Studio Meetup: The Time Machine

@wearyblues shot at @thetimemachine.dtla

Happy new year friends! With the new year comes new opportunities, new experiences, and new memories.

In 2021, we saw a lot of life stuff come back, for a lack of a better term - concerts, sporting events, being able to go out for dinner or even go to the movies. Another thing myself and some collegues brought back was one of our favorite things to do to meet other creatives; the photo meetups. If you’ve never been to one, I highly suggest looking into it more. What is a photo meetup? It’s a really simple idea: bring a bunch of photographers & videographers to a studio or location to work with models. Sometimes they’re free, sometimes it may cost the most $50/person to help cover studio rental fees. Either way, it’s a great opportunity to meet new people, build your portfolio, and most of all: practice!

Please enjoy this gallery from when myself and fellow photographers Joey Mirales, Bernard Bella, and Samantha Baker, worked with LA based photo studio Time Machine by Another Hour Studios, to bring people together and create. Here’s to hoping we get to do more of these in 2022!

Let me know what you want to see, and where should we host our next meetup?

Behind the Scenes: The Gaming Hallow

*@samanthabakerfilm shooting @soyfool @ufoslut @mastargracey in @tgh.apparel*

Wow, it has been a while since I’ve updated this thing.

We all know how the past (almost) 2 years has been, for everyone, and so I think that’s a pretty good reason why I haven’t taken the time to write or share here.

Life here in LA has slowly been picking back up; traffic is busier than ever, friends are starting to hang out in real life again, some stuff from BC (before covid) is shifting back to the way it was. Things are most certainly not perfect, but I am grateful to get back to what I love doing and working with people again.

Here’s some BTS photos from a recent shoot for UK based clothing line TGH aka The Gaming Hallow, with my sister and photographer @samanthabakerfilm, and models @ufoslut, @mastargracey, and @soyfool out in Hermosa Beach shooting for the latest release. You can check out their products here and support small business!

I hope you’ve all been doing well and I can’t wait to continue doing monthly and/or weekly updates on the blog again!

Artist Feature: Kenny Holland

*disclaimer: if any photos from the following article are to be shared on any social media platforms, please take the time to tag me @maxbakerphoto and give proper credit. Thank you!

Who is Kenny Holland? If the name sounds familiar, you may have stumbled across his music during the time of Vine, or even on Youtube, where he’s posted covers with his sisters as well as original music; found his EPs on Spotify like Lifeline , and sometimes even playing in a city near you. From growing an audience at the age of 19 to touring all across the country, Kenny is a talented artist that has a fire for music that won’t burn out.

I first worked with Kenny a few years back during one of his headlining tours, and we’ve stayed connected ever since. During one of his recent trips to Los Angeles, we got together to catch up on life and capture some photos in the arts district of DTLA. Find out more about Kenny by reading below!

M: Tell me where you're originally from, and how others would describe you.

Kenny: I was born in Michigan but raised in Arizona. I don't know how others would describe me, but I'd hope they'd say I'm a passionate, purpose-driven person.

M: When did you realize music was your calling? What or who inspired you the most to pursue the entertainment industry?

K: I realized music was my calling when I was 14 years old. Justin Bieber and I are about the same age, and we have similar singing styles. His success helped me realize that I could be a musician too. John Mayer is my biggest inspiration, though.

M: Gotta love John Mayer. You picked up your following back on Vine, correct? How was that like? Do you think things would be completely different if your following didn't pick up on the app?

K: I did pick up my following from Vine, but I was working as a professional musician for years prior. It really just gave me the exposure to do what I love and for that reason, I'm grateful for it. It was a rollercoaster of a time. I think things would be monumentally different in many ways if it weren't for Vine. Sometimes the stars just align.

M: Since Vine, what have you been up to? You've released a couple of EPs, what has been the inspiration behind your music? What keeps you driven?

K: Before during and after Vine, I have been focusing on my career as a musician. But I have learned a lot about the many other priorities I have in life through my experiences. The inspiration behind my music is always life experience. I try to include as many concepts about life, love, and chasing dreams as possible. The fans keep me driven. The goal I've always set out to accomplish is to make a positive impact on the world by doing what I love and inspiring others.

M: You've been on tour a handful of times - what's the most memorable moment for you going on tour? What's your favorite part of touring? What's the hardest part?

