Photo courtesy of Ariel Kassulke

Pairing vintage black-and-white illustrations of birds with curse words seems a bit unconventional, which could be why it came as a shock to Effin’ Birds creator Aaron Reynolds that it quickly found popularity on social media. It went from rectangular text posts to coffee mugs, t-shirts and even a book.

When he first received his book deal for Effin' Birds: A Field Guide to Identification, he knew he wanted to promote its release but the publisher did not have the means to finance a tour. Reynolds also could not finance a tour to various bookstores around the country, so he found the next best thing: comic conventions. He started reaching out to shows, with his first appearance at the comic convention in his hometown of Ottawa.

Despite Reynolds having an interest in everything that is displayed at comic conventions, and eventually becoming one of its featured artists, it wasn’t until his children were just old enough to attend that they all experienced their first convention together. That year, Ottawa Comic Con saw three distinct, homemade children’s cosplays: Godzilla; Man with No Name from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly; and a fully original robot character named Nolan Bot. Pizza boxes, spray paint and one shopping visit to Value Village was all they needed to win costume contests and impress Star Trek: Voyager actor Garrett Wang.

His youngest son, who created the original robot character, also created the Effin’ Birds “Eat Farts” comic that can be found on t-shirts, skateboards and stickers. A magnificent eagle flying away was requested as the accompanying cartoon, and Reynolds liked the idea so much that the sticker version is his go-to freebie to hand out to convention goers.

Purchasable items at his table include copies of Effin' Birds: A Field Guide to Identification as well as trading cards, calendars and more. His most memorable interaction with a convention goer involved a Silent Hill Pyramid Head cosplay where the entire sales interaction involved hand gestures and the pyramid opening to reveal their payment method.

“They handed me down money and I handed them a book,” he laughed. “They put it all the way back up inside the pyramid, closed the pyramid and lumbered away. It was so magical.”

Superstars come and go. Cher is forever.

When Tony nominee Rick Elice took on the role of writing the jukebox musical The Cher Show, he admitted to Playbill that he was not a Cher fanatic, which in turn won Cher over. He tells the story of Cher’s life and career using three performers: Babe, who portrays Cher during the 1950s and 1960s; Lady, during the 1970s; and Star, during the 1980s and 1990s. They interact with one another, sharing life advice and emotions during pivotal moments.

“I only wish it would have really happened," Cher joked to People. “I could have saved a whole lot of painful shit, okay? I wish that they would have been there and someone who could say, 'You can leave him!'"

With the Cher stamp of approval, the cast and creative team - including fashion designer Bob Mackie - got to work on six decades of pure stardom. The Cher Show made its world premiere at the Oriental Theatre in Chicago before moving to Broadway’s Neil Simon Theatre, as well as multiple U.S. and U.K. tours.

In its most recent run, a stop at Milwaukee’s Marcus Performing Arts Center brought all ages together for a night of pure glamour. Uihlein Hall sparkled as an array of sequined costumes made its way across the stage, highlighting the three Chers: Ella Perez, Catharine Ariale and Kristin Rose Kelleher. Their vocal performances were powerful, taking 35 smash hits and giving them the Broadway treatment by weaving them into Cher’s rise to fame.

The ensemble was just as powerful with their performances. Supporting characters included Sonny Bono, Gregg Allman, Bob Mackie, Lucille Ball and Cher’s mother, Georgia Holt. They brought the stage to life, spotlighting major sets such as The Sonny and Cher Show and Top of the Pops. The attention to detail in their costumes were just as meticulous as the Cher costumes, which were nearly identical to their originals.

Not only did The Cher Show bring tales of love and heartbreak, but it brought an incredible amount of humor. The audience found it easy to laugh along with height jokes aimed at Sonny, cry along with her as she learned of his passing and get on their feet to dance along to the final number.

A show packed with so much Cher it takes three people to play her, The Cher Show pushes boundaries not unlike its main character. It is evident that the cast believes in this production as much as Cher believes in herself, in life after love. Cher truly is forever.

Photo courtesy of Stephanie Larsen

The collection of songs Claire Davis and Leo Son have accumulated over the last few years were begging to be recorded. Alongside their bandmates, Maclin Tucker and Hoyt Parquet, they knew it was time for a new Bermuda Search Party album.

