#Saint Andrews Hall

[weliketheiroldstuff]

A PORTAL TO HELL OPENED UP IN DETROIT AND THE ACACIA STRAIN, FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY, FULL OF HELL, AND PRIMITIVE MAN WERE THE SOUNDTRACK

Every photo I posted from this show on Instagram had a 311 lyric attached as the show was on 3.11.23. I know that I’m corny, I know you know it too, we both don’t really care, so let’s get with the visuals. Double vodkas and watermelon red bulls pair wonderfully with Sativa dominant hybrid hand rolled king-size cones. Just putting it out there. I dream of a day when they can be truly paired together and I can have a drink and a doobie in the smoking section. Venue staff informed me that last minute the venue manager said all drinks need to be poured because this crowd is known to get "violent".

Awww shucks. Thanks Saint Andrew's Hall! I am by no means offended, I think I speak for most metalheads and deathcore kids when I say we take that as a badge of honor. Especially considering how insane shows have been in the past in that room, and look, from my standpoint I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary all night. None of this music is entry level so it’s not like anyone in the room was ignorant of what could possibly happen. And again, as far as my knowledge it was a normal night.

Straight up, Primitive Man is abrasive and I would not play it for most people. With that being said I am a fan of just nothing but growls and breakdowns. Trio of death doom and funeral doom that literally sounds like elevator music to Hell. Or are they the soundtrack of the tear in the ground opening the portal to Hell, right in the middle of beautiful Downtown Detroit, Michigan?

Primitive Man is the first band to make me need a break. I literally had to go downstairs and then outside for a second just to get a pallet cleanser for my ears. All of a sudden the typical Detroit city soundscape sounded like heaven to me. This is not a shot at them at all, this is a sign of respect that they do exactly what they set out to do. I appreciate this band for existing more than most.

GET ME TO FUCKING FEEL SOMETHING. ANYTHING. PLEASE. FOR THE LOVE OF FUCK.

And they did, masterfully.

Full of Hell gave me the live intensity vibes of Converge while lifting the tempo massively from the funeral doom openers. Chaos. Samples. Keyboards. An absolute Madman on drums. I cannot ask for anything better when watching support bands. But the truth is this is a band I need to see headline and own a venue for an hour+. Samples and electronics filter through hardcore drum beats and blackened death styles that make my chest feel warm and cozy. I know this music could probably be used to torture normies but it gives me the biggest smile on my face to see shit like this live.

Fit For An Autopsy one of the leaders of Deathcore is damn near homicidal with their music as they are fucking killing it. I wished so badly that Will Putney was here so I can annoy the fucking shit out of him.

Yesterday they dropped a single and at every stop of the tour they're shooting the video for it. As they are crushing it I am reminded of how much I truly love this genre and especially when those fucking thrash beats come out. All this time later we're still just descendants of Dave Lombardo and Gene Hoglan. I am not fucking mad about it.

FFAA brings a much more palatable style of music to the package after two of the brashest bands on Earth, again, this is a good thing in every direction. Lighting upgrades to the main rig and then come the sub hits and insane breakdowns that make my toes curl up inside my shoes. Why do I always find it to be so calm when it is so unbelievably chaotic? No idea, but it feels perfectly normal to be doing what I am doing and witnessing professionals do their thing up close and personal…

The Acacia Strain is up next and at this moment I realize that the Kemper pedal board has a plastic covering on it. I am reminded swiftly of Vincent’s antics with water bottles and then reconfigure my entire mentality towards the 3 songs I got to photograph.

I swear, I saw them at the Modern when I used to bring cases of 40s in the Lebaron. The mid-2000s are an absolute blur. It ended up being the Hayloft in Mt Clemens. Right out the gate, TAS is a brute onslaught playing “The Beast” with help from some friends on vocals. It was chaotic as fuck, louder than the rest of the night, and the definition of a rager popping off. It did not let up, with multiple crowd-surfing photographers, water flying everywhere, clawing crowd surfers, and a wall-to-wall mosh pit. All of this is the perfect storm for a delightful evening of catharsis, release, and deathcore. Look, I smoke a lot of weed alright. Did my email say these fucking guys dropped info on ANOTHER surprise album? Jesus Christ man… so we get two new albums from The Acacia Strain this spring, good. Good. More on that when those records come out! This was an incredible lineup that consistently build to a peak of insanity with The Acacia Strain sealing up the portal to Hell in true deathcore fashion.

