Photographer: Bryan Proteau
Site: SF Sludge
Based in: San Francisco
ONE
This is a photo from Deafheaven’s record release show for Roads To Judah at Sub Mission Gallery in San Francisco. The band played their new album in its entirety, and I took this picture during the last song of their set, a song called “Tunnel Of Trees” which they’d never played live before. After throwing himself physically and emotionally into the music for the past half hour, frontman George reached a point where he put his back to the crowd and, like a game of trust, just fell backward. I love this photo because he continued to sing as he was being carried completely horizontal, with the cord of the mic leading like a lifeline back to the stage.
TWO
This photo was taken at the Regency Grand Ballroom, which is one of the city’s bigger venues. Nachtmystium was on tour with Cradle of Filth, so they got to play bigger places then they would usually. I had never seen the Nacht before, but I’d been a fan for awhile. I’d read so many negative things on the internet about the band and their live show, but I knew I had to decide for myself. The band sounded perfect, and the larger venue provided the proper space for Nachtmystium’s songs like “Addicts” and “Nightfall” to reach anthem status. Aside from the dramatic lighting, I like this particular photo because of how confident Blake Judd looks. He stands behind his music and his band, and no amount of internet hate is going to stop that.
SF Sludge Nachtmystium Gallery
THREE
I don’t typically like “fun” music. I get great enjoyment out of the music I listen to, but in general I gravitate away from the more upbeat styles of metal. Of course there are exceptions, and Torche is one of them. This photo is from the SF stop of the “Sanctioned Annihilation Tour” with Torche, Kylesa and High On Fire. Technically, this isn’t a great photo. It’s grainy and blown out, but I love it anyway, because it captures a special moment between Steve Brooks and I. Torche are a very animated live band, so it wasn’t a big surprise that Steve was moving around a lot onstage. He came right over to where I was standing and I was framing up a shot of him, and then he looked down and saw me. He put on that goofy smile and held it there until he was sure I’d gotten the picture. I smiled at him and he stuck his tongue out at me and went back to the mic. Also note his awesome custom Electrical Guitar Co. guitar with the “mudflap man” on the body.
This is a shot of Scott “Wino” Weinrich being reluctantly returned to the stage after an unexpected dive into the crowd. This was my second time seeing Saint Vitus, and I’ve been floored by them both times. This time they were part of the massive “Metalliance” tour with Helmet, Crowbar, Kylesa, Red Fang, Howl and The Atlas Moth. From the tour diaries I’ve read, that tour sounded like a huge pain in the ass, and a logistical nightmare. I imagine at this point in the tour, Wino just didn’t give a shit anymore and dove into the crowd on a whim. Or maybe it was the bottle of JD that he’d been swilling onstage that prompted it. Whatever it was, I was able to get this shot right before he climbed back onstage.
SF Sludge Saint Vitus Gallery
FIVE
This was another show at Sub Mission, and one I remember as being particularly rowdy. From the sound of the first note, everything went out of control. I was right up front, stage left, framing up a shot when I got shoved all the way over to stage right just in time for a guitar headstock to come crashing down on top of my head. Getting hit with a guitar slammed my teeth together and I chipped one of my front teeth slightly. I remember feeling slightly nauseous when I felt little shards of tooth in my mouth. Once out of the way of flying guitars I grabbed this shot of Neil and Elijah in mid-headbang. I like how bassist Elijah looks like his head just burst into flames because of all that wild red hair. I sustained a few more scrapes to the shins and elbows but in the end myself and the camera survived another Black Breath show.
SF Sludge Black Breath Gallery
SIX
Watain are extremely photogenic. The corpsepaint, blood (real), fire, rotting clothes, props, spikes and leather make it almost impossible to take an uninteresting photo of the band. Having seen dozens of photos of the band, spun Lawless Darkness all summer and read their Decibel cover story, I was ready to see them for myself. Watain rolled through San Francisco on a cold and rainy night in November. They played DNA Lounge, which is a venue that turns into a goth club once a week. I remember the air conditioner was on full blast, despite it being a cold November night. It was the first time I wished I brought more layers to a show. After four opening bands, I was standing there freezing and uncomfortable awaiting the spectacle of Watain. And then I smelled it. I could smell them before they even came onstage. It was the smell of rotting, fetid blood. DNA Lounge I guess had rules against fire and animal carcasses onstage, but there was still plenty to look at. This is my favorite photo I took of Watain that night. You can’t see everything, but you can see just enough. I particularly like the red glow in the background because it reminds me of the glow of fire through smoke.
SF Sludge Watain Gallery
SEVEN
This is my favorite photo I’ve ever taken for SF Sludge. I had just seen them the night before with Dispirit and I was blown away. Doom is probably my favorite genre of metal, and Atriach embody everything I love about the genre. After talking to frontman Lenny after their SF show, he invited me to their show in Oakland the following night. They played an awesome DIY venue called First Church of the Buzzard, which is a warehouse that’s been converted into an art studio and venue. There was no stage, so everyone was huddled around the band and Lenny screamed in everyone’s faces. I think I was just really inspired by the band because I was extremely happy with the way all the photos from that night turned out.
Check out SF Sludge for more of Bryan’s photos…
Taylor
June 8, 2011 at 11:02 am
Awesome as always, Bryan. I dig the stories!
Patty Stephenson
June 7, 2011 at 8:01 pm
AWESOME pictures!!!! These are incredible!!!