WHERE MUSIC AND COLORS COLLIDE
With COVID-19 cancelling or postponing all concerts and events around the world, a new form of content was needed. Originally posted on Nippertown, I’ve decided to interview some friends of mine that also happen to be popular local musicians. First off is my friend Frank Palangi. View my gallery of Frank here.
Review initially posted on Nippertown
So I generally try to go to a concert educated on the music, but this time I fell short. I attended the Dermot Kennedy show on relatively short notice, and in doing so I failed in familiarizing myself with Kennedy’s music which allowed me to attend his show with a clear, unbiased perspective. The same cannot be said for the supporting act, SYML, who I am very much a fan of. With those disclosures out in the open, let’s dive right in.
The opening act was Seattle-based Brian Fennell, or as he is known in the music world, SYML. SYML, formerly of the band Barcelona, is generally a one-man all-encompassing songwriting, producing, and performing entity. However, during an anecdote, SYML stated that he picked up a musician somewhere along his tour, a fellow Brian nonetheless. Brian offered violin and piano accompaniments to SYML’s largely mellow music.
Concert review initially posted for the online publication Nippertown.
Fitz and the Tantrums (FATT) has been on my radar for a lot longer than I’ve actually been actively listening to them. My father and I used to occasionally watch this show called Live from Daryl’s House. It began as a web show and later moved to public broadcast.
Want the abridged version? It’s posted on Nippertown
FADE IN:
EXT. UPSTATE CONCERT HALL – SAINT MOTEL MOTION PICTURE SHOW – CHILLY WINTER NIGHT
Establishing.
On the outskirts of New York’s Capital city in the town of Clifton Park, a line of concert-goers is queued up under the overhang of a strip mall-turned-concert venue. They are waiting for the doors to open so they can escape the frigid air and find their places as close to the stage as they can get. The parking lot is full of cars, full of ruts, and you can hear the sound of crunching ice chunks as cars drive over them. The green, white, and black sign above the venue door reads UPSTATE CONCERT HALL. A SECURITY GUARD takes a drag from his cigarette, then exhales into the night air, the smoke indistinguishable from the vaporized breath. The concert-goers, some of which are inappropriately dressed for the weather, jump, dance, and shuffle to keep themselves warm. They chatter and laugh among themselves.
Continue reading “Saint Motel is Just My Type :: February 15, 2020”
Concert review initially posted for the online publication Nippertown.
American Idol alumni Chris Daughtry, flanked on either side by Elvio Fernandes (Piano) and Brian Craddock (Guitar), put his heart and soul into over an hour of some of Daughtry’s biggest hits in their purest form Wednesday night at Troy Music Hall.
Continue reading “Daughtry Acoustic Trio || Troy Music Hall || 10.16.19”
This concert held particular significance for me, which is why it’s that much harder for me to write about it. Now I’ve spoken about the start of my concert photography with Moriah Formica, but it is with Finish Ticket that my journey truly began. FT is San Fransisco-based quartet that straddles the line between indie rock and radio-ready pop. I came across their single “Color” them on a now-defunct hidden section of Google Play called the antenna sampler. I fell in love with the catchy melodies and lyrics, and the youthful, yet mature-sounding pop. “Color” in particular fills me with sad sort of nostalgic longing for something I can’t quite place. Shortly after discovering their EP (sometime in mid 2015), a friend and I made our way to Boston to see them perform at Brighton Music Hall. It was here I discovered concert photography.
Continue reading “The Return of Finish Ticket || 09.13.19”
The last time I wrote about Madison, she had just barely started her run on American Idol. Since then, she claimed the title of Second Runner-Up (or third place), and has been touring nationally and locally with her band and her fellow Idol contestants.
Continue reading “Madison VanDenburg :: 08/18 & 08/19”
Well it’s been over a month since this concert, and I’ve not neglected this blog purposefully. I was on vacation for two weeks, and I spent the time I’ve had since my return by packing and moving my things from one house to another. That being said, I’m happy to finally be able to talk about this show and show the photos.
Continue reading “Our holy mother of The Midnight :: June 23, 2019”
God, I love retrowave. There’s something about the way it completely steals me away, making me nostalgic for an era I never lived in. Retrowave is based in the sounds of the 1980s, particularly the distinctive sounds of the movie soundtracks and video games. The music swirls with synthesizers and whimsical lyrics that long for lost loves, lost days, or the vibrancy of a sunset. If I were to describe retrowave as a scene, well, let me set it for you. It is South Beach at sunset, the neon lights from the art deco buildings lighting up around you. The convertible top is down, the ocean breaking in the distance, the smells of salt and sand and Cuban food waft into your nose, and the ocean breeze is tousling your hair in the dwindling heat of the day.
Continue reading “Running in the Night :: FM-84 @ Elsewhere Hall”
Chances are that if you were born in the early to mid 90s, like me, then you know who the Michalka sisters are. Maybe not by their surname, but by their nicknames: Aly & AJ. These sisters earned their fame in the glow of one of those Disney glow sticks. Alyson was on a show called Phil of the Future (you’re already humming the theme song, I know you are!) and AJ…well honestly I never saw anything she was in except for a Disney Channel movie called Cow Belles but I think that’s because I was aging out of Disney Channel at that point. Anyway, everyone knows that if you’re going to be on a Disney show you can’t just be an actor or actress. You have to be able to sing. Aly & AJ put out two albums under Hollywood Records, both albums were well received and you can be damn sure almost any 90s millennial knows the words to “Potential Breakup Song.”
Continue reading “Aly & AJ: Potential Make-Up Song”