Car Seat Headrest (with support from Don Babylon and Naked Giants) performing at Brooklyn Steel in Brooklyn, NY on September 15, 2018. All photos taken by Gabby Cabacab.
Blessthefall | Baltimore
Blessthefall (with support from Thousand Below) performing at Baltimore Soundstage in Baltimore, MD on September 13, 2018. All photos taken by Emily Armitage.
Neck Deep | Long Island
If you’re into the pop-punk genre, odds are you’ve heard of Neck Deep. You might have even seen them play once or twice or about 10 times like I have. They were featured on the main stage of the Vans Warped Tour in 2017. They drew some of the largest crowds of the summer and for good reason. Their performances are always thrilling and full of energy, and this time was no different.
The audience at Stereo Garden on this evening were already sweaty and a little bit out of breath from the excitement of Trophy Eyes performing beforehand, but rest assured that did not stop the crowd from giving Neck Deep their all from start to finish. The show opened up with Motion Sickness, a single from their latest album The Peace and the Panic. The crowd was instantly energized all over again and there were plenty of crowd surfers to occupy the security guards. Speaking of -- the security guards were very good at their job and not a single surfer was dropped. The show didn’t lack intensity, but safety was never compromised.
Partway through the show, the band preformed their cover of Torn by Natalie Imbruglia (which is actually also a cover from the original song written in 1993) which can be hard in the compilation album Songs That Saved My Life. Although the song was popularized in 1997, Torn was still a crowd pleaser here in 2018. During Don’t Wait, vocalist Ben Barlow was accompanied by Drew Dijorio, vocalist of Stray From The Path and the crowd drank it up.
The setlist was compiled with songs from every album in Neck Deep’s discography including What Did Your Expect? and All Hype, No Heart from their very first EP titled Rain in July, Citizens of Earth from Life’s Not Out to Get You, Crushing Grief from Wishful Thinking, and of course many hits from The Peace and the Panic. All in all, the crowd (myself included) was more than pleased from start to finish, including the 3 song encore. The place was packed and the band left no room for disappointment. It was a wonderful night and not a single frown was spotted.
Words and photos by Ashley Rosario.
First Aid Kit | Brooklyn
First Aid Kit performing at The Brooklyn Steel in Brooklyn, NY on September 11, 2018. All photos taken by Andrew Pintado.
Set It Off | Philadelphia
Set It Off (with support from Chapel) performing at Kung Fu Necktie in Philadelphia, PA on September 7, 2018. All photos taken by Madden Levin.
Stereophonics | Chicago
Stereophonics performing at The Vic Theater in Chicago, IL on September 11, 2018. All photos taken by Emma Zanger.
Shambhala Music Festival | Salmo
Shambhala Music Festival featuring Brasstracks and Mr. Carmack in Salmo, Canada in August 2018. All photos taken by Justine Vanderpool.
Shadow of the City Festival | Asbury Park
Shadow of the City festival featuring Bleachers, Hayley Kiyoko, Julien Baker, Turnover, Beachslang, Clams Casino, and Ex Reyes in Asbury Park, NJ on August 25, 2018. All photos taken by Andrew Pintado.
All Time Low / Dashboard Confessional | Philadelphia
All Time Low and Dashboard Confessional (with support from Gnash) performing at Electric Factory in Philadelphia, PA on August 17, 2018. All photos taken by Cami Liberty.
Knox Hamilton | West Hollywood
Knox Hamilton performing at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, CA on August 16, 2018. All photos taken by Alissa Arunarsirakul.
311 | Jacksonville
311 and The Offspring performing at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, FL on August 7, 2018. All photos taken by Seth Kicklighter.
The Gaslight Anthem | Philadelphia
The Gaslight Anthem (with support from Jared Hart and Matt Mays) performing at The Fillmore in Philadelphia, PA on August 15, 2018. All photos taken by Justin Curtis.
PVMNTS | Brooklyn
Most people may know Tyler Posey from the hit show Teen Wolf. I however, had the pleasure of watching him and his band PVMNTS (with support from Lost in Society and Neverkept) light up the stage at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn, NY.