I've had varying experiences with staff and security over the years at venues I love and loathe. Most of the time everything is fine. But sometimes I get rubbed the wrong way. My most recent mishap was in Cleveland. Doesn't surprise me. But last Saturday I felt very accommodated and taken care of by security and staff at @standrewshall in Detroit. Look I'm a big pothead so I forget names and shit but I think it was Daryl? in the pit and Anna/Hannah? working backstage access was great with me.

Guest services were wonderful, along with VIP staff and pit security besides those mentioned. I usually never have to worry about anything besides maybe flying water bottles. And even though we had to have every drink poured that night, Vincent made sure to chuck a few cases into the crowd throughout @theacaciastrain set I just really appreciate that from big D and the pit crew and PJ of course. I just wanted to thank them for that shit. Makes doing my job so much easier every time I come there. And the upstairs bartender's thanks, bros! All the dudes in the photo do a hell of a job catching gigantic rust belt crowd surfers. And keeping nerdy music photographers like myself from getting crushed by them. None of that shit goes unnoticed.

BELOW IS THE FULL GALLERY! ALL PHOTOS AND COLLAGES WERE TAKEN AND EDITED BY CHRIS “SHERBURT” SMITH FOR I LIKE THEIR OLD STUFF

THE ACACIA STRAIN ON TOUR: WITH  FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY,  FULL OF HELL, + PRIMITIVE MAN: 3/21 — Los Angeles, CA — 1720 3/22 — Mesa, AZ — Nile Theater  3/24 — Dallas, TX — Amplified Live 3/25 — Austin, TX — Come and Take It Live  3/26 — Houston, TX — Warehouse Live 3/28 — Tampa, FL — The Orpheum 3/29 — Atlanta, GA — The Masquerade (Heaven) 3/30 — Greensboro, NC — Arizona Pete's 3/31 — Baltimore, MD — Baltimore Soundstage 4/1 — Worcester, MA — The Palladium THE ACACIA STRAIN RECORD RELEASE SHOWS: FEATURING ESCUELA GRIND, VOMIT FORTH, + CHAINED TO THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN: 5/19 — Syracuse, NY — The Lost Horizon 5/20 — Albany, NY — Empire Underground 5/21 — Portland, ME — The Cavern

[fullaccessdetroit]

Static X wsg/ Fear Factory, Dope, Mushroomhead, and Cultus Black 03/25/2023 [St Andrews Hall, Detroit]

Detroit had one hell of a treat Saturday night as legendary St Andrews Hall was hosting more metal than a scrap yard.  We haven’t been to the historic venue in way too long and were greeted by a new security team.   These guys and gals were above the title “security”,  they greeted fans with enthusiasm and helpful directions to make their stay more enjoyable.  Taking time to point out key…

[headphonesthoughts]

Chevalier (2022 film) is the musical bio that we needed

What is a quote that inspires you? Why? Message me on Social media (@headphonesthoughts) (@headphonesTblog) and/or email me @ contact@headphonesthoughts.com Whatever life takes you, enjoy your life. Think positive, and be positive. –Always look to the rising sky Read my quote or thought of the week series Follow me on Social Media: Instagram @headphonesthoughtsTwitter…

[themcrarchive]

6/18/2004: MCR plays at Saint Andrew’s Hall in Detroit, MI🩸 #Revenge20

📸 via Chris Schwegler and jessexelectric on LiveJournal

[skeletoncrevvs]

saint andrews hall - detroit, mi 06.18.2004 | source

[spaceyaceface]

How do you think Ominis and/or Sebastian would react to the reader being stood up for a date, especially when they absolutely adore us? Would they comfort us by taking us on a date they've ran through their minds a million times so we can forget about being stood up by a loser and finally confess their love for us? Ugh I'm a sucker for fluffy writings like that ❤️‍🩹

This doesn't need to be a full-blown work, I just wanted your thoughts/opinions since you've been dubbed the Patron Saint of Ominis works.

Too bad, you're getting a full blown work with Ominis because I love this. And him. He's all I think about. Thank you for this prompt!!! I love it so much!

Warnings: Feelings of inadequacy, being stood up on a date, making Andrew Larson the bad guy (as always)

Word Count: 1.6k

Ominis laid out on his bed, trying not to let his spiraling thoughts consume him. He should be happy for her. That’s what good friends do, right? Celebrate things with one another, cheer each other on as they try things, grow, find their place in life?

He wanted to do all that. He just couldn’t stop wishing her current place wasn’t with Andrew Larson. 

