SAINT PRESS [001]
ISSUE [001] SAINT PRESS 5-22: Catnap Talks Music, Preforming, and the Orlando Scene 22-28: BTS are living legends. The ARIRANG tour shows the world why (Tampa D-1 Recap) 29-34: A Chat with Foxtide 35-41: Chase Petra is Your New Favorite Band (Concert Recap) 3-4: Note from the Editor
Hello, I can't put into words how special it feels to put this out into the world. It feels like just yesterday I shot my first concert, and now I’m writing an editor's note for my own music publication. Time flies. First of all, I want to give a huge thank you to the incredible featured bands (and their teams) I worked with in the creation of this issue, Catnap and Foxtide. Every day that I am allowed to work in live music and collaborate with artists in this capacity is a privilege, and I am eternally grateful to everyone who has allowed me this access and trusted my vision. When I look back at my old concert photos, merch, or ticket stubs, they not only take me back to the night of the show but also remind me of who I was when I attended that show. They remind me of how much I’ve grown as a person, and serve as milestones, marking every major point in my life. When I look at these mementos, I can see myself growing up through them. I hope that years down the line, for some of you, reading SAINT PRESS can offer a similar memory; that these words and photos can remind you of who you were when you listened to these bands or attended these shows. My ultimate goal with this publication is to document live music. I’m a very (possibly overly) sentimental person. I document the things I love with photos, scrapbooks, writing, etc, and there is nothing I adore more in this world than live music. That love and sentimentality are the reasons I became a music photographer in the first place. Though it is far from perfect, by putting together these pieces, I hope to bring the spirit of live music to print in the most authentic manner I can. It’s been an absolute joy and honour to be able to meet and work with so many amazing creatives. Interviewing the artists I have so far and working on these photo shoots continues to be an incredibly enriching and rewarding process, no matter how many times I repeat it. I always feel like I've gained something new from my interviews and shoots, and that is something I am truly thankful for. To wrap things up, I want to thank Catnap and Foxtide again for being a part of this issue, my friends who have acted as my honorary co-editors and helped me proofread these pieces, and, of course, everyone who has taken the time to read this issue. Thank you for supporting what I hope will be the start of something special. NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
There are very few bands that have ever had the capability to completely stop me in my tracks upon hearing their music. Catnap is one of them. Over four years, the trio have made a strong name for themselves with their incredible live shows, stage presence, and two EPs, Talk and Songs From the Darkroom. We photographed the band before their show at My Sister’s House last month, and sat down to talk about their music, experiences performing, and growing up in the Orlando scene. Photos and interview by Saint Barbarella
Nina
Angie
Julia
Catnap performing at Conduit on March 15th 2026 (Photo: Saint Barbarella)
Saint: To start, how did each of you gain an interest in making music? Nina: We all had families that like growing up we were all surrounded by music through our parents. For me, my dad is a musician, and he was always making stuff, showing me the songs he made, and including me in the process. He would like to show me little guitar riffs that he was writing, and so that kinda helped me learn how to play guitar. For Julia and Angie, it's kinda similar. Julia: Yeah for me, both of my sisters played classical instruments, which is why I picked up cello first, and I was in Orchestra for a few years, then I moved onto bass. Angie: I did marching band like all throughout high school, and then my step-dad owns the Conduit, and he used to be in a metal band called Dark Faith, so we all kinda just have very musical families. Saint: Before a show, is there anything in particular you like to do to prepare? Nina: Yes, there is. We have what we like to call the huddle, um, and before every show, we go to a back corner and we huddle, and we hype each other up, and get, basically just pump ourselves up for the show, and, yeah, we just kind of get hyped together. Angie: And motivational speech. Nina: Yeah it's like, we all kind of rely on each other for motivation, we all kind of are, like, encouraging each other. Angie: And it also, I feel like, helps us feel connected before a show. Saint: You’ve played at so many amazing venues over the years, are there any that have stuck with you that are your favorite? Nina: Who wants to go first? Angie: Yes, I think my favorite is probably, I love Conduit, just because, like, it's the venue my dad owns, it's so homey. Like, I always feel very at home there, and I, I'm always so comfortable playing shows there, just because of that. And I know so many people that just work there, so it's very friendly in there. Same with Will's Pub, I think that we can all agree. Will's Pub is like, we