A few months later I got a call from them while they were on the road and I offered to return the favor. Since then they've been regular visitors and good friends.
The images that I've taken of them, I think, are some of the best I've ever done. Their presence goes beyond theatrical -- it's personal, it's emotional, and I find it very real -- even when it's fiction. They have a gift of personal expression and a sincerity that trancends music. In all the years that I've been photographing musicians, I've never seen anyone expend the time and energy to talk to every fan, to sign every autograph, to pose for every photo -- whether they just got up or whether they're sick as dogs and worn down from a difficult show. It's this real joy at being who they are and where they are that sets them apart.
Brian and Amanda easily take on roles, play out parts, and can imagine myriads of little worlds where all things are possible. This makes them very easy to photograph, as the unseen story changes minute by minute revealed only in bits and pieces of their expressions and body language.
I watched with some weird mixture of joy and sadness as they started to get more and more successful. I, like many of their fans, didn't want to share them, but at the same time wanted everybody to know about them.
I'm glad to be able to show this collection of images, some of which people will be familiar with, and some of which have never been printed before. Many thanks to Chris Macan and Nick Cassaway at Nexus Gallery for making this happen.
Kyle Cassidy Philadelphia, 2006
