Intervals || The Troubadour

April 13, 2016

While it's currently called The Shape of Color Tour, its more accurate name would be closer to The Insanely Technical Shredding Guitar Gods of Metal Tour. Intervals is currently headlining this fantastic tour to promote their new album The Shape of Color. Plini, who is also the backup guitarist for Intervals, is also on the lineup with Angel Vivaldi and Save Us From The Archon.

Having been a huge fan of these bands for a while, I showed up to The Troubadour super early to get the full experience. I got to watch the soundcheck where Aaron Marshall, the mastermind behind the Interval's face-melting music, joked around with the rest of the band. They played I'm Awake and Libra, the first and last songs on the album in front of their masterclass students. Following the performance Angel Vivaldi had a one on one lesson with a student while Aaron And Plini had about a dozen.

Save Us From The Archon opened and unfortunately I can't say much about them because one of the security guards kicked me out for not having the right wristband. After a lot of hassling and scrambling for a silly wristband, I was finally let back in right before Angel Vivaldi went on stage. It's thanks to him that I was able to shoot in the first place so I absolutely HAD to photograph him.

This was the second time I've seen Angel perform and he is absolutely nuts. He's constantly doing hilarious and fun things on stage like chugging water bottles, Snapchatting, and playing blindfolded, all while he's soloing hard! His music is a fantastic combination of tasty solos, melodic melodies, and heavy riffs. Along with being a superb musician, Angel is also a glorious human being. He’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met who is always giving hugs, taking selfies, and signing autographs with fans after his shows. If you haven’t listened to his music and met him, make it a priority in your life.

Plini, a 23 year old Australian guitarist, and his band took to the stage next and got the crowd ready for Intervals. A bunch of teenagers were losing their minds to Plini’s music in the front row as if they were watching Guns N’ Roses (who played their legendary show at the Troubadour last week). Along with his stellar music, Plini told some hilarious stories filled with his typical dry humor that bridged the gaps between songs. What I found most impressive was that Plini was able to play back to back sets as he is the rhythm guitarist for Intervals.

As Intervals took to the stage, Aaron Marshall announced that they would be playing their new album The Shape of Color in its entirety. While hearing all of Intervals’ new material was awesome, nothing can possible compare to the encore. Most encores are pretty boring. The band leaves as fans chant for one more song. The band makes a “surprise” encore and plays its 2 most famous songs they happened to leave out of their set. Not Intervals. Aaron changed it up big time by just jamming with his bandmates for a few minutes. I could have watched that freestyle session for hours it was so good. Aaron and Plini traded riffs and solos like they were playing tennis… or ping pong… your choice of simile. The fans absolutely loved it too because they were absolutely silent, trying to absorb the beautiful music. This was my first time seeing Intervals and I promise it won’t be my last.

It was so clear that Intervals (and the rest of the bands) truly loved their music and their jobs. They were constantly joking around with each other, both on stage and off. After the show, Aaron came up to me and whispered in my ear, "You know your in a room full of nerds when everyone after the show doesn't come to tell you good job but asks what DAW (digital audio workstation) you're using." He was completely right and it was hilarious.

Having photographed roughly 20 concerts this year, I can easily say that The Shape of Color Tour was my absolute favorite. Just a few miles down the street, guitar legends Tosin Abasi, Nuno Bettencourt, Zakk Wylde, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Steve Vai performed at The Wiltern together in a concert called Generation Axe. There isn’t a sliver of doubt when I say if I had to choose between attending Generation Axe or The Shape of Color Tour, I would choose The Shape of Color Tour every single time. Yes… it was that good. If you’ve read this far I assume you’re either my mom (hi mom) or a fan of instruMETAL music. But either way, thank you. Please let me know what you think of the pictures. I love comments. They make me happy. Deuces.

INTERVALS:

PLINI:

ANGEL VIVALDI:

Killswitch Engage || Fox Theater Pomona

April 11, 2016

The last time I got to see Killswitch Engage perform live was at the Music As A Weapon IV tour in 2009. To say the least, things were quite different back then. I was still in high school, Howard Jones was still the frontman of Killswitch, and I had no idea what I was doing with my life, and I got grounded for going to the show (totally worth it by the way). That being said, seeing Killswitch Engage perform live and having the amazing privilege to shoot it was such a fantastic experience.

