Photographer and director Michael Grecco spent the mid-'70s through late-'80s in NYC and Boston, documenting the punk and club scene and photographing Dead Kennedys, The Cramps, Human League, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Slits, The Clash, Ministry, Billy Idol, Wendy O. Williams and The Plasmatics, Adam Ant, Lene Lovich, and more, both onstage and off. His work is collected in a photo book, Punk, Post Punk, New Wave: Onstage, Backstage, In Your Face 1978-1991, that's available in our store. It includes previously unseen work along with iconic images and album covers, and Fred Schneider of the B-52s wrote the foreward. Here's the synopsis:
In the late 70s, punk rock music began to evolve into the post-punk and new wave movements that dominated until the early 90s. During this time, prolific photographer and filmmaker Michael Grecco was in the thick of things, documenting the club scene in places like Boston and New York, and getting shots on- and backstage with bands such as The Cramps, Dead Kennedys, Talking Heads, Human Sexual Response, Elvis Costello, Joan Jett, the Ramones, and many others. Grecco captured in black and white and color the raw energy, sweat, and antics that characterized the alternative music of the time. Punk, Post Punk, New Wave: Onstage, Backstage, In Your Face, 1978–1991 features stunning, never-before-seen photography from this iconic period in music. In addition to concert photography, he also shot album covers and promotional pieces that round out this impressively extensive photo collection. Featuring a foreword from Fred Schneider of the B-52s, Punk, Post Punk, New Wave is a quintessential piece of music history for anyone looking for backstage access into the careers of punk and post punk’s most beloved bands.