22)
Photographer: Harley Brown
What Harley Says: “Dan Auerbach’s magnetic stage presence, which strikes that tenuous balance between dynamic and still enough for a decent shot, proves irresistible to snap-happy photographers. The three-dimensional blue lighting and red-tinted projections of The Black Keys in the background makes Auerbach’s yowl in this image almost pop off the page.”
Event: Andrew W.K. at The Riviera in Chicago (3/26)
Photographer: Joshua Mellin
What Joshua Says: “Known for his stained white washed uniform, Andrew W.K. may not promise much, but he delivers a raging party in full. A blur of a photo pit, what I remember most was the wafting smell of hair spray, alcohol, and sweat.”
Event: New Order @ Ultra Music Festival 2012
Photographer: Cap Blackard
What Cap Says: “New Order played Ultra as the sun set on downtown Miami. Capturing the city skyline, with a picturesque accompaniment palm trees, in Bernard Sumner’s mirrored lenses couldn’t have been more perfect.”
Event: Concertgoer @ Ultra Music Festival 2012
Photographer: Cap Blackard
What Cap Says: “We must’ve looked like narcs wandering from the live stage into the rave crowd snapping photos, but this girl didn’t care. Vic’s Vapor stick in hand, pacifier in mouth, she was filled with nothing but positive energy and a big fan of bright flashes.”
Event: Ty Segall @ Burgerama 2012
Photographer: Ted Maider
What Ted Says: “Whenever you’re at a punk show, you always have to be on your toes. You just never know when a guitarist might dive into the crowd with an instrument in hand.”
