“The music is made first, and the interviews or photos to keep it alive come later as a necessary evil, I suppose.” -Jack White
Event: Dirty Projectors at Brooklyn’s Prospect Park (7/10)
Photographer: Michael Zonenashvili
What Michael Says: “Why not take a great photo of any of the three beautiful girls on stage? Well, there was no light on them, so instead I went for this one of Dave Longstreth’s flowing hair.”
Event: Forecastle 2012
Photographer: Lilian Cai
What Lilian Says: “The sun sets over the river as day one of Forecastle comes to an end.”
Event: Girl Talk at Forecastle 2012
Photographer: Lilian Cai
What Lilian Says: “Despite being on a constant watch for crowd surfers and being shot in the face with toilet paper, the crowd raged on as Girl Talk kept the beat on the edge.”
Event: Sleigh Bells at Pitchfork Festival 2012
Photographer: Joshua Mellin
What Joshua Says: “Though I wasn’t assigned to cover Sleigh Bells, I couldn’t resist photographing Alexis Krauss and Derek Miller as they presented Demons in the bright light of day. The high energy set ended up being one of the highlights of the entire festival. The next day the band tweeted ‘heavy sun on the facial regions but it was radical + thnk you guys for dealing with the heat…sincerely…much love to you. D/A’.”
Event: Wild Flag at Pitchfork Festival 2012
Photographer: Joshua Mellin
What Joshua Says: “Between her time with rock band Sleater-Kinney and sketch comedy show Portlandia, Carrie Brownstein is exceedingly comfortable on stage, making quips, laughing with the rest of the band. But then there are these moments where she becomes lost in the music and turns into a full-fledged rock goddess.”
Event: Trash Talk at San Francisco’s Slim’s (7/16)
Photographer: Ted Maider
What Ted Says: “Brutal, angry, intense, and next level: these are all adjectives that describe Trash Talk, yet tell you nothing. This is a photo that tells you something. Watch yourself around this band.”
Event: Sugar Ray at Summerland Tour (Holmdel, NJ) (7/21)
Photographer: Harley Brown
What Harley Says: “It was my 12-year-old dream come true, seeing Mark McGrath in the flesh. And Irish blood ages like a fine wine, apparently, or else the lighting was really, really flattering.”
Event: The Killers at Firefly Festival 2012
Photographer: Ben Kaye
What Ben Says: “This picture represents a pretty cool moment for me. By some stroke of luck, we ended up with way too much access, and discovered we could get right up on stage. I’d never seen a major show from that perspective before. Being in a festival-sized crowd can be breathtaking; seeing one from behind, a show by someone like The Killers is downright awe-inspiring. I’m appreciative that I had the chance to capture that.”
Event: The Flaming Lips at Firefly Festival 2012
Photographer: Ben Kaye
What Ben Says: “The one stage where that ‘extra access’ meant squat. From my angle, I couldn’t see the giant balloons Wayne Coyne was popping with his guitar, but I could see him turn in preparation. I pressed the shutter and just hoped the focus held. Everything in between was a blur, but right before and right after were perfect. Couldn’t be happier with the results.”
Event: The Wallflowers at Chicago’s Schubas Tavern (7/27)
Photographer: Heather Kaplan
What Heather Says: “To put this in perspective, Bringing Down The Horse came out when I was in 8th grade. So, being able to see one of my favorite childhood bands–in one of my favorite venues–was nothing short of awesome. This is basically the photo I would have taped up on my bedroom wall, covered in heart doodles, if I was still 13 years old. Swoon!”
