If a band is playing somewhere in the Twin Cities, Jon Behm — and his camera — probably are there.
By his count, Behm has shot upwards of 270 shows and as many as 800 bands — from local upstarts to national headliners — over the last four years.
He had always gone to a lot of shows and always taken many pictures. Then he began writing concert reviews for a local website and got more serious about photography.
Behm, 28, shoots both as a freelancer and for his Reviler website. He launched Reviler in January with other veterans of the Culture Bully site, which ceased operations here last year.
A self-taught photographer, Behm in his concert work concentrates on moments ranging from the unguarded to the unhinged: a singer's reflective pause, a dive off the stage, performers ripping off their clothes.
With Reviler, Behm and company present both photos of local shows and their thoughts on recent albums.
"We try to offer a more opinionated assessment of music," Behm says. "We're not afraid to say we don't like music, and we're not afraid to say we like it. That's part of the risk."
The site has added features to build readership, including what Behm says was one of the first online music-related comic strips. Another is Four Takes, in which local artists and others involved in music offer brief opinions on new albums.
Three and out with photographer Jon Behm
- Has anything crazy happened while you've been shooting?
There's a Canadian punk band, Fucked Up. I was shooting them at the Triple Rock. Somebody from the audience jumped on stage, ran across the front of the stage and then jumped off right on top of me. It kind of sent me flying. But my camera was OK, I was OK, he was OK. We got up and just enjoyed the rest of the show.
- Local favorites to shoot?
Some local bands I feel like I've shot dozens of times. Some of the local, more high-energy bands like Blind Shake are always fund to shoot. Birthday Suits are great as well. Not just high-energy bands either. Roma di Luna play great music and I always like shooting them.
- What do you like to shoot besides music?
I love travel photography. I love some of the more industrial parts of northeast (Minneapolis). There's still a lot of machinery and buildings that have been up forever. That brings a certain amount of decay. That makes the buildings more interesting the way that they age, the way that they react to their environment.