He was fully aware of how idiotic he was being. He had never asked her on any sort of date, never even hinted at his deep feelings toward her in the two years they had known each other. All of this made the fact that he couldn’t help his thoughts from wandering to her every two seconds all the more pathetic. 

They were close. He’d dare say that he was even closer to her than Sebastian in some aspects, even though they’d had less time to know each other. But there had always been something about her that drew him in, allowed him to open himself up to her. It had scared him at first—but as he slowly gave in, he found himself wondering how he had ever lived a day without her. 

He’d just never expected this level of aching to come with it. 

She’d asked Larson out a few days before—it had come as a complete shock to him. Despite their closeness, she had never mentioned any feelings she’d had toward him. When he carefully asked why she’d done it, she just said she’d heard he might be interested in her, and wanted to see where it would go. The days had passed like agony, and finally, the evening of their outing had arrived. 

He wondered if she had come back yet. Were her and Larson slowly making their way back to the castle, laughing at newfound jokes? Had he held her hand as they walked, daring to capture her soft skin in his grasp, or—Ominis sucked in a sharp breath—had he kissed her goodnight, with a promise of see you again soon?

It was that thought that finally pulled him out of his bed. He couldn’t stay there, thinking those sorts of things. He’d only drive himself mad. He shouldn’t care. He should just hope she was having fun. That he was treating her well. But he couldn’t help it. 

His feet carried him through the halls of the castle. It was past curfew now—surely she was back in her room. Larson wasn’t a rulebreaker, unlike him and Sebastian. He wondered for a brief moment if that's what she liked about him, but shook the thought before it could take any true form. It wasn’t long until he was entering the Undercroft. But then he froze. 

Crying. Someone was crying. 

He knew that tone of voice. It was hers. Why on earth was she here, when she was supposed to have had a perfect evening out? 

He called out her name, walking to her. His wand let him sense her figure, hunched over as she sat atop one of the crates in the room. She responded to his voice, trying to take a deep breath before answering. 

“O-ominis,” she said. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think you’d be down here. I was just… I needed someplace to be alone.”

“Alone?” Ominis asked. “I thought… did your date not go well?”

She sniffled. “It didn’t go at all, actually.”

Ominis’s mind raced. What had happened? Why was she here crying instead of up in her dorm room telling her roommates how wonderful her time was? But he reached the most likely conclusion—one that was quick to make his blood boil. “He stood you up?” The anger was barely masked in his voice. 

He heard her choke back another sob instead of speaking. That was answer enough for him. 

How dare he? Various choice words rushed through his head, and he bit his tongue to stop himself from cursing the git out loud. Did he not realize he’d just lost? Ominis had just spent hours pacing the floor of his room, sick at the thought of her giving Larson any ounce of her love, and he’d went and burned it all. His hand twitched, and he found himself wondering how easy it might be to break into the Ravenclaw common room. 

But as he heard her shuddering breaths, he was reminded of why he was so upset in the first place. 

There would be time to deal with the prick later. She needed him now. 

He rushed to move beside her, sitting next to her and carefully placing an arm around her shoulder. She leaned into the contact as he rubbed his hand up and down her bicep, trying to help her breathe properly. After a few moments, he spoke quietly. “What happened?”

He felt her shrug under his arm. “I told him we’d meet near the north entrance, and he just… didn’t come. I waited until it was dark out and nothing. He didn’t even send me an owl.” She brought her knees up, curling into a ball as if she was ready to disappear. His arm around her tightened as he silently reassured her. 

She went on; now that she was talking about it, the words all came spilling out. “I didn’t even want to go out with him. I just asked him because Poppy said I haven’t been out with someone in too long, and I didn’t know who to ask, but she insisted he liked me…” She huffed. “I suppose we can say she was wrong about that.” She buried her face in her knees. “I shouldn’t have asked him. I don’t know why I try anymore. No one’s ever liked me like that, why would that be any different now?”

She was spiraling, pushed off the edge by the events of the evening. Ominis knew this habit of hers, and sadness and anger anew washed over him at the thought that Larson had set it off. He said her name, repeating it until he felt her lift her head, facing him. “Don’t say that. It’s not true.”

She let out a sigh. “It feels true.” 

He shifted, finally taking his arm from around her to place his hand firmly on her shoulder, facing her. “You are worth all the love in the world. To assume you aren’t is preposterous. Frankly, it’s a wonder how everyone in the whole of Hogwarts isn’t dueling for the chance to court you. You are brilliant, kind, and know how to make anyone laugh—including me. Sebastian has told me on more than one occasion how beautiful you are.” 

