Young Thrashers Bring Metal Back to Cleveland

This year already has been a significant failure in the shortage of metal bands traveling through Cleveland. Even 2018 left to bring the noise with a sprinkle worthy of mentioning. It’s as if detours are pointing anywhere but The Rock and Roll Capital of the World. When a city like this goes quiet for too long, one band is bound to emerge from the shadows. Revealing themselves as crude descendant 80 thrashers, Assault awoke and reunited the fire that thrash is NOT dead and metal still prevails!

Pictured Right: Dylan Andras (Circ. 7/17)

It’s time to wipe away the saliva from your face because Assault is right up in your space. Most of the band members, still in high school, have already made a name for the city of Cleveland. Their big break happened last month at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as they took second place in the “High School Rock Off”. I will admit, I shortchanged myself. Did not think this event was worth paying much attention to until I heard these guys made it as finalists. When I first got wind of Assault back in December playing the famous Metal Food Drive from a good friend, I deliberately opened my schedule to attend their recent show on March 21st at The Grog Shop. It’s funny how small the world can really be. Lead guitarists/vocalist, Dylan Andras and I briefly met in July ‘17 at the House of Blues when Metallica tribute band, The Four Horsemen played that night. The kid was right up front by the barricade screaming at me for a photo. This was all before I even knew he was a musician, let alone in Assault.

Ten o’clock rolled around on a Thursday night. A decent local crowd scattered throughout the venue leaving empty pockets around the stage. Before any cymbal was struck or string was touched, Dylan alerted the crowd to bring it into the stage. Every last soul needed to come together. Immediately, I was taken back with the leadership already shown! The whole band was a unit throughout the evening with Dylan showcasing the most power and charisma. The best way to describe Assault’s demeanor would be to hop onto Youtube and watch Metallica’s performance from the Metal Hammer Festival in ‘85. They played so damn fast, so loud, they immediately brought back the nostalgia of watching my favorite band. Not only did they include covers of Metallica’s “Seek & Destroy”, and Slayer’s “Raining Blood”, their original material beautifully blended into that signature 80’s thrash sound. Considering it was a school night, their performance lasted little over half an hour with an encore that officially slammed the book shut for the night. I’m sure if they can keep bashing down the door with the adrenaline and creativity, we’re bound to witness something truly special in the near future. Assault...I’m on board!

**Expanded Photo Gallery

Review: The Amity Affliction @ The House of Blues (Cleveland, OH)

Better late than never. I welcome to 2019. It’s been a few months since my last entry. I hope you left 2018 with lasting memories and accomplished a few goals to set you up with new beginnings for the year. I’ve taken some time away from the stage to work on other projects and focus on other areas, but I did miss the spotlight of being in front of the stage capturing moments of music.

A month into 2019, a show finally piqued my interest when Australian’s metalcore band, The Amity Affliction made their stop at the House of Blues headlining the “Misery Will Find You Tour” on January 27th. The Sunday show sold out about a week and a half before the date, so many fans were eager to catch up after their appearance two years ago when they supported Motionless In White at the Agora. And to be honest, it wasn’t one of their best appearances that evening. The sound quality was poor and I remembered Joel Birch (singer) was stationary on stage throughout the set. It was very odd as it appeared he injured his leg or something.

Joel Birch (Vocalist)

All was forgotten that night as everything was a significant improvement. Joel moved the stage like a frontman should involving the crowd, rather it was sharing the mic or helping falling crowd surfers from the floor. I gravitated more towards Joel probably like a lot of their fans of The Amity Affliction. His ongoing struggles with depression and as a recovering alcoholic, his lyrics become relatable in life to a lot of people. It's a no-brainer a lot of the band's hits contribute from downfall to redemption.

The "Misery Will Find You Tour" supports the band's sixth studio album, "Misery", released in August on Roadrunner Records. The setlist arranged six of the songs off the album leaving the band's biggest hit, "Pittsburgh" as the finale before coming back onto the stage for "All Fucked Up" for the encore.

Since October was the last show I covered and began wondering coming into The Amity Affliction, if any rust needed to be brushed off. Yes, I did feel a bit impaired, but I thoroughly enjoy covering them and witnessing the interaction between fan and artist. It's a family gathering when I go to shows where you peer into the eyes of both parties and everyone just lives in the moment. The full setlist that night can be seen below followed with my photo coverage.

