New York Punk

"Ebet Roberts was in the scene and in the moment—a bright soul immersing herself in the sea of creative energy exploding in NYC in the late 1970s and early 1980s, never missing the right second to snap the shutter. She 'got' Devo. She was an artist and a cheerleader for a musical and cultural revolution that seems almost apocryphal to recount now. Her camera froze those moments in time that still resonate today and tell a story beyond words." — Gerald Casale, Devo cofounder, singer/songwriter, video and commercial director

"Ebet Roberts aimed her camera lens at the creative maelstrom that was downtown NYC in the 1970s and 1980s, emerging with a visual convergence of music and art caught in its moment of transcendent happening. Her photos reflect a camaraderie with her subjects, the graceful and unobtrusive way in which she locates their most candid and revealing selves, and her own disarming presence as she snaps the shutter. A beautiful record of Then as it becomes Now." — Lenny Kaye, guitarist and author of Lightning Striking: Ten Transformative Moments in Rock and Roll

"Ebet Roberts, a painter who took up photography as an artistic pursuit, not a journalistic profession, earned intimate access to musical moments that would soon be gone forever. One word got around that she had pictures of the bands magazine and newspapers were beginning to cover, her art project became her work. The evidence, documented here, is historic: unguarded images of legends in the making, caught in the small-bore nascence of their careers before success snatched them away." — Ira Robbins, co-founder of Trouser Press magazine

"Ebet Roberts' evocative photography not only dazzles the eyes but gives insight into the real people behind their punk-rock personas. It also indelibly captures a punk scene that I'll never forget." — Holly George-Warren, author of Punk 365 and A Man Called Destruction: The Life and Music of Alex Chilton: Ten Transformative Moments in Rock and Roll

"What we love about Ebet's images is their realness and unpretentiousness, much like Ebet herself. She seems to have a sixth sense about what is important in our culture. She just arrives at a performance in a club or a theater and captures that moment of magic. Ebet never fails to get the shot with clarity and sensitivity and we feel very lucky to have been among her subjects." — Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, members of Talking Heads and the Tom Tom Club

"I've seen Ebet taking photos next to me for decades and I'm excited for her that there is finally this book to make her work available and everyone can see how good it is." — Bob Gruen, Rock & Roll Photographer

"Roberts' photographs are the closest things to being there. They are visceral and touching. Roberts has the rare ability to both artist and historian." — Gail Buckland, curator and author of Who Shot Rock and Roll: A Photographic History, 1955-Present