alt-J played an official late night show at Austin Music Hall on Saturday in addition to their set at Austin City Limits Fest both weekends. See all photos from the show here.
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alt-J ACL Late Night Concert Photos
MS MR Concert Photos
MS MR are touring across the U.S. in support of their sophomore album How Does It Feel. On Spet. 25, they stopped in Austin, Texas to play for more than 1,000 fans at Emo’s. See all photos from the show here.
The Maine bring American Candy to Austin
I was The Maine for the 10th time on Sept. 24, and it was one of my favorites. They performed American Candy front-to-back with a few oldies at the end before the finale of “Another Night on Mars.” Lyrically this album has a lot of great songs with the comfort of The Maine’s classic sound. While there were new fans in the crowd, many veteran fans were singing along to American Candy just like they did when Can’t Stop Won’t Stop was their favorite album back in the day.
The show landed in between dates of The Maine’s Free For All Tour, in which they play malls and other odd venues entirely free for fans. It’s all because of the fans that the band can continue to make music and tour. The tour is a way for The Maine to thank the fans for all they’ve given them over the years. To supplement the free tour, they sold tickets to special shows where they performed their most recent album American Candy in its entirety.
See all photos from the show here.
Catfish and the Bottlemen brings explosive sound to America
It’s not often that you come across bands with only a debut album that can construct a such a full and commanding live sound. Ask Catfish and the Bottlemen and they’ll tell you they’ve been playing shows all over the United Kingdom since their early teenage years, even living out of a van. Now 23-years-old, frontman Van McCann is taking the bands to new heights. Filling 5,000 capacity venues and playing to 10,000s of patrons at festivals in the U.K., Catfish and the Bottlemen have come to make their mark in America. The band played at Emo’s in Austin, Texas on Sept. 22. See more photos from the show here.
Catfish and the Bottlemen exists to perform. Their songs are built for the live setting. Heavy guitar licks and massive drums resonate through the room. McCann yells lyrics like it’s his life, blood and sweat. And it is.
What the band lacks in time, they make up for in quality. The 11 song set spanned just over an hour. A notable sidetrack from the album, McCann took a solo at the end of “Homesick” – stripped back, McCann growled the first chorus of “Homesick” with only accompaniment from his guitar. Trading up for an acoustic guitar, McCann also sang “Hourglass” solo, surrendering to a beautiful crowd sing-a-long.
The full band wrapped up the set with their radio single “Cocoon,” closing with “Tyrants.” The latter serves as the perfect finale with a built-in instrumental break to close. Cymbals, guitar riffs, chorus vocals build up to the last note, leaving fans wanting more when it’s over.
All band members are invested in playing the music, but McCann is overcome with it. It’s as if the music washes over him and turns him into another being, utterly consumed by the notes flying off of his guitar. There’s no doubt he knows how to perform, but his stage presence doesn’t overwhelm the way his playing does. Throughout the set he thanks the crowd repeatedly 
for coming to the show in Austin. He is a man who knows the music. That’s what he does, and will continue to do for fans as long as they listen.
Catfish and the Bottlemen aren’t innovating like The Beatles or Bob Dylan, but they’re doing what they do really well: rock ‘n’ roll, big guitars and frank lyrics. It’s been awhile since a band has kept it simple while going out in a big way, and McCann recognizes that. They may not be the next radio-hit wonder-band but their cult following with continue to grow and sell out bigger venues, pushing them into the big leagues. At this rate, they could be headlining festivals in a few years.
Purity Ring Returns to Austin
After their last show was rained out this spring, Purity Ring returned to Austin on Sept. 5 to perform at Austin Music Hall. The show was more than an hour behind schedule when solo artist HANA opened the show. She received a surprising amount of praise for an unknown opener. Her hypnotic electronic vibes and sweet voice got the crowd moving for the main attraction. Half an hour after HANA’s set, singer Megan James of Purity Ring ran on stage unannounced and said “the generator is blown out and we can’t perform.” The crowd gave several confused shouts before James laughed and said it was a joke. The other half of Purity Ring, Corin Roddick, joined her on stage for a performance and light show fans would remember.
All photos from the show can been seen here.
