Cherry Pools, Flint Eastwood, & PVRIS | 2/28/18

March 10, 2018 Leave a comment

The second I walked into the venue for the PVRIS show, I knew it would be a wild one. Half of the stage was covered with a tarp, and instruments were pushed to the very front of the stage with a large, neon pink Cherry Pools sign. You can tell these boys are a bit new to the scene just by how happy they were to be playing. Along with playing their two released songs, they took plenty of time for some little secret, unreleased bops. Even with their lead singer Martin having crazy bright blue hair, I found myself watching their guitarist Matty most of the show. The kid literally did not stop smiling once. His happiness spread and most people I talked to all mentioned their love for just the pure joy coming from this band.

Not long after, Flint Eastwood came out and just completely destroyed the stage. Along with some killer dance moves throughout the entire show, she would call out specific people who weren’t joining in. There was a lot of audience reaction throughout her show as she held full conversations with some fans and even pointed out some adorable couples. She introduced her last song, Queen, in the most amazing way. Que one of the most motivational speeches I have ever heard, then one of the most intense dance parties I have ever seen. She left the stage completely inspiring everyone.

There was a long pause before PVRIS, and part of it was because they fully removed the tarp and showed the most beautiful back ground at a concert venue. I don’t want to spoil it, but just be very prepared if you get the chance to see it. Lynn amazed me as always by constantly picking up a different instrument to play while she was singing. They hit all the new music and some old jams, the crowd went crazy the second My House started. After slowing it down for some piano and acoustic songs, they picked it right back up to finish with a bang. This show was definitely one for the books.

 Review courtesy of Lexi Rodriguez, who owns Hope Through Headphones

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Vans Warped Tour – Summer 2018

March 10, 2018 Leave a comment

The last cross-country Vans Warped Tour takes place this summer from 6/21-8/5. The tour will start in California and end in Florida. Being that this is the last cross-country tour, fans expected the lineup to be nothing short of amazing. Kevin Lyman really delivered with this lineup. It is a fantastic way to end the tour with a bang.

The lineup features bands from across a wide range of genres within the scene. Some of my personal favorites will be making an appearance on the final run of the tour. There are a few bands on the lineup set to only play a few dates including my favorite band, All Time Low (A little bitter I won’t be able to see them).

Some are not a fan of the lineup saying most of the bands they want to see aren’t playing their date. Others such as, TCAP member Emily Sulkowski, said “I’m ready to have the sweatiest, rowdiest, best day ever.” She also went on to say, “I love the lineup so much and I think it’s gonna attract younger and older fans alike.” I totally agree with Emily but also agree that more bands should be playing the full tour.

You can see bands and artists all the way from pop punk band, State Champs all the way to the death metal band, Nekrogoblikon (trust me I never heard of them either, but I’m intrigued). Some warped tour staples such as Taking Back Sunday, Sum 41, Reel Big Fish, and Less than Jake will be making appearances on the tour which really takes the tour back to its roots. Less than Jake has been on the tour since 1997 and this summer will be their 10th time appearing on the tour! It’s exciting to see a mix of new bands and older bands all coming together to make this last tour one for the books.

Thank you, Kevin Lyman, for all that you have done to bring this scene together every summer. I am sad to see the tour go but I am happy that it happened. It was the first place I ever photographed a concert and it will forever hold a special place in my heart for that. Looking back on where I started to where I am now, without warped tour I never would’ve gotten here.

Rebecca McKay

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*REVIEW * New Politics | Lost in Translation Tour 2018

February 27, 2018 Leave a comment

I have only one word for the New Politics Lost in Translation Tour, wow. Just wow. This concert was quite possibly the most fun I have ever had at a concert.

Just getting there, it was one of the nicest crowds of a concert I’ve ever seen. Everybody was so happy and welcoming, it was about enjoying the music over getting to the barricade. Everywhere you went there were little pockets of people breaking out into dance throughout the whole concert and new friendships forming.

