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Bootsy Holler: Making It by Aline SmithsonNovember 9, 2025

“I was documenting my life. The musicians, promoters and bouncers were my friends, and I went to see bands I enjoyed and places I could get in for free. I didn’t know I was in the middle of something new.” – Bootsy Holler

MAKiNG iT: an intimate documentary of the seattle indie, rock & punk scene, 1992–2008 by Bootsy Holler (Damiani Books, 2025) is a photographic time capsule and an emotional romp through the Seattle soundscape from 1992 to 2008. An avid fan of Seattle’s music scene during the late 1990s and early 2000s, photographer Bootsy Holler created a remarkable portfolio documenting the little-known bands who later defined a decade in music history as the world transitioned from celluloid to digital, grunge to indie.

My longtime friend, Bootsy Holler, has just released a remarkable tome of music history. This captivating book is unlike any other—offering music photography through the lens of a woman who was there in the moment, documenting bands before they exploded into the zeitgeist.

As a young artist, Holler captured live gigs, band portraits, backstage moments, and rapt audiences, chronicling the formative years of artists such as Death Cab for Cutie, Fleet Foxes, Interpol, Macklemore, Modest Mouse, Gossip, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Beck, Foo Fighters–Dave Grohl, Moby, Pearl Jam, The Posies, and R.E.M.

The book opens with a foreword by Megan Jasper, CEO of Sub Pop Records for 25 years, who writes of Holler: “She didn’t enter into the scene as the new kid finding her place. She came into it as an artist, a creative woman inspired by what she saw and felt.”

A vital piece of cultural memory, Bootsy’s book captures the energy of a generation and preserves a history that might otherwise have slipped through the cracks.

“Turn the pages for memories of joyful sweaty nights, ringing ears, and the wonderful expressions on the faces of the movers and shakers that Bootsy brings back alive for us,” writes photographer Charles Peterson in the introduction.

An interview with the artist follows.

Bootsy Holler is a Los Angeles-based photographer with deep roots in the Pacific Northwest. Having grown up in Washington state and spent her 20s and 30s immersed in Seattle’s vibrant music scene, her work is a raw, personal chronicle of a generation trying to “make it.” Holler has long documented her own life as well as the lives unfolding around her – especially where music, friends, family, and artists intersect.

Holler’s fine artwork has appeared in galleries and publications worldwide. Her documentary music imagery includes a Pearl Jam photograph in the permanent collection of the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, and Leica Gallery London exhibited MAKiNG iT in October 2024.

Instagram: @bootsyholler

an intimate documentary of the seattle indie, rock & punk scene 1992-2008

Congratulations on the book, Bootsy! Before we discuss the book, can you tell us about your growing up and what brought you to photography?

Growing up, I was drawn to a combination of animals, photography, and design. But fashion magazines were my introduction to photography, specifically VOGUE. Classically, I was an average student, struggling with testing, but smart enough to earn decent grades. All the while, in my small town in eastern Washington, I was documenting my friends and life. In college, I had two classes that would change my life. They were classes with labs. The discovery that testing in a lab was simple for me was a major epiphany, revealing how my brain, eyes, and hands work together. I immediately declared a major in the Art Department so I could take photography, but my concentration is in textiles and design. It wasn’t until I graduated and moved to Seattle that I realized photography would become my art, trade, and business. I ran a small design and manufacturing company creating products made from copper and aluminum. One of my products, a 3×3-inch magnet, held a 2 1/4 contact sheet image perfectly. I would make reproductions of my photos at Kinkos (color copies) and use a medium to paste them onto the magnets. I ran Tryke Works while beginning to freelance as a producer and photographer on creative jobs. Within five years, I let go of Tryke Works and concentrated on photography as my primary source of income.

I know you had a childhood camera; what drew your interest?

The only camera my father had was a Polaroid, which is fascinating for anyone, but especially a kid. That was my introduction to photography.

My dad bought my sister and me small point-and-shoot cameras for Christmas when I was 7. I became obsessed with documenting. For me, it was a way to channel my energy, to feel like I had a purpose and a job that no one else was doing. I’ve been paying for my addiction since I got my own checkbook at 10, documenting my friends. I was always asking for a more professional camera over the years. When I was 17, I bought my first used SLR camera body and lens from a friend of my dad’s.

You live a unique interdisciplinary creative life, with explorations in photography, film, design, and installation (and books). What inspires you?

Life. When you are in a creative mindset, as I have been for so many years, everything is an idea or project that I can build upon. It is what ideas make sense for me to work on, and can I make it myself? Do I have the skills and equipment? I often see the finished piece in my mind, then I figure out how best to go about making it.