Setlist:

1. Drag the Lake

2. Ivy (Doomsday)

3. I Bring the Weather With Me

4. Holier Than Heaven

5. This Could Be Heartbreak

6. Shine On

7. D.I.E.

8. Open Letter

9. Feels Like I’m Dying

10. Death’s Hand

11. Set Me Free

12. Don’t Lean On Me

13. Pittsburgh
    Encore:

14. All Fucked Up

Photo Review: Motionless In White @ The Agora Theatre

It's been a good month. Exciting opportunities have happened to me outside the world of photography. One, I started a new job that not only excels myself as a graphic designer but also allows me to wear multiple hats where I'm working as their official photographer. The one bad incident that took place took place right before this show even opened their doors. Decided to bring my back up camera with my Sigma Art lens for MIW as I know the lighting was going to be shit. So there I am, walking up to the entrance, full line of fans lined up outside waiting to get in the door. My right shoulder dips down as I start to head for the metal detectors. I turn and look to my left and I see my D600 drop to the sidewalk dismembering and destroying the lens mount. Devastated! Now I wait for its return from Nikon for the repair. The lens looked fine, but that too was sent in since part of the mount snapped to the rear of the lens. All I have to say is, "fuck you Black Rapid!" This was the second time I near lost a camera to this POS strap system. I now am tossing the strap and buying a second Peak Design Slide strap where I can have a little more piece of mind.

The last time Motionless In White came to Cleveland was exactly two years ago around this date. Yet again, headlining their tour - The Graveyard Shift Tour with William Control, Miss May I and Amity Affliction as support. The band's 2017 release of "Graveyard Shift" took front with many hits including "Loud (Fuck It)", "Necessary Evil", "Rats", "570", "Soft", and "Eternally Yours" performed on the bill.

Aside from my small mishap, it was another fantastic show at the Agora. The staff did an exceptional job, as usual, catching bodies that came over the barrier. Wished a few things went differently, but the challenges that I faced that night, I put my best foot forward and rolled with the punches. Bring me my next fix!

Motionless In White Setlist
1. Rats
2. Reincarnate
3. Necessary Evil
4. Soft
5. Loud (Fuck It)
6. 570
7.A-M-E-R-I-C-A
8. Sick from the Melt
9. Dead As Fuck
10. Not My Type: Dead As Fuck 2
11.Immaculate Misconception
12. We Only Come Out At Night
13. Voices
14. Queen For Queen
15. Devil's Night
Encore:
16. Eternally Yours
 

Olathia's 2016 Promo

Wow! It's been well over a month since my last initial entry here. The holidays are over with and I can finally breathe better now. I do hope everyone had a fruitful time with family and didn't end up murdering anyone over the shopping madness. I stayed away. Two words. 'Online shopping', baby!

Olathia contacted me at the end of December to tell me they needed new promotional shots of the band. I also found out that their old bass player, Sully left the band for personal issues (best of luck bud), but they already found a new replacement. So they needed to keep things fresh for their fans. Of course, they graciously thought of me to do their glamour shots.

The location we used was super unique and packed full of ideas. Chris called me up and told me, " Hey man, we already have a location. We're using Mushroomhead's practice space! Countless possibilities await." I walked inside to see truck loads of equipment Mushroomhead uses. Stage props, their iconic masks, costumes, and all the road gear. Rob, the guy renovating the space, is hoping to open it up to national touring bands on lay overs on current tours. Very cool idea!

I was dazed when I saw all the items inside as I couldn't focus my mind on what I wanted do first. It had to be unique and spoke fit in with the image of the band. I saw the marble staircase inside the building that transitioned up into a dark, short corridor leading to the second story. It was easily the first and best spot I could use for the portrait session. Real simple. One light set-up, slightly side lit almost 180 degrees to keep the light from spilling up the steps. Wanted that darkness behind my portrait to add drama and make each member prominent in the shot. It's tough with a shoot through umbrella as light spills all over, but I was able to clean some of it up in post. Hoping to get soft box and grid soon to fix that issue.

