A hot sweaty night in Queens at a former industrial manufacturing plant turned music complex known as the Knockdown Center was an ideal setting for a limited run of dates for the Power Trip reunion. I had been fortunate enough to have captured PT a handful of times when Riley Gale (RIP) was still kicking ass, so I was really looking forward to getting a chance to see this homage on the anniversary of his passing. It did not disappoint, bodies were flying over the rail left and right and I had to keep my head on a swivel. You can check out the talented @tinfoilbiter on instagram for a photo of me being courteous to a fan’s desire to sing along after coming over the barricade. It was a party and the homies came out from far and wide for this only east coast date.Continue reading
Tag Archives: Useless Rebel Imaging
FESTIVAL REVIEW: Roadburn Festival 2024 Part 2 – Various Venues
FESTIVAL REVIEW: Roadburn Festival 2024 Part 1 – Various Venues
Full disclosure there is in no way I can present an unbiased opinion about Roadburn. This is my seventh straight year and I’m gifted a much greater amount of privilege than the average attendee. I’ve earned lifelong friendships. It’s become more than just a music festival for me. It’s a second home for five days out of every year. I’m allowed to work alongside other extremely talented and hard-working photographers and for a limited time at the beginning of every set I’m granted the best spot in the house. For me music is my safe space vs photography which is my special interest.Continue reading
CONCERT REVIEW: ZOMBI – Overcalc Live at TV Eye
What an amazing show, so much so I was talking about it days later covering a fest. It was a simple one on a Wednesday night at TV Eye in Ridgewood Queens, with only two bands but Zombi played for a solid chunk of time that still left me wanting more. Continue reading
CONCERT REVIEW: Pigsx7 – Dälek – Taraneh Live at Elsewhere
This was a great eclectic night and while I am well versed and have seen both Dälek and Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs a handful of times the local opener Taraneh I was unfamiliar with and pleasantly surprised by. Their visual appearance didn’t necessarily fit the mellow shoegaze vibe that they were throwing down, but that’s just a learning curve for a band and nothing to fault them for. All in all I dug it. It was mellow and flowy and a nice different way to start the show.
CONCERT REVIEW: Mizmor – Unreqvited – Funeral Leech Live at Saint Vitus Bar
To say I was ecstatic walking into St. Vitus Bar for the first time in four years would be a massive understatement. As I approached the familiar corner of Manhattan Avenue and Clay Street in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and the ominous black door with a bunch of metal heads already gathered outside, I could feel a rush of happiness through my entire body and brain. Not very grim or troo sounding, I know. Saint Vitus Bar is just not another place to me, it was like a second home to me for the second life that I had living in New York from 2016 to 2021. Nostalgia is a powerful drug, but the reality is that I deeply and truly love this venue and everybody associated with running it. The fact that it survived the worst of times in the music industry is a testament to the power that it built and the fans that continue to support this place. Unsurprisingly, the show was a sellout tonight.
FESTIVAL REVIEW: Roadburn Festival 2023
Let’s get one thing out of the way, Roadburn is still the premier underground fest that it has always been. I know so many people who went into this year’s fest expecting it to be their last, saying the lineup wasn’t for them, or that they didn’t like this change or that change. But I can tell you, they have all already booked rooms and bought tickets for next year. Change isn’t bad.
CONCERT REVIEW: Vile Creature – Ragana – Sunrot Live at Saint Vitus Bar
If you’re unfamiliar with Sunrot, you need to change that! Holy shit! This in-your-face, power sludge\crust band filled the stage and kicked off the three-band bill right with immediate and intense energy and the best kind of noise.
FESTIVAL REVIEW: ROADBURN 2022 – Part 2
Rejoicing still in the simple fact we can have a physical Roadburn again, the final two days definitely wore on our pandemic shocked psyche and physique. Stumbling more and wearing down in a way I’m not used to, I mentioned to some friends during the weekend the Pandemic has made us all old, and 5 days on our feet now feel a lot longer. Saturday started with the feeling it felt like a Sunday, traditionally called the afterburner, because by that time you are fairly burnt out.
FESTIVAL REVIEW: ROADBURN 2022 – Part 1
After three years of waiting and longing, finally there will be an in person Roadburn Festival again. While the 2021 online edition Roadburn Redux, was in itself, innovative and the best digital festival I’ve seen set up during the dark days of the pandemic, nothing beats being physically shaken by bass heavy music and hugging friends from all over the world you only see once a year.