His next words made his heart ache—would she hear the longing in his voice? Would he fully reveal himself? “There will be a day when someone deserving of you realizes all of that. They’ll come and sweep you off your feet, and give you all the love and commitment you are due. They’ll love you completely. Even the parts you’re afraid to show them. They’ll love you like…” 

The words died in his throat. He couldn’t say it. He couldn’t disrupt their friendship, the careful thing they had built together out of some selfish need of being wanted by her. But… but she was across from him, feeling as if no one would ever care for her. He could prove her wrong. It didn’t matter if she didn’t feel the same—he’d deal with that later. All she needed now was to know. So he took a deep breath. 

“They’ll love you like I do.” 

The silence was suffocating. He wished he could see her face, read whatever emotion lied there. It was several long seconds later before her faint voice finally uttered something.

“Come again?”

“I…” He hung his head, hand still gripping her shoulder, trying to keep himself grounded. “You said no one has ever like you… like that. You’re wrong. You’ll capture many hearts. I know it, because you’ve already taken mine—even if it’s not one that you want.” 

He began to let his hand fall from away from her, but his eyes widened as she gripped onto his wrist. “What if it is the one I want?” 

Her words were hardly more than a whisper, and he could have sworn he had imagined it out of pure desperation. “Do you really—”

“Yes,” she said, laughing lightly. “Yes, Ominis. I mean that. Merlin, I’m an idiot. I should have just asked you, I’ve been wanting to for ages, I just never thought—”

He couldn’t stand it a moment longer. His hand reached forward, and before either of them had a moment to think, he was darting forward to kiss her. Even with his hand on her cheek, he missed, lips brushing on the side of her mouth as he let out a small noise of frustration. Any negative emotion washed away when a chuckle escaped her lips, the sound vibrating against his skin just before she pressed her lips to his. 

She kept her grip on his wrist as his hand traced its way from her shoulder to her jaw, letting him cup her face with both hands as he pulled her closer. The kiss was everything he expected it to be, and more. For countless nights, he had wondered what her lips might feel like, if they would match the warmth of her voice, if they would give him shelter just as her arms did, if they would make him feel alive just like every touch she gave him. 

Her kiss was not just warm—it was fire, flames running through every vein in his body, his heart pounding at the heat of it. It was not just shelter—it was home. The place he was meant to be all along. It was more than living. It was being reborn. 

When she pulled away, breathing hard, he knew he’d crave her taste for the rest of his days. 

She rested her forehead against his, letting their breath tangle together. “What would you say to coming to Hogsmeade with me?” she said. 

He grinned. “I’d say yes, a thousand times over.” 

[zagreuses-toast]

My Vetinari Playlist. Some songs are very specific others are entirely vibes based, also a lot of girlboss songs because those fit his approach to being a Tyrant the best somehow. Like Vimes he would vehemently hate some of these songs, I have added them nonetheless. Reasoning/guide to the songs under the cut.

Politics and The City, always the City. I think a lot about Vimes' internal monologue from Night Watch about the city's supply chain and Vetinari being the only ruler of the city to really worry about it's function :

Hymn to the Breaking Strain by Secular Solstice (because the Leslie fish version isn't available on Spotify. Vetinari isn't an engineer but he appreciates their value and danger)

All Along The Watchtower by Bear Mcreary (Vimes gets the Jimi Hendrix, Vetinari gets the version from BSG, which is ominous and was used to unveil a conspiracy)

& by Tally Hall

How Now Dark Cloud by TMBG

I Am Alone by TMBG

Darling The Dose by TMBG

His Kiss The Riot from Hades Town (I also imagine if Vetinari sang his voice would be a baritone of this caliber)

The Body Is A Blade by Japanese Breakfast

Stone Cold Coup D'etat

Eleanor Rigby by the Beatles

Ballad of a Politician by Regina Spektor

Everybody Wants to Rule The World by Tears for Fears (cover by NSP)

She's Always A Woman by Billy Joel

The Circle by Secular Solstice (this is actually a carrot song, but there's a reason Carrot and Vetinari get along)

Gun Song from Assassins (I am always thinking about men at arms and the Gonne)

This is where I would normally put the characters love interest songs but Vetinari's one true love is The Bit:

Hate the Villanelle by TMBG

Poisoning Pigeons in the Park & Pollution by Tom Lerher

Rest Employed by The Stupendium

I Palindrome I by TMBG

Party Dog by Tom Cardy (dog things AND city-state politics)