Chris - VOX

Jeff - Bongs

JD - bass

Jake - Guitar

Steve - Guitar

Photos: Motionless In White w/ The Devil Wears Prada @ The Agora Theatre

A month ago, I heard the metalcore/goth band, Motionless In White were coming to the Cleveland Agora and I instantly thought to myself, "this would be a crazy show to shoot". They're still new to me, but first got wind of them when the band played on stage with Rob Zombie at the Alternative Press Music Awards this year. And since Halloween seems to be their favorite time of the year, I thought this would be an special show to attend. The Devil Wears Prada also co-headlined the evening with The Color Morale, The Word Alive, and Upon A Burning Body as the night's openers.

I did get to test out some new gear that night. Well, not camera wise which you're probably thinking, but new ear plugs by the company, Dubs. Labeled as 'Acoustic Filters', they reduce volume without sacrificing the clarity of sound. So basically the plugs reduce the bass you hear in a concert so you can focus more of the actually music. They have a 12 decibel Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) to help protect your ears. I did find them a tad uncomfortable later in the night, but I'm sure since this is my first time using them, I need to break them in more. For $25, I'm a happy user and will continue to be my safety net for protecting my ears. If you're interested, you can buy them here at Amazon, which is where I got mine.

The Color Morale (Rockford, IL)

Nothing too extraordinary to say about The Color Morale's set. One instance to mention, about half way through the band's first song, Garret (lead singer) stopped the show as he noticed a member of the crowd suffering from a seizure. Needless-to-say, they only got play a 15 minute show, but kudos for the band stepping up and making sure fans were safe.

The Word Alive (Phoenix, Arizona)

The Word Alive really was the best among the three openers. Telle Smith's voice was unparalleled. He hit a wide range of tones from hardcore screams, to a soft melodic approach. Rare to find a singer who can spread the vocal range on that kind of scale.

Upon A Burning Body (San Antonio, Texas)

I was fairly disappointed in Upon A Burning Body's set. Horrible sound. All muffled and even my new earplugs couldn't clarify on what was being sung. I did hear they had a bad sound check, so I'm sure that was the case. Another flop was how they ended the night. The band covered Lil Jon's, "Turn Down for What" in their own metalcore approach. I really don't understand the thought of closing a night with a song that was so out of left field from their typical genre. Bodies were still being hurdled over the barricade, so I'm sure the fans didn't care too much.

Restrictions to shoot only the first 3 songs posed a problem with Upon A Burning Body. Mostly all red lights filled the stage and had me really waiting a few key moments for a flicker of white or blue light to complement skin tones so I could come away with a decent filled photo.

The Devil Wears Prada (Chicago, IL / San Diego, CA)

The performance of the night goes to The Devil Wears Prada. Holy shit were these guys awesome! The stage presence of the flickering lights along with the ferocious screams from their lead singer, are what made this a category 5 performance. They played continuous set without breaking between songs until about 3/4 of the performance, Mike greeted the crowd and showed their appreciation.

My best images from shooting live music came from these guys. Wow! I now have the hard decision on which photo or photos to add to my portfolio. It's nice to come home and flip through your images to find, you're going have some nice prints hanging on your wall. Cannot wait to start updating my Wall of Rock.

Motionless In White (Scranton, Pennsylvania)

Much of Motionless In White's show relied heavily on lights and stage props to dramatize the band's dark, lifeless look. Few of the members came out in Halloween masks, but I know their bassist ("Ghost" Sola) pretty much wears one most of the time. He was sporting his usually Michael Myers masks that he wears a lot from previous shows. Little disappointed in Chris' stage threads for the evening. He did come out in his usual all black with spandex pants equipped with platform boots, but it all seemed a bit lazy.

The stage lights and strobes were phenomenal as they flickered throughout the theater with a fog cannon pouring out onto the crowd. Another significant mentioning, M.I.W. covered Linkin Park's "One Step Closer" with their own metal rendition. A great memorable night and excited I got to see these guys. They didn't disappoint.

Photos: Olathia @ Ohio Bike Week

June 6th, I got the opportunity to join Olathia on the Main Stage at Ohio Bike Week in Sandusky, Ohio. I was super excited to cover this because of a few reasons. One, the biggest outdoor stage I've shot so far and two, a massive crowd turnout full of bikers and concert goers. Oh yes. I forgot. The food and drinks were much appreciated that day. ;)

Olathia did open up for Buckcherry that evening, but didn't have credentials to shoot them. No biggie, as I'm not a huge follower of their music. It's always a spectacle to see a National band roll through, regardless of your personal taste. You learn and appreciate a lot about what goes into the production and value when putting on shows for their fans.

