This was another one of those shows where I was a fan first, and a photographer second. Agalloch's latest release, Marrow Of The Spirit, has been in my rotation pretty much non stop for the past month, and I was really looking forward to finally getting a chance to see them live.
To say that Agalloch more than lived up to the (well deserved) hype that has been surrounding them for the last few months or so would be a huge understatement, and they put on what was without a doubt one of the most intense sets of live music I have witnessed all year. Living in San Francisco I've known and seen first hand what a phenomenal drummer Aesop Dekker is, but I guess I really never grasped just how talented Jason Walton, Don Anderson, and John Haughm are as well. Together the four of them churned out a unique sound that is really unlike any other band out there today.
Of course the photographer in me knew that there was no way I was not going to at least try and document the show, so I arranged for a photo pass and hoped for the best. By the time they hit the stage I had managed to secure a spot stage right, so I whipped out the camera, twisted on a 28mm, cranked the ISO up to 4k, and did what I could. From a photographers stand point these photos are terrible, but after some heavy handed editing I think they pretty much capture the cold and distant sound that was in my brain while I was looking through the lens. At least I hope they do.
Stay tuned for pictures of Allerseelen, and read more about just how epic Agalloch was over at ümlaut.
EPIC.
Posted by: umlaut | Friday, December 24, 2010 at 01:46 PM
Dang dude 4,000 ISO? These look pretty good to me. I didn't get any clear shots of Haughm or Aesop.
Posted by: Bryan P. | Friday, December 24, 2010 at 02:17 PM
awesome pics, dude! i can totally hear them playing just by looking at the pics! great job! i love the eerie feel of them.
Posted by: tatomir | Friday, December 24, 2010 at 05:16 PM
Nice set! Agalloch just posted this link to their Facebook. I'm glad they did because it led me to your blog, and hopefully to some good info that I can use when I shoot photos of bands. I plan to be a regular reader.
Posted by: Karen A. Mann | Friday, December 24, 2010 at 05:27 PM
That was an incredible show. The photographer was right above me sitting on the PA, so I had this vantage for most of the show. Absolute best 20 bucks I ever spent. Agalloch are gods.
Posted by: ZJKoch | Saturday, December 25, 2010 at 02:46 PM
I saw them in LA and it was so dark in comparison. You got some good shots, even if you had to edit them. Love some of the shots. they really capture he energy and feel of their show ;)
What's up Tatomir? It's Jessie Gunter =P
Posted by: Twylight Fading | Tuesday, December 28, 2010 at 11:16 PM