Disclaimer:  I was paid to photograph this show. However, this article is of my own volition. 

September was an insane month for me. I witnessed three of my all-time favorite bands within 10 days. As a creative, this filled me with more creative inspiration than I’d had in a long time. As a fan, it filled me with unbridled joy and newfound appreciation for life. But somewhere along the way into October, I crashed off the highs and stumbled into the lows. Feeling the post-concert depression and finding my creative barrel of ideas had run dry. I found myself searching for something that reminded me of why I do what I do. A couple of days into October, that very something dropped into my lap via Instagram DMs. And that something was Jasno.

Jasno is a three-piece alternative pop band hailing from Michigan. The band reached out to me via social media, asking if I was available to cover their show in Columbus at The Summit Music Hall. Since you’re reading this, I obviously accepted. What I wasn’t expecting, though, was to find myself with three new friends, a photoshopped cowboy hat, and a rejuvenated passion for this job and life itself.

Jasno is comprised of members Jack Laurila, Declan Stratford, and Paul Racine, all of whom are some of the nicest people I’ve met in the scene so far. Jack introduced himself to me first before their set and gave me free rein to be creative and get whatever shots I wanted. This immediately kick-started my brain into finding new and unique angles to capture the energy of the show. Their set started soon after that, and I was blown away. This show was my first introduction to Jasno, and since then, I have been no stranger. Admittedly, Jasno was actually the second opener of the night. They were preceded by one of my favorite Columbus acts, Kids of the Cinema. The two bands opened for Bade, and together, the night was full of laughter, dancing, and community. 

Now, through my lens, I got to witness Jasno as both a journalist and a photographer. I’ve seen many bands through this scope, and there is one thing I know for certain. There is a stark difference between playing a live show and performing a live show. Over the course of the night, I got to witness Jasno perform a live show, and it truly made me appreciate everything in my life that had led me to that moment. As of writing, their show was almost a week ago. And yet, I’m still thinking about it, which is a quality not many bands I’ve seen have. Even though the show wasn’t sold out, the band played like they were. Getting one person in a room of twenty to dance around and jump is an impressive feat by itself, but they had an entire row of people at the bars jumping and headbanging along to their songs-myself included.

By the time their set ended, I had gotten all the shots I needed and was full of so much joy – you could probably feel it radiating off of me. And that’s why I love live music. It brings people together and gives them a reason to feel. Whether it’s joy, anger, hope, or despair, people come together to spend an evening living to the invisible tune that strings us all together. After the show, I got to talk to all of them more, and the following night as well, when they showed up to a local show I was also at. It was in these moments that I not only gained appreciation for who they are as musicians but also as new friends of mine. With my newfound creative inspiration and new editing music, I’ve found myself reminiscing on this show more than once in the last week, and I truly cannot wait to see where this band goes next. I just hope that Columbus, Ohio, is somewhere along the way.