Now I know how photographers at Sports Illustrated feel.

When it comes to photography, it’s hard to beat that magazine. The guys working there live by a simple philosophy: take a thousand photos in order to get ONE worthy of publication.

I’m no SI photographer, but when it comes to Sons of Ra, I have to live by the same philosophy.

I’ve lost track of how many Sons of Ra gigs I’ve attended. But I’ve taken pictures at all of them.

There were days I took great shots and there were days I’d just as soon not talk about. And then there are my subjects. Each of them presented their own form of photographic attribution or challenge.

Guitarist Erik Oldman is the stoic one. He’s very serious about his craft. Don’t get me wrong: all of them are serious. It’s just that Erik beings that mindset forward the most. When I look at my pictures of him, I see the same thing every time: intense focus.

Bassist/Saxophonist Keith Wakefield is the band’s personality. He’s the charmer, the charisma, and the fun of the trio. There’s absolutely no questioning his talent, but he doesn’t fling it at you like he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread. He’s having fun! He wants you to have fun, too.

Drummer Michael Rataj brings the intensity. He, too, is enjoying himself. But his thrill level is measured in sweat. I often poke fun at him by comparing him to Animal, the red furry drummer from The Muppets. The really funny thing is that he’s the exact opposite in terms of personality when he’s offstage. Some days, it can be hard to get more than a dozen words from him.

Sons of Ra music is intense, both in scope and measure by played measure. Notes fly all over the place, demanding your complete attention. But let’s stop short of the cheeky insult the uninitiated masses like to use, “self-indulgent.” This music is NOT that!

The better description is “eclectic,” as they take from Jazz (acoustic and fusion) and Metal in order to prepare the ideal stew. Each ingredient stands out on its own, but also plays a key part in the soundscape as a whole.

Now back to my problem. Thousands of photos taken (at least half of them on my iPhones), narrowed to a couple hundred I really like, narrowed down to a few dozen I’d like to post, narrowed down to the few I actually do. It’s laborious, yes. But shooting Sons of Ra is a true labor of love.

I’ve shot Sons of Ra (and their alter-ego KW3) indoors and outdoors. I’ve shot them in Chicago and a couple of its suburbs, in a couple or radio stations, in a couple of “DIY” venues, on spacious stages and on platforms the size of a dime. I’ve gone with them to gigs in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. I’m sure I’ll be adding to that list in the future.

My first thought was to identify every venue with every shot. Thing is, I can do it for some venues, but not all of them. I might as well be consistent and not name any of the venues. Just enjoy the photos. And know that what you’re seeing are only the shots from my phone. The “professional” camera … that’s an entirely different story for another day.

Funny thing about photographing this band: each player seemed to be the subject of the day for that particular gig. I could almost never get great shots of all three of them at the same gig. Some days, I got killer shots of Mike. Other nights, it was Keith. On still other nights, I couldn’t take a bad shot of Erik. Go figure.

More than a couple of my shots are from low angles. This happens for a couple of reasons. First, I like being able to get close to the band without blocking anyone’s sight lines. Second, it preserves my back, which often becomes an impediment. The guys like to say I’m “going commando” when I hit the deck, which I find hilarious.

I’ll throw in a caption here and there, but most of these shots are self-explanatory.

Ladies and gents, I give you my band of brothers, Sons of Ra!

There are so many other images. Maybe I’ll do a part three down the road. For now, I’ll just wait until the next gig. I can only imagine how many photos I’ll take.

#cirdecsongs

If you would like to have your music reviewed, please contact me at cirdecsongs@gmail.com