K: This is a tough question to answer. I think the most memorable touring moment I have is opening for Secondhand Serenade - who I saw live at my first concert ever as a young kid. It was a surreal full-circle moment for me. The best part about touring is performing and being able to connect with the audience. It's what I live for. The hardest part is definitely the fact that it's a major grind. You're always on the go and always working. But I love to be in that space.

M: What would be some other creative outlets you would be interested in besides music? If you weren't making music, what would you be doing today?

K: My other passions besides music are basketball and snowboarding. They always help me re-balance and clear my head. I don't know what I'd be doing today if it weren't for music.

M: What’s some advice that you might have for creatives and artists alike to stay inspired and keep pursuing the dream?

K: We have the power to accomplish anything in this life. It's a grand experience and I believe that everyone is here for a reason. Find that personal legend, whatever it may be, and don't stop until you get there.

For more photos from our shoot, scroll down below for a gallery.

Thank you to Kenny for taking the time to talk about the things going on in his life and career, and I hope you enjoyed checking this out!

Who would you like to see me interview next? Comment below on some artists you’d like to get to know a little better. Until next time!

What's Going On Tour with Scotty Sire & Co.

Last month, my friend Bruce had myself and Samantha Baker come out for the final show of the What’s Going On?! Tour with Scotty Sire, one of Youtube’s top creators as well as a member of the popular Vlog Squad. Up and coming musician and long-time friend Bruce Wiegner had been opening for Scotty as well as support as background vocals/guitar during the spread of the tour, so it was definitely a cool moment to be able to capture the final tour date for a group of people like the WGO line up. Check out the gallery below for more photos of Scotty, Bruce, Chris Bloom, Toddy Smith, and Son Real!

Haus of Creep & Nickelodeon Present: Are You Afraid Of The Dark?

In celebration of spoopy season, I had the opportunity to check out a press event for the remake of Nickelodeon’s Are You Afraid Of The Dark? at the Haus of Creep interactive event in Downtown LA for Celeb Secrets. The event lasts roughly around one or two hours, with an interactive experience of all sorts of characters, where you get to meet all the dark and twisted storytellers. From the mischievous Mr. Happy and The Stalker, to the mysterious and insightful Thirteen, the Haus invites you to meet their weird creeps for a night you won’t forget. It’s truly something like no other for the Halloween season: think Universal’s Horror Nights, except for the part where you actually make intimate conversation and meet each individual freak and find out their stories behind their characters — if you dare ask. It was something I had never experienced before, and if you enjoy playing along with actors in character as much as I do, this is something you’ll for sure want to check out while you can. The Haus of Creep is going on until November 3rd, so get your tickets ASAP by checking the link here. While you’re here, you can check out some portraits I managed to snag while interacting with these freaks below:

What’s some of your favorite things to do during the Halloween season? Comment below your faves as well as what you’d like to see posts of next! ‘Til next time!

KROQ's 1st Ever Hermosa Beach Summer Series: The Wrecks & The Score

A couple weekends ago, 5B Media and KROQ combined forces to bring together a two weekend event in the sunny Hermosa Beach, outside of Los Angeles, called the Hermosa Beach Summer Series. It was the first for California to see this series brought to life, with a combination of yoga classes, food vendors, movie nights, comedy shows, and live music smashed into one. Have you ever wanted a music festival, quite literally, on the beach? And did I mention it’s a free for all event? What more could you ask for? I managed to capture Los Angeles local bands The Wrecks and The Score as they co-headlined the night for weekend one. Bringing rock and roll and a lot good energy to their fans and new faces, it was a set you had to see to believe. You can check out the photos from the night in the gallery below, and let me know if you see yourself in any of the crowd shots!

Thank you to 5B Media for having me, and let me know what shows you’d like to see me cover in the future! Until next time, comment your favorite songs from The Wrecks or The Score! Or if you haven’t yet, check out their music here and here.

What bands would you like to see next year?

TGS Collective Presents : The Funky Loft - A Photo Meetup

While CEO of The Gypsy Shack, also known as the TGS Collective, Alex Morehouse, was out of the country, she asked me to host one of their monthly meetups - and how could I say no? It was my first time hosting something as big as this, but I was very grateful to experience it and meet so many new faces! If you don’t know, meetups are a regular thing within the creative community online. It’s a way for people to build their portfolio, meet and network with creatives of all types, and create content for social media. I had been to several like this before, yet never had to host one. It was a learning experience for sure, and I would love to do something like this again! If you haven’t yet, be sure to check out TGS here for more info if this is something you would be interested in checking out in the future! Hopefully I’ll see you at the next one? See below for some of my fave shots from the weekend!

