Josh Miller Shoots Memphis Music

If there’s a band playing at a dive bar in Memphis, chances are Josh Miller is there. The photographer from Mississippi can usually be found in the front row of any local concert, beer in one hand, camera in the other. Miller’s blog caught our attention two years ago when he began posting select shots from concerts he attended the night before. Turns out we weren’t the only ones paying attention. Shortly after Miller offered his services to Memphis magazine’s sister publication, the Memphis Flyer, Impose Magazine (a hip online publication based out of New York City) also called him up and asked if they could use his shots for their “Scene and Heard” section.

In some of his best work, Miller’s photographs serve as a time capsule, sending the viewer back to whatever dive bar he and the band he was shooting occupied. While he’s normally in the front row, he never gets too close to the band or artist he’s there to see, which means that his photos hardly ever feature his subjects just staring into the camera lens.

While his shots of national touring acts are what got the attention of Impose, we still have a soft spot for all the pictures of local bands he’s been so eager to capture. In a town where it’s not uncommon for a group to play a few shows and then break up or morph into another project, Josh Miller’s photos offer a permanent look into what the music scene is actually like on any given night in Memphis.  

Josh Miller's photo blog is filled with pictures that capture bits and pieces of the Memphis music scene. Check it out here.