SMTB/ Jesus Piece/ Scowl/ Zulu at Studio at the Factory

From a lighthearted, imaginative perspective, Deep Ellum in the late evening looks like a festive wonderland for adults. The assortment of colors in all of the lights hovering above my path casted a visual similarity to multiple suburban houses with decorative Christmas lights, except in the alleyways and heading towards Commerce St. Edging closer to the venue, one long stride after another, I came to a realization. This venue was formally known as Canton Hall. I attended a handful of events at this venue years ago, before the name change. Heading up the incline, I was stopped by the individual checking IDs, followed by obtaining my photo pass. Going through metal detector has its pros and cons; safety is number one priority to me no matter what but having to empty my pockets, unload everything into white buckets, then put it all back in my pockets was annoying. After readjusting my belt buckle, I took a few steps around the corner and began taking note of the scene in front of me. I was 45 minutes late and ZULU was on stage. The place was packed like sardines with hardcore kids, punks, and other eccentric fans of the music. I was very familiar with the layout off the establishment, so I headed towards the bar and walked along the side of the pit until I reached the end of the barricade. Eventually I reached the area I assume to be a “photo pit”, which ended up being the space between the stage and the barricade. For a mid-sized venue, the stage had some height to it, enough for me to rest my elbow without my discomfort. Behind me was an immense amount of energy for the fans, embracing the music in their own way.

Although I was running behind, I was able to catch the majority of the ZULU set. Watching an all-black hardcore band with amazing riffs, heavy mosh parts, blended with the right of amount of soul and the essence of negro spiritual was electrifying, especially in Black History Month. More than anything I was in awe and starstruck once again. The height and the angles of stage lights accentuated the movement of each musician on stage, shining on the superstars of the night. Occasionally I would take a glimpse at the crowd and witness nothing short of mosh pit mayhem on bigger scale. The amount of people I saw in attendance exceed my expectations a bit. Fortunately, I arrived in plenty of time to catch ZULU play my favorite song, 52 strikes, with the crazy level of fury and intensity, courtesy of the monstrous sound blaring from the venue’s speakers. Right after their flawless performance, I look a moment to catch my breath and taking a look at a few photos. Looking over at the crowd, I observed the audience catching their breath as well. Some made their way towards the bar to grab and drink, other remained in front, waiting for Scowl to play. As time goes by, I’ve become more amazed at the number of new faces I see at shows. In the same moment, I reminded myself there’s a large amount of people I never see at local shows but will always show up to bigger shows. It’s interesting to see that particular number of people grow over the years.

Moments before the Scowl set, I felt my body temperature rising. The amount of energy in my vicinity plus the well-insulated Carhartt jacket I was wearing were the main contributors. Behind the door leading to the backstage area was an empty coat rack with a few unoccupied hangers on it, perfect to set my jacket for the moment. I felt like I was able to breathe better as I made my way back to the front of the stage. Scowl began to perform, and the intensity of the audience was back in full swing. For the majority of their performance, I was engulfed in all of the fun happening in front of me. I’ve known Scowl for about a year and some change and witnessing their progression hits a different level of inspiration for me. The way Kat moves across the stage matches her distinctive and edgy style in her stage presence. Watching them on a such a larger scale in comparison to the first time I’ve seen them is the coolest thing to witness in real time. It seems like it all happened so fast. Just like ZULU, I enjoy the musical direction they are headed in. It’s being received well by fans and new listeners, thus attracting more fans. I was still astonished at the number of people filled the space. Watching a sea of people being packed into the border of a sturdy barrier with a small version of a riot in a shape of a circle is pure entertainment. It doesn’t get any better than controlled mayhem.