With a small folder of demos and a dream, they sent them out to about 30 producers. Three responded, with one in particular that actually showed interest instead of just replying with a day rate for studio time. They couldn’t believe it - Eric Palmquist, who had recently produced artists such as half•alive, Tate McRae and Bad Suns, genuinely wanted to work with them. Having a background working with artists they admire was a major reason why they hoped to collaborate with him, and it ended up being a very special process.

The band found themselves recording in Los Angeles for the first time, with 21 days to complete the handful of songs they chose. They went from hoping they could finish five songs in that amount of time to having enough to release an album.

“I think it came down to mutual excitement,” Son said. “There were songs that Eric chose where he [loved them] and the band agreed if we had the extra funds and time maybe we can dive into that, but here’s the one we’re really excited about too. Meeting in the middle of, ‘we’re all excited about these songs’ must mean something.”

One of the demos they sent to producers was “End Of The Road”. It was one of the oldest songs in their collection, and was reworked to the point of nearly scrapping it entirely. Palmquist’s ideas brought the song back onto the final track listing after suggesting changes that the band hadn’t thought about previously. It was one of those moments where they knew they made the right decision to step outside of their comfort zone.

Their prior recording process was entirely independent, so to suddenly have a perspective from someone outside of the band was both welcoming and testing. Son said that it was tough to let go of the concept of “this is my idea and this is why it makes it a good idea” because those ideas seem so precious. The more they worked with Palmquist, however, the easier it was to let go and appreciate that mutual respect of wanting to put out the best version of a song. They agree that it was scary to let go in the moment, but they also recognize that sitting on a song until it’s “perfect” may never happen.

“It was challenging to have to make decisions quickly and stick to them because we have these limited resources and time,” Davis said. “I think some cool decisions came from that, but in the moment it definitely was very frustrating artistically.”

More often than not, self-doubt and fear within the music industry can make an artist feel as though they are undeserving of their talent or accomplishments. Whitney Asher recalls a time where she spent the majority of her days at a recording studio with a producer that she really admired. Despite having so much respect for them, it felt as though she was unworthy of being in their presence.

Seven years later, the song she wrote about that feeling was released - on Imposter Syndrome Awareness Day, no less. “Unimpressive” is not just that moment but an amalgamation of moments where talent does not always equal confidence. Channeling insecurity into song is what Asher chose to do in that moment, and with the help of her producer, Corey Pavlosky, “Unimpressive” was written on their third session together.

The irony of it all is that she still very much feels like an imposter. At the time of writing the song, she had left her 9-5 to work full-time in the music industry. At the time of releasing the song, she once again left her 9-5 to pursue music in a similar fashion. She is more confident than she was seven years ago, but it still feels like déjà vu .

“It’s very normal to feel insecure,” she said. “What I love about ‘Unimpressive’ coming out right now is it’s worth talking about. It’s worth drawing attention to the feeling because I think a lot of people don’t realize that that’s a real term and it’s a real feeling and a lot of people have it. It’s almost too honest to come out and say that you feel that way; nobody wants to feel that way, but nobody wants to be found out that they feel that way.”

There is a part of her that is surprised the feelings are still there. She is not convinced it is a feeling that will ever go away, but it definitely has her wondering what she should do about it. Her husband suggested that she make peace with herself, which is an insightful yet difficult concept.

The more she thinks about it, the more she recognizes that imposter syndrome is messy. It’s not linear or widely discussed. There is discomfort, but at the core, worthiness is a lifelong pursuit.

“It’s uncomfortable to feel like you’re not good enough,” she said. “It’s uncomfortable to admit that you don’t think you’re good enough. It’s uncomfortable to admit that you don’t feel worthy. It’s uncomfortable to draw attention to your humanity…I’ve really focused on rounding out my ability to cope with being human.”

She grasps the challenge that is detaching self-worth from how she is received. She derives much of her self-worth from her accomplishments and questions who she is when she isn’t working on a project. Finding peace within one’s self will never be easy, but is never impossible.

“Unimpressive” proves some of the ways that people do not necessarily change. Growth and maturity can change the perception of humanity, but some qualities just have to be accepted. Feeling like an imposter may never go away, but making peace with it is how confidence soars.

Photo courtesy of Shane Ouellette

For the past 25 years, Queens-based punk band Bayside has represented a lifestyle, a counterculture and a deeply-held commitment to integrity and earnestness. At their core, Bayside is a band that has constantly proven that music is not about gimmicks and ephemeral trends, but a timeless reflection of our life and our times. It is through this authentic expression and creative spirit that the band has amassed a cult following that lives and breathes everything the band creates.

