Hey there! Been quite some time since I’ve posted. It has been crazy busy from moving into my senior year of college, to being a part of orientation weekend, to starting classes, it has been a chaotic 2 weeks. But here I am with another blog post and brand new photos for you guys so here we go.
Four Chord Music Festival: an annual pop punk music festival put on by Rishi Bahl, a ridiculously talented human being, and friends. Seriously though, I don’t know how he does it all. From 6 undergrad degrees and 2 PhD’s to being in his own band and putting on this festival… it’s wild. I’ve been to all of the festivals but the first one and they have consistently topped each other every year. This year, it happened to be the night before classes started so I only stayed for the first 7 hours.
It was cool because this year I happened to become friends with a couple of the bands who were opening the festival. Like I said, I was only there for the first 7 hours, which if you ask me is plenty of time at a concert. While there, I shot Atlantic Wasteland, bloom., Look Out Loretta, Patent Pending, Eternal Boy, and Will Pugh of Cartel. I’ve shot a few of these bands before but it’s always fun to see how my skills have improved since I last shot them. Plus the lighting was great. These are some of my favorite photos, honestly. So, without further ado, read on about the bands I shot while attending Four Chord 5.
First up, we had Atlantic Wasteland, which if you follow my blog, you are very familiar with. I’ve become super close with them and they’ve been the subject of some of my favorite photos recently. And actually, Evan Yester from Hear Tonight (another band I shoot a lot) was filling in on drums for them. I was thrown off at first because I had just gotten to the show not 10 minutes prior and Sam of AW, went on the mic, causing me to run down to the pit to start shooting. The times were a little messed up throughout the whole show but I got used to it. But they were great as usual. They kept the crowd’s attention and kept them on their feet, jamming. They are always a fun band to shoot and watch play. As always, a fantastic set and worth catching a show. If you’re into pop punk, which is the genre of most all bands who played this festival, you will enjoy them. As usual, I tagged their Facebook page above!
Right after Atlantic Wasteland’s set was over, I ran to the second stage because bloom. started playing. They’re a band local to Boston, with members who went to Berklee College. I shot a show of theirs before whenever they came to play at the Smiling Moose. One of their members, Tyler Knatz, is the drummer in Vertigo as well, which is how I know them. They put on a great show also. I noticed the crowd bobbing their heads, as most do at harder core shows, and enjoying the set. They’re on tour currently, but next time they come through, I suggest giving them a go. They’re definitely underrated. Their Facebook page is linked above.
Next up, we had locals, Look Out Loretta, another band you’ve probably seen me post about. Their newest album was released this past spring and the audience knew every word. I even got a few crowd shots during their set, which was pretty cool. For an underground band with a small amount of followers on social media, I’m always impressed with the amount of people they bring in for a crowd. They rocked out as the audience rocked alongside them. Their Facebook page is linked above.
After a small food and caffeine break, I came back just in time to shoot a band I’ve (shockingly) never shot before; Patent Pending, a rock/punk/pop punk band from Long Island, New York. They’ve played almost, if not all, of the last 4 Four Chord Festivals. They have become good friends with Rishi and seemingly, the entire Pittsburgh pop punk scene. I’ve watched them play every time they played the festival, just never shot them. I’m not entirely sure why, but I just never did. Last year, I watched them play a song that, ever since, has been an absolute earworm. Despite being extremely creative, it’s almost too catchy, lol. ‘Hey Mario’, a song with over 2 million listens on Spotify, is their most popular song. It’s on their 2013 album, Brighter and it is great. It’s a song basically about a guy telling his friend that he’s better than the girl he’s chasing after, that won’t give him the time of day. The creative part? It’s all music made to sound like it’s from Super Mario Brothers and it is uber cool. Anyway, they always have known just how to keep the audience’s adrenaline pumping. They were actually the ones to play several extra songs to fill in the time that got misconstrued earlier that day. They were very fun to shoot too. Joe, lead vocalist, jumps like a madman and actually got me my first really dope and clear jump shot that I’m HYPED about. (See below) So, next time you see that Patent Pending is playing in the area, get to that show if you want to have a super fun time. And by the way, if you end being front row, be aware that Joe sweats a lot and you’ll likely get sweat on, hahaha. I had a few drops on my lens, which I found to be very comical.
Next up, we had the man himself… Rishi Bahl and his band, Eternal Boy. In case you haven’t heard of them, they are another local pop punk band I would definitely consider them on the milder end because I’ve come to really enjoy their music. Harder core stuff just isn’t my jam, so if you’re like me and enjoy mild core pop punk, they are for you. They are always great and put on a great set, too. Their most popular song off of their album (under The Spacepimps name), Eternal Boy, ‘Party Foul’ was actually turned into a pale ale beer brewed by Dancing Gnome. I’m not a beer person so I can’t say so myself, but my boyfriend is very into craft beers and was very excited to try it. He loved it… even had 2 while we hung out at the show. Audience members screamed along, and even moshed a bit, while they played. Nothing out of the ordinary for a local pop punk band, really. If you haven’t heard of them or liked their page on Facebook, I linked it above.
Lastly, the vibe was toned down a bit for this next act. Will Pugh of Cartel, from Atlanta, played a little acoustic set. This was a new thing for the festival. In the past few years I’ve attended, there hasn’t been an acoustic act before. I thoroughly enjoyed it, to be honest. Acoustic sets are ridiculously underrated because they are so raw and real. They showcase what the music really sounded like before it became what it was, with just a voice and a guitar. Truly great music can be toned down like this and sound just as great as it does full band. I had never seen Cartel play before, but if I enjoyed the acoustic this much, I’m sure the full band doesn’t/didn’t disappoint. I was worried the crowd wouldn’t react well being that you come to a pop punk show expecting to mosh and act like maniacs. But they seemed to really enjoy the break. It also helps that Pugh has a damn good voice. It was mesmerizing to listen to him play, while I moved around pondering creative shots I could take. That was tough. Having just a man and his guitar makes a photographer’s job a little harder, but I had fun with it. I also think I did a good job also. Pugh put on a great acoustic set and I was thoroughly impressed.
As I said, I only stayed for a bit so I could go back to campus and get editing started. I mean it’s a good thing I did cause even this post took forever for me to put out. However, I was satisfied with what I had seen. It ended on a relaxing note and I felt I got some amazing shots. Bravo to you, Rishi, as always.
Hope you enjoy the shots I took as much as I do. As always, only a handful are featured below and the rest are up on my Flickr page. (Psst… go look. These ones below barely do the bulk justice)
Abigail McNatt Photography 
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