Karen Mason-Blair: Capturing the Spirit of Grunge at Musicology Co.

Edmonds photographer Karen Mason-Blair welcomes grunge aficionados at Musicology Co.

Seattle is renowned as the epicenter for grunge music, yet Edmonds is home to the individual responsible for the legendary images of Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam from the early 1990s. Local photographer and Edmonds High graduate Karen Mason-Blair held a signing for her self-published volume The Flannel Years at Musicology Co during the Edmonds Art Walk Thursday.

Additionally, she presented numerous seldom-seen photographs that not only document the ascent of Seattle’s grunge bands but also capture the bond between Mason-Blair and the artists.

“My narrative is quite distinctive in that they were all my companions,” Mason-Blair remarked, referencing Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic, along with Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell. “And it wasn’t as though I was merely summoned to photograph a band I didn’t know or whose music I was unfamiliar with. They would insist, ‘Karen, capture my images! Capture my images!’”

A selection of these images features backstage moments of Cobain and Novoselic donned in Santa hats during Halloween 1991. Mason-Blair printed and framed these pictures and gifted them to the musicians. A year later, DCG Records contacted Mason-Blair and informed her that Cobain had sent one of the Santa hat photos to them, which was included in Nirvana’s album In Utero.

Mason-Blair recounted a close-up image of Cornell that she captured in her studio in 1991. “When Chris Cornell gazes at you like this, it’s a rather wonderful day,” she commented. “I mean, that reflects the relationship I experienced. Thus, my photographs are quite relational, you understand?”

Mason-Blair additionally highlighted the picture of Cobain beaming while donning a pair of white-framed spectacles. “And when Kurt Cobain beams, you can’t possibly have a bad day if [he’s] cheerful,” she added.

Kurt Cobain beams in one of Karen Mason-Blair’s images at Musicology Co.During her time at Edmonds High School in the early 1980s, Mason-Blair acquired skills in black-and-white photography in her yearbook class and photographed the band Rage, her then-boyfriend’s group. Following her graduation in commercial photography from Seattle Central College, Mason-Blair relocated to Los Angeles to advance her career while furthering her photography education at UCLA.

While capturing images of bands performing in Los Angeles, Mason-Blair mentioned that she was often the sole female in the concert pit. She noted that all her clientele, record label executives, and band managers were men. “All the entryways were overseen by men who sought ‘favours’ and it’s very disgusting,” Mason-Blair expressed. “It’s so corrupt. There’s no way…if that’s the path to my future or success, I don’t desire it, you know.”

“But the encouraging aspect is that, you know, Kurt and Krist – all of them – were true feminists who aimed to empower women, and they genuinely enjoyed collaborating with women,” Mason-Blair proceeded. “They truly supported me and would say, ‘I want to work with Karen.’ I just didn’t recognize how unique that experience was because when I went to L.A., it was quite the opposite. So it was a remarkably magical time.”

Andrea Wetzel, a resident of Edmonds, mentioned that she met Mason-Blair as she had also worked with numerous rock bands in the 1990s, including Susan Silver, who managed Alice in Chains.

“I may have known her [Mason-Blair],” Wetzel commented. “And it seems we do have an acquaintance. I wanted to explore the book… and I wish to see what I haven’t come across before.

Grunge enthusiasts Genavee Hayden from Lynnwood and Krys Lowe from Edmonds arrived to meet Mason-Blair. “I’m present because this encapsulates my existence in the ’80s and ’90s,” Hayden remarked.

Mason-Blair commenced her initial photographic tour on June 4, 2016, at Treason Gallery in Seattle and concluded on Aug. 10, 2019, at the “Nostalgia is for Losers: a grunge retrospective” exhibit at Fogue Studios & Gallery. Currently, she intends to take her photographs and tour beyond Seattle. This tour would feature backstage images of Soundgarden and Nirvana, photo sessions with Mother Love Bone and Alice in Chains, as well as the only existing photographs of Pearl Jam’s inaugural concert in 1990.

Reflecting on the image of Cobain wearing his white sunglasses, Mason-Blair remembered Cobain mentioning in an interview that people often select photos of him appearing sad during a photo shoot.

“We’re behind the scenes, and I’m capturing his images, and I ask, ‘Kurt, can you smile?’” Mason-Blair recalled. “And he responds, ‘Karen, you always say that.’ I reply, ‘Yes, and you always appreciate my photographs.’ He was aware that they mentioned it was his favorite photo, so he realized that I captured a good moment of him…but that’s why I want everyone to understand this, and Kurt cared for me, you know.

“And I want people to acknowledge that Kurt was a joyful individual.”

– Story and photographs by Nick Ng