It’s a spirit that permeates an impressive and storied discography, including Sirens and Condolences (2004), Self-Titled (2005), The Walking Wounded (2007) and Shudder (2008). Covering the “Victory Records Years”, Bayside grew their reputation as road warriors with their impressive amount of touring. From basements to clubs to Warped Tour, the band led melodious sing-alongs everywhere they went, with fans flocking to Anthony Raneri’s personal, yet universal lyrics and story-telling. Fan favorites like “Devotion And Desire” and “Duality” continue to be staples in the band’s live show.

While the band held strong to their punk roots, what set them apart from their peers was their musicianship. Diverse in thought and background, but united in a shared desire for authentic expression and immense musical talent, Bayside continues to push the boundaries of what a Bayside song could be. In the second half of their legendary career, covering the “Wind-Up and Hopeless Records Years”, Bayside embraced the heavier and grittier side of themselves, while keeping the anthemic choruses of the earlier years. With Killing Time (2011), Cult (2014), Vacancy (2016), Interrobang (2019) and There Are Worse Things Than Being Alive (2024), the band focused on creating songs that are relevant to people who want substance, rather than being relegated to one genre.

Having toured the world multiple times over, sold thousands of albums and amassed millions of streams, Bayside has achieved a lot in their storied career. And while many bands would coast on their past success, Bayside has always rejected that premise and continues to prove time and again that the best is yet to come.

To celebrate their 25th anniversary, they have re-recorded their quintessential track “Devotion and Desire” - a 2005 release that quickly became a fan favorite and has since closed out nearly every Bayside show. They are also in the midst of 25 Years Of Bayside: The Errors Tour. Featuring two nights in each city, fans will have the opportunity to see the band perform two different sets highlighting songs from across Bayside’s extensive catalogue. Night one will include songs from Sirens and Condolences, Self-Titled, The Walking Wounded, and Shudder, while night two will feature songs from Killing Time, Cult, Vacancy, Interrobang, and the band’s most recent release, There Are Worse Things Than Being Alive.

The staff at Black is the New AP Style decided to celebrate alongside a band that has been integral to our musical journeys by curating a playlist of our favorite tracks that may or may not be the setlists of nights one and two of The Errors Tour. Let us know if any of these songs made it onto the setlist at your show!

Tickets and VIP packages are available here.

By the time he was 12 years old, Guy Gilchrist knew he was destined to be an artist. He was willing to do anything to get his artwork published, and when he heard there was an opportunity to meet some legendary artists at the Commodore Hotel in New York City, he got on the first train out of his hometown of Hartford, Conn.

The Comic Art Convention made its Commodore Hotel debut in 1973 and featured many of Gilchrist’s idols: Godfather of modern fantasy art Frank Frazetta, leading comic book artist Neal Adams, and Superman creators Joe Shuster and Jerry Seigel. Gilchrist met Shuster and Seigel as they were exiting an elevator that weekend and it left an indelible impression. The interaction still plays in his mind vividly, including the apology he received from Shuster that he could not draw anything for him due to his deteriorating eyesight. Meeting those who inspired him gave him even more confidence to continue his journey as an artist.

Gilchrist became best known for his creation of The Muppets comic strip that was featured in newspapers around the world from 1981-1986. That experience led to playing a major role on Jim Henson’s creative team for Muppet Babies, Fraggle Rock and more.

His first comic convention as a guest was the same year that The Muppets comic strip debuted. He was invited to a convention in Hartford courtesy of one of the newspapers that published the comics, the Hartford Courant. They offered him a small payment to do promotion of The Muppets and he spent his weekend signing printed copies of the comic strips and was even asked by a few children to draw his characters. At one point, Green Lantern and Iron Fist co-creator Gil Kane asked him, “Why are you drawing for free?” A then-24-year-old Gilchrist had no idea how comic conventions worked, and after Kane - another of his idols - advised him to take a walk around the event, he learned that vendors were paying children one dollar to get him to draw something so they could sell it at their own tables. It became an unforgettable first convention.

As he has become a veteran in the convention world, he has noticed that many of his interactions are family-oriented. Whether it is a mother and a daughter, a father and a son, a grandparent and a grandchild, the Muppets are their rainbow connection.