really love just the environment, and, like, the people who work there. Julia: Yeah, for sure. Will's Pub, for me, is my favorite. I love the sound there, and it always just feels so supportive, and I always feel very warm and comfortable with everyone there, and, like, every show we do at Will's, it always just feels to me like I'm just surrounded by my friends, and I love that feeling, and I love just feeling so, like, uplifted when I play a show. Nina: I agree. Both of those two places, Will's Pub and Conduit are my faves. Saint: I’m right there with you I love Will’s, it’s the best. Saint: When you’re on stage, what is most enjoyable to you about performing? Nina: I kinda- I'm gonna think about that for a second. Angie: I think that, like, my favorite part about performing is just seeing the people in the audience, and the people- all my friends in the audience, if they're front row, like, I'll just look at them, and I'll smile at them if I see them, and then seeing them all hype us up and stuff. It's so fun, and then also when we have our moments on stage, like, where there's just a part in the song that we all really like, so we all look at each other and we're like, oh, here we- like, in last summer, when Nina starts going a little emo. It's always so fun. Julia: I would add on to that and say I like seeing sometimes someone that I don't know who, like, I'm not friends with, who probably maybe has not heard Catnap before, like, digging a song, because then I'm like, oh, you're digging our band, you like our music. That's so cool. Nina: Yeah, and I definitely think what Angie said is true for me as well. I love the feeling of seeing, like, our friends get really excited, because it makes me feel happy, and I just- I feel like it's a big hangout when we're, like, playing and our friends are there, and it's so cool to see them singing along to the words that we wrote and that are personal to me, and it's just, like, it's cathartic. I like that about it a lot. Saint: You guys got started in 2023 preforming at Orlando Girl's Rock Camp Fest, If you can remember, can you tell me a bit about what that first show was like? Nina: The Orlando Girls Rock Camp, I had gone to camp there in the past, and the people at Girls Rock Camp were always super supportive of us and friendly with us, and they had found out that outside of the camp, I was in a band, and they were very, like, interested to hear what we were doing, and we had just recorded our first EP, and we hadn't played any shows, and we didn't really feel ready to play our first show, and they kind of sprung it on us, the idea. They were like, hey, do you want to play the, like, show- the Orlando Girls Rock first, like, show- showcase, fest- I don't know. Is it- what is it? Fest? Or, like, showcase? (Continued on next page)
Nina: Yeah, and they invited us to play there, and, it was really fun and supportive, and just, like, a really great environment to play- it was at Will's, and it just felt so supportive, like, being around all these people that, like, we love, and we just felt, like, so happy, at least I just felt really happy to play that show. Angie: No, I remember my first show, like, I think I was just smiling the whole entire time, like, I was so happy, like, a lot of my family came, because it was our first ever show, and, I just remember every picture I saw of someone taking of us, I was just smiling, like, really big. Nina: And also, we were, like, we- I was 15, I think they were 16 at the time, and it was just, like, I- it's just so funny, like, thinking back to when we were, like, younger, and we were just playing our first show, and having a great time. It was- it was fun. Saint: You're from and play most of your shows in Orlando, what are your favorite parts of the music scene here? Nina: I think a lot of it is just, for me, my favorite part is that it led us to make so many friends, with other bands, because when we first started out, we didn't really know any people that were in other bands. The people that we did know that were in other bands were a little older than us, and, so we had to kind of find our place to fit in, and when we met at shows in the past, we met, like, some of our friends in Misspell, Junk Garden, S.M.O.P, and they're- it's so nice to have friends that we can play shows with and hang out with, and it's just- it feels so, like, I don't know. Yeah. I like that about it. Angie: And the music is just so good. Like, I feel like every local band has, like, they have such good music, and I'm so proud to be part of that community, because, like, it's just underrated. Saint: To shift a bit, what does your songwriting process typically look like? Julia: I feel like a lot of times Nina will bring cool stuff, and, like, a guitar riff or, like, vocal thing, and we'll work on it as a band together. Or sometimes we will just jam out and then find something that is cool and works. Nina: Yeah, and sometimes the little person in my head will just, like, pop out an idea, and then the little person in all of our heads will just, like, pop out ideas, and then it just happens. Saint: What are your biggest musical inspirations? Nina: I, I think that we all, we have overlapping music tastes, but we all kind of take inspiration