The World's Address by TMBG

Havelock "do I need a button that says Tyrant" Vetinari and his commitment to the Villain bit:

Villain by Stella Jang

Red Right Hand by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Oh No! By MARINA

Villain by K/DA

Feeling Good by Nina Simone cover by Micheal Bublé (Bond villain sounding song but the lyrics are just enjoying normal nice stuff, exactly Vetinari's thing)

Enemy by Imagine Dragons

Bitch Better Have My Money by Rihanna (soundtrack to drumknott getting out the Tax Ledger)

I'm Alive from Next To Normal

No one Knows My Plan by TMBG

Be Prepared from The Lion King (did you think I wouldn't include a real Disney villain song, besides it's JEREMY IRONS aka Vetinari from the Color of Magic tv series)

Vetinari's nihilism and humanism, the roiling sea of evil and the moral imperative to be better than the gods:

Things Are Not What They Appear by The Gothic Archies

Last Wave by TMBG

This Too Shall Pass by Danny Schmidt

They're Only Human from the Death Note musical (hear me out, it's a conversation between Vetinari and Margolotta, you decide who's who)

Let's Get This Over With by TMBG

Cruel to be Cruel by Jessica Law

Living Thing by Electric Light Orchestra (Vetinari and his difficulty getting rid of one of a kind things, I think about leonard of quirm a lot)

Mad World by Gary Jules and Micheal Andrews

Misc:

I Like Fun by TMBG (entirely for the "my excellence at parkour may be unexpected at the age of 58" also the clock thing)

A Good Song Never Dies by Saint Motel (local patrician haunted by a little goblin girl's music forever)

Little Lion Man by Mumford & Sons (Vetinari and Vimes song, ruining his life/the watch, being part of fixing it, constantly pushing him, occasionally pushing too hard)

[hometoursandotherstuff]

Well, here's an idea. Rent a trailer space, put your old camper on it, call it cozy, and rent it out for $1,093mo. + $600 deposit, no elec. or water included. The location is Santa Ana, California.

This is your living area. I've seen these done up cute, but this one is depressing.

It's a camper kitchen. They don't say who pays for the propane tank.

This would be the living room.

There's a closet and the bathroom sink is in the hall.

Behind the door is a grungy looking bath featuring a mini tub and a toilet. This place has seen some camping and needs a good cleaning.

And, this is the bedroom in the back.

[scotianostra]

The respected Scottish actor Roy Hanlon passed away on June 30th 2005.

Throughout his career Roy Hanlon was a much loved and respected character actor. He appeared often on television, with many theatre companies in Scotland and Ireland and graced many productions at the Edinburgh Festival. Indeed he had the distinction of appearing in three productions of the epic Three Estaites in the same role. His well-known face, however, was seen in important supporting roles in a host of Scottish drama series, including Dr Finlay’s Casebook, Sutherland’s Law and The Borderers.

Roy Hanlon trained with the Scottish Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, graduating in 1960. He joined the Glasgow Citizens’ Company and was a member of the company at that year’s Edinburgh Festival in Durenmatt’s seldom-performed Romullus the Great. He was back two years later in an equally rare play - The Doctor and the Devils - with a host of leading Scottish actors.

In 1964 Hanlon made the first of several appearances in Dr Finlay’s Casebook and appeared as a menacing doctor in Edward Bond’s acclaimed radio drama Castles in Spain. In 1967 he was in two films. The first (Robbery), starring Stanley Baker, was about a gang who robbed the overnight Glasgow to London train. He then appeared in an espionage thriller, The Naked Runner alongside Frank Sinatra and Edward Fox. Critics greeted neither movie with much enthusiasm. Two years later, Hanlon was cast in several leading television dramas of the period, notably the underground spy drama Jason King, which made a star of Peter Wyngarde.

Throughout the 1970s, Hanlon appeared in a host of roles. These included BBC Scotland’s popular 1972 drama Sutherland’s Law, about a procurator fiscal, starring Iain Sutherland, and The Saint - the award-winning series on ITV starring Roger Moore.

It was in 1984 that Hanlon first came to the Festival to play Spiritualitie in Tom Fleming’s dramatic production of the Thrie Estaites. The production starred such actors as Andrew Cruickshank, David Rintoul, Edith Macarthur and Alec Heggie and was repeated the following year. Hanlon also returned to the same role in the 1991 production of the play. In 1985 it was performed at the Assembly Hall in tandem with Sydney Goodsir Smith’s The Wallace, in which Hanlon played John Mentieth. The Wallace demanded much of the huge cast: the opening scene alone was given in old Scots and contemporary English.

