Where I belong

Where I belong

Saturday, May 7, 2016

Southern Sanctuary Tour.

Date one, April 8th The Bird House Jacksonville FL.
Road trip with the bae ayyyyyy.~ 
We made a day out of it and hit the beach before heading over to the venue. Only us emo's would walk down the beach in skinny jeans with vans on. I left my phone in the car and actually really enjoyed just being in the moment. Although at times it was very hard to be without it.... Also Spoiler alert, Cheyenne (me!) is D.U.M.B dumb. And forgot her freaking memory card. So don't expect photos from this post. I know it breaks my heart too. But life happens. I wish I could say this was the first time I've ever done this but unfortunately it happens to me a lot. Oops. I need to start leaving memory cards places for emergencies haha. 

I've heard a lot of really great things about this venue and was pretty excited to finally check it out. But was thrown off by it's location. Kind of in the ghetto and surrounded by a whole lotta nuttin. But Don't judge the book by it's cover. It's very spacious. Has plenty of room for crowds, And for the bands equipment / merch tables. The bathrooms were not only clean, which is like next to impossible to find at music venues, but the walls were chalkboard paint! How artistic and creative. I've always loved the art on venue walls. And this takes it to a whole new level of awesome.
  I hope that more tours that run through jax start to book there because it's great. Definitely has a lot of potential.

Right after we arrived at the venue we linked up with muh dudes in The Knowing Within in search of Nomz. (Food) 
It felt like the walking would never end. I'm slow and lazy man. But after the long drive my body needed the exercise. We went from some walk up window chicken place, to an authentic Chinese restaurant. It seemed sketchy af, but hell it was better than walking anywhere else. Besides I was already beyond stuffed after experiencing the Salt Life restaurant near jax beach before we headed to the venue. That place was freaking amazing by the way. 10/10 would recommend! I got the clam chowder, and the best shrimp tempura sushi roll I've ever had. Craving it like a mofo now. Guess I deserve that after mentioning it. Anyways Back to the sketch Chinese place. Again don't judge a place by it's shell because I tried some of everyone's food. And it was surprisingly tasty. Shout out to them for letting me have the fortune cookies btw because THEY'RE MY FAVORITE THING EVER PRETTY MUCH. None of us got sick in the end either Woooo! 


The opening band was lame and mediocre. Can't even recall what their names were tbh. Black T  I think?They're just not my thing and didn't make a good enough first impression to catch my attention. 
 But it was basically just a two man cover band. And when they did play originals it was spoken word-y. They brought a crowd though so i'll give em that. Props to dem.


Blah blah blah skipping a band blah. 

 Another local support band for the show. 

AMOH is a band of close like-minded friends
with a passion for music and a message of purpose. With heavy aggressive songs
falling somewhere in the middle of a progressive rock and metal genre along with soft atmospheric
orchestrations each song share a universal message. That you, as an individual are important. 
Bio stolen  from their Facebook  no shame. Because it describes them so perfectly when I couldn't. 

Bands like them give me hope. They give US hope. Not only in ourselves but in the music scene. 
They are talented but also really care about what they do and it shows. I've never seen a band look so happy to be on stage. And so willing to pump up the crowd for the bands that follow them.  They make the stage their bitch and get the crowd going. I appreciate how happy you can tell it makes them to be playing. Most bands around aren't like that these days. 



SILVERSYDE

Amazingly passionate Christ followers who were given a god given talent and put on this world for a bigger purpose than  just taking a stage and touring the world for music.
 But don't let the stereotype of what you'd  expect a band like them to sound like
fool you. They bring the heavy! I got the chance to catch Nate and Laura, Two out of the four acoustically a few weeks prior to the show. And They hit me right in the feels. Their lyrics were great but I had no idea what to expect them to sound like as a full. And man was I blown away. Don't know what was expected.... But they exceeded expectations.

These guys are a great mix of emotion, sound, and originality. They were dragged through and out of the darkness, and know how to show you the light. Giving heart wrenching speeches to their crowds every night explaining what they're about and why they do what they do. Without trying to preach Laura takes the time to speak every night before ending the set with their song circus circus, which let's them off with a bang!
Laura will make you teary eyed one moment just to turn and make you want to sing, jump and rock out with her and the guys for the last song.
She really knows how to get the crowd moving.
I got luck enough to spend a lot of time with Laura, Nathan, Nate, and Zach over the few days they had here in Florida and was really moved by all of them. I was very blessed that they were brought into my life and am now lucky to call them friends. It's amazing not only how god works, but how music works. Bringing people in and out of your lives. As said before everything happens for a reason and it was great to have them move me and guide me back into a better relationship with not only myself and what's within me but with god. Even if you're not religious or into that kind of music, they have something for everyone and I urge you to give them the chance. Music speaks to people in different ways, so keep an open mind and feel free to leave their songs up to your own interpretation.



