About —
“Jim Saah’s photography of the Washington, D.C. music scene is incomparable. Not only was he there but he completely got it.” — Henry Rollins
A Cappella Books is pleased to welcome photographer Jim Saah to Commune to celebrate his latest collection, “In My Eyes, Photographs 1982-1997.” The author will speak with RadATL’s Chad Radford, music journalist and author of “Atlanta Record Stores: An Oral History.”
In addition to the discussion, the evening will feature a pop-up gallery exhibit of Jim Saah’s photography, along with music curated by Chad Radford.
This event is free and open to the public; copies of the book will be available for purchase.
About the Book
“In My Eyes, Photographs 1982-1997” features hundreds of impressive (and never-before-seen) photos of punk and hardcore legends such as: Fugazi, Minor Threat, Void, Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Dead Kennedys, Jawbox, Government Issue, The Faith, Iron Cross and more. But Saah’s musical palette wasn’t just confined to punk rock, as evidenced by the inclusion of The Cramps, The Pixies, Lou Reed, Guided by Voices, Fishbone, Wilco et al. The hardcover book closes with several intimate interviews between Saah and longtime friends/fans including Ian MacKaye (Minor Threat, Fugazi), J. Robbins (Jawbox), Jon Langford (Mekons), artist Shepard Fairey, and photographers Cynthia Connolly and Patrick Graham.
About the Author
Jim Saah is a native of Washington, D.C., who first discovered his passion for documentary photography during the city’s burgeoning music scene in the early 1980s. Captivated by the energy of the bands and the community surrounding the music, he quickly became immersed in the world of photography.
In the early 1990s, Saah began combining his love of travel and photography. In 1991, while on assignment for a U.S. Senator, he documented labor and environmental abuses for congressional hearings on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), finding particular fulfillment in photojournalism. Over the past 30 years, his work has appeared in numerous newspapers and magazines, including The Washington Post, Rolling Stone, and a variety of independent publications. His photographs have been featured in many books and on album covers, including the bestselling "Our Band Could Be Your Life" and the cover of Fugazi’s "Repeater."
Beyond photography, Saah has also built a robust career in film and video. Most recently, he served as Director of Photography on two feature-length documentary films: "Salad Days: A Decade of Punk in Washington, D.C." and "CREEM: America’s Only Rock & Roll Magazine." Throughout his career, music and photography have remained his lifelong creative passions.
About the Conversation Partner
Chad Radford is an Atlanta-based music journalist with twenty years of experience in writing, editing and podcasting. Punk, hardcore, jazz, noise, post-punk, hip-hop, metal, modern composition, drone music and all points in between are where his interests lie. He is an avid nature lover, and he buys too many records.