In the early 1980s, Hanlon became a regular visitor to Ireland and worked often with the Abbey Theatre of Dublin (including a memorable Doctor’s Dilemma in 1982). Two years earlier he had made a notable impression in the world premiere of Brian Friel’s Translations, in which Hanlon delivered an engrossing account of Jimmy Jack alongside the young Liam Neeson and Stephen Rea.

Hanlon was with the Abbey in 1995 for Patrick Mason’s production of Sebastian Barry’s The Only True History of Lizzie Finn. In 1998 Hanlon was nominated for a Barclay’s Theatre Award for his appearance in Juno and the Paycock.

Hanlon remained a fiercely proud Scot and was devoted to his profession and his family. He was still working up to 2004, when he was seen in BBC2’s Takin’ Over the Asylum.

[weliketheiroldstuff]

ILTOS FIRST SHOW OF 2023: Detroit plows through blizzard to get to sold out show with Bayside, I Am The Avalanche, and Koyo

THIS WAS THE FIRST SHOW OF THE 6TH SEASON OF ILTOS x SHERBURT

I swear to god, Detroit has been hit by every blizzard in the last 6 weeks. It’s been ridiculous. Ice storms. 1 million without power. And then a few days later perfect 55-degree weather. I let out a massive audible sigh when the weather report dropped. The report informed us that there would be a blizzard again but this time the night of this show. The day before I got an alert saying the show at The Fillmore was canceled. Schools were closing. Everyone and their mother was out to get eggs, milk, and bread. You know, because everyone loves french toast in a blizzard. The drive to Detroit was obnoxious as all hell because the roads were like driving in a 7-11 Slurpee machine. When I walked out of the parking garage onto Beaubien, I immediately stepped off a curb onto what I thought was ice. It ended up being water with slush on top, about 8 inches deep. I stopped in my tracks feeling that Detroit slush fill my shoes it triggered my gag reflex. How fucking horrible a feeling? At the very least, I was so stoned when I stopped by the apartment to get the gear and I put on my old work shoes. What I get for not taking a cue from the guitarist of Koyo and getting some Timbs but I’m glad I didn't wear my regulars. Anyway, onto the sappy and silly. This was my first show of the new year and the first show with the new rig after working my ass off to get to it. This show was absolute clarity for me. That I finally am content with what I’m doing and now the real work can begin.

Training has ended...

The last 10 years... With all its anguish. All its misery. All the loss. Every ounce of pain, entirely worth it, to get to tonight. My feet were soaked in the slush from a cracked Detroit sidewalk. Snowstorms turn the city into a ghost town. It's ominous when it's not beautiful. I dodged falling ice coming out of the Bricktown garage. I'm reminded I'm not even supposed to be alive, let alone doing this shit. None of this was supposed to happen. I can't help but always feel like a finger snap will come and reality will set in and this dream will end. But I know deep down, all of this was made from the ashes of my old self. All of this came from nothing. From the bottom of the barrel. Why I don’t drink whiskey. Why I don’t like pharmaceuticals. And why I battle depression daily. The truth is this; you have to find something to do with your negative energy. If you don't, you’re going to make things harder to take and harder to deal with. If you have to battle depression it’s hard to think about being sad when you’re doing shit you love. It’s harder for your brain to trick you into thinking you're miserable. Now sit at home and do nothing with the same problems. I implore you mother fuckers to find shit that sets you ablaze from the inside out. It doesn’t have to be the same shit as anyone else. Idle hands are the devil's playground, there's something out there that you want to do but don't. Stop pigeon-holding yourself to the current idea of your life. Then you can realize this shit can get really rad when you nurture it.

All these shows are cathartic because I kinda can pick and choose and be strategic about what I’m doing. This one had all of the above. A lifelong connection to two of the bands. High praise for the opener and the torch they’re carrying. They are the same as the bands that were on this tour 15-20 years ago. Playing with much heavier bands on hardcore festivals and legitimizing the next generation of Long Island bands. Long Island to me is just straight-up fucking pure songwriting culture to me. These sets didn’t have filler tunes. Think about that shit for a second. All 3. Bayside played fucking 21 songs. No filler. All fucking gas. All fucking smashing or at the very fucking least, crowd-pleasing tunes. If anything it gave me a reason to respect LIHC's past, present, and future, that much more. Shit doesn’t need to be groundbreaking, it just has to be fucking good. KOYO features members of SEEYOUSPACECOWBOY, Typecaste, Rain Of Salvation, Hangman, and Adrenaline. This is some of the best pop-punk music I've heard in a very long time. I don't know how to simplify my feelings other than that way.