Make sure to click here for a behind the scenes look from the TGS Funky Loft! What would you like to see next? Comment below for blog ideas, who you’d like to see featured, and any other ideas!

Best Photo Studios To Rent in LA (Without Breaking the Bank)

Ever since I made the move to Southern California, my methods of picking and choosing locations for photo shoots has changed quite a bit in comparison to when I was living in Northern California. In Los Angeles, there’s some amazing spots to explore and shoot at, from Venice to Downtown LA. The possibilities are endless! The only thing that could be holding you back about shooting in public are a few things; an uncontrolled environment, possible trouble with permits (especially for you filmmakers out there), or disrespectful people gawking at the model you’re working with. After trial and error, I’ve come to the realization of the beauty that is shooting in studios. If you haven’t dipped your toes in this genre, you better start considering it. It solves all the problems I’ve listed above, all the while making you focus more on the results you want from a shoot in controlled time periods and more. And most places even offer personal assistants (if needed) as well as different types of lighting equipment! I wanted to share some really great spots to rent out that won’t break the bank while doing so. If this sounds like something you’ve been searching for, scroll down to see what studio might fit for your next scheduled shoot!

*all photos listed below are from the studio websites

LAvish Studios - DTLA

This space has become a favorite of mine - offering 4 different stages to choose from, you can create all kinds of different art with the variety they have starting at just $30/hour! You can check out more from them clicking the link below:

Check out LAvish

2. F/8 Studios - Long Beach

If you’re looking for a great clean and organized space with free street parking, you’ve found the right place. Great for headshots, products, and more, the simplicity of the studio backdrops is perfect for a minimalist vibe. Starting at only $50/hour!

Check out F/8

3. FD Photo Studios - LA (and New York!)

If you haven’t heard of FD, you must be living under a rock. With a huge variety of locations all over the Los Angeles area (as well as New York!!) this studio has so much to offer, with all kinds of affordable prices starting as low as $25/hour!

Check out FD Studios

4. Art Lab Photo Studio - DTLA

Art Lab has a gorgeous space with different looks to shoot - and a variety of equipment to work with! This space starts as low as $39/hour.

Check out Art Lab

5. Concrete Studios LA - Downtown Arts District

I personally have been dying to check this space out. They have a variety of different stages to choose from, including a rooftop location! This one starts as low as $30/hour depending on what package you decide on.

Check out Concrete Studios

6. The Jesus Wall - DTLA

The Jesus Wall is a one of a kind studio. Ranging from the major decorated and colorful rooms to a simplistic white room, this one goes for as low as $65/hour.

Check out The Jesus Wall

7. Revolt Society Studio - Long Beach

Here’s another fantastic spot with a minimalist vibe. If you’re looking for a classic and easy set up, Revolt Society offers this space that would be great for your editorial and lifestyle looks. This one goes for $25/hour with a 3 hour minimum.

Check out Revolt Society Studio

8. Redlab Studios - North Hollywood

RedLab-Studios-Los-Angeles-North-Hollywood-Main-Studio-441A3733.jpg

When I stumbled across this spot, I knew I needed to share it with you guys! Redlab has several options for shooting space, whether you need a simple backdrop or a full on living room/decor set up. They start as low as $30/hour!

Check out Redlab

9. Rose Studios LA - Downtown Fashion District

I absolutely adore this spot. Rose Studios offers 3 different shooting spaces, including a rooftop! With gorgeous color schemes and more, this one starts as low as $45/hour.

Check out Rose Studios

10. Analog Record Shop - Long Beach

If you’re looking for a more retro vibe, this spot is the one for you. The Analog Record shop is an amazing space to work in, with a coffee shop right next door! Super convenient. This one is a bit pricier than the others, starting at $100/hour, but still worth mentioning.

Check out Analog Record Shop

What do you guys think of the studios above? If you know of other cool locations to check out comment below! Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter while you’re at it and follow me on Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest and let me know what types of blog posts you’d like to see in the future! Thanks for checking this article out, and share it with all your creative friends you love working with! Hope you guys create some awesome content at these spaces!

