(The title of this post is a reference to the song "Forever a Piper Pirate" by Stickup Kid, a band that I always find myself listening to when I'm in California.)
As soon as we got to Santa Cruz, I walked down to the beach to take in the view of the ocean, but the town is so much more than that: the next day we set up at the University of California, Santa Cruz right in the middle of the woods! It was nice to be in the shade, but even nicer to feel like we were in a little wooded oasis all day. We were joined by several student activists from Banana Slugs for Animals ("B.S.A." for short)- I loved hearing about the other events they do on campus to promote animal rights and veganism.
(The title of this post is a reference to the song "Slam" by Southern California indie-rock band The Gromble. I saw them open for Parade of Lights in Los Angeles back in January.)
After a relaxing weekend off, we headed to the University of Illinois- Chicago to set up. We ended up spending most of the day leafleting; while it was unfortunate to not have the display up, it was pretty cool to know we handed out literature and info to over 700 people! After grabbing takeout from The Chicago Diner (vegan buffalo wings and poutine loaded with vegan bacon? Yes, please- and better wash it down with a chocolate peanut butter milkshake!), we headed to Madison, Wisconsin.
(The title of this post is a line from "Anomaly" by Angels & Airwaves; I think it's important to strive to be different, to march to the beat of your own drummer- to be an anomaly.)
On our last full day in Atlanta, I headed downtown to The Tabernacle, to photograph Vance Joy on the Fire and the Flood Tour. I've been a fan of his since seeing him open for Taylor Swift last summer, and it was such a pleasure to see him- as well as openers Jamie Lawson and Blind Pilot- play a full set. A few photos from the show are below; you can see my review and full photo-set of Jamie Lawson and Blind Pilot here, and my review and full photo-set of Vance Joy here.
(The title of this post is a reference to the song of the same name by Walk The Moon. It's also a reference to the blog We Are The Kids, which was dedicated to inspiring young adults hoping to work in the music industry).
Just after my last post went live, I was able to finally see and photograph an artist I've been trying to see for the past year, Rachel Platten, at the Cheyenne Saloon in Downtown Orlando. In a city that's so centered around the theme parks, downtown isn't the main attraction for most. There wasn't a lot to do downtown- it was mostly office buildings- but it was really cool to explore for a bit, knowing the city will never be "mine" but I'll be on to the next one soon... so in a way, I guess, the whole wide world is mine.
(The title of this post is a reference to "Head Up, Kid" by Major League. It's one of my favorite songs to listen to while I'm on the road; they were one of my favorite bands to photograph, and I'm sad to see them part ways.)
The weird thing about Austin is the lights. On our second day in Austin, we woke up early and headed to Whole Foods before going to the University of Texas. It was wild driving down 6th Street at 8am and seeing bars and clubs with lit-up signs!
If you haven't heard about the Old Mogul Theatre yet, chances are you will soon. Montclair, N.J. has long been home to plenty of great music- smaller underground shows happen in basements and the Meatlocker, and larger shows at the Wellmont Theater- but size-wise, the Old Mogul fills the void somewhere between those two. They've already booked some exciting shows, so I can't wait to see what else they bring in. One of their first shows was an entirely math-rock lineup. When my friend Chris (assistant manager at the Old Mogul Theatre) asked me if I wanted to come shoot, I wasn't familiar with any of the bands- but I was so impressed by the entire lineup. The Planet You are from right in Montclair (they're all students at Montclair State University); In Angles are from East Brunswick; Hannibal Montana are from New York; and Invalids are from Princeton. They were all very technical players- everyone was so talented. The Planet You and Invalids, in particular, were very animated on stage- but the whole show was fun to shoot!
With only one more day left in 2015, it seems like an appropriate time to post a "year in review" blog (as I type that, this song is stuck in my head). It's been a wild year, and my hard work has lead to some incredible opportunities- some of which I never would've imagined happening. I'm going to delve in to some numbers and details and thoughts about the year, as well as share stories and some of my favorite photos from 2015. Check it all out below!
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 Off, A 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.
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!