Tell us how the book came about.

The book came about because I have a very cool friend and mentor who is a photographer and teacher (wink), and we had been discussing the idea of creating books as a means to share our work with the world. I realized that much of my archival work had never been seen, and it was the result of 15 years of shooting and documenting in one place. I want all my photo series to be in some form of book, especially for the sake of my legacy as an artist and a mother. All this imagery sitting in binders or on hard drives serves no purpose. The MAKiNG iT book is so that my son can see who I was before he arrived; it’s a love letter to Seattle and to all the dreamers who are trying to “make it”.

Can you tell us about the book design?

I wanted the book to be beautiful, but also rebellious. Once I had finally narrowed down the images, I started to lay them out and brought in Caleb at Luminosity Lab to help me organize and keep me on track. I have a flow I feel and follow when I move from one image to another, from one page to another, related to color, shape, or music history. It would have been hard for anyone else to place or choose the pictures. This book is part memoir, along with a history of the Seattle music scene. Some bands are relevant to the scene, while others are relevant to my photographic processes. My most significant rule was to break the rules and always follow my instinct. Caleb was a fantastic teammate and friend during this process. I had a lot of ideas in my head, such as an open spine so the book could lie flat, which led Caleb to suggest the orange thread and later text. I didn’t want a wrapped cover; having the board show felt more raw, and over time, I want it to get a bit beat up on the edges. I also saw the cover as a silkscreened music poster. Caleb came in and finished the cover design as I was getting burnt out. My other must-have was to include my story in the book. I wrote a lot to figure out what I wanted to say and brought in my editor and writer friend, Sara “Machine” Morris. I’m all over the place when I write, so she brought it all together while staying true to my voice.

What was it like to revisit your music archives? Did you rediscover work you had forgotten about?

It was daunting to start digging into my negative archives. Thankfully, when I was getting ready to leave Seattle, my assistant at the time put all my negatives in 3-inch 3-ring binders. We organized them and put a list in the front with every band or job in that binder. This was a massive help when I was searching for negatives. I started this project nine years ago by making small scans of negatives so I could print 8x10s. By the end, I was scanning the negatives digitally to print.

My surprise was finding images of Macklemore and Ryan Lewis in 2006.

I was photographing for the Bumbershoot Music Festival in Seattle on the local stage, which was in a small and dark room. I had no idea who the band was. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis later blew up in 2013

Did you have a favorite band?

My all-time favorite band in the 90s was The Flaming Lips. The first time I saw them was in college in a tavern filled with so much fake smoke you couldn’t see the band. I had to close my eyes and listen. I had a wide range of music I loved, including PJ Harvey, Mazzy Star, Pavement, Jane’s Addiction, Beastie Boys, as well as Seattle bands such as Hammerbox, Sunny Day Real Estate, Modest Mouse, and all the Seattle staples. Music and photography were my life.

Interesting to think about that all of these photos were taken before social media. I’m not sure one could make the same work today.

Yes, this was all way before social media. I was one of a few photographers in Seattle shooting in the clubs and bars. This book may not have been possible without all the negatives I had taken. We still need true photographers who create with professional equipment, documenting history. These are people with a strong passion who follow through on projects over time. You must be organized and know how to archive your work correctly. You never think one day I’ll create a book or exhibition from something you thought was nothing at the time.

Upcoming book signings:

Oct. 29 — Los Angeles, 7PM Skylight Books pre-sale

Nov. 1 — Seattle, 7PM Easy Street Records (available soon for presale)

Nov. 4 — Seattle, 7PM, Third Place Books pre-sale — Seward Park

Nov. 8 — Paris, Alta Vista Arts group exhibition Opening 7PM

Nov. 11 — House of Koko, London 7:30PM

Book specs:
DAMIANI BOOKS
Hardcover, 7.75 x 11 in. / 208 pgs / 64 color / 66 bw.
U.S. Pub Date 10/28/2025
ISBN 9788862088435 TRADE
List Price: $60.00 CAD $85.00
DISTRIBUTION IN THE U.S. D.A.P. ART BOOK

MAKiNG iT
an intimate documentary of the seattle indie, rock & punk scene,
1992-2008
By Bootsy Holler
Foreword by Megan Jasper, Introduction by Charles Peterson, Afterword by Tamara
Paris
Published by Damiani Books – Available November 2025 in the U.S.
Social Instagram
@bootsyholler
@damiani_books
@artbook