Lomo Amigos de Musica: Cold War Kids
3 9 Share TweetCold War Kids began in the Fall of ‘04 with jangly guitar, hand claps, and a Harmony amp in a storage room atop Mulberry Street restaurant in Fullerton, CA. Since then, Cold War Kids have self released 3 six-song EP’s on Monarchy Music, and toured relentlessly. Much like Blue Note Artists of the ’50’s, the music of the group walks hand in hand with its graphic design. Bass player Matt Maust is responsible for creating the visual aesthetic by constantly documenting the band, friends, strangers, and situations both on tour and at home.
Cold War Kids began in the Fall of ‘04 with jangly guitar, hand claps, and a Harmony amp in a storage room atop Mulberry Street restaurant in Fullerton, CA. Since then, Cold War Kids have self released 3 six-song EP’s on Monarchy Music, and toured relentlessly. Much like Blue Note Artists of the ’50’s, the music of the group walks hand in hand with its graphic design. Bass player Matt Maust is responsible for creating the visual aesthetic by constantly documenting the band, friends, strangers, and situations both on tour and at home.
Matt Wignall, the band’s resident documentarian, friend, and confidant, travels with the band and captures the most candid of moments. These shots were taken by Matt and Matt, as well as the rest of the band. Their design facet is implemented through gallery shows, artistic web design, and supplement design books coinciding with music releases. Ultimately, Cold War Kids intent is to present themselves not just as four musicians, but as an expanding artistic community in which everyone is invited to take part.
Check out the interview with Matt Wignall, and the incredible LC-A+ tour gallery of the Cold War Kids traveling community.
REAL NAME Matt Wignall
CITY Long Beach
COUNTRY USA
How long have you been a Lomographer (or are you new to this whole thing?).
10 years, I went through a big russian phase in the nineties which involved reading Crime and Punishment,
watching Dr. Zhivago, buying a Russian Watch and on the same website they had these funny LC-A cameras.
It was russia2all.com I don’t know if it exists still.
Describe the LC-A+ in five words…
dirty crack head of cameras
The strangest, funniest, or hands-down greatest photographic/Lomographic encounter that you have ever had…
I was in Brighton England with the Cold War Kids and I left my LC-A in their tour bus. I was leaving to photograph in Africa in 2 days and I had no lomo and was beside myself. We were walking down the main drag in Brighton and there was this little camera store with old dirty cameras in the window and nothing Lomo of any kind that was evident. I walked in and asked if he had a lomo, he reached down behind the camera and pulled out a Russian made LC-A. I of course bought it as it was such a beautiful twist of fate, but with the value of the US dollar being low I think it cost me 400 bucks or something.
It was worth it.
If your photos shown here could have a soundtrack of three songs, what would they be?
The Passenger – Iggy Pop
Roadrunner – Modern Lovers
Mexican Dogs – forthcoming cold war kids
How does photography fit into the Cold War Kids’ design aesthetic?
I think it plays a huge part, the LC-A+ and LC-A combined make up roughly half of the pictures I take of them. I’m not sure how it effects Maust, he turns any picture he finds into something crappy and throws his text over it, but he uses my images a lot without having to change them, which would say the Lomo turns out the kind of lo fi crap that looks pretty sweet when in the hands of a cold war kid.
If you could be anywhere, doing anything, right now > where would it be and what would you do?
I am currently in Stockholm Sweden for a month photographing Mando Diao for their new record. I am using my new LC-A+
daily, and could not be happier. Stockholm is a lovely town. I would not want to be doing anything else.
Your gallery is HUGE, and really amazing! Tell us all the different locations that you shot.
I reckon most of it is in Mexico City and its various suburbs. There may be some other shots in there too that could
conceivably be from New York or the UK, but mostly Mexico City.
A fine town for a Lomo.
What future do you see for analog photography? What do you think sets it apart from digital?
I think analog photography will always be around in the same way there are still guys on the street in Mexico shooting old polaroids of kids sitting on donkeys painted like zebras. There will always be something novel about it. Not only that but little in this life compares to the beauty of a silver gelatin print. It is why I started photographing. I shoot some digital which is a great tool, but film is still my medium when I shoot for myself. It doesn’t feel as disposable or something like that.
The one person (living or deceased) who you would most like to photograph.
I keep asking the Swedes I’m with if they can set me up to shoot Bibi Andersson, they all laugh and think I’m joking.
I would be so honored. I think she was such a brilliant actress.
Your advice to future LC-A+ shooters.
Keep film alive, don’t let those futurists sons of bitches shut us down.
written by cruzron on 2008-07-03 #people #band #interview #lomo-amigos #cold-war-kids #music-amigos #lc-a #lomoamigo
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