Comedy, Black Metal, and Everything Between

The last two weeks have been packed. Between shooting events and editing photos, free time has been hard to come by. Here’s the rundown, starting with Sunday Service—an event that occurs on the fourth Sunday of the month. I got to experience the sounds and styles of two local artists: Giant Sloth and Scars are Proof of Survival. Both are incredibly talented with two very distinct sounds.

Moving into midweek, Deviant Libation hosted an Open Mic night, where anyone can take the stage to perform. As with most open mic nights, I got to experience unique performances that often consist of solo musical acts, poetry, and prose. Sometimes, I even step behind the mic to share a few of my own works.

As the month of July came to a close, I recorded and photographed a stand-up comedy show. This was a first on several levels: it was my first attempt at videography, and it was Deviant Libation’s first time hosting this type of event.

With that event in the books, I was right back at it the following day, photographing a heavy lineup featuring Bullet Wounds, Piss on Christ, Pontifex, and Voidrium. Every single one of them brought intense energy to their dark performances.

With the weekend wrapped up, I had plenty of review and editing to tackle before Wednesday’s black metal show. Now, some might assume Wednesday was just another open mic night—well, not this time. This past Wednesday was a real treat: a completely sold-out show featuring Whorer, Sacrilous, Barbelith, Trha, and Saidan. Whorer and Sacrilous are both local to the Tampa Bay area, while Barbelith and Trha hailed from Baltimore, and Saidan came all the way from Nashville. What a privilege it was to experience their sound and capture the night through my lens.