New Music Friday: The Night Game Debuts Self Titled Album

In the summer of 2017, I somehow managed to find last minute tickets to go see the one and only John Mayer perform during his The Search for Everything tour when he made a stop in Sacramento. After somehow finding parking in Downtown and rushing to catch our seats before the opener went on, my sister and I had no idea what was to come that night; little did we know that we would stumble upon an act that was familiar to us. The curtains lifted from the stage as the opening band walked out and started performing, with funky guitar riffs and an 80s style pop vibe, we couldn't figure out how we had heard those raspy powerful vocals before. But clearly, this band had the audience entranced. It wasn't until a couple songs had passed that we had realized it was none other than former frontman of Boys Like Girls, the one and only Martin Johnson. Now, who was this new act, this new project Johnson has unleashed, as he casually opened for John Mayer? Say hello to The Night Game, an eclectic and moody solo project Johnson officially released the same year we had seen him perform at an arena filled with thousands of people. Fast forward to 2018, and TNG released his debut album, with 11 songs that will be giving you all the vibes as we transition into fall.

The opening song, The Outfield, was the song that got people talking about TNG in the first place when it was released as a single in early 2017; it was also all John Mayer had to hear in order for him to want Johnson to open for his summer tour. The song has power, as we hit the chorus and get punched in the face with some crazy vocals backed up by Gotye. As we transition throughout the album, we can find a common theme of losing someone you're not quite over just yet. With songs like Do You Think About Us?, The Photograph, and Die a Little, TNG reveals a story about a girl he once knew, someone he loved; and even though he's trying to move on, he still thinks about what she could be doing right now if they were still in each other's lives - and yet, he finds it to be better to just be left alone.

The Night Game is the type of album that has a cinematic feel. The emotion pulled through the vivid poetry and imagery that TNG paints for the audience is something hard to find in the mainstream culture, that "something" being a feeling. A feeling of nostalgia, heartbreak, and the current state of having ourselves to depend on vs someone else. Summerland and Coffee and Cigarettes reflects on a moment in time that plays back in our minds, brings back emotions that we had forgotten about, and the realization that it's all in the past and it's a new world in your today. The intoxicating emotions can bring anyone back to a time where we had someone in our lives that we thought would be there forever. As the album comes to an end with the fun up beat Back in the Van, imagine yourself driving alone, somewhere on the highway, wind blowing through your hair, blasting this album and taking yourself back into that feeling of just being. Yeah, it's that album. And it's fucking good.

You can stream the album on Spotify here and take a listen to the epicness that this piece of art encases for yourself. Oh and by the way...The Night Game is going on tour! You can check out the dates below:

Like what you see? Be sure to follow TNG's journey and find tickets for their tour here, and if you want to get all the latest news on music, interviews, and more, you can subscribe to my newsletter here! Leave a comment below of what you think of the album and what your favorite song is. Until next time!

Copasetic: A Photo Gallery

Andrelina runs an online blog and podcast, entitled Simply Complicated. Be sure to check it out on her website here: https://www.andrelinaperazzo.com/ — *Andrelina runs an online blog and podcast, entitled* ***Simply Complicated****. Be sure to check it out on her website here: https://www.andrelinaperazzo.com/*

Sometimes you find yourself at a networking event, meet some cool people, and all of a sudden you're doing a spontaneous shoot with a model you just met at said event. I met the talented and super bubbly Andrelina Perazzo while at an event in the LA Art District for the collective and agency I'm with called TGS Collective; my sister had worked with her before but conversation was nothing but full of positive vibes and inspiration. We noticed a gorgeous VW van in the valet parking lot next door, and couldn't help but to create some magic with what we had. To our luck, one of the valets was the owner of the bus and said it was totally fine to shoot with it! We were inspired by the vibrant and matching colors of the bus with Andrelina's outfit, and pulled together an edgy and moody vibe. Sometimes the most random shoots end up turning into something special! Check out what we captured below and be sure to follow Andrelina on her socials!

Follow Andrelina

What would you like to see next? What's the most spontaneous thing you've ever done? Leave a comment below and let me know! Would love to hear some cool stories you might have! Make sure to subscribe to my newsletter, and follow me on Instagram to stay up to date on all things photo!