The first band to play was The Wrecks. I had listened to a few of their songs just so I was ready when they came on, but they absolutely blew me away. If there is any band that is even better live than over recording, it is The Wrecks. The vocals are simply amazing, Nick was singing such high notes nonstop. A girl next to me said that last time she saw him he was sick, yet he still came out and gave it his all on those hard songs. Towards the end they played a new song and the guitarists took turns absolutely tearing it up. Every instrument had a solo in this song, and every instrumentalist deserved that solo. The Wrecks very quickly became my favorite band, I even bought a hat for them to sign. I am just blown away with this band.

After The Wrecks, DREAMERS stepped up to the plate. After bringing the energy and hyping up the crowd, they decided to slow it down for a song. One fan jokingly protested it and these boys handled it like pros, saying they are just planning on depressing us for one song. The lead singer, Nick, told us a quick story behind it. (I feel like almost every guy on this tour is named Nick at this point.) Stating the fact that those who survive a jump from the Golden Gate Bridge regret jumping the second they do, he tells how this song is about being right on that edge of committing suicide. Right after, they brought the energy right back up when Nick made a toast to the audience. With the last few songs, Nick went from jumping up and down, to dancing around the stage, to jumping out over the crowd. It was a very large ending and really set the tone for the final act of the night, New Politics.

The crowd was ready, and they showed it the second the lights went down. New Politics brought more energy to the first few songs of their set than I’ve ever seen. I was down in the pit shooting and felt like I had to run everywhere just to keep up with them. I feared for my life at one point when David looked down at me, then stepped over me onto the barricade. The lights on this set were just gorgeous. I love the color choices for them and they worked it. David then made the announcement that he is a dad and his genuine excitement was the most adorable thing ever, that poor mother is never going to be the “fun parent.” After a few more songs and random handstands, the lights went down for a bit. They came up on Soren playing a beautiful melody on the piano that eventually turned into a very energetic Madeleine. More songs, then the whole crow helped sing Happy Birthday to one of New Politics oldest friends and coworkers. In between all the songs from their newest album they threw in a few classics like Dignity and West End Kids, and it made those of us that knew them ecstatic. I have to say my personal favorite was when they played Lifted, but I’ve just always dreamed of hearing that song live. It did not disappoint. The crazy energetic concert ended with a bang when the whole crowd went crazy for Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. With this friendly of a crowd, there was no way you couldn’t feel like One of Us (see what I did there?). This concert was without a doubt, one of the most fun concerts I’ve ever been to, I would gladly relive this night over and over again.

 Review courtesy of Lexi Rodriguez, who owns Hope Through Headphones

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The Peace and the Panic Tour | Photos & Review

February 24, 2018 Leave a comment

         I had the honor of shooting Neck Deep’s ‘The Peace and the Panic’ tour, with Speak Low if You Speak Love, Creeper, and Seaway in Norfolk, VA on January 30th. In one word I’d describe the show as, “SPECTACULAR” I’ve seen Neck Deep in the past, but for some odd reason this show meant so much more to me than any of their prior shows.

      The night started with a 4 hour drive from NC, which had some bumps along the way, causing us to be a bit late. We finally got there during the end of Speak Low if You Speak Love’s show. Ryan is such a lovely human and performs wonderfully any time I’ve seen him with his other band, State Champs. So it was no surprise that he did an amazing job at this show. Next band was Seaway. I have never personally seen them before, but I had definitely heard of them. The band put on an awesome show and brought an intense energy to the crowd that I haven’t seen in a hot minute. I’d love to shoot for them again in the future when I’ve learned a couple more of their songs. Finally, last, but definitely by no means least, Neck Deep was up to preform. There was an overwhelming feeling in the air of excitement, happiness, and wonderment. You could tell just by looking at the crowd, that many of the people attending have been waiting a long time for this moment. I spoke with a few attendees as well and they were all beyond excited. Truly nothing feels as good as the mutual happiness among everyone in a venue, about to see their favorite band. Neck Deep finally came out and played a beautiful set with mixed song from their older and newer stuff, such as their new album, “The Peace and the Panic” which you can listen to here. https://open.spotify.com/album/6MiQ7JVsKlOBJFJzWQZ2Kz The show was executed perfectly with just the right amount of upbeat songs, and heartfelt, sadder songs. I saw so many friends, partners, and strangers screaming the words to their favorite songs, holding each other close, and dancing the night away. It was one of the best shows I’ve been to in a really long time. I’d definitely suggest catching Neck Deep in your nearest city the next time they come around. I know I will.

