Wow…what a month. Busy is an understatement, and I’ll say this: House shopping nowadays is exciting, and disappointing at the same time LOL. Thankfully, Wendy & I have a great realtor (bonus, she & her husband are great friends too!) and by the time you may read this, we are so thankful to be able to tell you that we’ve moved in to our new house! After everything we went through, we can truly say that we’ve been blessed over the last few months with all the love and support we have received. As I type this month’s article, we’re 3 sleeps away from our closing, and moving…and we can’t wait. So in between all the house shopping (as well as shopping for everything we need for the house), we did manage to make it out to a few shows this month and I suppose I ought to talk about those too, right?
First night out was to finally make it in to Record Smith in Mechanicsburg for the Jellybricks album release party. I’ve been meaning to get to this place for a bit, but that was put on hold for a little while til things get straightened out. I do know this: once I get a new record player & system, I’ll be making quite a few visits to this shop. It may be small, but they’ve got a great selection of albums. The Jellybricks took the stage to celebrate their album release by playing a number of their older tunes, as well as a few of their new ones including my personal favorite “Age Of Stupid”. Every time I see these guys, no matter the size of the stage, it’s just guaranteed to be a great time. Check out their new album “Dreaming In Stereo”, I promise you won’t be disappointed!
The following week I trekked down to Lovedraft’s Brewing for one of their last shows at this location, the Suicide Puppets’ album release party for “Where Killers Go To Die”. First up on stage was Delaware based Jungle Dream. These guys hit the stage with horrifying masks and makeup that made for great pictures, and they just pounded the place in to submission with their original songs as well as a cover or two including a very cool & creative cover of “Beautiful People”. Second up on stage was NYC based Glampire, a sort of Halloween Metal Core band led by a charismatic female vocalist (sorry, I didn’t catch her name!). Their songs were heavy, fast paced with high energy and quickly led to a great circle pit right in front of the stage with songs like Grave Robber Girl, New York Nosferatu, Devil Doll and more. Batting third in the lineup was my boys: The Suicide Puppets. The guys took the stage and immediately owned it ripping out their classic horror/industrial metal tunes like Prey, Porn Star, and others…songs off their new album including my instant favorite “Piggy”, as well as their awesome cover of “Twilight Zone”. Capping off the night was a band that I’ve been itching to see ever since I found them through TikTok: Traverse The Abyss. I came into it expecting a lot (they do a great job with their social media!), and I have to say…I wasn’t disappointed in the least. They are non-stop energy with songs like Reasoning, Viewpoint, Trainwreck, and a bunch more. Seriously, if you’re in to the metal-core scene, you should absolutely be checking these guys out.
A few nights ago, we got the rare chance to meet my son for dinner, a beer and a few tunes at Liquid Noise Brewing Co in Marysville. This is my first time back there since they’ve changed ownership. The food was great, the brews were tasty (definitely try the Belgian Triple!), and the service was excellent. Entertainment for the night was Whiskey Ginger, an acoustic duo with a sort of Folk/Celtic/Soul vibe that made for a great night. They started off with a beautiful a Capela Celtic tune that I really enjoyed. The rest of their songs were a beautiful blend of acoustic playing and vocal harmonies that paired really well their vibe.
My last trip out for the month was last night, down to Millersville University for the CPMHOF’s annual Youth Music Showcase. I absolutely love this event…it might even be my favorite of the year. This is such an awesome opportunity for the young musicians, but it’s also a great opportunity for us to see what the future holds for our music scene. I have to say…each year I just continue to be impressed with the musicianship shown by these folks. This year there were 12 performances (each act gets to showcase one song) and all of them were fantastic. Congratulations to all of the performers on doing such an outstanding job! Performances by: Lucy Trout, Johalys Benscome, Jake Rollins, Lydia Mowers, Juliet, C.Z. Moe, Carmine Gontz, Blank Page, Alex Lee Warner, Penny Shaw, Izzy Butters, and Lucy Hood.
So there it is, my month of music through my eyes and ears. I want to once again thank all the bands, venues, and everyone else involved in our incredible local music scene for everything they do. Just a reminder: if you’ve got a show coming up that I should see; make sure to send me an invite, shoot me an email or a message, let me know about it. Venues: please don’t hesitate to reach out to me as well. The majority of the shows that I go and shoot I find out about through invites from all of you or your friends. Hit me up on facebook: @chrisriderphotography or email: chrisriderphotography@gmail.com, stop me if you see me and say hi. Until next month…go find some live music and give them and the venue your support, they truly need it more now than they ever did.