Thanks to Timmy Farmer, I got VIP passes to the show where I got to photograph and chill with Memphis May Fire and watch the show backstage. Definitely a step up from only being allowed to shoot the first three songs in the pit. Hanging out backstage with them was such a blessing because they’re all humble dudes who’ve got great personalities. They are not egotistical divas who don’t have time for anyone. Everyone was always down to chill with fans, take pictures, and have a good time.

Anyway, the show was fantastic and Memphis May Fire absolutely killed it. Unfortunately, as a support band for Killswitch, there was barely any light during their show which made it insanely difficult to photograph. Frontman Matty Mullins delivered a high energy performance that had the crowd off of their feet. Some people have natural talent and Matty (and the rest of MMF) is one of them. Their music sounded exactly like it did on the album which is so refreshing to see these days. The down side to the show was I wanted to see them play more songs, but that just means I’ll have to go see them headline their upcoming tour with We Came As Romans, Miss May I, and For Today!

Killswitch Engage obviously put on an amazing show. I got to see vocalist Jesse Leach perform with KSE for the first time and hear songs off of all their new records since I saw them last. While their light show brought the intensity up, there were a lot of red lights which made photographing KSE difficult. During a couple songs they had smoke machines pumping out haze adding to the atmosphere and helping my pics out a bit. With a setlist of 17 songs, Killswitch played 4 song off of their new album Incarnate, 4 songs off of Disarm The Dissent and The End of Heartache, and a few songs off of their other albums. Sadly, they didn’t play a few of my favorites like Reject Yourself, The Arms of Sorrow, Daylight Dies, The Element of One, The Hell In Me, and Time Will Not Remain. I guess thats my fault for always being busy during their concerts over the years. While they’re getting older, they still play with ferocity and the crowd always responds in kind.

Killswitch Engage Setlist:

Strength of the Mind // A Bid Farewell // Numbered Days // No End In Sight // Beyond the Flames // Alone I Stand // This Fire Burns // Vide Infra // Always // Breathe Life // Hate By Design // Rose of Sharyn // Embrace the Journey…Unpraised // My Last Serenade // The End of Heartache // My Curse // In Due Time

Memphis May Fire Setlist:

Beneath The Skin // Prove Me Right // Legacy // Stay The Course // Alive in the Lights // No Ordinary Love // The Sinner // Vices

Alaska Adventures

March 31, 2016

DAY 1

I’ve been planning this trip to Alaska for quite a while to visit one of my Indiana Wesleyan University friends, Kristian Irey. Flying out was pretty terrible because my flight left LAX at midnight. Got into Seattle at 2:30am and slept on an uncomfortable airport bench until my flight to Anchorage at 6am. Passed out in the plane until I hit Anchorage, Alaska at 8:30. Kristian picked me up and we went to this dope breakfast place called South. We hung out at her apartment with her roommate Jaclyn for a bit until we hiked up Blueberry Hill. It was cold and windy, but absolutely beautiful. Did some editing back at the apartment until we picked up Caleb (another old IWU friend) at the airport. Jaclyn went to work while Kristian, Caleb and I went on another hike to Eagle River Nature Center and then headed to Beluga Point where we admired the sunset. Next we went to dinner at The Rustic Goat and had some delicious food. Went home exhausted and passed out hard from lack of sleep the night before and from hiking all day.

DAY 2

Caleb flew back to Fairbanks in the morning. Kristian and I went to Williwaw / Steam Dot coffee shop which was awesome. Best vanilla and caramel latte’s I’ve ever had. I caught up on some editing while Kristian went on a quick shoot. Kristian and I made a spur of the moment decision to fly up to Fairbanks the next day to spend some more time with Caleb, go on flights with him, visit the hot springs, and hopefully go dogsledding! As I sat in the coffee shop, I got to do a lot of people watching. Whenever I made eye contact with someone, we both smiled. While I was an outsider and technically a tourist (hurts to say), I felt welcomed by everyone. Once Kristian was finished, we drove up to Hatcher’s Pass where the weather had become extremely foggy, making it difficult to see all the beauty I was surrounded by. Luckily, it was a different type of beauty (but a little more difficult to photograph). We stopped inside the A-Frame ski lodge there where we had some fantastic hot chocolate. Seriously, what is it about Alaska and delicious hot beverages?