When asked about a specific interaction with a fan that really touched him, he immediately recalled the first convention he attended with the former Wizard World Comic Con in Nashville. His booth was situated near the entrance, and he watched a woman enter and immediately walk over to him. She chose a “Rainbow Connection” drawing for him to sign and when he asked who he should make it out to she replied, “Mary.” He said, “It’s very, very nice to meet you, Mary” and that is when she informed him that Mary was her daughter, and that her daughter had passed away just two days prior from a motorcycle accident. Mary had purchased the ticket to Wizard World with the intention of meeting Gilchrist, and her mother had come in her honor.

“We had a tremendous moment together, and it’s the reason that I come out to these things,” he said.

It is not lost on him that the characters and creators he has worked alongside for nearly 45 years are so precious to so many people. Obviously he never imagined this is how his life would end up, but he is beyond grateful for having the opportunity to continue the legacy of such extraordinary stories.

“I’m just a molecule in Jim’s universe,” he said. “Jim’s not around but he’s always here. He’s not physically with us, but the love and the magic, the silliness, the sweetness, the peacefulness, the comradery, the unconditional love that the Muppets and all of Jim’s characters mean to so many people, that’s the reason I’m here. I’m just a vessel, like a receptacle, that I can accept all of the love for Jim and all of the people that I worked with and then from you guys and the universe and then I just put it back out to them because that’s where it all comes from.”

View the full photo gallery here

For three nights, the House of Blues Chicago stage was adorned with a plush, dark red carpet and various black risers. The pièce de résistance hanging several feet in the air changed each night: night one, the face of a porcelain doll; night two, a bleeding heart; and night three, a box-shaped face. The part of the stage that stayed the same were the four musicians that played across it.

The Used formed in 2000, first hitting the scene with their 2002 self-titled LP that received critical acclaim. They were one of several alternative artists that found their songs entering the charts and bringing forth the biggest wave of emo that the scene ever saw. It may not have always been a genre associated with a positive connotation, but for three nights in Chicago they happily told the audience exactly who they were.

“We are a fucking emo band!” Lead vocalist Bert McCracken called out to the crowd on night two. “And we’ve been an emo band for 25 fucking years. And unlike some other bands out there we never broke up or took a break; we’ve been here the whole time.”

They originally announced a string of shows to celebrate their 25th anniversary with three nights in Chicago at the end of April, but high demand allowed them to announce three more nights a few weeks sooner, meaning the tour kicked off in Chicago on March 30 to a sold-out crowd.

The concept was simple: each night they would play a different album from front to back. The Used, In Love and Death and Lies for the Liars were not only their first three albums but the ones that brought them to such important places. By playing these albums in full, it became three nights of saying thank you to the people that gave those albums a life beyond the studio.

Each night, a brief introduction brought the crowd together. A projection of a TV/VCR combo played three montages of life during each release: touring, studio sessions, confessional interviews and more before cutting to a copy of the CD. Manicured hands opened the plastic case and displayed each page of the booklet before placing it back in the sleeve and closing it. The curtain fell, and the first song began.

Night one in Chicago saw a crowd that has been there since the beginning. They mimicked every drum solo, clapped along to every beat and surfed the crowd as frequently as they could. Night two was the crowd that screamed every single word back at McCracken. They felt the lyrics as strongly now as they did in 2004. Night three was much more intimate; die-hard fans referencing hidden tracks from the album and joining the band on stage to dance along.

From witnessing all three nights, two things were apparent: The Used have never sounded better and have never looked happier. The vocals, particularly the harmonies, were sharp enough to cut glass. The drumming was seamless. Every time McCracken addressed the crowd, it was with genuine gratitude. There were maybe a handful of moments where he was not sporting a wide smile. Memories were made every night.

25 years and 10 studio albums later, The Used knows their audience. Getting to watch the band perform their first three albums in full was a special night for everyone. It was three nights of reminiscing; bringing everyone back to that childhood state where emo was the most important thing to happen to us. These albums were important to us and forever remain a part of our stories.

Photo courtesy of Dana Gorab

Before you start reading, I will make one ask of you. Put on some music as you read what I have to say. Something that takes you back to your days as a teenager; maybe an album or artist that brought you comfort through hard times. (Or perhaps the official The Time I Cried At A Show playlist? Check it out below!)