from different types of music, and, like, that influence our playing, and for my guitar playing, I'm definitely inspired by a lot of, like, 90s emo, and a lot of, like, twinkly emo guitar riffs, and I think song-wise, I am very much into, like, newer indie, indie bands, indie rock kind of stuff, um, but I don't know, they have other things they're into. Julia: Yeah, I feel like the way I was trained to play bass is mostly, like, funk style and jazz style, since that was how I was taught, and then, but I, like, combine that with my music taste, which is more, like, indie, alternative vibes. Angie: Yeah, I think we were all really inspired by, like, indie, alternative music, but I listen to Paramore so much, I feel like that kind of just bleeds into, like, how I learned to play the drums and all the beats that I like to play, just because I'm surrounded by it so much. Saint: You’ve released two amazing EPs so far, is a Catnap album ever something you’d be interested in creating? Nina: I think an album would be awesome, but certainly, it certainly takes some time, and we're working on stuff, but an album, it takes a while, so I don't know if that's happening anytime soon, but it will eventually. Yeah, I think if we did want to make an album, we'd want to make it very coherent, and almost, like, a story, or, like, something like that, like, very cohesive, so we definitely, it would take us a little bit, but, yeah. Saint: Looking at your EP photoshoot and photos you've posted online, you guys have a very distinct visual aesthetic, is there any particular inspiration behind that? Nina: Ooh. Yeah, I gotta say, I get a lot of ideas from Pinterest. But yeah, I think the visuals are almost just as important as the music, and I think that, like, creating a sense of an identity with both the music and the visuals, like, it creates a whole world around the music that I really like the idea. I like branding and visual stuff a lot, and before I ever wanted to do music, I actually wanted to be an artist, so for me, like, visuals were always an essential part of it to me, but, I find the band is just, like, a fun way to be an outlet for me to do. It's one cool thing that I like about being in a band is that it's an outlet for me to experiment with creative visual things, and, I don't know if I'd say there's any, like, specific inspirations for the visuals, but it's kind of just how I feel that the music sounds, like, what it looks like, and it's just kind of my interpretation of, like, a visual representa
Concert Recap and Photos by Saint Barbarella BTS are living legends. The ARIRANG tour shows the world why.
In April, I was lucky enough to get last-minute tickets to see BTS at the start of the North American leg of their ARIRANG world tour. Despite not having a press or photo pass, when blessed with the opportunity to attend an event of this significance, it’s hard to resist the urge to cover it. BTS kicked off the first Florida concert of their career on April 25th at Tampa's Raymond James Stadium, making them the first Asian act in history to perform at the venue. In the days leading up to the concert, both visitors and residents of Tampa took to the streets to celebrate the group. Fans and businesses held special events throughout the week, and Mayor Jane Castor lit up the city’s biggest landmarks in purple, the group’s signature color, to commemorate the band's arrival. To put it plainly, Tampa went all out. The festive spirit intensified on the day of the concert, as I parked my car and walked towards the venue before the show, I was immediately greeted by a giant Jimin-themed LED truck driving down the road, and the iconic Goodyear blimp flying overhead, displaying the BTS logo and various related slogans. Fans congregated for hours outside the venue for merch, photo-ops, and, of course, freebie trading. In the few hours I walked around the venue, I was greeted by an abundance of lovely people who offered me bracelets, commemorative tickets, keychains, and even a free album. The BTS fandom, ARMY, is one of the largest and most dedicated groups of fans in the world, and while attending this concert, I feel that I truly got to experience the most beautiful and loving side of the ARMY community. Anyone familiar with BTS will know, fan or not, they can put on a show. BTS kicked off the night with a ground-shaking performance of Hooligan off of their comeback record ARIRANG, complete with a dazzling display of fireworks, pyrotechnics, and fire. The production of this tour cannot be understated. The fireworks, light shows, and giant screens surrounding the 360 stage made it so that even if you’re in the nosebleeds, you’re in for a visual treat. The members performed a series of their biggest hits, including their set of fully-English singles (Dynamite, Butter, and Permission to Dance), and their well-loved B-sides, including the surprise song Magic Shop. BTS themselves were amazing at hyping up the crowd, but the sound of ARMYs screaming along to every lyric was the most electrifying part of the night. The audience sang their hearts out to every song as if they were performing themselves, even overtaking the members at times during certain songs, including SWIM, Hooligan, and the fan- favorite Mic Drop.
