Wish You Were There show introduction

It's always nice when someone says that they wish they had been there for the event that your photograph, or artwork documents. It means that however you chose to impart that moment, that someone else got your message. They see the fleeting moment that passed in front of you, and how you were able to share it. Too often, we don't document or discuss the things we care about. It all goes by too quickly, before we can share it with others. But what we are able to share speaks about us, and our experiences. What is art, but one idea or dialogue carried to another? Followed by others, continuing the conversation.

In putting this show together, I decided to collect some of the photographs, and experiences with musicians that have meant a lot to me. This includes some of my best-known subjects, such as Johnny Cash, the Avett Brothers and Les Paul. I have been lucky enough to work with many bands on their way up, such as Arcade Fire and Kings Of Leon, and those experiences give me a lot of pride. And others are just moments of personal joy. Bob Pollard of Guided by Voices playing with the headphones from my parents' stereo, or the night that R. L. Burnside signed my harmonica case. Yeah, that was all pretty cool, and I think that these photos reflect the fun I was having at the time.

Included here are some of my favorite moments from the past fifteen years. Some have different meanings to me, but they all were a moment that mattered. The things we see and experience in life are not to be held from others. They are pieces of the world we see around us, held in suspension by the camera, or by however we choose to remember them. I may have been the one that took the photo, but I hope that I have able to show you something from that experience, and give you a window to that moment in time.

Wish you were there.
-Daniel Coston
April 3, 2012