For this year's first "First Friday" event, Gallery 5 hosted Say Love, a LGBT art and awareness presentation that sought to redefine "love" and "hate" through visual and performance art. (Actually, it was the second Friday of the year, having been rescheduled due to the occurrence of the New Year). The upstairs gallery was devoted to photography by the LGBT community while a projector showed a video montage entitled "Hugs and Cowboys." Downstairs, a long table tended by various friendly volunteers lined the far wall. Among the sponsors of the event were the Gay Community Center of Richmond and WRIR's Rainbow Minute, as well as the crowd favorite Fan Free Clinic who donated a plethora of lubricants and condoms in all shapes, sizes, and flavors to those in attendance. The event's main attraction, however, was the Nude Photos of Celebrities.

No, this was not a photography exhibit dedicated to the coked-out exploits of Lindsay Lohan, but the eye-catching moniker of the night's featured band. Having only formed in May of 2009, Nude Photos are a self-proclaimed "baby band," although the members' dedication to the group's progression cannot be trivialized. Their first show was booked before the band was fully formed, and they practiced five hours a day for ten days straight in preparation for their four song, thirty-minute debut set. The group has become a nearly full-time job for its four members, who voluntarily spend 25 to 30 hours a week practicing and writing music. "Ideally, we want to make a living doing this," states bassist Sadie Powers. She continues, "One night we even got really drunk and told each other what we don't like about each other as musicians. It was really helpful...We don't want to force anything because we don't know exactly what we want to be just yet." She adds with a chuckle, "I also do it to get chicks." As the quartet is fifty percent queer, this night's performance has a slightly heightened importance. "We don't want to be a 'queer' band, but we also don't want to pretend we are something that we are not," says Sadie. "We just want to be completely honest about who we are," adds guitarist Curtis Park. He continues, "The band is all-inclusive and all about connecting to people. If they can't relate to the music regardless of orientation then why would they listen?" Daniel Medley, drummer, feels "an unspoken connection with the audience on a night like tonight. They care before they even know what we are about." Singer and keyboardist Andrew Owens sums up the night's message: "You have to love who you need to love." And with those sentiments in mind, the foursome hit the stage with a vengeance.

In speaking with the band prior to the show, I got the immediate sense that these guys (and gal) have something to prove, and that they truly believe in their craft. "We want to be unafraid without being self-indulgent," states Andrew as makeup is being applied to his face in preparation for the show. Intent on giving the audience the most bang for their buck, (or in this case, the most bang for their time spent at a free show), the members frequently hint at various spectacles they will be providing throughout the show, though they will not reveal any specifics. Each member takes the stage displaying some variation of facial makeup to complement their professional and slightly formal black suits that are offset by pink ties and scarves, a visual aesthetic that reminds me of Roxy Music. And nevermind their physical appearance - when Nude Photos takes the stage, they take the stage, showing off a level of stage presence that is extremely rare and virtually unheard of within local, independent scenes. They each acted as if they were the most important person in the room, and I mean that in the most flattering way possible.

The show opened and continued to build at a great pace, with the songs dynamically sequenced. The songs often possessed a bombastic theatricality that at times evoked Radiohead or the Arcade Fire. Nude Photos also has an affinity for creating walls of melodic noise that are locked into place by a tastefully minimal rhythm section (think Thurston Moore backed by the Gang of Four). The lighting, while spartan, was extremely effective, especially with the presence of a fog machine. At one point mid-song, the lights were cut completely, but through the shadows one could see the members pouring water onto the drum kit and a lone floor tom at the front of the stage. Sadie traded her bass for a pair of drum sticks and headed for the kit. When a lone spotlight was relit, three-quarters of the band began pounding a quasi-tribal beat, sending splashes of water into the air that were silhouetted against the backlight while Curtis let out some unearthly wails from his guitar. Later in the set, the band poured garbage bags full of balloons onto the audience before tearing into a fitting cover of the Smith's "This Charming Man," of which Andrew's soaring range was a perfect vocal fit. As the words of Morrissey got the crowd dancing, the balloons began popping to release glitter all over the inhabitants of Gallery 5. One could clearly tell that the band had put a lot of time and energy into making sure that their performance was a show in the entertaining and interactive sense and not simply a band playing through the motions.

The day after the show, the band was heading down to Durham for three days to have their seven-song EP mixed and produced by Jamie Stewart (of Xiu Xiu), which they hope to have completed by late March. Nude Photos worked initially with Alan Weatherhead (of Camper Van Beethoven and Sparklehorse fame) at Richmond's Sound of Music Studios, and have now enlisted Kramer (Butthole Surfers, Ween) to master the record. Andrew perfectly summarizes the band's enthusiasm, asserting, "I've got to do something creative and artistic, and this is the most beautiful thing I can find."

By Editing Department, Editor-In-Chief and Author: Andrew Lutwin

Andrew is originally from Boston, but has spent equal time in Richmond and considers both home.  He recently graduated VCU with a B.A. in English and looks forward to seeing if his degree will be worth a damn.  While attending Northeastern University, Andrew began covering music for the Zig-Zag Live website and tour campaign, which won him the undying affection of Bostonians because of his access to free rolling papers.  He is fortunate enough to have parents with great taste in music and owes much of his musical sensibilities to them.  Some of his favorites include the Beatles, the Clash, My Morning Jacket, Mastodon, Mission of Burma, all 70's R&B, and anything that can be considered "outlaw."  Other hobbies include food, guitar, whiskey, hiking, Boston sports, and maintaining his beginner-level fish tank.     

 

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