(If you have the time, make sure to check out Split Works Media and the Jue Festival for Music and the Arts. These are the people who are working really hard to promote the arts and music in both Beijing and ShangHai as well as working really hard to bring such amazing acts like Death Cab for Cutie to China. It does my heart good to know that there are people in China like this. For both my wife – (Art Director, Art Teacher, Painter, print designer) and for myself (photographer, musician, and designer) things like this are huge – and truly important. They are part of seeing a culture grow and seeing the arts in China valued. So go check them out!)
The first time I saw Death Cab for Cutie play was in March of 2002. Last weekend (almost ten years to the day) I was in Beijing shooting Death Cab’s first appearance in China as one of the official photographers for my friends over at Split Works Media as part of their annual Jue Festival for Arts and Music. It was a fantastic experience both as a photographer and a music lover- not to mention as a huge fan of Death Cab for Cutie.
I’ve lived in China for about four years now, mostly working as a photographer in the western parts of this country. In that entire time I can honestly say that I hadn’t been to one concert that was worth the cost of a taxi ride to the venue. The culture of music in the west is a far cry from that on the more modernized Chinese coastal areas. This year I’ve been doing more and more work on the east coast and have been exposed to China’s growing music scene. For music lovers, it’s abosolutely fantastic – a dynamic, growing, and vibrant music scene. Something to really get excited about. For those interested in the culture of it all, it’s equally mesmerizing. It’s really a special time in China for the culture of music.
As a cultural photographer and music lover, it was a fantastic weekend.
Hope you enjoy the images!
those are really great. thanks