News:
So, I made it into another awesome issue of Groove Magazine with the shots I took of the awesome band We Need Surgery - one of the best known bands in Korea - taken at E-Sound Studio near the Hongdae area of Seoul while they were putting the finishing touches on their long awaited debut album. Tenative title: Chinese Democracy. Cool name!
I met up with Groove Music Editor, Summer Walker, a few weeks back in Seoul. We met up on a Saturday afternoon and headed out to meet with the guys from the band and ended up having a fun few hours. Summer interviewed the band's manager while I sat along and documented the final takes in-studio of a war-torn and tired group of guys. Then she had a full on interview with the band. You can read it in the article above.
We Need Surgery
From left to right:
Brandon Butler - Drums
Miso Stefanac - Vocals / Synth / Guitar
Valentino Avignoni - Guitars
Paul James - Bass
A couple of the guys were exhausted from the night previous: you know, the typical Rock-and-Roll-lifestyle antics and hijinks -- fun times in a limousine with Russian twins and a few people they happened across while out on the town -- including a large African man donning a cowboy hat and boots. For some reason, I pictured a Nigerian version of John Voit from Midnight Cowboy which mad me enjoy the story even more. One of the fellas had a busted lip and a limp as proof of the eventful evening. I immediately knew, these guys were no joke; they were the real deal. Rock and Roll, baby!Beer? Check.
Cigarettes? Check.
Snacks? Check.
Chucks? Korean style slip on, check!
For the actual shoot, I kept in the background and stayed away from them as they worked -- for the most part. It was dark, so I ramped my ISO between 1600 and 3200 to get decent exposures while being able to move around. For the post editing, I went with a high-contrast, desaturated look to the shoot - a (digital) bleach bypass process that's popular in war movies. 'Cause for me, these guys seemed like they had been through their own war - working hard, rocking shows, promoting their sound, and planning a big move to Canada all while getting their long overdue debut album ready - so I wanted the photos to show it. Don't let any limousine stories fool you: it's not easy being in a band, you know... if you want to do well.
The best part, for me, was meeting them and discovering that they had a bigger picture than just playing some shows and drinking like so many other bands I've shot. They actually have a solid vision and they're knocking out everything they need to do along the way to achieve it. I can't wait to work with these guys again, and I can't wait to hear the finished album because to top everything off, they're actually really good! :)
Here are a few more shots from the day. Be sure to check the band out at Facebook: We Need Surgery.
Cheers!
- ab
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