Rewind: Club Mutant @ Paradox, Baltimore 2014-07-19

SOFT PINK TRUTH

Club Mutant was an underground party that Door did at America, with noise/electronic/avant artists, but (as I recall) this night was a collaboration with Mark Brown, Schwarz (who is now known as So Drove) and Cex who had done a variety of dance parties in the past. This was at the Paradox, and apparently I photographed this for Noisey, Vice Media’s music vertical which no longer exists. The article doesn’t seem to be online anymore, sadly. Hopefully I got paid!

This was a fun night that I remember pretty well because it was such a cool mix of artists and genres – the kind of genre mixing event that Baltimore has always done so well. Soft Pink Truth (aka Drew Daniel) had just released the Why Do The Heathen Rage? album, which was a Black Metal re-interpolation, so he was in full SPT/Black Metal regalia and some metal friends were here for that. Baltimore Club innovator Blaqstarr DJed along with Shawn Smallwood and some others. Shams performed. Gabber Blood Rave artist Kilbourne DJed along with the Schwarz.

This night was also funny because one of my friends disappeared and we thought he had just caught a taxi home, but then it turns out he fell asleep in the Paradox and woke up when the janitors were cleaning up – at like 9am!

If anyone reading this has any memories, details, flyers, etc to add to this, feel free to comment below, or @ me and I’ll add them. I’m “joshsisk” at IG/Twitter/BlueSky/Threads/whatever dozen other new social media sites have been created in the time it took me to type this.

BLAQSTARR, SHAWN SMALLWOOD
CEX
MARK BROWN
KILBOURNE, SCHWARZ
BLAQSTARR
KILBOURNE
SOFT PINK TRUTH
SHAMS
SHAWN SMALLWOOD
SOFT PINK TRUTH

Black Eyes @ the Dirtfarm, 2002

It’s kind of scary to realize that this was over twenty years ago… anyway, in the dim dark recesses of the past I used to book shows, generally either at the punk house I lived in in Adelphi, MD called THE DIRTFARM, or at Charm City Art Space or Warehouse Next Door.

Since there is an upcoming Black Eyes reunion, I figured I would dig some photos from one Black Eyes show at the Dirtfarm. I want to say they played there twice, but maybe it was just once, and it was a great show as I recall. All these photos are from the basement.

I had moved to the DC suburbs just the year before, and Black Eyes quickly became my favorite local band. I remember buying their seven-inch from them out of the back of a car at Fort Reno and after that, I have no idea how many times I saw them in various basements or group houses around the DC area in those years, and then finally, their last show at the Black Cat. Them breaking up seemed like an end of an era moment for me, along with a few other similar events, and I ended up moving to Baltimore not long after!

In the ensuing years their early 7″ songs and the first album especially have been something I come back to often, they really hold up, as does the second album, and are super evocative and nostalgic for me. Really happy to have booked a show of theirs at my house, and even more excited to be able to see them again soon, again at the Black Cat! Enjoy these photos!

NOTE: If anyone has any other photos from this show, or video, or a flyer, please reach out! I’ll add it here. Would love any other DIRTFARM related ephemera as well.

Photo Galleries: Check out all the BLACK EYES photos from this show on Flickr (remember Flickr?) | Here’s another Flickr gallery from that era that has other show photos from the Dirtfarm

Bonus: Here is a fun article about house shows in the DC suburbs from 2002 where they get my name wrong, lol.

Alms & Murder @ Metro Gallery – 2021/11/12

ALMS @ Metro Gallery, Baltimore - 2021-11-12 ALMS @ Metro Gallery, Baltimore - 2021-11-12 ALMS @ Metro Gallery, Baltimore - 2021-11-12 ALMS @ Metro Gallery, Baltimore - 2021-11-12 ALMS @ Metro Gallery, Baltimore - 2021-11-12

ALMS

MURDER @ Metro Gallery, Baltimore - 2021-11-12 MURDER @ Metro Gallery, Baltimore - 2021-11-12 MURDER @ Metro Gallery, Baltimore - 2021-11-12 MURDER @ Metro Gallery, Baltimore - 2021-11-12 MURDER @ Metro Gallery, Baltimore - 2021-11-12

MURDER

Wow, this is my first photo post since the pandemic. And at the first show at the newly opened Metro Gallery. Felt really good to be here. At some point, maybe, I’ll write some sort of bloggy post reflecting on the last year or so, but for now, it’s just cool to post these photos.

