"Sometimes people just have to look back, even when what is back there is what was left of your youth. That is certainly this book for me... Neal's photos remind me of the most engaging moments...the moments where we as people interacted. These were the moments where we acted like a band and where we forgot the burning days behind and before us and just let loose..."
(Ryan Adams- Introduction)
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals: A View of Other Windows is an intimate look at one of America's most talented singer-songwriters. Through the creative eyes of The Cardinals' lead guitarist, Neal Casal, we are presented with a fascinating collection of intensely personal photographs that capture the truly engaging moments of being in a rock band. This beautiful photo journal exposes all the important moments; the energy and exhileration of being on stage, expressing that creative voice in the studio, and even the more solitary moments of the music process and life on the road.
With an honest and revealing introduction by Ryan Adams and an afterword by legendary founding member of the Grateful Dead, Phil Lesh, which stand as great bookends, A View of Other Windows is a stunning portrait. The book is brimming with telling shots of drummer Brad Pemberton, bassist "Spacewolf" (Chris Feinstein) and pedal steel guitarist Jon Graboff, as well as shots from the studio with Willie Nelson and on the road with Oasis. It is, however, Ryan Adams who is painted as the muse, the inspiration, and the focus of the book. The photos, complimented with honest captions, and the introduction reveal much about the intriguing singer-songwriter. In Adams' own words:
"...I am who I am. I would never want to be the kind of person who avoided attention to detail. I would do things until my will was at breaking point, be obsessive in my efforts to make the magic come from the invisible ragged moment when the moment should just break around me and collapse. I don't mind that people expect I am difficult. I am."
"I am helplessly shy, totally reclusive, and even though I have great times with people in quiet, I am just not myself in social situations. I always saw the shows as one more test of my will and my ability to fight my desperate need to just run away. I am made of panic and much of me is made of pain. The songs that I write and the way that I convey them would not be the way they are if I were the most well-adjusted theatre kid with a few records. I have needed these songs more than anyone else and maybe sometimes even more than they needed me."
Casal proves with this book that he has much more to offer than just great musicianship; he has a keen eye and an impressive creative vision as a photographer. He tells a story in a way that words cannot, and from a unique angle. As a member of The Cardinals he is able to capture the intimate moments of being in the band naturally. For this reason, this beautiful book stands out as one of the very best tour photo books available. Giving an unparralleled and hugely personal look at the life of a fantastic band, A View of Other Windows serves as both a terrific souvenir for fans of The Cardinals, and an interesting collectible for any fan of music or photography. Highly recommended.
Here's Ryan Adams and The Cardinals performing "Let it Ride":
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