The Wombats performing at Brooklyn Steel in Brooklyn, NY on October 3, 2023. All photos taken by Susie McKeon.
Life Is Beautiful Festival | Las Vegas
Life Is Beautiful Festival featuring Pure Sport, SNACKTIME, Prentiss, Cannons, Inhaler, Amber Mark, John Summit, Omar Apollo, RAYE, BabyTron, Yung Gravy, Cigarettes After Sex, Nelly, Ferg, Khalid, and Kendrick Lamar in Las Vegas, NV September 22 - 24, 2023. All photos taken by Bryan Martinez.
standards | Seattle
standards performing at The Vera Project in Seattle, WA on October 4, 2023. All photos taken by Nicolette Ivy.
The Aces | Atlanta
Your favorite band is on tour, and we had the pleasure of getting to see them in action! Comprised of four members: sisters Alisa Ramirez (drums) and Cristal Ramirez (lead vocals and guitar), Katie Henderson (guitar) and McKenna Petty (bass) are rocking the roof off of Variety Playhouse. A fan favorite venue in Atlanta, The Aces are giving us exactly what we need. The alternative pop band from Provo, UT is showing their fans that they’re entering a new era and it’s one for the books.
The Aces’ logo appears, projected above the drum set, and fans are already going crazy. “Hope it doesn’t get worse as I get older,” the opening rhythm to “Always Get This Way” rings out and the audience is roaring. The first track of the show has bodies moving and hands in the air. With a performance of “Don’t Freak” shortly after, it’s evident that The Aces is prepared for a jam-packed show.
“Atlanta, how are you feeling?” Cristal Ramirez greets the venue. “I need you to sing along with me!” “Solo,” from their latest album I’ve Loved You For So Long has everyone in the mood to rock out for the night. “Atlanta welcome to the I’ve Loved You For So Long Tour!” Ramirez yells into the microphone and the crowd erupts in applause.
After a killer performance of “My Phone is Trying to Kill Me,” Ramirez heads to the front of the stage to get personal with the crowd. “It feels so good to be back. Thanks for having us, it’s been a long time. How you guys doing?” A brief pause for woo’s and cheers. A brief moment of technical difficulties leads Ramirez to passing the mic to Henderson for a good ‘ol fashioned dad joke. “What do you call a cow with no legs?” Henderson asks. (It’s ground beef, if you were wondering.)
After two cow jokes, and body signing by the band, the band is back in full swing with “Kelly” and “Girls Make Me Wanna Die.” The venue is buzzing. The concert air is full of joy and fans screaming the lyrics. The show weaves through some classics, like “Suburban Blues” and “Attention.” Ramirez, moved by the energy in the venue, gets candid with the crowd. Getting honest about the birth of this record, Ramirez admits to being anxious and depressed. “And, it’s this band and you guys that get me out of bed every day.”
With just a few songs left in the show, Ramirez warns the crowd that the show is nearing its end, and everyone boos. Why would we ever want this night to end? “Volcanic Love” from the band’s debut album When My Heart Felt Volcanic catapults the show into a frenzy one more time. With stellar performances of “Daydream” and “Stuck,” the I’ve Loved You For So Long Tour officially ends for Atlanta.
If you’re like us and can’t get enough of The Aces, you can find them on Instagram (@TheAces) so you can stay up to date on new music, merch, tour, and more! Don’t forget to stream I’ve Loved You For So Long wherever you stream music. The Aces are still coursing through the States with Carol Ades, so be sure to catch them live while you still can. Their last show of the North American tour is October 28th at the Wiltern in Los Angeles, CA!
Words by Kaylee Pickens
Photos by Chandler Bunzol
Matt Maeson | Santa Ana
Matt Maeson (with support from Steinza) performing at The Observatory in Santa Ana, CA on October 2, 2023. All photos taken by Raven Kendall.
Movements | Brooklyn
Movements performing at Brooklyn Steel in Brooklyn, NY on September 27, 2023. All photos taken by Cardan Rosario.
Ashnikko | Brooklyn
Ashnikko performing at Brooklyn Mirage in Brooklyn, NY on September 26, 2023. All photos taken by Janae Stewart.
Rowan Drake | West Hollywood
Rowan Drake performing at Troubadour in West Hollywood, CA on September 6, 2023. All photos taken by Nicole Ditt.
Jinjer | Vancouver
Jinjer (with support from Monuments) performing at Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver, BC on September 25, 2023. All photos taken by Emma-Jane Dotchuk.
boygenius | Boston
boygenius, the indie supergroup made up of Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker, stopped by MGM Music Hall in Boston, MA for two nights to open up their east coast tour. With 22 songs and a surprise appearance at the end of the show by Hozier, they easily entertained the crowd, playing new and old music as well as some songs from each artist's solo catalog. Perhaps the biggest highlight of the night was the announcement of their the rest EP, which will be coming out in two weeks, as well as the live debut of "Black Hole" from the EP. The group put on a stunning show, and will continue their tour along the east coast with a notable stop at New York's Madison Square Garden before continuing on to play at the Hollywood Bowl in California on Halloween.