This set, was an absolute blast. The new lineup for I Am The Avalanche clearly has chemistry and loves playing live together. It quite literally made me fall back in love with this band. The last time I saw this band was one of my favorite shows of all time in Detroit. Bane, I Am The Avalanche, and Evergreen Terrace. Being a product of Melodic Hardcore and that era’s peak being my heyday, it makes perfect sense right? And this was at fucking Alvin’s. I just remember the most stage diving I’ve ever seen until that point. I got ET stoned out of their minds and had drinks with a lot of weirdos that night. That feeling I had then, came back this evening while watching these dudes. How truly different this city and state and country and planet have become since. An entire lifetime away it seems. I absolutely love the stage presence of these guys though, can just tell it’s all hardcore kids. We’re a different breed. I’m stoked on this lineup, as they one, sounded tight as fuck, and two give off an energetic live show that if it’s your shit, you won’t be disappointed. With the new release of “Honey Bee” it was rad to have a beer and watch them play it before it was released a few days later. Those little things are the memories I keep with me. They make this experience and my entire music photography and journalist experience unique. Long Island is a pure songwriting capital.

BAYSIDE… oh boy. So since 2016, I have only had a few mess-ups in regard to music photography. While coming from a DIY background, I still try to have a level of professionalism when it comes to dealing with the bts stuff. I can confirm it's me with a tight butthole and a higher register in my voice. I have battled imposter syndrome just like everyone else the entire time I have done this. And every time I have been called out for being unprofessional it fucking stings...

When I am in the pit, I am myself. No person will hold any constraints on me there besides the regular photo rules. That guy I am in the photo pit is just me. It's not some other version of me. That different version is the tightwad above. I am a guy who enjoys a drink, who always partakes in cannabis, and a genuine fan of the music I’m photographing. I need to be in that mode to create. It’s the same mode I’m in when I edit. The same as every time I played drums live as an adult, and sometimes as a teenager. Definitely, every time I worked on production or DJ’d live. Gross, I hate talking about myself like that. Toot this horn asshole..

Anyway, Bayside allowed me to photograph them in the beginning of this trek. During their set at the Crofoot, I accidentally switched out of manual mode and into AP mode and my on-cam flash was triggered. I took about a half dozen photos of Anthony before realizing I was the one beaming him with flash. This after I said “Who's the fucking asshole using the flash in the photo pit…” I have thought about that since. Like 5 years. Of telling a waitress "you too" when she tells me to enjoy my meal.

B A S E D !

After 5 years of obsessing about blinding Anthony Raneri, I finally got approved to photograph them again. Oddly enough with Vinnie Caruana again, but this time with IATA and not The Movielife. I dummy-proofed this from ever happening again by finally fucking leveling up to pro gear, and pro canon cameras don’t have camera fucking flash my friends!!! No more fucking anxiety anymore. Bayside, Anthony, I fucking appreciate it.

This fucking band played an incredible set. I made it as long as I could with soaking wet feet but was so happy to grab Vinnie doing “The Walking Wounded” with the dudes. This was a lot of fun and I’m so stoked that this was my first show as I have a long affinity with Long Island music. Dating back to giving Mark from TBS “New Yorker” joints every time they came through from 2002-2004. I know, hilarious.

I am reminded how much I love doing this every time my health or my day job keeps me away from photographing shows. This was one of the hardest breaks for me. A few weeks post-surgery I was humbled after doing two shows. I realized how much had been taken out of me, not just all my teeth. My energy and stamina plummeted. I couldn’t do anything at all for a few weeks. Being a person who works retail 6 days a week, no movement for a few days begets a fat boy coming back. By the time I did the two gigs in November, I was not ready whatsoever for the physical effects of my exhaustion.

I overexert myself always, I always feel I can do more. My biggest fear is having a heart attack at a show. Also, passing out from exhaustion and needing to be sent to the hospital because I’m just simply not taking care of myself properly. I know a lot of other things could be considered so much worse than that. I hate the idea of a show stopping for me for anything. Those 2 shows needed to happen so I can retool my entire outlook, my mentality, and how I do things going forward. I am so stoked this was the tour that started off the year, the new season, and the camera rig. I’m so thankful for everyone who has followed me for this long.

