Photography, Interviews, Promotion & more
June 25, 2019 Leave a comment
Worcester, MA at The Palladium on 6/8/19| Photos courtesy of Ashley Grace
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June 22, 2019 Leave a comment
Blessthefall Brings Out the Hard Feelings in Anaheim
Venue: Chain Reaction on 6/8/19
Blessthefall is one of those bands I must see whenever they come out on tour. They were one of the first three bands I got into in the scene in 2008, with Escape the Fate and The Used being the first two. With their Hard Feelings Spring Tour, Blessthefall brought along with them Palisades, Slaves, and Glass Houses. Unfortunately, Palisades had to drop from the last third of the tour, as they had prior commitments out of country. But, the tour continued on and the remaining three bands came through and slayed the stage at Chain Reaction.
The first band was Glass Houses from Fargo, ND. The band came in swinging from the start of their set to the end. They played 6-songs, 5 of which came from their debut 2016 album “Wellspring”, as well as their new single “Lost Choices”. They are a perfect blend of metalcore and post-hardcore. This five-piece consists of vocalist Joshua Haider, guitarists Robert Whiteside and Tanner Leier, bassist Mark Sands, and drummer Lucas Chayne. Josh spoke about depression and the toll it can have on the psyche, which has been a common theme being brought up lately. It makes me happy to see more people talking about it so openly. Their lyrical content dives deeper into the concept of depression and coping, and you can feel the passion and drive through every instrument and lyric. I was thoroughly impressed by Glass Houses and will certainly be seeing them again when they return to California next!
Up next came Slaves from Sacramento, CA. This band has gone through a lot of struggles throughout their time, but they continue to use that pain to drive and catapult them to new heights. With many lineup changes, with the most notable being the loss of their vocalist and founding member Jonny Craig, the band had to move forward. They currently have Matt McAndrew, who was a finalist on the voice. Matt brought new renditions of the Slaves’ songs, which was cool to hear. The rest of the current lineup consists of bassist Collin Vieira, guitarists Weston Richmond and Felipe Sanchez, and drummer Zack Baker. The band played 7-songs, all from their 2018 record “The Beautiful Death”, which was released via SBG Records with critical acclaim. I was thoroughly impressed with their performance and recommend seeing Slaves when you get the chance.
SETLIST
The final band up was the all mighty Blessthefall from Phoenix, Arizona. For this tour, the band prepared a 16-song set, with songs from every album from 2008’s Witness and beyond. The crowd was going nuts, especially when fan favorite songs like “Cutthroat”, “To Hell and Back”, “You Wear A Crown But You Are No King” and “Wishful Sinking Were Played”. The band always has a continuous amount of energy, which is catapulted by vocalist Beau Boken’s showmanship. Beau loves to make you wet and soaks the crowd with water throughout the whole set. The room became a hot and sweaty cesspool and everyone from members of the band to almost everyone in the crowd were covered in water by the end of the show. Blessthefall knows how to get the crowd hyped and sound identical on album as they do live, which is such a beautiful thing to see. I cannot recommend this band enough and will keep seeing them every time they come out to California on a tour.
SETLIST
ENCORE
The Hard Feelings Spring Tour was a masterpiece with a trio of bands that meshed beautifully together. Glass Houses were such a kickass way to start out the show, and Slaves fit perfectly as the night’s next act, and Blessthefall took the roof off the venue. If you ever get a chance to see a Blessthefall tour, be prepared for one hot and wild show filled with lots of energy and lots of water.
Blessthefall | Slaves | Glass Houses
Photos + Review courtesy of Jamie Kaufman | Instagram
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June 20, 2019 Leave a comment
Blessthefall | Palisades | Slaves | Glass Houses
Photos courtesy of Ashley Grace
5/22/19 | Worcester, MA at The Palladium
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June 13, 2019 Leave a comment
On May 20th as I made my way past the line of fans literally wrapping around the punk-rock and heavy metal temple that is the Palladium in Worcester, MA, there was no doubt in my mind that the Architects show that night was going to be one for the books. Days later while the UK based metalcore band wrapped up the North American portion of their “Holy Hell” Tour in Chicago, I was still reeling from the show they put on. Whether it was the excitement buzzing through the venue, to the opening acts While She Sleeps and Thy Art Is Murder, to the granddaddy of them all Architects, the passion and energy felt that night was something I’ll truly always remember.