PVMNTS is a pop-punk band consisting of Freddy Ramirez, Nick Guzman, and Tyler Posey. Their debut EP Better Days was self-released on August 17, yet they have already made waves performing at Slam Dunk in the UK in June and hopping on a few dates of the Vans Warped Tour.
The crowd completely lights up the minute the trio step on stage. The set was energized from start to finish and PVMNTS didn’t shy away from major crowd interaction even in a venue that is already so intimate. From cracking jokes, asking questions, and even inviting a fan to join them onstage, there was no shortage of inclusivity. About halfway through the set Posey and Ramirez even switched instruments and positions on stage. There was plenty of dancing, jumping, and overall enjoyment from both the fans and band alike.
If you missed this show, no worries! PVMNTS are heading out on the road with WSTR in the fall.
Words and photos by Ashley Rosario.
Moonrise Festival | Baltimore
Moonrise Festival featuring Marshmello, Nav, Galantis, Vince Staples, Excision, NGHTMRE, and more in Baltimore, MD on August 11 - 12, 2018. All photos taken by Jerome Thomas.
Lydia | New York City
Lydia (with support from Jared & The Mill and Cherry Pools) performing at The Bowery Ballroom in New York City on August 9, 2018. All photos taken by Christina Morgan.
Imagine Dragons | West Palm Beach
Imagine Dragons (with support from Grace VanderWaal) performing at Coral Sky Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, FL on August 9, 2018. All photos taken by Kasey Davis.
Summer Meltdown Festival | Darrington
One weekend every summer, under the peaks of the cascades, the quiet town of Darrington, Washington comes alive with music. Summer Meltdown provides a comfy, cozy, family friendly pleasing venue for music lovers of all ages. If you're the type of fest for that likes to push their way to the front of the stage or mosh to some mind-rattling dubstep, this probably isn't your type of festival. With that being said however the headliner was Bassnectar.
It takes about an hour and a half to drove from Seattle to Darrington. I of course, came from Portland which was close to a 5 hour drive. There are many places to camp, some quieter than others and some farther of a walk than others. If you want to put up your hammock in the shade or want a short walk to the river or the main stage I would suggest getting there early!
Summer Meltdown organized a lineup that was fun, funky, local and bass heavy. My experience included Petty or Not, Josh Clauson, Baby Cakes, Trevor Hall, Chanti Darling, Bassnectar, Chong the Nomad, Psymbionic and Manatee Commune.
Here are my experiences with some of these amazing artists:
Baby Cakes, a local band from Bellingham, Washington, was a very fun and funky performance. It was the first show that had a crowd of people dancing and they came on around 7 and music started at 1:45. Trevor Hall was very chill and vibe heavy music, Summer Meltdown is marketed as an edm festival at times but this was a very alternative chill performance that fit perfectly in this atmosphere of trees and mountains. Bassnectar was the last main headliner and he definitely brought the bass, I nearly disintegrated when I was in the photo pit. The crowd was dancing and head banging their hearts out, and the production was out of this world.
After the main "show" there was some final edm acts at the late night tent and that's when it became almost like an underground rave. Those who could continue deep into the AM came here to rave away. The final set Manatee Commune ended after 3am which is much later than some much bigger festivals that take place in Washington. It was definitely a festival to remember and I can't wait for next year!
Find out more about Summer Meltdown by following their socials here - Twitter, Instagram, Facebook. You can also visit their website here.
Words and photos by Tariq Abdellatif.
Now, Now | Portland
Now, Now performing at Doug Fir Lounge in Portland, OR on August 1, 2018. All photos taken by Joe Hernandez.
Boy Pablo | Washington DC
Boy Pablo performing at Union Stage in Washington DC on July 31, 2018. All photos taken by Cecilia Nguyen.
Summer Salt | Philadelphia
Summer Salt (with support from The Symposium and Hot Flash Heatwave) performing at Everybody Heats in Philadelphia, PA on July 25, 2018. All photos taken by Skylar Watkins.