What is the role of the rock photographer?

They are envied by many: the cool guy who gets to hang out with the band…and actually has a reason to.  They are people who capture musical talent in its brightest moment: distilling motion and light, bringing energy into visual form and translating the undeniable aura of sound — the missing half of bootlegged concert albums.

They are also the people whom, if lucky enough, will be able to capture moments beyond performance — the most intimate, the most endearing.  Images of letters left lying on the table, someone still in bed, cohorts laughing over a late breakfast… These photographs are windows into the day-to-day of people we have put up on pedestals, and in them, our heroes become mere mortals and are known and loved all the better for it.

“Family” is a collection of photographs that lean toward the more intimate.  Lauren Dukoff, an old friend to her subjects, had the singular opportunity to be “one of them,” befriending Devendra Banhart in high school, witnessing firsthand his foray into music and the forming of a collective — fellow musicians and artists.

Beautiful photographs chronicle mostly Banhart and “family” — Joanna Newsom, Entrance, Bat for Lashes, Cibelle and Little Joy, amongst others — making music, journaling, playing in woods and at the beach, kissing, sound checks and performances…  There are also more traditional portraits, as well as artwork by Banhart and others.  Dukoff’s skill behind the lens is as obvious as the ease of her subjects in front of it, but what really holds the collection together is the sense of context.  ”Family” is aptly named due to the feeling that each photograph — shot in studio, by the ocean, on the couch or in a concert hall — seems to be taken at home.

For any fan of the “New Weird America” genre or psych folk, freak folk or lo-fi movements — today or twenty years from now — this book is a treat.  Not only does it chronicle the lives of the artists included, it does so in an intimate way, as if looking through the eyes of a friend.

To celebrate the release of “Family,” a five-week book launch will be held at Space 15 Twenty in Los Angeles.  The gallery will host a book signing and performance by Devendra Banhart and others on July 18th, with performances continuing the rest of the month.

For more information about this book, visit the Chronicle Books website.