pentimento fall 2015 headlining shows

I first met Pentimento in March 2013. I'd been following the band and listening to their music for awhile, and I'm glad I skipped studying / paper-writing to go to the show: they definitely didn't disappoint. Mike (drums / vocals, as well as the band's primary lyricist) and Jeramiah (vocals / guitar) were both incredibly well-spoken in the interview we did that day (check that out here), and they, along with Vinny (bass / vocals) and Lance (guitar), have always been so kind and welcoming to me at their shows. It's rare that you find a band that are not only such great musicians- both recorded and live- but great people as well, and I'm grateful to be able to call Pentimento friends of mine. One challenge I made to myself this year was to photograph bands multiple nights in a row, or at least multiple nights on the same tour. I want to focus on being able to produce images that are unique, yet have a certain consistency from night to night. I've found that doing so gives you a different insight into a band's performance- you really start to pay attention to and get to know how they move on stage, who stands where and who does what, when.

From mid-October to early November, Pentimento went on their first proper headlining tour in the East Coast / Midwest, where they were joined by Better OffA Will Away, and Caleb and Carolyn. One of the perks of living where I do in New Jersey is that there are so many cities within an easy driving distance (or an easy commute on public transit), and I'm glad it worked out for me to photograph five dates of the tour! I photographed each band that performed each night (Better Off didn't perform the last few shows I was at, as they had to leave the tour early; and I missed Caleb and Carolyn's set the first night), and some of the shows had local openers as well.

Check out the full blog after the break!

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portraits: brigades at today's mixtape festival and the common vision tour, 8/16/15 and 8/20/15

I first met Brigades last May when they were opening for Hit The Lights on the Skip School, Start Fights Tour- the first date of the tour was in Asbury Park, N.J. and I interviewed them before their set. Afterwards, they admitted to having been super nervous, but I assured them that they had done great. I've shot them on every tour they've done since then. This summer, they were out on the Common Vision Tour with Every Time I Die, Real Friends, Counterparts, and Gatherers, which was insane. It was their biggest tour to date! On August 16 the whole tour package performed at Today's Mixtape Festival in Patchogue, N.Y.- it's a far trek out on Long Island, but Mixtape is always worth the trip (and it's cool to see how much bigger the event has gotten over the past few years). I interviewed Damian, Darren, and Charlie after their set, and also took a few portraits of them.

A few days later, on August 20, the Common Vision Tour stopped at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, N.J. I grabbed Damian, Darren, Charlie, Frank, and their new bassist Byron for individual portraits in-between sets.

Here's a shot of Damian and Frank cheesing at the end of the night- the rest of the portraits can be seen after the break!

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portraits: stellar young at pinelands music festival in millville, n.j.- 8/15/15

Pinelands Music Festival took place for the first time this year at a racetrack in South Jersey. You might think a racetrack is weird place for a music festival, but Warped Tour used to stop at the Monmouth Race Track in Oceanport. With plenty of open space for the stages, merch (and uh- a booth giving out free flower crowns), and food trucks (hello- hummus + a honey mustard topping?! YES) it worked out quite well for the event! Every first-year fest has hiccups but I hope to see Pinelands happen again and I'm excited to see what they do next year. I had planned out a few interviews and portrait shoots (check out my portraits of PALMAS here), but at the last minute ended up meeting with Stellar Young, an indie band from Albany, N.Y. We took some shots in a field, but they also goofed off posing at the Pinelands sign.

The full gallery can be seen after the break!

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portraits: PALMAS at pinelands music festival in millville, n.j.- 8/15/15

I'm always excited to check out new music events and festivals; this year, Pinelands Music Festival happened for the first time, on August 15 in South Jersey. The fest took place on a racetrack in Millville, which I think is near Vineland- it was a far drive and took awhile to find the venue, but it's always fun to spend a day in the sun taking photos, interviewing, and meeting new people. I'd planned a few interviews and portrait shoots, but I'm always up for anything- so when PALMAS had some down time before doors opened, we did a portrait shoot. I took photos of the whole band on a picnic table, and then some individual shots... and then they goofed off on the bleachers!