Behind the Scenes With Marc Scibilia
I caught up with Marc Scibilia and his band on Sunday at Emo’s in Austin, Texas. He’s currently touring the United States in support of ZZ Ward and recently released his Out of Style EP. A talented singer, songwriter and guitarist, Marc Scibilia will soon be a name you’ll know. The band brought their energy to the stage, producing a massive full band sound throughout the set and impressing the crowd with his closing song “How Bad We Need Each Other.” I want to give a huge thanks to Marc and the band for inviting me out and welcoming me into their pre-show routine. See more photos from the show on flickr.
Follow Marc Scibilia on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
From left to right: drummer Matt Scibilia, guitarist Mike Squillante, guitarist and singer Marc Scibilia, and bassist Eric Montgomery
Mike shows off his setlist for the show.
Matt drums on a rail to warm up.
Eric dresses for the show.
Mike, Marc, Matt and Eric pose before the show.
Matt drums while Eric, Marc and Mike sing vocal exercises.
Marc sings his songs in the van before the show.
Eric gets ready backstage.
Marc plays guitar and sings while Matt drums.
Eric plays bass.
Fans watch Marc’s performance.
Mike plays guitar and sings backup vocals.
Marc takes a photo with a fan after his set.
Warped Tour 2015 Photo Round Up
Here are my favorite photos of bands I caught at Warped Tour in Dallas, TX on June 27. Click on the photo to see more of each band. See all photos on flickr.
Senses Fail
Mod Sun
Night Riots
Knuckle Puck
Candy Hearts
Born Cages
Neon Trees Concert Photos
Neon Trees stopped in Austin, TX at Emo’s on June 17 with Alex Winston and Yes You Are. Check out photos below or see all of the here!
Ones to Watch: Wolf Alice
All photos from Wolf Alice’s show May 19 at Holy Mountain in Austin, TX can be viewed here.
Halfway through Wolf Alice’s 12-song set, I find myself with a huge smile on my face when I soak in the reality of the moment. “Storms” is not the soundtrack to this moment. Packed into sold-out 200 capacity Holy Mountain with fans jumping and head banging, it is the moment.
There is a special feeling to hearing music performed live – the raw, unedited vocals, distorted guitar, the sound of fingers running up and down the strings, the thumping bass and the tinging cymbals. If the atmosphere is right, it is magic. It’s easy to get lost in it. Smiling to myself, that was my realization. It’s such a dream-like state, you forget it’s real. A 12-song set turns into hours and with the blink of an eye back into a second.
For the time being, Wolf Alice transported me to the place where all that mattered were the vibrations ringing in my eardrums. Some people say Rock ‘n’ Roll is dead. But Wolf Alice is gives me hope that it very much alive. Wolf Alice is a young band, no doubt, still solidifying their sound. But they are talented.
Starting out as a a folk-tinged pop project, “Leaving You” was the first glimpse we saw from Ellie Roswell and Joff Oddie in 2010. Followed by “Fluffy” in 2013, with the addition of drummer Joel Amey and bassist Theo Ellis, they formed their rock roots. The end of 2013 also brought us Blush EP, showing off a mix of driving drums and grunge guitar distortion on “She” contrasted with hauntingly delicate vocals and resonating guitar progression on “Blush.” Creature Songs EP, released May 2014, displays different sounds still – more guitar distortion, more hard-hitting rock beats, more driving bass, and overall more play with vocal expression and distortion.
Wolf Alice’s songs translate well in the live setting, emphasizing the grunge appeal. The four-piece are outfitted in Dr. Martens and ripped skinny jeans. Oddie uses a pedal board that looks like it could control the starship Enterprise. And Roswell adds another mic for distorted vocals. It’s a ragged act that could use some cleaning before hitting the big stage, but surely, their sound will command the audience at the many festivals they are playing this summer and fall, including Austin City Limits Fest’s second weekend. Listening to “Moaning Lisa Smile,” I can feel myself surrounded by tens of thousands of people singing and jumping along with the sun bearing down on my shoulders mid-day at a festival.
With the many different sides Wolf Alice has shown, there is much anticipation leading up to their debut album release My Love Is Cool on June 23 (US). Most recent singles “Giant Peach” and “Bros” establish that roller coaster sound that we are likely to hear on the album, from soft and tender to driving and powerful. It is one of my most anticipated albums of the year.
