All I really have to say is WOW! Cavetown’s tour - Bittersweet Daze where he is joined along two of the other biggest names in the indie world, the marvelous mxmtoon, and the rapturous Ricky Montgomery. This lineup ROCKED MY WORLD! Three of my favorite artists in one place made for one hell of a show. 

First of the there was Ricky Montgomery. Best known for his elegant softer melodies in songs such as “Line Without a Hook”, “Mr. Loverman”, and “This December”. This sound is what first drew me to Montgomery’s music, and live, the raw emotion was ten fold. It is quite a task for artists like Ricky to live up to the vocals that fans hear when playing or streaming his music, but goddamn, does he not only live up to expectations but vastly exceeds them. Ricky is one of the most talented vocalists and musicians in the indie scene. 

Joining the stage following was mxmtoon. Her music is breathtaking. Known for her hit song “prom dress”, Maia and her ukelele quickly grew a massive, and quite frankly well deserved following in 2018. Her energy on stage was the most wholesome this concert-goer has ever seen. She touched on how meaningful her music has become for herself and her community, explaining her struggle and fear of coming out as bisexual to her fanbase. Mxmtoon is a force to be reckoned with. Her sound continues to develop and seemingly bearing more and more of Maia’s soul and struggles. Her music is catchy, her personality is charming, her stage presence is lively, what else is there to say other than go see her live as soon as you have the chance. .

Last, but certainly not least, was the lemon boy himself, Cavetown. I have been a fan of his for an extended time. Beginning with my obsession with their song “Boys Will Be Bugs”, which accompanied by their hit “Lemonboy” closed the show out in a double encore. The meat of the show however, was chalk full of raw indie expertise. In Cavetown's music there are both highs and lows, and he took the audience on a journey through it all. At one point being joined by the other two acts performing their joint song “Nobody Loves Me”. Which is the perfect amalgamation of the three’s music. Cavetown is one of the most down-to-earth, caring, and overall sweet artists I have ever got the pleasure of watching live. I cannot thank him enough for making Bittersweet Daze a reality. 

The show was a highlight of my photojournalist career, and made for a night I will NEVER forget. However it was not just a paramount night for myself, but the crowd as well. The show was partnered with the This Is Home Project, which is a foundation whose goal is to make safe spaces for LGBTQ+ individuals,which is inspiring, as the representative brought on stage stated “ one safe space is not enough”. The project made this night just that more important. It is imperative that you not only check out the artists from Bittersweet Daze, but the This Is Home Project as well.