Chicago-based photographer Marty Perez has been snapping musicians for over 40 years, amassing an impressive body of work which is collected in Kill A Punk For Rock & Roll. Perez’s photography covers a wide array of musical acts, from national superstars to local bands only remembered by a few hundred dedicated rockers. While Perez’s talents eventually led to demand for posed promo shots, the majority of the pics here take place inside concert venues. The book runs in chronological order, starting with photos of ’70s arena rock superstars Rod Stewart, Yes Zeppelin…etc. At some point Perez got hipped to punk rock, and from there on he largely focused his lens on underground bands at small clubs, with a few trips back to larger stages to catch big-timers like David Bowie, Snoop Dogg, and Lou Reed.
Perez’s photography style is simple. Instead of using his photos to push the tired narrative that musicians are larger than life deities descending onto concert stages from the heavens, he documents them hard at work. Singers appear sweaty and mid-sentence at the microphone; guitarists have grimaced faces staring down at their hands to remember chord changes, and drummers are largely left in the background, sometimes even blocked by the rest of the band. Sorry beat-keepers! There are great shots of The Replacements, Nirvana, Iggy, and hundreds of others, but the best part is Perez’s snaps of concert crowds joyfully staring in rapt, if perhaps also heavily stoned, attention at the action happening on stage. Check out the cover shot from an early-80s Black Sabbath concert as an example.
With page after page of great images, and a few brief introductory passages, Perez and his publishers at Hozac Books have created a fascinating fans-eye view of a lifetime on the frontlines of live music. Perhaps best of all, his pictures make you wish you were there too!
Midnight To Six 