Title: Silent Pictures

Photographer/s: Pat Graham

Contributor/s: Ian Mackaye – Introduction
Cynthia Connolly – Afterword

Date of publication: September 2007

Place of publication: Akashic Books, Brooklyn NY

Dimensions: 1.9 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches

Type of binding: Soft Cover

Number of pages: 144

Type of paper: thick

Number of pictures: 160

Publisher: Akashic

Designer: Melanie Standage

Editor: Melanie Standage and Lely Constantanople

Language: English

ISBN: 978-1933354422

Price: 22.95

Summary: Fugazi. Bikini Kill. Modest Mouse. These groundbreaking bands and their peers not only shaped the face of today’s underground music scene, but also established a thriving subculture based on do-it-yourself ideals while repudiating mainstream conventions with urgency and integrity. Here, in acclaimed photographer Pat Graham’s debut collection of work, the moments, the music, and the message all come alive with vivid intensity and searing honesty, as he documents the evolution of independent music history from his vantage point at the heart of the Washington, DC scene over the last two decades. This retrospective traces Pat Graham’s development as a photographer, while reflecting a deep appreciation of the scene he helped to create — and has now memorialized.

Like the bands he captures on film, Graham thrives because of his uncompromising antiestablishment aesthetic. Many of the images presented here have taken on iconic status over the years, proving that the energy of live shows resonates beyond the walls of the nightclub. Indeed, Graham’s inimitable style is partly a consequence of the countless times he has accompanied groups like Modest Mouse and The Make-Up on tour across the world; these photographs convey the power of legendary performers like The Jesus Lizard and the late Elliott Smith in unscripted spontaneity onstage, while more intimate portraits provide candid glimpses of life on the road, behind-the-scenes peeks backstage, and shots of euphoric audiences participating in similar scenes of community collaboration across the country.
Taken as a collection, Silent Pictures shows that the spirit of the underground transcends the music to express an attitude, culture, and way of life that is sincere and authentic — one that underscores the links that bind groups as sonically diverse as OutKast, Thievery Corporation, and The Shins.

Date and place of birth of photographer/s: 6/18/70 Milwaukee WI

Website: http://www.patgraham.org

Book link: http://www.akashicbooks.com/patgrahamalive.htm

Donated by: Pat Graham

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