Music Photography: Caedmon’s Call {Dallas, Texas}
Caedmon’s Call
Dallas, Texas
Friday 13th May 2011
Caedmon’s Call has been touring and writing songs for twenty years, but my relationship with the band really began in College. Throughout high school Caedmon’s Call provided the soundtrack for just about every youth group event, however, it wasn’t until I went to their concert at Reed Arena at Texas A&M University that I started paying attention to the lyrics. I think it was the big silver trash cans up on stage, pounded upon by the band, that won me over, but that night I bought my first Caedmon’s CD. I can recall countless in depth conversations with friends about the meaning of different songs, confessions at small groups inspired by different lyrics, and endless hours studying in various coffee shops with their music washing over me.
The news of a new album and release tour was welcome indeed, and I was very pleased one of their stops was in my backyard. Benjamin and I made our way to Life in Deep Ellum in downtown Dallas last Friday after he returned from work. We were there hours before the doors opened and awkwardly sat in our car waiting to go inside. I finally mustered the courage to approach the very friendly staff and let them know I’d been awarded a press pass by the lovely people at Bragg Management and was there to shoot the show. We staked out our spot, and waited patiently as the crowd sifted in and the show began. It was a very intimate venue, just room enough for a couple hundred, which made for a really great atmosphere.
The band played with great skill showing that twenty years together creates a beautiful unity, but their passion for the music and joy in performing hasn’t dimmed in that time. They were just as enthusiastic as ever, seemingly delighted to be spending an evening with all of us, and showcased a great mix of old and new material. I was really impressed with their latest endeavor Raising up the Dead which is a refreshing new direction for the band and highlights the writing talents of previously unexalted members.
It was a fun night to photograph, the intimacy of the space afforded me the opportunity to stand right next to the stage and capture some closer shots of each member, and the relaxed atmosphere allowed me the freedom to walk about shooting from different angles and catching the highly entertaining percussionists in motion. I call them percussionists and not merely drummers because there was ever so much more to their arsenal than a simple kit and they employed all of it, including those big silver trash cans that pulled me in years before.
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