DAY 3

Woke up at 5am to get to the airport where we took a one hour flight to Fairbanks. After being picked up by Caleb (who lives in Fairbanks) we stopped to get groceries. Caleb prepped the plane for our Denali flight while Kristian slept because she was feeling a bit sick. Sadly, the visibility was really low so we didn't end up going to Denali. Instead, Caleb and I grabbed coffee and breakfast sandwiches at Alaskan Coffee Roasters. Delicious once again. The next plane was full so I couldn't go to Coldfoot which was a bummer. Got picked up by Kristian and went to urgent care because she really wasn’t feeling well. Napped in the lobby and one of the nurses took a snapchat of me. I didn’t care. I was tired. Kristian and I then shopped for "sick" foods before heading back to Caleb’s house to nap. Naps are my favorite. Caleb came home from the flight to Coldfoot and we drove an hour north to the hot springs. While they had a nasty sulfur smell, it felt great to chill and relax in a natural hot tub surrounded by mountains.

DAY 4

Woke up Easter Sunday and had breakfast at Sams Sourdough Cafe with Kristian and Caleb. Caleb and I drove to the airport and he prepped his plane as I filmed him. I got to fly with Greg to Coldfoot because Caleb’s flight was full. Naturally I wanted to fly with Caleb, but I was just grateful to be able to travel there. On the flight up, all I could see were trees, mountains, and snow. No animals, buildings, roads, or people littered the vast expanse below me. I couldn’t help but think I was in Game of Thrones on the other side of the Wall, surrounded by Wildlings. Venturing to Coldfoot was the farthest north I’ve ever been. Caleb and I kept joking about Lord of the Rings saying, “If I take one more step, It’ll be the farthest away from home I’ve ever been.” For the first time in my life, I crossed the Arctic Circle and went 55 miles beyond that to Coldfoot. Basically things looked about the same as the other hundreds of miles around me; it was all bleak and desolate beauty.

Met up with Caleb once we landed and went to the cafeteria and got a private tour of the sled dogs. One of my favorite moments was when Caleb saw the first dog and said, “well now I have to say hello to everyone,” before proceeding to greet each and every dog with excitement and scratches. Dogsledding didn’t end up happening in Fairbanks but I was just happy to see some sled dogs in Coldfoot. Greg flew up north so I headed back with Rachael. Hearing Caleb talk about his work made me realize how insanely passionate he is about what he does. In order to make people feel more comfortable in the plane, he talks to each person, and gives detailed information about what people can see from the windows. Life lesson: surround yourselves with people who love their jobs more than anything in the world. Sadly, there wasn’t much extra time after the Coldfoot flight to hang out so we packed our things and headed to the airport to catch our flight back to Anchorage. Said goodbye to Caleb and hopped on the plane for my 3rd flight of the day. After arriving in Anchorage, Kristian, Jaclyn, and I went to a restaurant called Bear Tooth before hanging out at their apartment and editing.

DAY 5

Hung out and had a fantastic breakfast thanks to Jaclyn and then hung out and watched random cute octopus videos. It was time for me to head back to LA but Kristian and I drove downtown and stopped at a few tourist shops just to see if there was anything cool there. Drove to the airport for my 4th and 5th flights in 2 days. Said goodbye to Kristian and headed back to the land of sunshine and smog. It was a brief trip but definitely awesome to see old friends, meet new ones, and see the beautiful landscape. I’m hoping to go back sometime in the summer because I would love to see Alaska as a green paradise instead of the cold snowy one I had already experienced.

Finally, I would like to thank Santa Clause for all of his reindeer I ate. They were delicious.