Seven Stories…Max Hale0
Posted In Art,Black Metal,Features,Music,Photography,Seven Stories,Uncategorized
Photographer: Max Hale
Site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/maxhalephotography/
Based in: Sydney, Australia
These images have been taken through various venues in Australia over the past four years. In that time, I have been drawn to the dark alternative scene and found my roots in local black metal. There are a lot of great bands and, as a photographer, they appeal due to their presence on-stage. My mission has been to connect with these Australian bands’, and some international ones, in a way that presents the reality of their performances.
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Portal, 2010, The Bald Faced Stag, Sydney
I have shot Portal a few times now and they are a treat to shoot because of how they dress and perform on stage. Some people may not think there is much to taking a good gig shot but it is all about the moment. Being so immersed within the music to feel that moment and know when to shoot. This photo was taken when Portal played inSydneyat the start of 2010. The reason I picked this particular photo is the lighting. Given the fact that they were all wearing black robes, I feel it added colour to what was a darkly brilliant performance.
Photographer: Sarja Hasan
Site: FB
Based in: Richmond, VA
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THE ADICTS. Jaxx – Springfield, VA: 03/2011
This venue is a little more than an hour away from Richmond, VA, where I live, and driving up there was a painful experience. It’s in the weirdest almost strip-mall type environment in what seemed like the middle of nowhere cause we got turned around so many times due to construction and one too many “ROAD CLOSED” signs. Plus, I was the one driving and if you ask anyone that knows me, I get turned around real easily to begin with. Already tired & delirious, “Hey Jack! The ROAD’S CLOSED!” quickly became a hilarious inside joke, which, reiterating now… doesn’t sound too funny at all. But that’s what happens in a car full of girls who have been on the road for over an hour, going to see a band that makes them feel like they’re 15 all over again. Anyhow, the Adicts were definitely worth the hassle. They put on an amazing show & ended with bubbles & beach balls & streamers. There was confetti & glitter all over me by the end of the night & my friends and I somehow ended up being the obnoxious girls on the floor after everyone had started to clear out. Some guy asked to take a picture with me & whoever he was probably still has it on his camera. And, as most obnoxious girls get their way, we ended up hanging out with the Adicts in their tour RV afterwards & drinking their Heinekens while they lounged around in their pajamas.
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CVLT Nation Anniversary
Seven Stories Special
Samantha Marble0
Posted In Art,Features,Photography,Seven Stories
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Tony Iommi
Portrait of Tony Iommi at Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn on November 3rd, 2011, the day of his US book release for Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven and Hell With Black Sabbath. This is where life gets magical for me. Sabbath was a staple in my household. They were my mom’s first concert. Some of my earliest memories were being freaked out by the green witch on my dad’s Black Sabbath record. I’ve seen as many documentaries I could get my hands on. Never would I have thought I’d be more than within a few thousand yards squinting to see him on stage. It was a Thursday afternoon in a part of Brooklyn that is doesn’t get much foot traffic during the day. On this day though, from afar, it looked like cast of ‘Heavy Metal Parking Lot’ lined up around the corner. As you walked up the door on the all black exterior with no sign out front was blasting all Black Sabbath tunes. He was kind. He smiled at everyone he met, shook hands, talked and signed copies of his book. As he was being ushered fans started yelling thank you and more joined in and just kept repeating it over and over again. I’ll always be grateful I was given the opportunity to meet the legend himself.
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Photographer: Tanner Douglass
Site: Facebook
Based in: PA
All these photos are all from the Heartless/Full Of Hell full US Tour…
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Somewhere on the highway in Louisiana
We were on our way to the singer of Thou’s house, and we get on the highway and see all this smoke in the distance, but did not think anything of it. As we got closer and closer, the smoke got darker and we saw a car engulfed in flames. It was like we were driving past a movie set or something, we could hear the tires exploding. I read on the news that some car hit them from behind, and sent them flying into the median and they wrapped around the pole. It was a hit and run.
Photographer: Jeremy Beals
Sites: Facebook/Flickr
Based in: Southern California
To start, I want to give a big thank you to Earsplit for allowing me access to many of the bands I’ve photographed. Without their help, my body of work would literally be half the size it is now. I also want to thank Cvlt Nation for offering me this space to showcase my work, it means a lot.
I’m going to start by being blunt: I’m not an old or well-worn photographer; if anything I consider myself quite the novice – this is especially true in regards to concert photography. Although I’ve been rigorously studying photography for the past few years, it was only (as of Dec. 2011) six months ago when I first turned my camera toward the stage. In this feature, I’m supposed to show you seven photos that have a great meaning to me, but with so little time behind my belt, it’s hard to choose a set of photos that not only stand out/have a story to me, but work well within a set together.
