Gifts From Enola / Caspian / A Cosmonaut’s Ruin

above: Caspian

Am I the official Gifts From Enola photographer yet? I’ve seen and shot them about 8 times in the past 6 months. Crazy. Last night the usual GFE crew and followers convened, yet again, at Blue Nile in Harrisonburg for another incredible show.

Mere days after seeing them this past Sunday, A Cosmonaut’s Ruin destroyed most of our eardrums with another crazy set of math rock and metal. Their sets are tighter and louder every time I see them. With harsh, High on Fire-inspired vocals and intricate guitar work, they’ll impress and decimate you all at once.

Caspian were up second. I can’t decide if this band wants to be photographed or not. The entire stage was lit only by two 6″ clamp lights fitted with red bulbs and one 6″ clamp light with a yellow bulb (positioned over the drum kit). It was a tedious affair to get good shots. Even worse than when I saw them a couple months ago.

Shooting post-rock/instrumental music forces me to shoot almost entirely in wide angles. Zooms are nearly unnecessary as there’s no vocals to focus on and, what I think is my favorite part of the entire genre – there’s a lack of celebrity. Bands are actually considered collective wholes, not individual pieces that may or may not be greater than the sum of their parts. And Caspian are one hell of a collective. Their live show is as energetic as it is loud, and my ears are still ringing nearly 24 hours later. They close their sets with Sycamore, the epic ending track off last year’s Tertia. The track ends with a bombastic drum off, reflected in the live show by the entire band banging on drums for a solid 30 seconds. But not in Harrisonburg. Last night, most of Gifts From Enola joined Caspian on stage for the end of Sycamore and sped up the rate at which I’ll become deaf:

I’m becoming a pro at anticipating the lighting cues for GFE’s live show. That familiarity with their live show is definitely paying off. What’s even better is that last night Gifts played another new song from their upcoming album. One we hadn’t heard yet. Unfortunately, due to a faulty wire, their set ended after “Aves”. No encore for us last night. That’s fine, I’ll save the remnants of my eardrums for next weeks’ shows at SXSW.

Click here to view photos from the rest of the show!

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