Upon moving to the United States from England, one of the first bands I discovered was Twenty One Pilots. Their unconventional blend of the alternative sound and rap was new and exciting to me. I listened to each of their albums until I knew them inside and out.

My first record player was a tacky Crosley Cruiser from Urban Outfitters. I had Vessel (2013) spinning almost every night. The first time I heard “Car Radio”, my teenage brain decided that it was going to latch onto this band as if it were a life raft and this transitional period in my life were white waters. Something about the desperation in Tyler Joseph’s voice, his simultaneous control and chaos in his screams, resonated with me as I plummeted into severe mental health issues. I would later credit the band - at least in part - to saving my life.

My favorite album by Twenty One Pilots came in 2018 with Trench. I was enraptured by its lyrical mastery and narrative, the immense production value and the accompanying music videos. Joseph co-produced the album with Paul Meany of Mutemath. The two created the most titanic sonic landscape. It was a hulking step up from their previous album, Blurryface (2015). I loved it and it remains one of my favorite records out of the 230+ in my collection.

Thus, the time I cried at a concert was when I saw the duo play in Anaheim with a friend from high school. It was on their tour for Trench, and the whole stadium was adorned with yellow accents. I wore a yellow bandana, with yellow gaff tape strapped to my jacket. This album had a lot of cryptic lore to it, but essentially, the yellow was our unifying identifier as the audience or “banditos”. The tears started to fall as the show reached its terminus with the song “Trees”. It was this intense cacophony of bittersweet emotion of the show ending, gratitude to the band and the understanding that I had survived. I was certain I wouldn’t make it past the age of 16, that I would in one way or another succumb to my mental health issues. But I was standing beside my friend, alive and well, encompassed by this unfamiliar combination of awe at the stunning music and showmanship, and a behemoth blend of gratitude, relief and love.

I couldn’t tell you whether those tears were happy tears or sad tears or something else entirely. The best way I can describe them is the tears of release. I think it is both fitting and unsurprising that the time I cried at a concert was watching the band that shepherded me through some of the hardest times in my life.

For Renée Witterstaetter, it was supposed to be another impressive yet typical weekend at a comic convention in Dallas. It was not her first, and certainly not her last, but surprisingly brought on a moment that changed her outlook on them. She unfolded the small white paper inside her fortune cookie and read, “It is better to have remorse than to have regret.”

Witterstaetter was studying journalism in college and looking for an arts community to get involved in when friends suggested the comic convention in her hometown of Texarkana, Texas. It had not been something that was on her radar, but she immediately felt that she had found that community she was searching for.

“I was embraced by a group of people within that city who just took me in and showed me the artwork,” she said. “[They] taught me about comic books, taught me about painting, and I’ve made some lifelong friends from that association.”

From there, she began working for a convention in Dallas that led her to the infamous fortune cookie. It is something that she has tried to live by ever since. She believes that it is better to have tried something and failed than to have never tried at all, and there are two instances in her life that have proved that. She keeps the details of those instances to herself but hopes that she might inspire others in their journeys.

Her career as a colorist, editor, producer and writer has given her the opportunity to work alongside equally talented creators for a number of comics. The most rewarding aspect is receiving feedback from comic fans, and what better way to receive feedback than in person. Although a particular moment with a young girl stands out, she has interacted with a number of fans that tell her how her work made them feel accepted. Whatever was going on in the world, comic books were their escape and helped them through difficult times.

“I would write the columns in a lot of my books and I would try to have an interaction with the fans,” she said. “What [the young girl] said to me was, ‘I felt like I knew you’ and that’s what I was going for.”

Witterstaetter is particularly proud of her work on the Marvel Comics series The Sensational She-Hulk. She loves telling She-Hulk fans that she is featured as a fourth wall-breaking character, making her both a real person and comic book character in the Marvel database.

When she first started in the comic industry, women were few and far between. She has had a front row seat to the change in the industry and the change in the attendance at conventions. One door opened a whole new life for her, and she knows how important it is to recognize that door is open in addition to deciding to walk through it.

Sharing her work, and ultimately a piece of herself, is why her booth at comic conventions around the country brings together an eclectic group of people. Those interactions allow for a one-of-a-kind encounter that leaves both parties feeling neither remorse nor regret.

“I’ve maintained that spirit about conventions that no matter where I’m going, no matter what part of the world, that there are people in that room that are going to be friends but I just don’t know them yet… They can come here and find the fandom just for them.”