Frame Of Mind: A Brief Review Of The New Book Of D.C. (And Beyond) Music Photographs By Antonia Tricarico
The new book by photographer Antonia Tricarico, Frame of Mind: Punk Photos and Essays from Washington, DC, and Beyond, 1997–2017 is a beautiful and welcomed addition to the library of titles already out there about harDCore. As Tricarico covers non-D.C. acts that played the city, and as the book, out next week from Akashic, features essays from pioneers like Joan Jett and Alice Bag, one could say that this really is a significant addition to literature by women on rock-and-roll in general. Still, as its focus radiates out from here in the nation's capital, the primary appeal of Frame of Mind will be because of its coverage of harDCore and its evolution over the course of about 20 years.
That said, Frame of Mind is not just about women in the scene. There are photos here of anyone who played D.C. over the last few decades, from Fugazi, The Make-Up, Priests, and Lungfish, to The Melvins, Pearl Jam, and L7. Donitra Sparks of that famous band is one of the essayists here, and her piece, like the one from Joan Jett (shown above), provides a record of how women broke into the American punk scene at a time when damn few women were doing it. As Amy Pickering writes here: "I never dreamed of being in a rock band." And her essay details how she came to form the legendary Fire Party here in this city. Similarly, an essay by Kristina Sauvage, of current band Coup Sauvage and The Snips, illustrates how a performance by a female band can be a transgressive act in a scene dominated by men.
What's interesting here is how the scene here became more balanced, which was no mean feat considering how aggro and testosterone-fueled hardcore punk had the potential of remaining. Still, by the mid-Eighties, with bands like Fire Party here, and legends like Alice Bag and Babes in Toyland (Kat Bjelland pictured below) on the West Coast and Midwest, punk in this country was becoming as diverse and (somewhat) inclusive as that scene overseas in the U.K.
For all that focus, Frame of Mind remains a celebration of the craft of Antonia Tricarico. As a photographer, she's equally adept at capturing the bands in the heat of performance -- shots here of a young Fugazi, Branch Manager at Fort Reno, Priests at Black Cat, and a reformed Dag Nasty (above), examples of that -- as she is at catching those moments off-stage that reveal the down-to-earth, unpretentious nature of lots of these local and regional players. Photographs here of birthday parties, back-stage gatherings, and, refreshingly, Wino of The Obsessed and Saint Vitus, caring for a baby, provide wonderful glimpses of the real lives of musicians whose music has literally transformed lives in this city and beyond. Supremely emphatic and entirely exciting, the photographs of Antonia Tricarico in Frame of Mind are as vitally important to documenting the continuing harDCore scene as those of earlier artists like Jim Saah and Malcolm Riviera. Frame of Mind: Punk Photos and Essays from Washington, DC, and Beyond, 1997–2017 does her work justice in a sturdy and lovely book, the rare coffee-table book that's actually got things worth reading in it too.
Frame of Mind: Punk Photos and Essays from Washington, DC, and Beyond, 1997–2017 is out next week from Akashic Books. You can also buy the book via Dischord Records.
[Photos: Antonia Tricarico]
