Artist Statement

It all started with a phone call on a delayed aircraft at Los Angeles Int'l Airport. "Are you coming up?" was the answer I was looking forward to for the months preceeding the flight to San Francisco. I had made the decision that regardless if I had somewhere to sleep, I was going to photograph the Revival Tour again on its second annual trip around the country. And, I wasn't waiting for it to get to my home of Los Angeles. Call it a leap of faith that could've literally had me sleeping somewhere cold and wet with my camera gear under my arm. But, it seems my hard work had paid off, and I was told there would be a spot for me to stay for the next few nights in the back of the bus.

So began my week long ride with some very talented and dedicated musicians. This year was going to be different, I told myself...the same phrase I repeated to myself when I photographed this tour the previous year. I told myself that I wouldn't be focusing on the same recycled images of a singer at his mic. As somebody who had began distancing himself from photographing live music, I took the approach of photographing musicians in a different element. I took portraits and candid moments between them (my marketing consultant has dubbed these "portrait moments"), hoping to catch singular images that would otherwise have been overlooked by the eager beaver that is a young music photographer. I tried to capture the moments that the musicians themselves would want to keep, giving the viewer a different perspective on their heroes.

This trip, and the resulting images would not have been possible without the hard work and support from these wonderful people: Boris and Kristi Vrbich, Chuck and Jill Ragan, Jim Ward, Frank Turner, Konrad Wert, Casey Cress, Matty, Digger Barnes, John Gaunt, Audra Mae, The Anderson Family Bluegrass Band, Kevin Seconds, Virgin America's cheap flights, BART/CalTrain, Fromex, and my dear partner Carrie.

Copyright/Permissions Info

This is very large edit from my work with The 2009 Revival Tour in November 2009. I hope you enjoy the images, but I would like to remind everybody that these photographs are copyrighted material. And please understand that the photographs and this site were not free to make, nor are they free for the taking. Just as musicians like to pay for gas and food on the road, I would love to be able to buy food and more film. Images on the site may be used for personal home use, but may not be redistributed or republished (online or in print) without my written consent. If you would like to have a print, or a high resolution file for print, feel free to drop me a line and we'll work it out.

Contact info

Scott G Toepfer | 310.494.6670 | www.sgtoepfer.com | sgtoepfer@gmail.com