behind the promo photo with Chat Pile
Band promo photos! We love them! We need them! I need them, to put in the feature image of my music blog.
Last time on "behind the promo photo" I asked Chris Bavaria from the band Praise about a photo they took involving a speedy slide down a concrete structure in a park in Richmond, Virginia...
Molly Mary O’Brien
...now, in the wake of their viral tweet about the struggles of taking promo photos, I got to ask a few questions over email to Stin, the bassist of Chat Pile!
Chat Pile are from Oklahoma City and they make music that is heavy as hell. I first got into them last year when they were profiled by Stereogum (if you let me know through music journalism that there's a band that has a song with lyrics like “Cut me into thin slices! Cut me into microscopically thin slices! Of meat! At Arby’s!" I simply have no choice but to listen to them); 2022's God's Country is a punishing procession through the abattoir of American late capitalism, and upcoming album Cool World promises to take that perspective on our country's curdled standard of living "from a micro to macro scale." I can't wait to hear it, which is maybe a strange thing to say about music that is so relentlessly grim, but sometimes you need total darkness to properly illuminate things.
Below, a few questions about this incredible photo the band took mid-peak-pandemic...
[Molly] Who took the photo? / how'd you get linked with them?
[Stin] My wife, Bayley Hanes, took the photo. We met at a local art show back in 2017 and have been in love ever since.
Where and when was the photo taken? Any particular backstory or behind-the-scenes details you would like to share?
The photo was taken in my backyard in August of 2020. We had just started playing music together again after having been completely isolated for months due to COVID. We had decided that it would be OK to start jamming together if we wore masks and kept our social interactions to just each other. We had just gotten signed to the Flenser and needed to take photos so it seemed that a low-effort photo shoot would be the best solution given the circumstances.
Whose sword is that?
That's Raygun's sword. It had been in the trunk of his car for years and we figured it would be an easy way to add production value to the shoot.
Do you feel like you know when you've "gotten the shot"?
Absolutely not. Our trick is to stand around awkwardly while the photographer shoots dozens of shots. Then we comb through the results and find the one accidental miracle shot from the lot that feels the least shameful.
I see from your tweet that taking promo photos is tough on morale—do you have any advice or tips for other bands for how to get through the shoot?
Well, the tweet was a bit exaggerated for comedic effect, the reality is that photo shoots are more of an inconvenience than anything. My best bit of advice is to first and foremost be a team player and go with the flow of what the photographer needs. What feels unnatural in real life translates quite differently to the final photo and you may have to step slightly out of your comfort zone to get the best results. Also be willing to take one for the team—maybe the best overall shot is the one where your double chin is a bit more prominent than you'd like or your shirt is hanging a bit rudely to your beer gut. What's best for the band is ultimately best for you!
Thank you Stin and Chat Pile! Cool World drops on October 11th via the Flenser. Pre-order it here. Here's the band's link aggregation.
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