I have no idea where we’re going from here but I know it’s gonna be very eventful. I’m just going to try to take as many photos and write as much as possible. This shit to me isn’t about advertising money, or fucking promoting the biggest bands, or getting the biggest gigs. I stopped with the bucket list being focal and it just being an afterthought. I have those goals still but last year became about doing everything on the list for me, and it got so selfish and I realized how much I truly don’t want to be like that, even with my art. I now have a platform, one that took almost a decade to build. I now have a way to push music. And I have a way to push local music more than ever, which is what I really want to do. Focus on the smaller bands and the locals who are trying to get to touring level. Of course I will still put in for Metallica and I'm doing as many big shows as possible too. But I straight up ignored the small side, the DIY side, and the local side while building a portfolio. I did that so people would consider me legitimate in this realm. So when I work with an artist, it matters, and it helps. Somehow. I could not ask for a better situation outside of not having to go to a fucking grocery store job to pay the bills. My dear friends, I gotta find ways to make the shitty work, the personal life issues, the family problems, and the consistent weight of the world, tolerable to deal with.

And all of this in my eyes goes back to Youth Crew Culture and making sure the next-gen has the space to do the things we did and more. During the early days of Covid I realized how much I took from my culture and how much I could finally give back once shows came back. It all started to make sense. Now we’re staring down basement shows, local fests, and promo sets for locals. This makes me happy as hell. Especially being a Downriver Hardcore Kid approaching 40. There aren’t many of us still carrying the Black Flag. Rats forever.

Long live hardcore and everything that is adjacent including these 3 bands and all the other more melodic and punkier bands coming out of New York and specifically Long Island. Thank you for your exports.

B A Y S I D E SETLIST

Big Cheese The Walking Wounded (with Vinnie Caruana) The Wrong Way Sick, Sick, Sick How to Ruin Everything (Patience) Already Gone They're Not Horses, They're Unicorns Masterpiece Strangest Faces Prayers Numb It Don't Exist Landing Feet First Megan (Smoking Popes cover) Duality Hate Me Blame It on Bad Luck Montauk Don't Call Me Peanut Go To Hell Devotion and Desire

B A Y S I D E http://ffm.to/baysidetheblueep http://tiktok.com/@baysideband http://twitter.com/baysideband http://facebook.com/bayside https://www.instagram.com/bayside/ http://baysidebayside.com I A M T H E A V A L A N C H E https://www.instagram.com/iamtheavalanchenyc https://www.facebook.com/iamtheavalanche/ https://twitter.com/iatanyc LISTEN TO “HONEY BEE” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipfcipt7nh4

K O Y O https://koyolihc.com/ https://www.instagram.com/koyolihc https://koyolihc.bandcamp.com/album/drives-out-east

[callmeblake]

[fullaccessdetroit]

Michigander WSG/Abby Holliday [Saint Andrews Hall, Detroit] 04/15/23

Click here to see the complete Michigander gallery.Photo: Joe Orlando Saint Andrew’s Hall Detroit hosted a fantastic evening of music on what would be the first gorgeous night in Detroit this year as far as weather is concerned.  Michigander would bring their “It Will Never Be The Same” tour back to their home town.  It was nice to see a sold out crowd welcome these guys back to the…

[lenniharrisonsims]

Saints & Statues Posepack

Happy Simblreen, here's my Weekend #2 treat, made public!

Here's a little posepack to help you honor the Lates and the Greats in your story. A set of 6 (3 for male sims and 3 for female sims) of different saint-like and holy poses. Canonize your sims by having them pose like the great venerated saints of old...

Use this to style your sim as a statue in the park or local museum, or have them pose for a revered painting to be hung in the great palace halls!

You will need:

-Teleport Any Sim

-Andrew's Pose Player

Please let me know if you run into any problems with this posepack in your game, and I will do my very best to fix it.

ToU- don’t steal my stuff and claim it as your own, don’t put it behind paywalls, and link back to this post if you need to share it!

Tag me in your posts if you use this pack, I’d love to see anyone get some use out of it!

Okay, I think that’s everything, enjoy!

Download (Google Drive)

Happy Simblreen Everyone!

@simblreenofficial

[themcrarchive]

6/18/2004: MCR soundchecks before their show at Saint Andrew’s Hall in Detroit, MI🩸 #Revenge20

[skeletoncrevvs]

saint andrew's hall - detroit, mi 12.02.2004 | source