“I don’t know the people, but I like the way they look,” says longtime Cincinnati Post photojournalist Melvin Grier.
Grier is at Iris BookCafé, surveying black-and-white photos of local musicians. Some are national names, others up-and-comers. All were shot by fellow photographer Michael Wilson, who should be a national name but isn’t.
The Iris exhibit celebrates local talent, though, and is titled Michael Wilson, for Musicmakers from These Parts. Wilson clearly is a picture-maker from these parts, with a Midwestern humility that belies his portfolio.
The retrospective spans more than 35 years. It includes established acts past and present (Wussy, Over the Rhine, Peter Frampton) and new names (Aaron Collins, Adam Petersen/ADM). There are musicians who died too young (Katie Reider), and also those who we thought might live forever (Pigmeat Jarrett).