Maye opened for Magic City Hippies at Emo’s in Austin this weekend, and here are a few shots from the show.
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Maye at Emo’s Austin
Tag: crowdsurfermag
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Elohim at Elsewhere
Elohim kicked off the Group Therapy tour this weekend with a sold out show in Brooklyn at Elsewhere with opening acts Bahari and Mehro. Check out our shots from the show below!
This past weekend was Valentine’s Day, and the perfect time for an acoustic show by three top country artists: Ryan Hurd, Walker Hayes, and Rodney Atkins. I had the pleasure of spending the pre-show with Walker, taking some portraits and goofing off backstage.
The sold-out event was held at Viejas Casino in San Diego. Check out the gallery below for my favorite shots from the show.
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Dijon at Holocene
Our photographer Spencer Gray captured DJ Dijon at Holocene in Portland this weekend. Take a look below for some select shots from the show.
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Overcoats at Webster Hall
Overcoats came to Webster Hall in NYC on February 4th, 2020 and brought all the amazing harmonies (and some awesome dance moves). If you haven’t heard of them yet, add them to the top of your listen to next list. You can check out all the shots from the show below.
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Artist Interview: Keep In Touch
We’re big fans of funky throwback pop records and up-and-coming NYC-based musicians, and Keep in Touch is a trio that fits the bill. With their uber-catchy beats and contemporary flare, they’re hoping to be next big thing in music. We caught up with the boys in Ray’s Harlem apartment for some behind-the-scenes shots of their jam session, and asked them a few questions.
How did you guys first meet?
“We met at through the rock climbing community that we’re a part of, we both new of each others musical endeavors and wanted to collab, kinda right away.” -Ray
“After we jammed a couple of times we really realized our overall vibe and tastes in music were very aligned.” -Nate
How’d you come up with your name?
“I had a song called “Keep in Touch,” with the last band I was in All Types of Kinds, and someone from BMG heard the song and thought it was a better band name than the current one the band had, so I’m taking their advice.” -Ray
What would you say is the genre/vibe of the band?
“When we first started making music together, we learned we both share a love for 70’s disco/funk music, as well as what’s happening with modern synth-based pop and R&B. So our goal throughout this whole project has been pretty simple, to make music that people can either dance to or make love to. As long as people are dancing, we know we’re doing something right.” -Nate
Talk about the recording process, what’s it been like?
“We’ve never recorded music at this caliber, we commute up to Connecticut currently from the city to work with this producer Mike Rogers, who’s really developing us into true studio musicians. We now spend hours working on the smallest details on any given track, which has helped us fully realize the concepts of these songs. His studio is in this little restored barn a 30 second walk from the Appalachian trail, which is a stark contrast from NYC and with both of us loving the outdoors its pretty rad. ” -Ray
Challenges getting the band up and running?
“Overall, making this music has been an incredibly seamless process. When it comes to lyrics/arrangement Ray and I have tons of ideas to work with. One major challenge though has been figuring out how to play these songs in a live setting. Because we’ve been working so much in the studio, most of our songs have more parts to play than we can accomplish with a few of us! Luckily we’ve met some fantastic musicians who want to support our sound in a live setting.” -Nate
Favorite song you’ve written/recorded?
“The one we’re currently working on in the studio now, actually! It’s one that has felt special since the first day we started working on it. It’s a bop.” -Nate
When can we expect to hear your first single?
“Sometime in spring 2020.” -Ray
We can confirm their first song is a bop, and we can’t wait to share it with you when it drops. Definitely put these guys on your radar if you haven’t yet! Go check them out on Instagram at @keptintouch. And for more pictures of the boys and tons of other musicians, check out the Crowdsurfer Instagram @crowdsurfermag.
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Baynk at El Rey Theatre
Our staff photographer Nicole Gagne covered the Baynk concert at the El Rey Theatre on January 31, 2020. Austin Millz and Nolie also performed at the show. Check out the photos below!
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Matoma at Terminal 5
This Saturday, February 1, 2020, Matoma performed to a sold-out screaming crowd in New York City at Terminal 5. It was high energy, with smoke, lasers, and all the stops for “Camp Superdope,” a two-night event. After experiencing it ourselves, we agree, it was super dope.
Win and Woo opened the show, and Two Friends co-headlined with Matoma. Check out the awesome shots below. Photos by Gaby Deimeke.
Our resident playlist curator and NYC-based music producer, Sonca Nguyen, has agreed to grace our music magazine with new tunes every month of 2020.
If you don’t yet know her, you should know that her playlists are pretty iconic. From a mix of the latest releases and local favorites, she always seems to capture the mood of the month with her curated playlist.