First up on the bill was While She Sleeps, hailing from Sheffield, UK. The metalcore band oozed energy and excitement and the crowd absolutely ate it up from beginning to end. From the very first song of the set “You Are We” the band came out packing a punch. Lead singer Lawrence Taylor delivered the highest quality of vocals and was backed by talented musicians Sean Long and Matt Welsh on guitars, Aaran McKenzie on bass and Adam Savage on drums. Seeing the crowd interaction with the band was one of the highlights of the night and you could certainly tell that each musician in While She Sleeps truly loved what they were doing. After this, I definitely put While She Sleeps on my list of bands I need to see again.
Next up was Thy Art is Murder. The Australian deathcore band came out swinging and absolutely delivered with every drop, strum and bang that they served us. Filling in for lead singer CJ McMahon was Nick Arthur from Molotov Solution and in my opinion, they couldn’t have picked a better vocalist. Nick’s vocal range, projection and energy was killer from beginning to end. For my first time seeing Thy Art is Murder, I was thoroughly impressed with the musical technicality the band brought and I can’t wait to see them again in the future.
Finally Architects graced the stage with not only amazing vocals and stage presence but a pretty kick ass light show, if I may say. The band never let up once during their sixteen song set, delivering hit after hit. Lead singer Sam Carter performed with such emotion and power that it was hard not to rock out with the crowd and scream all the words along with him. Architects never fails to put on a show that sends you on an adventure from beginning to end and if there’s any adventure I want to be on, it’s that one. The show simply was one of the best that I’ve ever been too and if you ever get the chance to see Architects in person in the future, don’t hesitate to buy your tickets because you won’t be disappointed!
Architects | Thy Art Is Murder | While She Sleeps
Photos + Review courtesy of Linette Ray
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June 12, 2019 Leave a comment
Stitched Up Heart Comes Home to Southern California
Venue: The Slidebar | 5/28/19
When Stitched Up Heart announced they were finally playing a show again in Southern California, I jumped on the opportunity to photograph them and finally see this band that I’ve been listening to for several years. When I went to go see them at the Whisky A Go-Go in 2017, the venue for the first time had to cancel a show due to them not being able to get the sound system up and running. So, when I found Stitched Up Heart was playing in Southern California again, I knew I just had to go. As the final date of an 8-week tour, they came through The Slidebar in Fullerton, CA to headline for the first time in California in almost 2 years, with local support from A Trigger Within and Darling. This show was a blast.
First up was Darling from Los Angeles, CA. Darling is an acoustic artist who also mixes in pop and rock. She and I met the first time at the whisky but actually seeing her showcase her talents was amazing. She has such an amazing voice and plays the acoustic guitar amazingly. She played 6 songs, which included her new single “Misery” as well as a cover of Bullet for My Valentine’s “Tears Don’t Fall”. She was joined on stage by Stitched Up Heart’s James Decker on drums and her husband and bassist of Stitched Up Heart Randy Mathias. She put on a breathtaking set and I cannot wait to see her again!
Next up was A Trigger Within from Los Angeles, CA. A Trigger Within came to The Slidebar to bring us some good ole Heavy Metal with an emphasis on symphonics and screaming anthems. Fronting the band is Jimmy Trigger, who commands the stage with a force. The rest of the band consists of bassist Eric Sinful, drummer Dylan Roy, and guitarists David Bruno and Tyler Morgan. The band played a powerful 7-song set, which consisted of new songs, as well as songs from their debut 2017 EP titled “I”. From just one listen to the band, you can hear just the melting pot of styles and inspirations this band has blended together to make powerful music. They are certainly enjoyable live, filled with a lot of energy. I cannot wait to hopefully see them again soon!
