Music People

behind the promo photo with Scoob Brains

Promo photos...bands need 'em, photographers take them, sometimes you're a photographer and a musician so you end up being in promo photos and taking them...it's called wearing many hats, look it up sweaty.

As I continue with this interview series about artist promo photos...

...today's feature is Scoob Brains, a show promoter / musician / photographer / poet / general scene-maker in North Texas. Scoob's got a unique dual perspective on the promo photo thing, so I asked them a few questions about the logistics and vibes of being on both sides o' the lens...let's go...

[Molly O'Brien] First, tell me about your own band! And about Scoob Presents!

[Scoob Brains] Aznable is a post-rock screamo band based on the Gundam series, specifically the character Char Aznable. We had our first show in March this year, with Missouri Executive Order 44, Two Knights, Glassing & Infernal Legions of Mordor, thanks to No Coast, a local promotor in the North Texas scene.

Scoob Presents is a small promotion outfit I've been running for nearly two years. I try to throw shows with a curated vision to combine different genres with the same overall feel. It's been a solo outfit up until recently when I brought a friend in to help out. I started out booking mostly locals but we've started bringing in more touring acts from out of state recently.

Who took your band photo? How did the shoot go? Did you enjoy the process or were there hiccups along the way?

The band photo was taken by Will Mecca at a show where none of us were playing. I wrangled up all the other members from the bar or smoker pit and we snuck backstage to get a few quick shots since the show was inside (the venue has two stages so we were at the outside one). I think it was fun but I can understand how that's different compared to taking a photo in public.

Who's the band in the photo you took, and how did you get linked up to take their photo?

The band in the photo I took is called allineverwanted. They're a newer screamo three-piece made up of some of my closest friends. The photo was taken in Miguel and Danny's (middle and right) backyard before a show later that night in their living room. It was a real spur-of-the-moment thing because we already had people waiting out front for the show. I just loved the look of the weeds and the way that nature had completely overtaken the space. That shoot was quick, I snapped 6 or 7 photos in rapid succession as they readied themselves and used the ones I liked. It's more personal than an average band photoshoot just cause I know them and how they like to operate. They ripped those weeds out a week later so they could throw shows in the backyard so I did it just in the nick of time.

From either a photographer's perspective or a musician's perspective, any advice or tips for bands for getting through a promo photo shoot with morale somewhat intact?

Don't take it too seriously as a band or a photographer. Music, and creation in general, shouldn't be a serious act. Be silly, have fun & don't worry about anything else.