This Providence, a pop-punk band from Seattle, Washington was the second opener on the Uncle Fest Tour (which also featured the previously blogged about Relient K).

I thought This Providence was fun. They were peppy (albeit slightly generic), despite being in what I feel is the worst slot of the show. They didn’t let their guard down for a minute, always working the front of the stage to rev the crowd up and keep them excited. And the crowd was excited, as evidenced by the reverberating floor. (more…)

Kill The Alarm, or KTA, is from the New Jersey/New York area, but still manages to come out to Chicago every few months. KTA is the brainchild of frontman Garen Gueyikian. Formally of Granian fame, Garen is a singer/songwriter who also manages to write songs that are equally fantastic acoustic and electric. (more…)

A few months ago, I bought the full-frame Canon 5D as a back-up and have since embraced obscenely wide shots; my 16-35mm rarely comes off of the 5D during concerts now, and it’s normally stuck on the 16mm side.

The top five things I’ve learned as I’ve been working more and more with my wide angle:

1. The best shots are when the band comes to the edge of the stage. Despite this being true for concert shots in general, the closer the subject is to the lens, the more impact that shot has.

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Relient K recently headlined the “Uncle Fest Tour” with Ludo, This Providence, and House of Heroes. The Christian rock band from Canton, Ohio sold out the show, with hordes of teenagers and church groups in attendance. (more…)

The Frantic is a young band, but they have a live show that rivals seasoned performers’ energy and stage presence.

I have seen Chicago’s The Frantic perform several times before, and thus, I knew to expect a non-stop rock show as I headed to the Metro last night. This show, titled Shoe House Rock, benefited the organization Share Your Soles, a Chicago-based charity that provides gently worn shoes to children in the most impoverished areas of the world. The Effects, Danger Is My Middle Name, American Taxi, and The Punchline were also on the bill. (more…)