Karate Chops!

Music Reviews x Exclusive Interviews x Concert Photography by Kara Bodegón

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Now Watching // COBAIN: Montage of Heck 💀

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PERIPHERY // 04.28.2012 @ Amoranto Stadium, Manila x PH Photo by Kara Bodegón

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I love your visual reviews! They are SO creative and well done!!!

Aw, thank you so much! Means a lot! :)

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TONIGHT: Telle vs Zack + Tony of The Word Alive! Wanna know why? 

Spot my VISUAL REVIEW of #DarkMatter here!

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PIERCE THE VEIL x Misadventures A Visual Review by Kara Bodegón

RATING: 4.5/5

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カラス the Fender Strat

This is カラス (Karasu), my Fender Stratocaster I got in Ochanomizu, Tokyo. He’s insanely handsome, isn’t he? I saw a guitar just like him (black paisley and all) in London two years ago, but I didn’t have the money to get it back then. Later on, I discovered that Fender doesn’t produce this line anymore, and you can’t even find it on eBay, so I thought I’d never get my hands on this until last Monday, when I saw him and immediately decided to take him home with me.

カラス is awesome. He can belt out anything from Lamb of God to CHON and is possibly the handsomest devil I have ever seen.  

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TOKYO 2016 [Days 1+2] We’ve finally made it to Tokyo. It was one hell of a dream to come here and traveling with troubadours and audiophiles has made our first two days here pretty damn epic. On our first day, we explored the wonders of Shibuya, met Hachiko, ate the greatest sushi I’ve ever tasted, and visited a huge number of music stores across the city. Day two was just as intense. We walked a lot more in Ochanomizu (according to the Health app on my iPhone, I took approx. 24k steps), and I YOLO’d my way into buying my own Fender Stratocaster with a gorgeous finish and a touch of paisley. I also scored myself a bunch of CDs (though my buddy, Laura promises to take me to spots better than Tower Records this Thursday), including one by a band called Salty Dog, whose vocalist I met here on the Tumblr machine. And we all capped the night with a bad ass steak dinner. Though now our feet, backs, and shoulders are aching, I’m looking forward to see what else Tokyo has to offer.

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Just scored @piercetheveil's latest album #Misadventures. And it is by far their most non-odious record yet!

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PULP SUMMER SLAM 16 // 04.30.2016 @ Amoranto Sports Complex Lacuna Coil Photos by Kara Bodegón

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PULP SUMMER SLAM 16 // 04.30.2016 @ Amoranto Sports Complex Veil of Maya Photos by Kara Bodegón

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PULP SUMMER SLAM 16 // 04.30.2016 @ Amoranto Sports Complex Act of Defiance Photos by Kara Bodegón

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PULP SUMMER SLAM 16 // 04.30.2016 @ Amoranto Sports Complex Protest the Hero Photos by Kara Bodegón

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PULP SUMMER SLAM 16 // 04.30.2016 @ Amoranto Sports Complex I Killed the Prom Queen Photos by Kara Bodegón

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I Went on My Own VOLITION

Protest The Hero's crowdfunded record VOLITION is special to me. It's the first album I ever contributed to and it's the album that made me fall in love with PTH even more (and I didn't think that was even possible). I just had my copy signed, but how does one even explain the ~feels~ when you hear the deepest form of sincerity in four simple words? “Thank you so much,” Luke and Timmy told me. There were sparks in their eyes, possibly reflecting the same sparks I had in mine. 

It just kinda sucked that Rody was feeling ill that day, so I didn’t get to see him until the show. But then again, I guess his absence at the meet and greet means that I’ll just have to see them again. And I really wouldn’t mind hopping on another plane to make that happen. 

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PULP SUMMER SLAM 16 // 04.30.2016 @ Amoranto Sports Complex Volumes Photos by Kara Bodegón

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Chasing Veil of Maya and Protest the Hero Across the Globe (and here, finally at THE SLAM)

I always say that 2014 was my year. I got to fly out to see Protest the Hero in London, but thanks to a public transportation strike, I missed a huge chunk of the show, except for PTH’s last 2 songs. A few months later, I went to California for Knotfest and got there just before Veil of Maya’s set, where they first revealed Lukas Magyar as their new vocalist. 

This year, I got to see both of them in my homeland. At the same festival. 

Way before the first band blessed the stage, I watched Timmy Millar run around the venue in the intense summer heat like it was nothing. I had a pleasant chat with Sam Applebaum and VoM’s tour manager, Thaddeus. And then meet and greets happened where I finally got my copies of Volition and Matriarch signed (sans Rody, because he was sick). It didn’t take long before I was drenched in sweat and flipping out to these two bands—these two bands that I absolutely adore—as they took on the PULP SUMMER SLAM stage. 

When these guys perform, it’s impossible to get enough. They unleash this addictive rush on your system that you just lose it. You scream with them, along with the blackest masses. You attempt to defy gravity. You feel inspired to go out there and do the thing you want to do. That’s the effect they have on their audiences, and I wouldn’t mind grabbing myself a third or a hundred more doses of their live music. ‘Til the next show. 

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Just here waiting for @piercetheveil’s #Misadventures, @piercethevic.