SEE ALL THE MURDER / ALMS PHOTOS 2021/11/12 METRO GALLERY PHOTOS HERE

Carly Rae Jepsen @ Fillmore – 2019/07/21

Carly Rae Jepsen @ Fillmore Silver Spring - 2019/07/21
Carly Rae Jepsen @ Fillmore Silver Spring - 2019/07/21
Carly Rae Jepsen @ Fillmore Silver Spring - 2019/07/21
Carly Rae Jepsen @ Fillmore Silver Spring - 2019/07/21
Carly Rae Jepsen @ Fillmore Silver Spring - 2019/07/21
Carly Rae Jepsen @ Fillmore Silver Spring - 2019/07/21
Carly Rae Jepsen @ Fillmore Silver Spring - 2019/07/21
Carly Rae Jepsen @ Fillmore Silver Spring - 2019/07/21
Carly Rae Jepsen @ Fillmore Silver Spring - 2019/07/21

Sunday I photographed the Carly Rae Jepsen show at Fillmore Silver Spring for the Washington Post , and I was super excited for this because, for one, Carly Rae rules, and two I was quite sure she would be a great and photogenic performer. I was right! it was a great time, and she was a pleasure to watch – her and all her band/stage people all seemed to be having a great time, too, which was nice. I am not an expert on her music, so not much to add besides it’s nice to see a pop star that seems to have a great relationship with their fans and really seems to enjoy what they do – that’s surprisingly rare, I’ve found. A really fun night!

There are a bunch more photos in the album below, so check em out!

READ THE WASH POST REVIEW | VIEW ALL THE PHOTOS

Blink-182 & Lil Wayne @ Jiffy Lube Live – 2019/07/12

st-blinkwayne0713
st-blinkwayne0713
st-blinkwayne0713
st-blinkwayne0713
st-blinkwayne0713
st-blinkwayne0713

Trucked down to scenic Bristow VA for this show, which was the show where Lil Wayne made some controversial statements about quitting the tour, and his place on it (though I believe it all worked out in the end) and only played a few songs, which disappointed some. The show was pretty sparsely attended when Tunechi went on, but I think a lot of that was just the insane rainstorm keeping people from making it on time, because it looked a lot more crowded by the time Blink-182 played.

I accepted this assignment mainly because I had never seen Lil Wayne, so was a bit disappointed that it seemed like he wasn’t really giving it his all, and the reviewer seemed to agree. However, I thought a bit more of the Blink-182 set (though I only saw the first 3 songs, of course). I am not at all a Blink fan, but was struck by the fact that the band seemed to be having fun – poking fun at each other, and just in general enjoying themselves – which is more than you can expect from a LOT of bands tour after 20+ years.

VIEW ALL PHOTOS | READ THE WASHINGTON POST REVIEW

In the studio & on location with SKELETONWITCH.

Skeletonwitch
Skeletonwitch
Skeletonwitch
Skeletonwitch
Skeletonwitch

This was a fun shoot – Prosthetic Records wanted some photos to commemorate the addition of Adam Clemans to the Skeletonwitch line-up, and they were in town recording with Kevin Bernsten of Developing Nations, so we did a quick session. They ended up needing to shoot a live video of them in the studio as well, so I helped out with that also, so some of my footage ended up in this:

Great day and what a great bunch of guys!

Skeletonwitch in the studio
Skeletonwitch in the studio
Skeletonwitch in the studio

SEE ALL THE SKELETONWITCH PHOTOS HERE

TRNSGNDR/VHS at the Walters Art Museum.

Transgender/VHS @ Walters Art Museum
Transgender/VHS @ Walters Art Museum
Transgender/VHS @ Walters Art Museum
Transgender/VHS @ Walters Art Museum

A little while back, I photographed Baltimore musician and artist TRNSGNDR/VHS at a special performance at the Walters Art Museum. It was part of the Art/Sound/Now series, which brings in artists to do site-specific performances in the Walters’ space. Quite an experience, it was interesting to see the crowd move in and out of the space full of classical works, while listening to Alexandra’s very contemporary piece.

READ THE ARTICLE ON BANDCAMP | SEE ALL THE PHOTOS FROM THE EVENT

We also did a quick portrait session before the show, and I like how some of the shots turned out…

Transgender/VHS
Transgender/VHS

Noisem photo shoot.

NOISEM
NOISEM
NOISEM
NOISEM
NOISEM
NOISEM
NOISEM
NOISEM

I love this band. One of the brightest spots on the Maryland heavy music scene, and a bunch of really awesome dudes as well. It’s been super cool to watch their careers rise, and it’s totally deserved as their records rip (and each one is better and more nuanced than the last). Always fun to hang out and take photos for a couple of hours with this crew, and I think this set shows it.