Artist Feature: Fly By Midnight

When I first came across a band called Fly By Midnight one day on Spotify, I couldn't believe how good these guys were. There was something special about them; I knew the second I heard a few of their singles such as Vibe and XL. A few months later, the guys announced a show they were playing in Hollywood in just a few weeks time. After exchanging some emails and some ideas, I had the opportunity to meet and grab coffee with the NYC based duo while they were visiting Southern California; not only are they talented, they just so happen to be charming and genuine people, with a great sense of humor. You can watch the full interview below (10/10 would recommend) or read on to see more photos from the shoot we put together in West Hollywood, find out what Fly By Midnight is about.

Max Baker chats with the gents of funk pop duo Fly By Midnight, Justin + Slavo. How did these two start making music together? Are there plans for a tour? What's in the future for these two? Check this out and be sure to leave a comment below and give this a thumbs up! Filmed and edited by @samanthabakerfilm

“We constantly want to kind of turn the creative knob a bit left of center, and if it doesn’t work, you go back; but if it works, that’s what will set you aside from the rest. ”

Me: If you guys want to introduce yourselves, where you guys are from, and what you do exactly in the band.

Justin: My name is Justin Bryte, I play keyboard and sing in the duo, and I'm from Staten Island, New York, born and raised.

Slavo: My name is Slavo, I am from Florida, and I play guitar and I sing.

M: For those who might not be familiar with the band, how did Fly By Midnight get started and where did the name come from?

J: Yeah, two very different things, because the name was definitely not an organic process, but I guess coming together was more natural. Slavo moved to Florida from Staten Island, about, how many years ago, what was it?

S: Yeah, 5 years ago. I moved to New York from Florida. After being there for a couple years, I met Justin at a studio on Staten Island, and he was doing a solo project. I was producing, and we started working together, wrote the first song we released as Fly By Midnight called Brooklyn, and that was one of the first songs we ever wrote together; that was kind of the birth of Fly By Midnight. The name itself was- it was funny, we spent like a whole week trying to figure that out.

J: We drove around looking at signs and stuff...

S: Exactly, yeah, just looking for inspiration.

J: It was funny, we wrote the song first, and we knew we wanted to be a duo, and then we were like -

M: You're like "now what?"

J: Yeah! We wrote the song and were like "who are we?". But it all came together, and now here we are.

S: We like to say that because our sound is fly and retro, we came up with the idea of "Fly", and then "By Midnight" came from the idea that we're up past midnight pretty much every night.

M: I feel that. So you just released your latest single, All the Feels, what was the inspiration behind the song and how has the feedback been from the fans and the general public so far? I know it literally just came out.

S: Yeah, it's been what? A day?

M: A whole day!

J: Yeah a whole day! (laughs) I mean, for being a whole day, it's been really really positive. I think what we were really striving for the track was to just be universally relatable; it's such a feel good, positive song, and we just really wanted to inject those positive vibes into everyone. Because everyone has their feels; you know, whether it's a romance, or, like we said, a cup of coffee in the morning -

S: Ice cream, puppies...

J: Yeah, ice cream -

M: Pizza -

J: For me, it's coffee over romance any day of the week. But yeah, the story, the real story, is that we were sitting in the studio right, and we were searching on Spotify just listening to the music because we're music fans as well, and I came across a playlist on Spotify called "All the Feels", and I looked over at Slavo and I was like, "yeah this is a cool title for a song", and we looked it up and no one had wrote a song yet called All the Feels, and we were like "quick! write it! release it!". It's been really cool, I think the video came together - it was the first video also we filmed a little bit of awhile ago - we've kind of had it in our pocket for awhile, so it was cool to kind of hold onto it and be excited for it to come out.

M: And how has the feedback been as far as the song goes? Have the fans been reacting really well?

S: It's funny, everyone that's a fan of Fly By Midnight, they show us so much love, and we appreciate it, and we've been getting great feedback; people are going crazy about the song. The one thing I will say is we have a guy named Matt Reed, who's over at Mix 107.1 at Boston radio station, and he's been showing us love since, I think Malibu, or before that, he's a great radio host over there and he's been supporting us. One thing he said that I thought was really cool was that he premiered the song on the radio over there, and talked about how he was playing the song, you know, driving down the coast, and it was gonna be the next summer smash; just having that kind of energy and support behind the song is really important to us, and keeps us going.

J: And I think for us too, because he has heard all of our songs, he's premiered a lot of our songs, I think the fact that he - we speak on a friendly basis kind of now - and he's like "yo, this is like the one", and we were like "ah alright, this is the one".

