If you haven't heard about the Old Mogul Theatre yet, chances are you will soon. Montclair, N.J. has long been home to plenty of great music- smaller underground shows happen in basements and the Meatlocker, and larger shows at the Wellmont Theater- but size-wise, the Old Mogul fills the void somewhere between those two. They've already booked some exciting shows, so I can't wait to see what else they bring in. One of their first shows was an entirely math-rock lineup. When my friend Chris (assistant manager at the Old Mogul Theatre) asked me if I wanted to come shoot, I wasn't familiar with any of the bands- but I was so impressed by the entire lineup. The Planet You are from right in Montclair (they're all students at Montclair State University); In Angles are from East Brunswick; Hannibal Montana are from New York; and Invalids are from Princeton. They were all very technical players- everyone was so talented. The Planet You and Invalids, in particular, were very animated on stage- but the whole show was fun to shoot!
Up first was The Planet You. Guitarist Max Manziyenko told me he's studying jazz performance at Montclair State- something that definitely shined through in their set.
Up next was In Angles.
Hannibal Montana was next. I watched Hannah Montana back in the day, so I thought their name was pretty funny! They had some visuals projected on to the screen behind them, which added a really interested dimension to their set.
Finally, Invalids took the stage.
Over the past few months, I've gotten really in to taking photos of my friends and of people I meet at shows- quick snapshot portraits that capture who they are in the moment. Here's Max from The Planet You, and Chris, assistant manager of the venue.