VIEW THE WHOLE PHOTO SHOOT HERE | Noisem Bandcamp

Prurient & Chelsea Wolfe.

Prurient.
Prurient.
Prurient.
Prurient.
Prurient.

Been sitting on some older photos from Hopscotch Music Festival 2015. Hopscotch is one of my favorite music fests, located in Raleigh, North Carolina. The close proximity of all the venues and the great staff and locals make it a super fun time, year after year… here are some photos of Prurient, one of the more famous noise artists. He played in the big opera house venue in downtown Raleigh, an odd setting for this performance, perhaps, but it was cool to see him there. I noticed the various ushers and staff of the venue shaking their heads in confusion – I assume they normally don’t host this kind of show there.

Chelsea Wolfe.
Chelsea Wolfe.
Chelsea Wolfe.

Right after this, at another venue, I got to check out Chelsea Wolfe, who I’d been waiting to see for quite awhile – great performance (with a guest appearance from Mike Sullivan from Russian Circles, pictured above). Her album Apokalypsis is one of my favorites, highly recommended!

SEE ALL MY HOPSCOTCH 2015 PHOTOS HERE

Carcass & Crowbar @ Baltimore Soundstage

CARCASS @ Baltimore Soundstage
CARCASS @ Baltimore Soundstage
CARCASS @ Baltimore Soundstage
CARCASS

CROWBAR @ Baltimore Soundstage
CROWBAR @ Baltimore Soundstage
CROWBAR

Another catch-up post! Two classic metal bands who have been touring a lot lately, it was good to catch them at Soundstage, though, one of my favorite places to see shows these days. Crowbar really put on a good show this evening, was stoked since there were issues with their MDF set the last time I saw them in Baltimore. Great band. Carcass is a band I never expected to be touring again like this, and each time could be the last time seeing them so I was super stoked to catch them again as well… right now feels like the best time to be seeing heavy bands play since the late 90s or early 00s.

SEE ALL THE PHOTOS HERE

LISTEN: Carcass | Crowbar

If We Shout Loud Enough (Double Dagger documentary) now streaming!

Double Dagger's last show.

Gabriel Deloach‘s documentary about Double Dagger, one of the all-time great Baltimore punk bands, is finally streaming on Amazon. I am biased since I am friends with everyone involved in this project, and contributed photography which appears in the film (and was even interviewed, though I unsurprisingly did not make the cut), but I truly think this is a great music doc and worth watching even if you are somehow going in not knowing who Double Dagger was. It’s full of insightful moments and plenty of great live footage from the band’s last tour, a tour I also documented:

“An inside look at the Baltimore underground music scene through one of its most pivotal bands, Double Dagger, this intimate and entertaining portrait follows the band as they complete their final tour and album, tracing the history and growth of the band and of Baltimore’s underground music scene.”

Streaming on Amazon | Buy the physical LP+DVD

Brujeria & Cattle Decapitation @ Baltimore Soundstage.

Brujeria @ Baltimore Soundstage
Brujeria @ Baltimore Soundstage
Brujeria @ Baltimore Soundstage
Brujeria @ Baltimore Soundstage
Brujeria @ Baltimore Soundstage
Brujeria @ Baltimore Soundstage
Brujeria @ Baltimore Soundstage
BRUJERIA

Cattle Decapitation @ Baltimore Soundstage
Cattle Decapitation @ Baltimore Soundstage
Cattle Decapitation @ Baltimore Soundstage
Cattle Decapitation @ Baltimore Soundstage
Cattle Decapitation @ Baltimore Soundstage
Cattle Decapitation @ Baltimore Soundstage
Cattle Decapitation @ Baltimore Soundstage
CATTLE DECAPITATION

Another catch-up post. This was a great show, two modern classic bands that I hadn’t ever seen before somehow (or, at least I don’t recall seeing them before, anyway!) Brujeria led the crowd in a Fuck Donal Trump chant and brought out a fake Trump on stage, pretty fun antics for the election season. Cattle Decapitation showed off their ever-broadening sound, they really impressed me live, and their newest record backs those live chops up.

SEE ALL THE PHOTOS HERE
LISTEN: Cattle Decapitation | Brujeria

Thou @ Sidebar, 10/3/2016.