Earlier, I acknowledged the obvious barrier separating the crowd from the stage, but I didn’t think any further into it. During the Scowl set is when I began to give the barrier a second look. Kids began hopping over the barrier, onto the stage and catapulting off the stage onto each other. The gap in between the stage and the barrier is roughly 5 feet, so in order for someone to successfully make it off the stage, they would have to take a huge leap in the air. Energetic bodies sailing over me like afternoon birds cruising through the air above. It looked as dangerous as it sounds. The scene in front of me looked like a circus full of amateur acrobats performing mediocre somersaults. Apart of me was keeping my eyes peeled for anyone to misstep or fall off the stage or not able to clear the gap. Fortunately, it didn’t happen as much as I thought it would, that was a good sign. Maybe a couple of people fell straight to the floor, but it wasn’t so bad, happens all the time in hardcore. Scowl’s set was a non-stop party, one of their most exciting sets to watch. After their set, I ended up backstage to retrieve my jacket. As I turned around, I was in clear view of the members from every band performing. Reuniting with friends from across the nation, traveling city to city , state to state, while they are in my hometown is an amazingly delightful feeling. Its those moments I recommend everyone to cherish. Every moment I shared a smile, a hug, a few words or a conversation, it was recorded in the part of my brain that hold all of my precious memories so I can look back on them at another time. I couldn’t be prouder of each of them, individually and altogether. Each band and its members are all on an uphill journey with their creative mind and talent leading the way. One of the coolest things about it for me is majority of the bands on this tour (that I know of) came out in the recent years and I was able to witness their beginnings. To see them for then to now is incredible. Let’s not forget to mention this is a crazy stacked tour. It would’ve been a shame if I were to miss this.

At one point I made my way outside the back door. It was getting a bit toasty, and I wanted to feel cold air for a brief minute. Jesus Piece was about to play, and I surely was going to miss a second of it. I anticipated the set to be wild as hell. It’s been a while since I watchedbthem live and their two latest singles are bangers. I proceeded to head back inside and let out an instant shudder when I reached the warm temperature. I slipped past the doors and repositioned myself back in the same spot I was in when I was shooting photos of Scowl. The massive amount of energy I felt from the audience let me further know it was about to get nuts. As soon as Jesus Piece began to play, it was nothing short of unhinged behavior taking place. Recently I have been watching the HBO show, The Last of Us. In episode 6, one of the ending scenes shows the “Infected” spewing out from the ground, attacking the armed men. That’s what it was looking like in front of me. Somehow, I made my way to the other side of the stage, I wanted to see how different things were looking on the other side the stage. From a different point of view, I was able to see the intensity behind Aaron’s performance. It’s like he has a switch, and when he flips the switch, he turns into a madman. Have you ever looked at a hardcore vocalist and ever wonder how hard the vocalist shreds their vocals? I do, I wonder about that with Aaron. It sounds like he shreds the daylights of out his vocals. I love it just as much as everyone else does, it sounds great on and off record. Kids were stagediving more during the JP set, and each stagedive was more crucial than the next. Folks were landing on other people’s neck, the bottom of shoes were meeting faces, front flips were happening. It was crazy. The pit was looking pretty gnarly as hell. Moshers were out for blood this time, and no one was taking prisoners. It was filled with more action than a Bruce Willis movie. When they played their song Oppressor, I damn near wanted to hand my camera to someone so I can get into the pit. Obviously, I decided not to but hopefully next time I will.

Show me the Body was the headliner we all been waiting on. It seemed like it was taking a bit longer for the band to set up, so I took another trip outside. Thankful of the brand of jacket I was wearing, I was able to feel comfortable outside while the wind was tickling my neck. It was then that I felt a deeper admiration for Malachi. As he was talking to me, Robert and Irving about Santa Cruz hardcore and his involvement, I couldn’t help but to admire his contribution. The way he puts on for his scene and what all he does behind the scenes is impressive. To see him flourishing in the way that he is currently is nothing short of inspirational. Show Me The Body started and I didn’t realize until a couple of seconds in. Out from backstage, I made my way back to my favorite spot to take photos. This band in particular is one of those bands I’m forced to give a different ear to, similar to Soul Glo. Their brand of alternative music invites different elements of other genres and blends them into cohesive bodies of music. Aside from that, the live videos I see off Youtube made me eager to watch them play. Their set started with the lights off, which was a little difficult to capture but not impossible. As the set kept progressing, I was began to watch the set through different lens. I started to become entranced at the banjo Julian was playing. I would’ve never thought to incorporate a banjo in alternative music of any sort. I was in awe of the crowd reaction. This was my first time watching the band live and I really enjoyed it. Although I was late on SMTB, that was not the case for the audience behind me. I couldn’t help but to love and respect sound and stage presence, aberrant to modern hardcore, pushing the boundaries through the underground culture.

It sucks when shows like this end, but it isn’t too bad because I know I’ll see them again soon. I found it a bit strange the bands were going from Dallas to Houston and travel back up to San Antonio and Austin. It was imperative for me to take a couple handfuls of candid photos before they left to continue on tour, for the simple pleasure of looking over them to reliving the memories.