That’s how I found a lot of my favorite bands. The Fireside was the best place for shows, they always had something going on. two different tours combined into one show and it was so insane and fun all at once. My all-time favorite show at the Fireside Bowl was in the summer of 2001 with Kill Your Idols, American Nightmare, Life’s Halt, What Happens Next?, and Kungfu Rick. I made the biggest jump discovering the Fireside Bowl in Chicago, IL. I eventually found out where a small scene of punk and hardcore shows we’re going on in the suburbs and soaked it up like a sponge by hitting various basement shows, legion halls, Knights of Columbus, civic centers, and record stores. Ceremony at Schubas, Chicago, IL, 2017. (Photo: Brian Santostefano) I did my fair share of homework by researching liner notes, cover songs, and discovering some of the same musicians in the bands I liked played in multiple groups or discovering their previous ones to expand the web even further. Punk music spoke to me in ways like nothing I had ever heard before. Keep in mind I didn’t have the Internet at this point so It was pretty mind blowing shit to hear for the first time. Up until I met this kid with a mohawk and patches all over his clothes that I attended middle school with, that showed me bands like Dead Kennedys, Aus Rotten, Naked Aggression, Blanks 77, Black Flag, Subhumans, and Minor Threat. I heard bands like Rancid, Offspring, Pennywise, NOFX, which were definitely the gateway bands. I listened to a lot of alternative radio which got boring, so I was always eager to find something new musically. Masked Intruder at Wurst Fest, Chicago, IL, 2017. The worlds of music and photography collided instantly. I bought a used Canon AE-1 and started taking pictures of my friends bands playing music in their parents' basements. I got into photography by taking basic level courses in high school. that got me into alternative and metal which later molded into more obscure metal to discovering punk and hardcore. Specifically it was The Crow soundtrack which had bands like Helmet, Nine Inch Nails, Rage Against the Machine, Rollins Band, Pantera, The Cure, etc. My older sister had opened Pandora’s box for me with tapes and CDs of bands from the '80s and '90s in my preteens. What came first, your love for music, or your love for photography?ĭefinitely my love for music came first. Hewhocorrupts at Pool Party House, Bloomington, IL, 2006. My Mother was the one that was very supportive of my passion for photography, she had always pushed me when I was my worst critic. Her focus was mostly on drawing and painting. My older sister was into a lot of good music when she was younger and was all about the arts in high school. My parents loved all kinds of music from the '50s and '60s mostly, but neither were really into the arts. It’s a northern suburb of Illinois that sits about an equal distance between Chicago, IL and Milwaukee, WI. I was born in Libertyville, IL and grew up in Mundelein, IL. Where were you born and raised, and were your parents into the arts? The reason I started the Photographer Spotlight series on my site was to try and give some of the folks behind the camera lens who risk their health in order to document this music we all love. Brian Santostefano is a freelance photographer based in Chicago, IL who is taking some of the best punk-related pics out there right now.
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