Thou @ Sidebar - 10/2016
Thou @ Sidebar - 10/2016
Thou @ Sidebar - 10/2016
Thou @ Sidebar - 10/2016
Thou @ Sidebar - 10/2016
Thou @ Sidebar - 10/2016

Managed to escape from the recent Green Day show I shot for the Washington Post and make it back to Baltimore to catch one of my favorite bands, Thou, at the Sidebar. Bryan Funck, Thou’s vocalist, is an old friend and one of the best people in punk & diy. Thou’s work ethic is really inspiring, they’ve released so many great records and toured consistently without any sort of compromises. Love seeing bands who still do it right.

SEE ALL THE THOU PHOTOS HERE

Dope Body: 8 years in photos.

dope body @ whartscape 2010.

Baltimore band Dope Body played their last show this past Saturday. I’ve been following their creative output for years, having met Andrew, the vocalist years ago at Sonar and quickly became a fan of their wild live performances, as well as their sound which developed from album to album. A great group of guys who managed to capture a specific and primal sound with their band and also build a devoted following in the area. Sad to see them go, excited to see what they all come up with next. Here are some of my favorite photos of the band I’ve taken over the years, both live shots as well as band photos. UPDATE: City Paper published these as a gallery!

Dope Body @ whartscape 2010.
Dope Body
Dope Body @ SXSW 2012
Dope Body @ SXSW 2012
DopeBody @ Scapescape 2012
Dope Body @ GW
Dope Body @ GW
Dope Body @ Scapescape
Dope Body @ GW
Dope Body @ GW
Dope Body @ SXSW 2012
Dope Body @ Fraziers
Dope Body @ Fraziers
Dope Body
Dope Body @ Fraziers
dope body.
Dope Body @ The Compound
Dope Body @ The Compound
Dope Body
Dope Body @ The Compound
Dope Body @ The Compound
Dope Body's last show @ the Floristree
Dope Body's last show @ the Floristree
Dope Body's last show @ the Floristree

SEE ALL MY DOPE BODY PHOTOS HERE

Dope Body’s Last Show. Floristree. 2016/05/15.

Dope Body's last show @ the Floristree
Dope Body's last show @ the Floristree
Dope Body's last show @ the Floristree
Dope Body's last show @ the Floristree
Dope Body's last show @ the Floristree
Dope Body's last show @ the Floristree
Dope Body's last show @ the Floristree
Dope Body's last show @ the Floristree
Dope Body's last show @ the Floristree
Dope Body's last show @ the Floristree
Dope Body's last show @ the Floristree
Dope Body's last show @ the Floristree

The end of an era. RIP to one of Baltimore’s longest running bands. This was a great show at one of the city’s best DIY venues. Lots of feelings about this, but it was a really nice way for four awesome people to put a cap on eight years of creativity and musical expression. Wonderful to see so many old heads come out for this, what a good night. Go start your own band.

Also: I was going to add them to this post, but it’d be too much so check back tomorrow, when I’ll be posting a retrospective assortment of photos I’ve take over the band over the years.

SEE ALL THE PHOTOS FROM THE LAST SHOW HERE

Esperanza Spalding @ 9:30 Club

Esperanza Spalding @ 9:30 Club, DC 4/19/2016
Esperanza Spalding @ 9:30 Club, DC 4/19/2016
Esperanza Spalding @ 9:30 Club, DC 4/19/2016
Esperanza Spalding @ 9:30 Club, DC 4/19/2016

This show was great. I didn’t know much about Spalding going it but it turns out she is quite the performer – both in a musical sense and the dramatic. The concert was more like a musical stage play, performed to a absolutely sold-out 9:30 Club. If you are a fan of her music I would say don’t miss out on the chance to see her live; I thought it was great and I was just some guy off the street, essentially.

Read the Washington Post review here | See all my photos from the show here

Justin Bieber @ Verizon Center

Justin Bieber @ Verizon Center - 4/29/2016
Justin Bieber @ Verizon Center - 4/29/2016
Justin Bieber @ Verizon Center - 4/29/2016
Justin Bieber @ Verizon Center - 4/29/2016
Justin Bieber @ Verizon Center - 4/29/2016
Justin Bieber @ Verizon Center - 4/29/2016
Justin Bieber @ Verizon Center - 4/29/2016

This show was pretty tough. I’ve been to a lot of pop shows over the years and though I rarely enjoy the music, usually artists at the arena or stadium level seem to be pure entertainers, like Usher, vibing with the crowd and their fans, like Ke$ha, or in complete control of the crowd like Kylie Minogue. Not Bieber. He just seemed bored, or something. Not sure if it was an off night or what, but my only thought after walking out of this show was “man, that guy really didn’t want to be up there, did he?” Too bad, because it was a hell of a light show and stage setup, and a full house.

Read the Washington Post review of the show (which echoes much of my sentiments) | See all my photos from the show