The final band up was none other than Stitched Up Heart, local to West Hollywood, CA. This band has been going since 2011 but didn’t release their debut album “Never Alone” until 2016 via Century Media Records. To my pleasant surprise, a majority of their 11-song set consisted of brand new songs most have not heard yet and only played 4 from “Never Alone”. It was so cool hearing the band’s new material and also being able to hear some fan favorite songs like “Finally Free” and “I Can’t Breathe”. The band consists of vocalist Alecia “Mixi” Demner, drummer and backup vocalist James Decker, bassist and backup vocalist Randy Mathias, and guitarists Merritt Goodwin and Jeremy Kohnmann. The band had so much energy on stage and even played around with me while I photographed them, constantly posing and jokingly covering my camera at times. I was so happy to finally see them and will certainly be making my way out again once they play Southern California again.
SETLIST
ENCORE
This was an amazing show from start to finish. I’m glad I was able to see Darling play her heart out. A Trigger Within was a great band to have for direct support, with dueling guitar solos and high energy. And finally being able to see Stitched Up Heart was exactly what I’ve wanted for over 2 years. Check out all of these amazing bands and artists.
Stitched Up Heart | A Trigger Within | Darling
Photos + Review courtesy of Jamie Kaufman | Instagram
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June 8, 2019 Leave a comment
The Veer Union | NeverWake | Saved By Skarlet | Cross The Divide
Photos courtesy of Amanda Spring | 5/14/19
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June 8, 2019 Leave a comment
Sylar Changes the Seasons at Chain Reaction
Venue: Chain Reaction in Anaheim, CA | 5/26/19
Sylar has been a very important band to me since I got into them in 2016. Their distinct sound that mixes together nu-metal, metalcore, post-hardcore, and rap metal has helped them stand out in a music scene that can sometimes be filled to the brim with soundalike bands. With their newest release “Seasons”, Sylar hit new ground, going a bit more personal, which received critical acclaim. After several years of touring as the supporting act for many tours, Sylar finally embarked on a full 2-month U.S. Tour, with supporting acts Cane Hill, Varials, and Bloodline. With a stacked lineup at one of my all-time favorite venues, I knew this would be a fun show.
The first band up was Bloodline from Dallas, Texas. Bloodline has been on my radar for quite some time. This fourpiece band is a perfect mix of metalcore and hardcore, with some sweet melodies and slamming breakdowns. The members of the band consist of vocalist Joseph Todd, drummer and backup vocalist Matt Dierkes, bassist Jake Jones, and guitarist and clean vocalist Titus Kirby. They had very high energy from the start of their set to the end, and truly kicked the show off with a force. I was thoroughly blown away. Their newest release “Better View” came out in March of 2019 via Stay Sick Recordings and truly shows off the band’s wide range and variety from song to song! I cannot wait to see them next time they come out to California!
Next up came Varials from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I’ve wanted to see Varials for quite some time but scheduling just never worked out for me to make it out to one of their shows until now. Varials is good ole fashioned hardcore mixed with metalcore. They had such a high level of energy that had the crowd going absolutely bonkers. In fact, a guy cartwheeled off the stage onto the crowd at one point. This five piece consists of vocalist Travis Tabron, guitarists Mitchell Rogers and James Hohenwarter, drummer Sean Rauchut, and bassist Mike Foley. The band played a 6-song set, 5 of which came from their 2017 release “Pain Again” which was their debut LP on Fearless Records. I was thoroughly impressed by their stage presence and their ability to control the crowd at the snap of their fingers.
SETLIST
The biggest supporting act was up next, that being Cane Hill from New Orleans, Louisiana. I remember seeing Cane Hill as the opening act for Attila, New Years Day, and Bad Omens at Chain Reaction in 2017, so seeing how far they’ve come has been impressive. The band is the perfect mixture of Nu Metal and Metalcore. The band played a whopping 11-song set with songs from each of their releases: 7 off their 2018 album “Too Far Gone”, 3 from their 2016 album “Smile”, and 1 from their self-titled 2015 EP. The band was on fire and truly showcased their full range in sound. This four piece consists of vocalist Elijah Witt, guitarist James Barnett, bassist Ryan Henriquez, and drummer Devin Clark. Cane Hill has been a band I have been listening to consistently since Warped Tour 2016 and they continue to blow me away each time I see them!
SETLIST
