UNfest 2 with Gories, Pissed Jeans, Peach Kelli Pop & more!

The Gories @ Unfest 2
The Gories @ Unfest 2
The Gories

Pissed Jeans @ Unfest 2
Pissed Jeans @ Unfest 2
Pissed Jeans

Peach Kelli Pop @ Unfest 2
Peach Kelli Pop

Obnox @ Unfest 2
Obnox

Ed Schrader's Music Beat @ Unfest 2
Ed Schrader’s Music Beat

Hunters @ Unfest 2
Hunters

Roomrunner @ Unfest 2
Roomrunner

Old Lines @ Unfest 2
Old Lines

Cult Control @ Unfest 2
Cult Control

Big Christ @ Unfest 2
Big Christ

UNfest 3 is this weekend, so enjoy the above photos from 2013’s fest! You can buy tickets for this year’s fest here.

Click here for all the photos from UNfest 2.

Click here for day one and here for day two photos from UNfest 1!

(These photos originally ran on Noisey.)

Hopscotch 2012.

Sunn O))) - Hopscotch 2012
Liars - Hopscotch 2012

This was my first time at Hopscotch, and I had a blast. A really cool, eclectic festival in Raleigh, North Carolina, which is a nice town. All the fest venues are fairly close together in or around downtown, so it’s really low pressure, very fun and easy to see alot. I’ll definitely be back. Click on to see my favorite shots (as always, mouseover to see the band names). Continue reading

Insubordinaton Fest 2012 @ the Ottobar.

House Boat crowd surfing @ Insubordination Fest 2012

This was a lot of fun – an annual pop-punk/punk fest from local punk label Insubordination records, I was sent out by the Baltimore Sun to cover this, but was excited to see the Mean Jeans, who I have covered before, as well as Night Birds & the Dopamines (who were playing with Mikey from the Ergs), both of whom I have always managed to miss. House Boat, who I’d never heard of before, was a good discovery – they played until they literally fell down from exhaustion. What a fun show and crowd… crazy crowd-surfing and dancing, lots of fun bands. And the organizers, including the legendary Larry Livermore, were very easy to talk to and chill. Read on for more photos or click here for the whole Flickr set from Insub festContinue reading

Sweetlife Fest @ MPP w/ Kid Cudi, Zola Jesus, the Shins, more…

Kid Cudi @ Sweetlife Fest
Zola Jesus @ Sweetlife Fest
The Shins @ Sweetlife Fest
Kid Cudi @ Sweetlife Fest   @ Sweet Life Fest

Last weekend, checked out the Sweetlife Fest at Merriweather Post Pavilion for the Baltimore Sun… a rainy, dreary day but the kids in attendance could not be deterred… lots of smiling youths who were partying HARD. Also, some pretty great food courtesy of local vendors (I had a Toki Underground pho dog, myself… yum!) Weird to see Kid Cudi rocking a huge stage at an arena, last time I saw him was a little more intimate

Check all my photos from Sweetlife! (there are alot more than above, including other bands like Delta Spirit & Explosions In The Sky).

TV On The Radio @ Virgin FreeFest 2011

TV On The Radio @ FreeFest 2011
TV On The Radio @ FreeFest 2011   TV On The Radio @ FreeFest 2011
TV On The Radio @ FreeFest 2011

I’ve seen them a couple of times this year already, but TVOTR are always good live, and they were one of the highlights of this year’s Virgin FreeFest at Merriweather Post Pavilion.

Two Door Cinema Club, Bombay Bicycle Club @ Virgin FreeFest 2011

Two Door Cinema Club @ FreeFest 2011
@ FreeFest 2011
Bombay Bicycle Club @ FreeFest 2011

Two bands with club in their names that played at virtually the same time at the FreeFest 2011! It took some wrangling, but I managed to get to shoot both bands and even got a aerial view:

@ FreeFest 2011

The Black Keys @ Virgin FreeFest 2011

Black Keys @ FreeFest 2011
Black Keys @ FreeFest 2011   Black Keys @ FreeFest 2011
@ FreeFest 2011

Closing out the main stage, and the last rock band of the night, the Black Keys (who I’d never seen before) had the crowd anticipation stoked high before they came on stage… and they didn’t seem to disappoint, though I was way too burnt out to really appreciate their set. I’d like to see them again someday without having to work for 11 hours before they played!

Deadmau5, Teddybears @ Virgin FreeFest 2011

Deadmau5 @ FreeFest 2011
Deadmau5 @ FreeFest 2011
Teddybears @ FreeFest 2011   Teddybears @ FreeFest 2011
@ FreeFest 2011

Raver culture was there in full effect at Virgin Fest this year… perhaps fitting, since we are apparently in the midst of a full-fledged rave/dubstep takeover… Deadmau5 brought out a huge throng of kids, who stayed til the very end of FreeFest, the west stage area by the ferris wheel reaching the biggest capacity it had all festival.

There were also a lot of dudes doing Deadmau5 cosplay:

Deadmau5 fan @ FreeFest 2011

Patti Smith @ Virgin FreeFest 2011

Patti Smith @ FreeFest 2011
Patti Smith @ FreeFest 2011

I never expected to see Patti Smith live, but was very pleased to be wrong about that… she put on a great, fiery show at FreeFest, and was one of the only artists I heard speak about politics and other weighty topics (which DID generate a few boos from some people in the audience). Her band was tight, she was full of energy, playful… great show. I’d love to see her again in a setting where she had time for a full set.

Okkervil River, Grace Potter & the Nocturals @ Virgin FreeFest 2011

Okkervil River @ FreeFest 2011
Okkervil River @ FreeFest 2011
Grace Potter & The Nocturnals @ FreeFest 2011

Two groups I had never seen before, both put on good live shows, though Okkervil River surprised me more, I didn’t expect them to have as much energy live… they put on a pretty rockin’ performance.

Maryland Death Fest 2010

Pentagram @ MDF2010
EYEHATEGOD @ MDF2010    EYEHATEGOD crowd @ MDF2010
Pentagram crowd @ MDF2010    Dan Lilker / Autopsy @ MDF2010

This year was the eight Maryland Death Fest, a annual music festival at Sonar in Baltimore that is, without a doubt, the best metal/extreme music festival in the US/North America. It is always a great time and has been getting bigger and more well-organized with each successive year. This time around there were TWO outdoor stages, an indoor stage, a merch room, and dozens of vendors… not to mention thousands of devoted metalheads deposited right into downtown baltimore.

It’s hard for me to go to the WHOLE thing, it’s just overwhelming, but luckily it’s located centrally and close to my house so I usually just dip in to check out the bands I want to see. This year that included EYEHATEGOD, Autopsy, Obituary, Entombed, Pentagram, Deceased, and Converge. I also checked out a few new (to me) bands, my favorite being Captain Cleanoff from Australia. For me, the standout shows of the weekend (besides Captain Cleanoff) were Autopsy and Pentagram…

If you like metal, try to make it to this fest next year!!!

Click here to see more Maryland Death Fest pictures!

See also: My post about Maryland Death Fest 2009