Local music scenes are cool, and that’s a fact. Long Island has been fortunate enough to have one of the best thriving scenes, and to prove it, we have Today’s Mixtape Festival at The Emporium in Patchogue, New York. What’s cool about the festival is that there are seasonal “Mini Mixtape Fests” that happen throughout the year. For example, earlier in the Spring there was Spring Mixtape featuring Title Fight, Pianos Become The Teeth, Bane, etc. This summer, however, was much more Long Island oriented featuring bands from all over the island (including Queens and Brooklyn), as well as national and international acts. Some of those local acts include Makeshift, Commonwealth,Cryptodira, Kill Your Idols, Iron Chic, The Movielife, Incendiary, etc. Thanks to a very busy week/weekend before the show, I wasn’t able to capture a few of the bands who started both days off, but believe me that the whole fest was an awesome and fun experience.
Day 2, August 16th, Long Island’s progressive/post metal titans Cryptodira started the day off with only 3 songs, but it’s okay because the first 2 songs were new songs (which sound amazing), and the last song included a little bit of a medley consisting of Rush’s “YYZ.” It was quite an experience and anyone who enjoys progressive rock/metal would have enjoyed said medley, for sure. Next up was On Broken Wings, and they had one of the most violent performances out of all the bands on the fest. At least 5 fights broke out, it was just a total madhouse, but was one of the most enjoyable sets. Following On Broken Wings was the one and only international act on the whole lineup, Counterparts. Counterparts shows are cool because so much emotion is put into them, and the crowd response is great. After Counterparts was State Champs, a New York pop punk band. Like all pop punk shows, there’s crowd surfing, stage diving, and things of the like. State Champs’ set was nothing short of that. Finally, concluding Today’s Mixtape Festival 2015, chaotic masterminds Every Time I Die. If there was one phrase to describe the moment before they started, it’s “the calm before the storm.” Every Time I Die are just one of those bands everyone needs to see and experience for themselves, because no matter how big or small the venue is, their shows are a lot of fun whether you’re in the crowd or watching from a higher area, etc. Check out the pictures of the festival below!
Cryptodira
On Broken Wings
Counterparts
State Champs
Stray From The Path
Every Time I Die
-MV