 

 Photos  & review courtesy of Izzy Corcoran

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An HONEST review of “Mania” by Fall Out Boy

February 16, 2018 Leave a comment

Mania-1-702x336

One would expect Fall Out Boy to make another pop album along the lines of American Beauty/American Psycho. Their new album Mania, however, is all over the place and never really finds its focus. The first single, “Young And Menace”, is a shrill dub-step mess that does not lend itself well to Patrick’s voice and well overstays its run time. “Champion” is at best a bland overly repetitive track that feels like it was tailor-made for radio. The track, “Wilson (Expensive Mistakes)”, is the one glimmer of hope for this album and it seems to have been added for their old fans to show that they didn’t forget about them. With that being said, Mania is still bogged down in mediocre pop ideas that never really connect and leaves the listener with an album that’s more confusing than catchy; a damning sentence for a band that supposedly sold their souls to save rock and roll. 2/10

Review courtesy of Amanda Spring

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Made In America Tour | Review

December 29, 2017 Leave a comment

Just about a month ago, I got the chance to see Waterparks perform with As it Is, Chapel and Sleep on It in New York City. The first band to play was Sleep on it followed by Chapel, As it Is, then Waterparks. The show was overall incredible and exposed me to some new artists.

The first band to play was Sleep on It, they have an amazing energy on stage that I really enjoyed. I was not very familiar with them before but I enjoyed their performance and the kind of things they stand for as a band. The spoke out against all the sexual violence this music scene is facing and that definitely put them even higher on my list of bands to support. Overall a band that I would love to see perform again.

The second band to perform was a band I knew very little about prior to watching their set. The only thing I knew of them was that their album was called “Sunday Brunch” and that they took their fans out to IHOP. Chapel is a two-piece band that has the same amount of energy between the two of them that a band of larger size brings to the stage. Their drummer had an incredible amount of talent as did their vocalist. After watching their performance, I went and downloaded their newest release.

As it Is followed them and I was already familiar with their discography. They came all the way from the UK to be on this tour. Lead singer Patty Walters is up there on my list of top performers I have seen live. His energy is incredible and he has great vocals to match. It was one amazing opener on top of another.

Waterparks headlined the entire show and there was a lot of real emotion in the performance. Lead singer Awsten Knight has been going through a lot lately which has been evident through his tweets. His performance was a great representation of all that emotion. This was my second time seeing them perform and this show definitely topped the first one I saw them play.

On top of watching all these incredible bands perform I had the pleasure of photographing them. It was an awesome opportunity to capture all the energy and emotion each band put into their performances.

As someone who has been to many concerts this one makes it up there as one of the best ones I have been to in a while. Each band gave the performances their all and made for an incredible show.

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Photos & review courtesy of Rebecca McKay

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Rage on the Stage Tour 2017 | Review & Photos

November 11, 2017 Leave a comment

October 28th was a very special day to me, it was the first time I was able to photograph one of my favorite bands. I’m very grateful to have experienced so much positivity, not every band is going to have management as amazing as I Prevail.