Words and photos by Julia Finocchiaro
Lisa Heller | New York City
Lisa Heller performing at Webster Hall in New York City on September 21, 2023. All photos taken by Elizabeth Feirstein.
BeachLife Ranch Festival | Redondo Beach
BeachLife Ranch Festival featuring Joe Purdy, The Marshall Tucker Band, The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, Keb’ Mo’, Chris Isaak, Parmalee, Blackberry Smoke, Shooter Jennings, Abby Anderson, Wynonna, Midland, Cody Jinks, and Brad Paisley in Redondo Beach, CA September 22 - 24, 2023. All photos taken by Raven Kendall.
Motionless In White | Los Angeles
It’s the end of September, and it’s never too early to go full Halloween mode. Fans gather up at the barrier wearing their favorite blacks with handwritten signs on hand, waiting eagerly for metalcore bands to take over on this cool night. The show takes place at L.A.’s newest open air venue, The Torch/Los Angeles Coliseum, a historic landmark famously known for its Olympic games.
Alpha Wolf started the show with high intense energy that makes you wanna two-step to their breakdowns. The crowd went wild when their newest member, Sabian Lynch, climbed up the metal stage truss and trying to encourage the guitarist to stage dive.
Next up is one of my favorite metal bands, After the Burial, coming in with some heavy riffs, double drum kicks, and death growls that inspired concert goers to headbang and circle pit to their progressive sound. They played their newest song ‘Death keeps us from Living’, and ended with a popular favorite “Behold the Crown.”
Another great band I love, Knocked Loose, kept the adrenaline going with one of their best songs “God Knows.” Unfortunately, my time in the photo pit was cut short when someone in the crowd decided to throw a tall can of beer that landed on top of my head while I was shooting. Funny, I've shot many of their shows without barriers and not once did I ever get hit badly that caused bleeding. I expect this sort of thing to happen from crowd surfers and stage divers — NOT from a beer can, that’s just tacky.
Thankfully there was a medical staff on location that provided all the help I needed, and was able to return just in time for the final act.
Headliners Motionless In White took the stage and were greeted to monstrous applause and shrilling screams from the audience that can be heard for miles. Their massive theatrical production was filled with spectacular lighting design veiled with sparks, flames and snow machines — this is no ordinary concert. The band were accompanied by a fabulous girl gang group The Cherry Bombs in full creepy costumes, props, and choreographed routines.
Vocalist Loochie Keogh of Alpha Wolf joins the fun on “Immaculate Misconception,” a song favorite for the old school heads who've been around the band’s journey since the Warped Tour days. Later on in the show Bryan Garris of Knocked Loose also shares his wicked screams alongside with Chris on their latest collaboration “Slaughterhouse,” a middle finger anthem against those who abuse God’s name for profit and hate.
The best song from their setlist that night happens to be their least heaviest, yet you can’t help but groove to this 80’s inspired industrial new wave sound “Werewolf,” a single from their newest album Scoring the End of the World — this tune is a homage to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”
It is almost impossible not to be drawn to frontman Chris Motionless, underneath his dark slytherin aesthetics lies a soulful voice with eerie undertones. It was amazing to watch him be able to go from screaming “blegh” growls to vocal cleans effortlessly. Showing gratitude, he took the time to talk about how the band’s fan base grew massively over the years, and thanked everyone for their undying support. His kindness showed that the Motionless In White shows will always be a safe space for them.
On a large projector screen they played a wacky commercial ad featuring zombie, as well as hilarious interactions between him and lead singer Chris on a FaceTime call, trying to convince zombie to come back on tour. With his new found acting career and crazy schedule, zombie tells Chris he’ll think about it.
This was my first time seeing Motionless In White, and they definitely exceeded my expectations. It was so much fun watching fans be captivated by the band’s music, losing their minds, and chanting every word with their chest out. Practically everyone was surfing through the crowd one right after the other, there was no slowing down for them. The band continued to play classic bangers like “Devil’s Night,” “Reincarnate,” and closed out the show with “The End of the World.”
Words and photos by Adriana Torres
ZHU | Philadelphia
ZHU performing at The Fillmore in Philadelphia, PA on September 19, 2023. All photos taken by Brandon Lu.
Roar | Seattle
Roar (with support from Harmless and Foot Ox) performing at The Vera Project in Seattle, WA on September 19, 2023. All photos taken by Nicolette Ivy.
Lauren Mayberry | Brooklyn
Lauren Mayberry (with support from ggwendolyn) performing at Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, NY on September 17, 2023. All photos taken by Michaelah Reynolds.
Ramin & The Broadgrass Band | New York City
Ramin & The Broadgrass Band (with support from Amanda Gabriel) performing at City Winery in New York City on September 5, 2023. All photos taken by Cami Liberty.
The Devil Wears Prada + Fit For A King | Los Angeles
The Devil Wears Prada and Fit For A King performing at The Wiltern in Los Angeles, CA on September 16, 2023. All photos taken by Adriana Torres.
Miya Folick | Seattle
Miya Folick performing at Barboza in Seattle, WA on September 15, 2023. All photos taken by Nicolette Ivy.
Melt | Brooklyn
Melt performing at Brooklyn Steel in Brooklyn, NY on September 15, 2023. All photos taken by Elizabeth Feirstein.