The full gallery can be seen after the break!

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vans warped tour 2015 highlights

I spent a lot of this spring networking and talking around, working hard to hopefully get on the entire Vans Warped Tour for this summer, but unfortunately that didn't happen for 2015 (I'm continuing to work hard to make it happen for 2016 though!). However, I did get to shoot five dates of the tour around the Northeast, and I had a blast doing so. I knew I'd be physically exhausted but with so many great bands on the tour, plus so many friends out working on the tour, it was sure to be a great time... and I was right on all accounts!

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portraits: major league at vans warped tour in darien center, n.y.- 7/15/15

I've shot Major League many times over the past few years, but shooting them at four dates of the Vans Warped Tour last month (Camden, N.J.Mansfield, M.A.Darien Center, N.Y., and Holmdel, N.J.) was great- what a pleasant change to shoot them in outdoors (at the Darien Center and Holmdel shows they played at the Golden Hour before sunset, which made for perfect lighting). A few minutes after their set in Darien Center, I grabbed Kyle, Brian, Matt, and Luke for some portraits. While I'd done portraits with Brian for the Inner & Outer Portraits series that I do for Circles & Soundwaves back in February (check that out here), this was the first time I'd taken portraits of the whole band- and we had a lot of fun! With perfect weather, a lovely venue, and quality time with good people throughout the day, Darien Center may have been my favorite date of Warped this year.

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portraits: M4SONIC at vans warped tour in darien center, n.y.- 7/15/15

Warped Tour is obviously mostly known for the various flavors of punk and related genres that tend to fill the stages, but one of the most underrated parts of the tour this year was the EDM and hip-hop acts that performed on the Beatport Stage. One of these is M4SONIC, a.k.a. Australian DJ / producer Nick Boundy. I'd photographed his set in Camden (check that out on Circles & Soundwaves here) and loved the energy he portrayed on stage. Darien Center was my favorite date of Warped- the weather was perfect, no set times overlapped, and the venue (right next to an amusement park!) had plenty of space to explore, making it the perfect setting for portraits. (I also did some portraits of Major League, which will be coming soon.)

For many overseas artists, Warped is their first U.S. tour. Nick is one of them, but the experience was made even more unique for him seeing as he stands out from the rest of the crowd genre-wise. On my last day, in Scranton, we were chatting as The Wonder Years were playing in the distance- he'd never heard them before Warped, but seeing them every day had made him a fan. When doing our portraits, he was eager to find cool spots to shoot and try out some different poses. (Later that day, I shot his set, which you can see on C&S here.)

Check out my other Warped portraits with Bebe Rexha and Trophy Eyes, and see the rest of the portraits of M4SONIC after the break!

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portraits: trophy eyes at vans warped tour in camden, n.j.- 7/10/15

Last month, I shot six dates of Warped Tour, and on my first day (Camden, N.J.), I did portraits with Bebe Rexha and the Australian pop-punk band Trophy Eyes! Midway through the day, I met up with the band at their merch tent, and we headed to a shaded area under a tree to do the individual shots. We went exploring to find somewhere to take group shots, and then realized- what place better than the water and a city skyline behind them? The Susquehanna Bank Center is right on the Delaware River, so I had the band members sit on a railing, with the Philadelphia skyline behind them. What a great view!

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portraits: bebe rexha at vans warped tour in camden, n.j.- 7/10/15

I've always loved going to Warped Tour, and this year I was able to shoot five dates. In addition to live photos and grabbing candids throughout the day, I also set up some portrait shoots. When I arrived to the venue in Camden, New Jersey- my first date- I checked schedules and sent out a few text messages to set up shoots. I knew I was in for a busy day, but I was excited- I thrive off the energy of a packed schedule! My first portrait shoot was with the very lovely Bebe Rexha. I caught the second half of her set (check out photos from that on Circles & Soundwaves here), and then met up with Bebe and her tour manager behind the amphitheater. She was a pleasure to work with and photograph! Check out some of my favorites below.

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