Head on over to Spotify to check out this month’s playlist for February, and let us know what you think! And while you’re at it, be sure to follow Sonca and Crowdsurfer on Instagram.
She’s taking the EDM photography scene by storm. Based in New York City, Dumarys Espaillat, under her brand name MsMoonlightArts, travels all over the country to shoot shows and music festivals. I had a lot of questions I wanted to dive into, so without further ado, here’s the interview we did with the incredible concert and festival photographer, MsMoonlightArts.
Tell us how long you’ve been shooting and why you started shooting concerts. I have been shooting for around six years. The way I started shooting was maybe a little bit different than most people. I was living in Puerto Rico and I used to work as a Production Assistant Manager for a company that produced events, mostly EDM events. So after a while (since I had no need to worry about getting a press pass) I started bringing my camera into shows, just for fun. As time went by, I got better at it, until one day the band Capital Cities played a show in Puerto Rico. I managed to capture a nice photo of their trumpeter at the time, Spencer Ludwig.
Photos By http://www.msartsandphotos.com/
Photo 2: Ghastly, Ultra Music Festival, Miami 2018
After the show, a friend encouraged me to show him the photo, which I did, and he loved it and posted it on all his socials and that was the moment when it clicked. The thought of “if he liked my photo maybe others will and I can get hired for it and maybe also travel” came to my mind. So from that moment and on I created my brand, Ms Moonlight Arts (after a high school nickname) and started focusing in improving my photos, setting up goals and finding my style.
What are some of your favorite shots you’ve taken at shows and why?
This shot taken at elrow last year opened a lot of doors for me. This photo was featured in Billboard.com in an article of elrow but it also contributed to me getting my current job. While I freelance in photography, I do have a full-time job where we do marketing for festivals and nightlife events. Besides that, I love how colorful it is, the composition and all the confetti. I think it captures what elrow is, something fun, colorful and crazy.
Ever since I started taking photos, I always wanted to have a photo of a moment like this, when people light up their cellphones from the crowd. I think it is such a magical moment for the performers, usually a slow song plays, everybody sings, it is just beautiful!
Photos By http://www.msartsandphotos.com/ 
Photo 2: Empire of the Sun, We The Future Festival, Puerto Rico, March 2017
Photo 3: Galantis at The Brooklyn Mirage, NYC July 2019
Photo 4: Electric Daisy Carnival: Orlando, November 2019
Fireworks! Who doesn’t love them! I am always looking forward to any pyro shots because they impact so much the way a stage and performers are displayed in a photo.
What’s the hardest part about concert photography?
I would say the times you have to work, while festivals mostly end around midnight, a lot of events I have shoot at end around 4am or so, in certain occasions even later and you have to sometimes go home and edit or edit on site. I have worked some crazy hours, overnights, staying up until like 7am editing after a show. When you do this but you also have a full-time job, sometimes it is not so fun the next day. It does requires a lot of energy to be running around with a heavy backpack sometimes 12+ hours and still edit after or during a show.
Photo 2: Zedd, Electric Zoo Festival, Randall’s Island, NYC, September 2019
What do you love about shooting shows?
The energy, the people and the music. There is no way to describe how awesome it feels walking into a stage or a photo pit full of fans screaming and singing their hearts out! There is a magic to it. Also since I’ve worked in the production side, I know how much hard work it takes to put on a good show. This is why I always love when festivals and/or concerts bring onboard new things to amaze the crowd from lasers, Pyro, Drones, different stages, sound quality, new experiences, performers. It’s just awesome when it is all mixed together.
Photo 2: Girl Headbanging, Electric Zoo Festival, Randall’s Island, NYC, September 2019
Photo 3: Girl dancing, Governor’s Ball Festival, Randall’s Island, NYC, June 2019
Photo 4: Performers, Electric Daisy Carnival, Orlando, November 2019
What advice do you have for concert photographers just starting out?
Always follow your dreams even if you don’t feel you made it yet! There is always improvement, re-evaluate your work, plan your next moves, learn from others and improvise. Doesn’t matter what field you are in. I never thought I would be where I am now, even though I still feel like I have tons of things to learn. Photography has taken me to places I never thought I would visit, it sparked even more of my passion for traveling and besides shooting shows, I have had the chance to work with people and brands that I never thought I would work for. From corporate gigs to fashion, food, with brands such as HBO, J.C. Crew and Dunkin’ Donuts among others.
Check out MsMoonlight Arts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and have a look at her portfolio here.
crowdsurfermag.com 