Escape the Fate was incredible. It was my first time seeing and meeting them. It was my first time shooting low light, so sadly not every picture turned out amazing. (Shout out to Em for being her own worst critic, you will only continue to improve) The Word Alive preformed an almost bone chilling set. Every person in the room knew the words. Telle Smith nearly moved me to tears when he sang. They are my absolute favorite band, so shooting them was an honor. Finally, the main event, I Prevail hit the stage. They have been one of my favorite bands since they started, so I was a little nervous. I didn’t see the complete set, but what I saw was amazing. Lead singer, Brian, sadly injured a vocal cord, but guitarist Dylan did just as amazing as I could hope. The set was rowdy, loud, and high energy. All anyone can want in a show. For my first REAL concert experience, I couldn’t ask for more. This was one of the most well put together tours I’ve attended. It’s certainly not my last time seeing any of the bands.

Review &  Photos courtesy of Emily Sulkowski

Escape The Fate & The Word Alive | 10/28/17 | Sherman Theater

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“Good Times” by All Time Low | Music Video Review

November 2, 2017 Leave a comment

 

As a bisexual Jewish girl I know what it means to be a minority. It is unbelievably hard to be looked down on by others including our own president. It’s disgusting that people see people who are “different” as a problem. What is even worse is that our own president sees it as a problem. It is important that people who are considered “different” stick together and fight against all the hate that is in this world. No one should ever feel like being different is a problem. Love is love whether it is between a man and a woman, a woman and woman, a black man and a white woman or anything in between. We shouldn’t be discriminating anymore and it is sad to see we as a nation are not past that.

That all being said, when my favorite band of all times, All Time Low released their newest video for “Good Times” I was completely in shock in the best way. The music video brought light to all these issues that are so important right now. They hit racism, homophobic behavior and so much more all in one video. To say I didn’t tear up by it would be a lie. For someone like me the importance of this video is even stronger considering my background. Unfortunately, we live in this world filled with hate. Luckily, I know I always have music to turn to when I need to ease the pain of watching hate take over love. With that being said, I still never expected to see such a powerful music video from a band that has made such an impact on my life. I can’t turn on the news without seeing one story after the next with the most upsetting headlines. It is important now more than ever that bands reach out to the next generation of leaders and teach them what is important in this world. The current fan base of All Time Low consists of a lot of those future leaders, so a music video like the one they just released is exactly what we need to shape our future generation, and help rid the world of the hate. Thank you so much All Time Low for the extremely impactful video. There is no other rating to give this video other than 10 out of 10.

 

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Photos & Review courtesy of Rebecca McKay

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Review | It’s Not Dead Fest 2

September 26, 2017 Leave a comment

 It’s Not Dead Fest 2 | August 26, 2017 | By Melissa Rodriguez

         It was 107 degrees outside in San Bernardino, but that didn’t stop hundreds of punk rock fans from showing up dressed head to toe in black attire. Having missed out on the first run of the It’s Not Dead Festival in 2015, I was really thrilled to be seeing a bunch of my favorite bands at this year’s festival. 

Keeping to his traditional style with Warped Tour, founder Kevin Lyman didn’t announce set times until after the doors had opened. The lineup contained so many punk rock legends from over the last few decades and spread across four different stages; it was almost impossible to see everyone playing.  

Fans were already lined up to watch the first bands perform and were not disappointed with Spider, Channel 3, and Wraths (featuring Jim Lindberg of Pennywise) opening the show on the first 3 stages.  Their energy was just what the fans needed to get in the mood for a long day, filled with amazing music and memories. 

The intense heatwave didn’t stop festival goers from rocking out and dancing along to the Interrupters, who were the second band to perform on the main stage (and the only band on the lineup from the first festival). The rotating main stage was such a genius idea, and wasted no time dealing with set changes between performances. Once one band was finished, the next band was rotated in (some even started playing as the platform was still in rotation).  The main stage included performances from Good Riddance, GBH, Buzzcocks, and OFF! 