M: It's like "Yeah, let's hope so"! (laughs)

J: We'll find out!

M: That's awesome!

J: Thanks!

M: With the new music you guys have released this year so far, is there any plans for a tour in the US, or maybe even globally? Maybe? Hopefully?

S: I mean yeah, we've been trying to go do a tour, like since we started we wanted to do a sorority tour, we thought that would be a lot of fun, it's more of our demographic and ya know, colleges are always a lot of fun. We played a lot of college shows in the beginning too, so yeah as far as touring the states, we've been trying to get on a booking with another artist that we kind of work well with. If we could do it on our own, we would do it in a heartbeat. It's more of just the whole funding process and just making sure everything's set up, so it's more timing for us, making sure it;s done the right way, and we want to take advantage of trying to meet everyone that we can while on the road. And you know, as far as international, we've been trying to go to a lot of these - we have a lot of fans in Europe, Australia, we even have a cool little fan base in Asia, Asia is a really cool fan base; it's all timing. We just want to make sure when we do it, it's done right.

M: Totally, makes sense. What has been the difference between New York and the East Coast, versus the West Coast? As far as the fan scene, the music scene -

S: The weather!

M: Just everything, the weather (laughs)

J: Yeah, it's exciting, and slightly nerve-wracking at the same time, because New York is kind of the birth town of Fly By Midnight, so whenever we do play a show there - we usually play a big one every year that's usually like a summer party, like one we just played - it's always packed out. We know it's gonna sell out and bring in people. I think LA is really exciting because we communicate with fans through social media here, but obviously we don't live here. So we don't know what to expect. I think it'll be really cool, and I think it'll go over really well so I guess we'll find out.

M: That's awesome. So, this is the last question, and I always ask this with everybody I interview with: what's some advice that you might have for creatives and other musicians to stay inspired and to keep pursuing the dream?

S: That's a really good question. It's easy to get caught up in doing and being creative, and get overwhelmed by the constant hustle, and for us, we've been very fortunate that we see the increase every time we release a new song, and we've seen it with the content, and we've seen our numbers go up, so it's definitely rewarding. That's something that's tangible, and we can feed off that, but you know, every now and then we get worked up and it's tiring, so it's just kind of understanding what you're capable of doing as far as content and what you're putting out there and making sure you're resting for these things. I don't know, it sounds stupid, but -

J: No, I think it's a good point. I mean, especially if you do hustle, and I know you hustle, and for the Fly By fans, you know that we hustle, and I think we've learned, even especially lately, that we were pushing ourselves 1000 miles per hour, but sometimes you gotta kick it back to 999. Kind of just take a day to heal your mind and stuff. But I would just say, experimenting because, especially for Fly By Midnight, and even also on the photography and video side, it's easy to get caught up in what everyone's doing. So we constantly want to kind of turn the creative knob a bit left of center, and if it doesn't work, you go back; but if it works, that's what will set you aside from the rest.

S: Spice things up.

J: Yeah, spice it up, and don't be afraid to fail.

S: Fuck with the flava - quote me.

(everyone laughs)

VIEW FULL GALLERY

Be sure to follow Fly By Midnight on their social media:

Follow FBM

And while you're at it, check out their latest single, All the Feels, below!

Thanks to Justin & Slavo for such a fun afternoon and taking the time to shoot and hang! Might have an excuse to go to New York in the future, but maybe that's just me. Who would you like to see me interview and shoot with next? Leave a comment below and be sure to subscribe to my newsletter to stay updated on all things photo and music related! Until next time!

Written, filmed, and photographed for Fly By Midnight, in association with The Gypsy Shack Collective (www.tgscollective.com)

New Music Friday: The Aces LP Debut "When My Heart Felt Volcanic"

Left to right: Alisa Ramirez, Cristal Ramirez, Katie Henderson, and McKenna PettyPhoto by @alexanderbortz — *Left to right: Alisa Ramirez, Cristal Ramirez, Katie Henderson, and McKenna Petty*
*Photo by @alexanderbortz*

I'm just gonna say it; The Aces is the badass feel good girl group we need. I hate to even have to categorize them in something that is incomparable to their sweet sound, but they are more than just that. I know a lot of people are out there saying, “I don’t normally like girl bands” or something along those lines, but these ladies will prove you wrong and show you a good time with their debut LP entitled When My Heart Felt Volcanic.