With each Olathia show I attend, the stage or venue seems to get sizably bigger or richer. I love all the publicity they've been getting since their CD release. And with my photos riding shotgun, I've been expanding my reaches and meeting numerous bands along the way. It's a pairing made in heaven for me.

If you haven't had the chance to check out Ohio Bike Week (the biggest bike event in Ohio), you really need to go. Not because of the cool bikes, merchandise, and delicious food, but the entertainment is all free. Yes, the shows are complementary to the general public.

Photographer's Notes:

Camera:
Nikon D600 (Updated)
Lens:
Nikon 24-70 f/2.8

I had free range to shoot every possible angle that day. And the nice thing, I got to shoot at a much lower ISO than I usually do at concerts. Yay for little noise! There was a nice crowd gathered around for Olathia. It was a shame they closed off the VIP section closer to the stage, which made it appear smaller than usual.

Photos: Olathia CD Release Show + The Artwork!

Friday evening, Olathia kicked off their CD release party at the Empire Concert Club and Bar in Akron. This was a big deal, not only for the band, but myself, as I finally got to see the finished product with my photos all decked out. Their designer/artist, Dave Vezdos made me grin ear-to-ear and so incredibly proud this thing came together so effortlessly.

You're not going to get a headbanging CD with your photography in it and NOT get the band's signature?! I think not.

This was show number 8 for the guys. Everything seemed to gel together as the sound and energy was clean and vibrate as ever. With the lights dimmed down as Chris' backing vocals echoed through the venue, you could feel the violent anticipation build up as "Hellhound" unleashed through Steve and Jake's guitar. It was time! Strobes up and the fog surrounding the stage. A perfect introduction!

My picks as follow:

Photographer's Notes:

Camera:
Nikon D600 (Updated)
Lens:
Sigma Art 50mm f/1.4

I decided to be a little adventurous and try out a new lens I never shot with in a concert setting. The Sigma Art lens was removed from my bag and into the firing line. This piece of glass is so fast, so sharp, it makes my other pro lens look like a mere kit piece. To have the luxury to shoot at f/1.4 makes everything look silky as butter and allows me to really lock in on my subject. I would of loved to get some wider shots, but as soon as I get my second body, I will keep this on standby!

Photos: Sabaton and Nightwish @ The Agora Theatre

My bad ass metal friend, Chris was able to hook me up and grant me access to shoot Sabaton and Nightwish at the Agora Theatre in downtown Cleveland. I've never actually shot in their theatre, since it's reserved for bigger touring acts and not too many shows get green lit for that area and are most often shown on their Ballroom stage. The theatre is currently getting remodeled and I was very impressed with the new additions the venue is upgrading. I heard it's competing to be the best venue in Cleveland. I too, think it's holding up.

SABATON (Falun, Sweden)
Delain, Sabaton, and Nightwish opened a sold out crowd at the Agora Friday night. Sadly, I missed Delain's performance as I was having trouble getting pit access, but able to make it for Sabaton.

Never heard of Sabaton too much, but as soon as their lead singer came out with his signature shades and semi-shaven hair cut, I immediately recognized the dude. A metal band straight out of Sweden, their lyrics are mostly about military and historical wars (preferably WWII).

I'll put it out there right. Sabaton brought it that evening. The most crowd pleasing and energetic band I've photographed. Hands down! I really enjoy the segment where the lead singer brought two little girls from the crowd on stage and let them become part of the band through one of their songs.

NIGHTWISH (Kitee, Finland)
The melodic metal group out of Finland also didn't disappoint either. Their flashy light show really added atmosphere to the night, along with their grotesque props on stage. I'm glad I did my research, because I decided to look up some recent tour performance videos on Youtube. So if flashy strobes disturbed you, this may be a tough show to watch. Just to be warned.

Check out some of my favorite shots of their show.

Photographer's Notes:

Camera:
Nikon D600 (Updated)
Lens:
Nikon 24-70 f/2.8

Overall, I was impressed with the show and the whole venue. I would like to thank Larry of the Agora for granting me the press pass to shoot these bands. This show was definitely a memorable experience for me. I think the next time, I will bring along a small stand to stand on. The stage was up to my chest and I didn't anticipate standing on my tippy toes for most of the show.