MEGOSH 

One of the greatest bands I've ever seen live, Super energetic, hilarious on and off the stage, Personable, And with a sound so unlike any other any music fan could enjoy.
 It was amazing to catch them, being of my favorite bands FOUR TIMES on this tour.
 Already lookin forward to them coming back with another favorite of mine, and label mates The Things They Carried next month. As a fan of them it's been great getting to build friendships with them and transcending into more than just a fan of theirs. I struggle with this a lot, Yes I support, And yes I do enjoy the music. But sometimes I want to feel like more than just another "fan" Even if most of the times I'm feeling that way it's all in my head or doesn't come from the bands but from the other  fans of them. They've always been really great at supporting my photography and by treating me as a friend. And I cannot thank them enough for that. And oh boy the  new stuff they've got coming is fantastic. They're maturing as a band and it shows. Cannot wait for their album to drop so I can jam the new songs. even Spanish fly is my fave of the new songs they played on this tour, it has come a long way since first hearing it on the last tour a couple months back. And just gets me pumped for whats to come from them.


The Knowing Within

Alright check it, I've already talked about these dudes so much. I encourage you guys to go back and read my old posts about em if you wanted to know more. They''re original, Inspirational, And bring the heavy to the happy. Does that make sense to you? Probably not. If you took We came as Romans and made them raw and took away the second vocalist you'd have these guys. That's the best way of describing them for those of you who are lame and don't know who they are. d:  These guys keep it real and that's what sets them apart from all the rest, and I mean that in a good way.  They're not always perfect. BECAUSE THEY DON'T ALWAYS HAVE TO BE. I love this about them. They're showing the world that you can be a band in this scene and not need tracks, or pre rehearsed everything / speeches to woo the crowd. Learn how to wing it! Your audience changes just as much as the venue does. And sometimes you've gotta know how to reach out and be of liking to everyone.


But anywhoooo, I've got to take the second and mention how dang proud of them I am. Touring isn't easy. Not by any means. Especially when you're the underdogs. But this tour package was perfect for them. Even if most of the dates were in Florida. Which in the end that worked out in my favor and so I was lucky enough to follow them for a few dates. Hey guys suck it! You won't take me on your tours i'll bring myself. Just kidding.... Kinda sorta not really tho lol.
 A lot like Silversyde these guys give you hope, and make you realize there is light in the darkness. They have shown me that even in the darkest times of our lives...
There's always something to be positive about.
Always! Never forget that. Because of them....
I never will.









Bc I couldn't post this without photos here's a few lame phone shots. 





To Be Continued..... 



Sunday, April 17, 2016

Playing catch up.

Long time no see, huh? Even though it seems my eyes have been opened more so than in the past as of late. It's been a crazy year so far. So let me catch you up a bit before I get into my next blog post. Which is going to be pretty dang exciting.
Back in October I started a job as a photographer (and sales associate) for universal.
So far it seems to be going well. It's the perfect job for me. As i'm sure anyone reading this who knows me on any personal level could see.
On the backside of things though, it harms my show life more than you'd think.

I'm still very active in the scene. Just not online. Sad isn't it? It's been damn near impossible to find time to edit photos & get them sent out to bands \ posted on my page. And unfortunately I haven't had much time for writing either. But this is my life. This is what I love. And it's time I found a way to balance it all out. Who's ready for Chyster to make the comeback? I know I am. Even just writing this feels like a homecoming inside of me. I've spent the past few months finally getting to know my true self, and along with that comes the realization that all I want from life is to fight my way into the music scene. However that may be.

These days blogging seems obsolete with social media having so many other options, and our lives being so busy.... I understand that people don't really have the time or the interest. But at the end of the day none of that really matters.

So let's throw down some updates for ya! Seeing how it's been almost a year since I've written I figured it was about damn time I tried to fill you in.

I had the opportunity to shoot the Drop The Gloves Tour, It was Bless The Fall, Miss may I, The plot in you, Sirens & Sailors, and last but DEFINITELY NOT LEAST My friends in A War Within. (WHO I MISSED!!!!... Bc the time online was wrong & even though I showed up early they had already played..) I was so proud of them for being a part of that tour. We talked a lot that night, But I decided to keep that all to myself. Sometimes things are just better off not being said.
This was my first show in a photo pit. Kind of sucks admitting that but oh well.
Oh man that night felt like a dream. If it wasn't for the photos I would think it was.
Thank God that it wasn't...  I also had the chance to be apart of the Warped Tour announcements party @ FullSail. Which was amazing to be apart of. Also very hard to describe and very dream like.
I didn't feel like I belonged there, but I'm making it a point to fight my way in until I no longer feel like that. It's seems like there's a war inside of me always fighting to make me feel like I don't belong anywhere. It's time now to fight back!
 I'm going to do everything in my power to never let myself feel like I can't exist in this scene. I may be the underdog but I'm here for a reason. Probably multiple reasons Actually. The bands all killed it that day, Shout out to Wage War and Real friends for hitting me in the feels and making me fall in love with their music. Such basic yet awesome  bands to listen to on  your emo days. Cough me everyday, cough.
Less Than Jake is still going strong, despite their age as a band. It was pretty cool to see them. and they put on a great show ending the night with a bang!

So far this is really all I've got left in me to say.....
 But before I go, Here's photos of what you missed


































































































































Coming up next, The Southern Sanctuary Tour. With Megosh,Silversyde, And my ninja's in The Knowing Within. So be on the lookout for that in the up coming week! Stoked to share it with you guys.