The indie rock/pop band bring a sound reminiscent of LANY, Pale Waves, and similar artists of the popular California Pop genre, heavily influenced by fun 80s pop/rock, with lots of guitar riffs, synthetic vibrations, and stunning vocals and instrumentals all around. From start to finish, WMHFV is a solid album, and you might think I'm kidding when I say this, but every song is a jam and could be strong as a stand alone single. Not only is their sound absolutely fun and memorizing, but if you really listen to the words throughout this LP, the lyrics are what make The Aces stand out. The adventures of falling in (and out) of love can be found in songs such as the opening and closing number Volcanic Love and Waiting for You, as well as songs like Hurricane, Bad Love, Last One, and more, that anyone can relate to and send chills down your spine.

Don't underestimate these ladies; their eclectic sound is way too catchy to not blow up sooner than later. I know I'll be having this one on repeat for, well, probably forever. You can listen to their music via Spotify now, and you can find the album on their website for only $8!

Buy the Album Here

Thanks for checking my site out, and be sure to follow @theaces on all social media, and me @maxbakerphoto while you're at it! The band is currently on tour opening for X Ambassadors, and that sounds like a show you do not want to miss. Check out the link here below to see if they're coming to a city near you!

be sure to follow the ladies here: @cristalramirezz, @alisa_ramirez, @kt_hendy, and @kenpettywap

Emo Nite Tour - Sacramento, CA - Photo Gallery

*fans raging their hearts out at the Holy Diver in Sacramento, CA*

It was a cold dark night on St Patrick's day in Sacramento, but that didn't stop your friendly emo kids from showing up to Emo Nite's first stop on their official tour on the 17th. Hosted at one of Midtown's newer spots, the Holy Diver, people of all ages came out to rock out and lip sync to some classic Pop/Punk/Rock songs such as Panic! At the Disco, Paramore, Yellowcard, and more. If you've never heard of Emo Nite, it all started in Los Angeles a little over 3 years ago by Morgan Freed, Babs Szabo, and TJ Petracca, with the intention of "bringing together people who share the love of emo rock music from the 90s, 2000s, and today".

They're not a band, they're not DJs, they just throw parties for the music they love, and want to bring it to you.

Emo Nite LA is currently on tour, and you can check out the dates here to see if they're coming to a city near you!

For the full gallery of the night, check out the photos below. Leave a nice comment and thank you for checking out the site! Let me know what other type of content you'd like to see for the future and any other suggestions you might have! Be sure to follow @emonitela on social media, and shoot me a follow while you're at it! @maxbakerphoto

VIEW FULL GALLERY

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TGS Colorful - Photo Gallery

TGS Photo Gallery-Max Baker-TGS Collective.jpg

TGS, aka The Gypsy Shack, is a creative collective of diverse artists, who hosts workshops every month to create, grow, and teach with people of different backgrounds to work together and network. Last month in a loft somewhere in Downtown LA, CEO & Creator of TGS Alex Morehouse lead an all day event where artists could purchase tickets and learn from other creatives at the themed workshop entitled "Colorful", because of the technicolor walls and decor that could be found within the studio.

Models and photographers from around the area gathered here, some meeting for the first time, creating magical content, sharing and showing off what each person can bring to the table with their knowledge and experience. It was a day for the books, and all of us got to connect and build relationships with people we never thought we'd meet, all thanks to social media and the amazing community Morehouse has been able to create through TGS. Below is a gallery of images captured while I got to attend, with the different talent that participated in the day. If you're interested in getting involved with something like this or wanting to build connections and work on your craft, TGS hosts these type of events every month. You can simply go to tgscollective.com and find everything you need to know there! I highly recommend it! Enjoy the full gallery below of what I was able to capture at the workshop:

Models in frame: @rosedinardo, @_atfashion_, @heathafeatha69, @meli_topete, and @toria.webber as found on Instagram

Be sure to follow all the talent from this shoot, and keep up with me on all social media: @maxbakerphoto

I'll be posting more content like this soon! Please leave a comment below on what type of stuff you'd like to see me feature on the blog, whether it be full photo galleries, BTS on shoots, music reviews, etc. Thank you for taking the time to check my site out and if you found me through here, feel free to shoot me a message on instagram! Would love to hear from you!

LAvish Studios - DTLA