So that’s what I tried to do. I chose a sampling of photos that, although may not best represent the broad spectrum of my work over the last two and a half years, certainly represents how I typically choose to portray my subjects.
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Harassor
A lot of people in the Seven Stories series have had some interaction with Harassor, and I’m no exception. My first experience ever with this band was Pete Majors calmly walking onto the stage prior to the start of their set, and watching him calmly douse his body with thick blood and enter what I can only describe as a meditative stance that made the viewer contemplate whether Majors had found the spiritual door to hell. Then, as the music began to play, Majors came out of his almost trance-like state quite quickly; but before he rose completely to begin his evocations with his band-mates, I was able to snap this portrait.
Photographer: Carrie Whitney
Site: FB
Based in: Brooklyn, NY
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Botch, 12.27.97 RCKNDY Seattle, WA
ENERGY. These guys were always exploding with it. When I listen to Botch this is exactly what I picture. There is so much time between then and now, I’m not sure if this picture looks like how they sound or they sound how this picture looks. Either way, I’m glad I was there to shoot it. Botch opened for Undertow’s reunion show this night. All the bands that played that night (See 6 Murder City Devils) inspired me to move back to Seattle in 1998.
Photographer: Markus Shaffer
Site: oldscratchphotos.com
Based in: Brooklyn
I’ve been photographing live music for over 20 years now. Occasionally for publication but mostly for the bands whom suffer my lens in front of them while they perform. Music has been such a powerful force in my life for so long it’s hard to image what existence would be without it. In so many ways, music has given to me and made my life all that much better. Be it through the visceral feelings experienced through listening or through the world of friends and camaraderie that has come from all the musicians I’ve met over the years, music has been a staple of my existence since my early teens.
Living in New York affords one the amazing opportunity of getting to see an extraordinary amount of live music. We are lucky to have a very dedicated group of people who book shows, run clubs and generally make a huge effort to promote and perpetuate the scene of heavy music here. With such a scene comes an even larger group of talented people who are involved in some way or another. The abovementioned who make it happen, but also the artists, photographers, people who run music websites, and certainly not least, the musicians themselves. I constantly find myself humbled to be surrounded by such talent of all kinds. It’s not often I make an effort to share my photographs with the public at large. Thus, having been asked to contribute here is an honor.
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Black Tusk
One of my all time favorite photos of any band. These guys are always smiling on stage. Nothing else I’ve shot of any band has ever come close to personifying the performance in the way this does. They are fun as hell live and this image will always remind me of that.
Photographer: Jordan Fogal
Site: Primaldimensions.tumblr.com
Based in: NC
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Boris live at Cat’s Cradle October 2011
Boris is always a great show and even though I’m not a gigantic fan of their newer material, hearing it live was still amazing. They played a lot of tracks from Heavy Rocks I & II and New Album then some favorites from Pink and Smile. This shot was during one of their heavy droning interludes. The horns thrown by Atsuo and Wata’s drone stance really capture my favorite aspects of Boris.
Photographer: Astrid Tonella
Site: FB
Based in: Copenhagen
The following images have been taken this year in various venues across Europe. Like all of you, I’m a music enthusiast and going to gigs is one of my main hobbies and addictions. I like to keep a memory of these precious moments, hence, the link between concert and photography has become key to me. I don’t pretend to be an artist, but I shoot with my heart and I try to pay tribute to the band I photograph the best I can.
I am truly honored to be placed between all these many talented photographers. Many thanks to CVLT Nation for giving me the opportunity to show my work and of course, many thanks to the different organizers in Europe for their efforts and for allowing us to attend mind-blowing shows!
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Last summer, I finally got the opportunity to catch Boris on stage here in Copenhagen. I’ve been longing to see them for years, and Japanese bands always come up with interesting performances, so I was quite excited. I usually prefer small venues, as the atmosphere is much more palpable and intimate than it is in larger venues. However, one advantage of larger venues is the amazing lights which enable you to obtain a wider variety of pictures. I captured that shot. It’s actually one of my favorites of the Boris series – the light, the smoke surrounding Takeshi like mist – its texture reminds me a bit of a Japanese painting by Hasegawa Tohaku called “Pine Trees” giving a mysterious aspect to the photo.
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Photographer: Alexander (Alec) Ricketts
Site: Flickr
Based In: Southern Indiana
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This piece is titled Ritual. I think that the reason this has appealed to me is mostly due to the composition, just something about the contortion of his arms, which also happens to be the subject. I was in a very old cemetery outside of my hometown of Evansville, Indiana with a friend of mine, whom frequently models in my photographs. It was one of those days that was so strangely grey and overcast that it could almost make you feel like a living character out of a David Lynch film. This turned out to be my favorite shot of the entire day because it holds some sense of oddity to me. Even the hand gesture is significant, and like an Escher picture, although it isn’t significantly easy to see, once you see it you will always see it.
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