Future Hearts Tour
Future Hearts Tour stopped in Austin, TX on April 29 at ACL Live’ infamous Moody Theater. State Champs, Tonight Alive and Issues opened the night for All Time Low. All photos can be seen on Flickr.
Starting the show, State Champs brought the energy to the stage, jumping around and head banging across the stage, never standing still. Fans reacted by cheering and jumping, giving the same energy back to the band. Singer Derek DiScanio slowed down the set for one song, performing “If I’m Lucky” solo on acoustic guitar. Fans got out their phones and turned on their flash lights to light up the Moody Theater. Fans roared as The New Yorkers ended the set with 2013 hit “Elevated” before handing the stage over for Tonight Alive.
Tonight Alive delivered an impressive pop-punk set. Jenna McDougall’s vocals ring out in a surprisingly clean and powerful tone, giving a unique face to the music. The band came on stage in all smiles, and remained that way throughout the set. Half way through the set, McDougall made the crowd repeat after her: “From this day, I refuse to live in fear of someone else’s judgement.” After several repetitions, she dedicated the song to the crowd before jumping into “What Are You So Scared Of?,” a 2010 release. From her delivery and the reaction of crowd, it was clear this song meant a lot to her and to Tonight Alive fans. Before the end of the set, she asked in her Australian accent, “Is anyone else feeling that good energy in the room tonight? It’s running through me.” The crowd cheered loudest of all, pushing the energy back at her before Tonight Alive ended the set with “The Edge.”
After signing to Fearless Records in 2010, Tonight Alive has gained huge popularity among pop-punk fans. At this rate, they are sure to stick around for awhile longer.
Issues continued the hype, brining hardcore to the otherwise pop-punk show. Clean vocalist Tyler Carter and unclean vocalist Michael Bohn ran around stage, taking turns singing and screaming. Bassist Skyler Acord was an impressive whirlwind of head banging and jumping, never standing still for more than a second. At one point, Bohn asked to see a circle pit, but with Austin’s laid back mentality, it was hard to tell whether that was a reality or not.
Nine years after releasing Put Up Or Shut Up EP and five albums later, All Time Low’s Future Hearts album went number one in the US. Released April 7, the album also went number one in the UK, number three in Canada, number four in Australia, and sold the most vinyl copies in the US and UK, gaining them the title of number one album in the world.
The Future Hearts Tour production was bigger than anything All Time Low has done in the US before. Their stage set-up and lights show surpassed their previous productions. While Moody Theatre feels like an intimate venue, the stage still powers over the audience. Banners hanging from the ceiling, several stories high, served as the backdrop for the show. During song changes, the top layer fell down to reveal a new layer with a new image, featuring images like the Future Hearts cover and the band members. All Time Low are known for their lights show. And thanks to their light engineer Jeff Maker, the light show went above an beyond, swallowing the stage in colors from green to red to purple and white.
For just having released Future Hearts, All Time Low’s setlist was surprisingly typical of the band. Opening with “Satellite,” the set featured only four other songs from the new album – “Runaways,” “Missing You,” “Something’s Gotta Give,” and “Kids in the Dark.” The rest of the set was filled with all of the usual hits and fan favorites like “Weightless,” “Damned If I Do Ya,” “Lost In Stereo,” and “Six Feet Under the Stars,” among others. And of course it wouldn’t be an All Time Low show if they didn’t close with “Dear Maria.” As of April 21, it was announced that “Dear Maria, Count Me In,” So Wrong, It’s Right (2008), is now certified platinum, despite never receiving radio play. This comes after the news that “Weightless,” Nothing Personal (2009), went gold in Nov. 2014.
Despite the average setlist, All Time Low delivered the same, lively and fun set as always, interspersed with comical commentary from singer Alex Gaskarth and guitarist Jack Barakat. Bras, letters and hats were thrown on stage as gifts for the band. All the while, fans sang their hearts out, and jumped at the opportunity to be pulled on stage during “Time Bomb.” There was so much love in the room from and for the band, that there wasn’t a soul in the crowd that didn’t go home satisfied.
Austin, you crushed all my expectations tonight! So good; Like sex n' candy.. And other Marcy's Playground songs.
— Alexander William (@AlexAllTimeLow) April 30, 2015