An hour into the festival, you could see fans making trips to the Vans merch tent to purchase $20 beach umbrellas to shield themselves from the desert heat. For the fans who didn’t want to carry around a giant umbrella, the festival also featured an art gallery set up inside a giant circus tent. The gallery featured lots of awesome art work and photos from past music gigs, some dating back almost 30 years. 

Although it was difficult to catch all the amazing bands performing on the different stages, there was a great turnout at the side stages for acts such as Slaughter and the Dogs, The Flatliners, The Unseen, and The Casualties (with David Rodriguez of the Krum Bums). Jimmy G, of Murphys Law, even managed to get one of their younger fans from the crowd into his arms and singing along with him. 

As the sun had begun to set, fans moved to the main stage to catch the final performances of the evening. The Adicts gave a vibrant performance, full of streamers and joker cards being tossed into the crowd. Me First and the Gimme Gimmes did not disappoint with their wide array of cover songs; “Hope you guys know, we are a cover band.”  

Finally, Drop Kick Murphys and Rancid closed out the show with a conclusion to their “From Boston to Berkley” summer tour. DKM went on at around 8:30pm; about 9 hours after the doors to the festival had initially opened. But judging by the crowds singing and pitting along, you would had never guessed they had been dealing with record breaking heat all day. Unfortunately, this little lady got knocked in the head with a jug of water from the crowd during DKM performance. Maybe they thought I looked thirsty? In any case, I had to miss out on Rancid’s performance and called it a night. 

Walking away from the performance I realized that this festival really lived up to its name; punk is definitely not dead. 

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Kinky Boots ft Brendon Urie – Review

June 27, 2017 Leave a comment

Earlier this month I had the privilege of seeing a man from our scene take the Broadway stage for the first time. Brendon Urie has always had a very impressive vocal range in my opinion and his performance as Charlie Price in Kinky Boots showcased that perfectly.

To set the scene, Kinky Boots is a musical that tells the wonderful story of Charlie and Lola. Charlie is a show maker and Lola is a drag queen. The story is one of acceptance, pride and love. Although the musical has a story just like any other it’s the underlying message is what really makes this show one to remember. It is important to remember to be true to yourself and not always listen to everyone else’s opinions of you. You are you and you are beautiful in your own way! As the musical states “just be who you wanna be, never let em’ tell you who you ought to be.”

For those of you aren’t as familiar with going to the theater here is some background. I was lucky enough to be sitting front row which meant I could see everyone perfectly. No matter where you sit you will be able to see everything. The showing I went to was at two which meant getting to the theater 30-40 before seemed appropriate. Nighttime shows tend to get a tad busier. Something to keep in mind if you are looking to get your playbill signed by some of the cast, if there are two showings for the day the cast only comes out at night. Performing day after day on Broadway is a ton of work and resting between shows is a must. Since I was at the matinee show I was able to go back to the theater before the nighttime show let out to secure a spot at the stage door with my playbill. People who went to the show at night still had the opportunity for signings but it wasn’t as easy to get a photograph with the cast members. Whatever you do please do not push or shove because Urie’s manager Zack will take Brendon back inside and shut down the meet.

Of course, I saw the show to see Brendon Urie but I highly recommend seeing it even if you can’t see it with him. There is an entire dedicated cast who brings the show to life and tells the amazing story. Definitely a show I would love to see again if given the chance.

It is a bit upsetting that I need to write this but I’m including here anyway. If you are seeing this show with Brendon Urie because you are a P!ATD fan please be respectful. Since this is a Broadway show it is extremely impolite to cheer at every moment and scream loudly. Some people are actually just there to see the show.  Please stay until the very last moment of the show. I know how tempting it is to run outside and try to meet Brendon at the stage door but leaving a performance early is extremely disrespectful. Last but not least, please do not record the show as it is strictly prohibited. With that enjoy the show and hope you all get the chance to see this wonderful musical.

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Photos & Review courtesy of Rebecca McKay

 

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