Photographer Alyssa Fried’s Top 5 Images

Following on in this series, this fourth installment sees us feature the work of our photographer Alyssa Fried. Scroll down to see what Alyssa chose as her favorite five images, shot for mxdwn.

Florence and the Machine at SPIN Magazine Year in Music, 2010;

This is actually from my first shoot for mxdwn! I was assigned to cover the annual SPIN Magazine Year in Music party featuring newly-breaking artists like Yeasayer, Surfer Blood, and Florence and The Machine. The latter’s debut album, Lungs, had started getting some serious traction, and Florence Welch was entrancing audiences with her 21st-century Stevie Nicks witch-goddess stage presence. This shot shows a calm in the storm, as Welch centers herself in the growing bombast of “Dog Days are Over”.

Eddie Vedder and Glen Hansard, Pearl Jam 20th Anniversary Concert, 2011;

Over Labor Day weekend in rural East Troy, WI, thousands of Pearl Jam fans gathered for a two-day festival to celebrate the band’s 20-year career. Queens of the Stone Age, The Strokes, Mudhoney, Temple of the Dog, plus many more artists and friends of the band performed, with constant surprises.

Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready joined Star Anna and the Laughing Dogs, and bassist Jeff Ament sat in with Joseph Arthur during his set. Vocalist Eddie Vedder joined friend and collaborator Glen Hansard during his acoustic set, and this particular shot captured the warmth and sense of friendship among artists and fans that permeated the entire weekend experience.

Santigold at SPIN Magazine Year in Music, 2012;

This is another shot taken at a SPIN ‘Year In Music’ party. Santigold and her backup dancers put on an intense show in support of her second album, Master of My Make-Believe. The sheer energy exuded by Santigold moved the audience until fans joined her on stage for a raucous finale. Despite the seeming chaos, Santigold was always in control – from the tightly choreographed dance moves, to hitting every syllable and note. This image shows her as the boss she is.

The Kills, 2016;

The Kills are one of my favorite bands to shoot. Their stage show is stripped down and bare, like their music. They don’t rely on lasers, smoke, or a complex lighting rig to create drama. They stomp out on stage and deliver. Alison Mosshart connects with her audience, alternating between an aggressive attack, and a shy coyness requiring her audience to lean in to her performance.

In contrast, Jamie Hince sets his focus on the work of making music. He looks down and stands back, giving Alison room. I felt the contrast in this shot is emblematic of how their differences complement each other to form a united partnership.

Soundgarden at Hammerstein Ballroom, 2013;

I was lucky enough to photograph Soundgarden on a few occasions, this being from the first. This tour was done in support of their final studio album, King Animal, released just a few months prior. King Animal also marked the band’s reunion, sixteen years after the release of their platinum-selling fifth studio album Down on the Upside and their subsequent break-up.

The audience was a mix of old and new fans alike, and the band was tight, loud and heavy, bringing the thunder to the Hammerstein Ballroom. As a photographer, I was particularly struck by Chris Cornell’s ease as a frontman. Most other frontmen I’ve shot will either ignore the photographers completely, seeing them as something of nuisance that gets in the way of connecting with the audience, and others will play almost exclusively to the camera, striking exaggerated poses, concerning themselves only with how they’ll look on the internet the next day.

Chris played to his audience, but was aware of the photographers, and respected that we also had a job to do. He didn’t pose, but he moved naturally around the stage, making sure he was connecting with as many people as he could. In this photo, he’s taking a moment to himself, leaning back into the sound of his incredible band.

You can see more of Alyssa’s work here.