Day 6: Favorite Experiences of 2017
Looking back on this year, I'm really impressed with some of the things we've managed to pull off. I mean, we're just two college kids with a camera and small blog. But somehow - sometimes I don't even know how - we've done some really unbelievable stuff.
Here are the best parts of our 2017.
1. This summer, we were invited to Langhorne to shoot with Good Old War in their home studio while they worked on releasing their fall EP, Part of Me. And honestly, that felt like an out of body experience. I remember shaking with nerves and excitement and wonder at the thought of "We're on our way to hang out with Good Old War. Don't say anything weird." Not only are Keith, Tim, and Dan some of the nicest and coolest guys we've ever met, they're also so incredibly down to earth. I remember walking through the house thinking, "I'm looking at Keith's elementary school photos on the wall. Does it get any more personal than this?" How many people can say they've done what we did? I remember the prep we did for this shoot so it would really stand out among previous press photos the band has done. Dylan leaves no detail untouched and managed to match the color scheme of the props we brought to the EP's album artwork. You've probably seen this photo floating around:
I've never been more proud of Dylan than I was after this day. This was a really big step for our blog.
2. Our friends in RFA are always a great time, but the second time we saw them play PhilaMOCA in November was especially memorable. I've never seen Dylan get so into the crowd with his camera like he did that night, and I think it opened up a whole new perspective for photos, and since that show, he's been up close and personal with all the bands we've seen. PhilaMOCA has a really great layout, so I hung out on the balcony and watched from above as everybody got wild to all of RFA's hits.
3. Ever since we started exploring West Philly's house show scene at the end of our last school year, we promised that when we moved off campus this year, we'd bring house shows to Saint Joe's. And that we did. The Bath House and The Greenhouse have been open for shows since August and those weekends have been some of the best of our junior year. We've discovered some of our favorite new bands and made tons of new friends, both on and off campus.
4. As most of you know, I am interning with WXPN's blog, The Key, for the 2017-2018 school year, and it's been the best opportunity I've ever been given. Working under John Vettese, The Key's editor in chief, has been so cool. He's the go-to guy for all things music and industry and Philly. WXPN has been a really strong asset for expanding my knowledge of Philadelphia bands, venues, events, and recording. So much goes into running a blog and a radio station, and watching from behind the scenes has been intensely eye-opening. I have The Key to thank for helping to cultivate my writing skills and learning how to hone them into the music industry specifically. It's really helped me find a niche in the "real world" that I didn't think I'd find so early, and for that, I am incredibly grateful.
The last day of our 2017 wrap-up is tomorrow! We're going to share with you all of our plans for an even better 2018, so check back!