Tampa does it again! This past weekend on August 31, we celebrated community, inclusion, and the mixing of music genres with the first ever Scary Neighbor Music Fest at Crowbar in Ybor City. “Honestly I’ve been wanting to do one for a long time, but just had to wait for the right moment,” says Christopher Murray from Scary Neighbor Collective. “I missed the idea of a festival reminiscent of Warped Tour or Taste of Chaos where mixing genres of artists was welcomed and celebrated.” With pre-sales at 90+ and final sales at 130+, Scary Neighbor Fest made a unique impact in the community. As of right now, Scary Neighbor Collective, as a whole, is planning on making this a yearly event, focusing on the fundamentals of unity and music while making it fun and appealing to all age groups. When picking the bands Chris stated, they chose groups with an extremely strong stage presence and influence in the local Tampa scene as well as in the scene of neighboring states.
Local Artist in Attendance
GILT
Gilt is a Florida group from Jacksonville with immaculate stage presence and a huge draw for shows in the surrounding areas. Lead vocalist, Asha, is the scene queen of every 2000’s emo kid heart; from her vibrant blue hair to her platform Demonia’s, she continues to attract new fans with her killer vocals and ability to relate to everyone in the crowd. At some point in every show they play, she speaks of her entrance to the scene and how much being a part of it has helped her. She also goes on to mention her father, who unfortunately passed away, stating that he was “her biggest supporter” and that usually really connects with the crowd on a personal level.
Gilt formed in 2017 with some band changes along the way but has had their current line up since October of 2023. Since then they have toured with a number of bands including Illuminate Me per guitarist Kyle Fieldhouse. Scary Neighbor Collective reached out to Gilt in order to get them on the bill and Gilt “couldn’t have been happier to accept,” stated Asha. Kyle then went on to say, “We're so blessed to have friends who aren’t just working on their own bands but also creating community which never really gets the credit its due in keeping the entire scene going.” GILT’s most popular track is "Through Mirrors (I Didn’t Want You As A Mirror)" sitting at 37,172 streams collectively! They are currently working on a new album that Asha says has been in the works since 2021 with a lot of transformation compared to what was initially written. Recording for said album will take place in November with a shift genre wise to a more heavy nu-metal style. Your next chance to catch GILT in action is September 19 at Will’s Pub in Orlando, FL!
IG: giltfl
Traveling Artist in Attendance
Avian Theory
Avian Theory is a metal group from East Central Alabama who met Chris Murray in the fall of 2022 while playing a show together and remained in touch. Chris reached out to them in early 2024 asking them to be a part of the fest to which they jumped on the opportunity and the rest was history. Tim Hereford, their guitarist and clean vocalist, stated, “it was a great time experiencing a new community, great bands and such a nice area!” Avian Theory formed when, “a few of us from a different band reforming to get away from someone. Over time the lineup has changed, and we've been with our current crew for about a year and a half.” Their most popular song is "Understand This" ft. Delta Hate which is currently sitting at around 16,000 streams on Spotify, and they plan on releasing a new EP this fall. Catch them in Gadsden Alabama performing alongside I Am Terrified and Sunmancer October 20.
IG: @aviantheory
Scary Neighbor Fest 2024’ Line Up
*Traveled
Band | State | |
1) SHIV | @shiv.fl | FL |
2) No One Road | @nooneroad | FL |
3) NO PLEA | @noplea_fl | FL |
4) Flag Burner | @flagburnerhxc | FL |
5) Greyson Zane | @greysonzanee | FL |
6) Jar | @jar.fl | FL |
7) Lychee Camp | @lychee_camp | FL |
8) Discord Theory | @discordtheory | FL |
9) Avian Theory | @aviantheory | AL* |
10) Locked Up | @lockedupfl | FL |
11) Vile Serpent | @vileserpentfl | FL |
12) Days Spent | @days.spent | FL* |
13) Second Impact | @secondimpactfl | FL |
14) Gilt | @giltfl | FL* |
15) Illuminate Me | @illuminatemeband | FL |
16) Yosemite In Black | @yosemiteinblack | GA* |
17) Coma Waves | @comawavesband | FL* |
18) Dea & Saint | @deaandsaint | FL |
Scary Neighbor Fest 2024 Photo Gallery
Huge thank you to Scary Neighbor Collective for including me in this festival!
Love you all <3
This article is dedicated in memory of Paten Locke
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