Classic songs like Mic Drop and newer release 2.0 featured the members dancing in the mesmerizing synchronization they've become known for over the years. Slower songs such as Merry Go Round and Like Animals showcased the group’s vocal talent, and joined the crowd together in a much-needed breather to wave their lightsticks and sing in harmony. My personal highlight came during Body to Body, in which the majority English-speaking crowd sung their hearts out to the song’s Arirang (a Korean folk song) sample, as videos of attendees wearing Hanboks (a traditional Korean garment) shone above us. A testament that BTS’s power lies not just within their artistry, but in their ability to create meaningful connections with their listeners.The show concluded with a performance of ARIRANG’s closer Into the Sun, accompanied by a grand fireworks finale, a picturesque end to a magical night.
A Chat With Foxtide On June 20th, SoCal indie-rock band Foxtide brough their incredible energy to FIVE Jacksonville as support for The Runarounds's Minivan tour. After the show, we had the chance to take some photos of the band, and ask them some questions about touring, making music, and more. Photos and interview by Saint Barbarella
Saint: To start, you guys played an absolutely incredible set tonight, how are you feeling afterwards, and how was the crowd? Elijah: Thank you very much. Feeling great; the crowd was wonderful. We had a lot of fun bringing out the Runaround guys on our songs. Saint: What’s the strongest memory, or best highlight you can remember from tour? Elijah: I think for me it would be the first time people sang our lyrics back to us and it was as loud as the music. It must have been our first headline tour, but that was incredible to me. Oey: Especially for the new album right after it came out. Saint: On the same topic, now that you’ve played a few shows here in Florida, what’s been your favorite part of visiting the state? Elijah: I think it would be the energy and the people. Everyone has been super nice to us. The crowds have had great energy and made us feel at home. Saint: You’ve already performed in quite a few places, but even so, are there any dream cities or venues or cities you hope to visit? Elijah: I would love to play in London and somewhere in Brazil. It’s always been a dream to play Madison Square Garden and Red Rocks, those are two dream venues for sure. Oey: I’d like to play at a ranch in Wyoming and Red Rocks of course. Saint: Do you guys have any pre-show or after-show rituals? Elijah: We always get together before the show and huddle. We kinda give each other peace of mind and hype each other up. Oey: Definitely the huddle, the touching of heads. Saint: I like to ask this to everybody, what does your songwriting process typically look like? Oey: It really depends and changes all the time. We like to try and change things around all the time, and never stick with the same method of coming up with something or ideas. Elijah: Usually it starts with one person’s idea, and we all pile on and build it out to a full song. Lots of singing with each other and jamming parts for a long time. Sometimes I write alone or with the band, either way it’s cool in its own sense. Saint: Are there any genres, styles, or anything of the sort that you hope to experiment with in future projects? Elijah: I would like to experiment with instruments I don’t play (strings, different percussive instruments, horns, etc) and drum machines. Oey: More acoustic centered songs and stripping things down, as well as road trip music. Saint: Are there any songs you’ve worked on that mean the most to you? Elijah: It’s hard to say, they all mean a good deal to me but some pull emotionally more than others. I would have to answer with Wait it Out and Hand to Hand, because I wrote them directly about people I love and hold very dear. Saint: What’s your earliest memory around music? Elijah: Getting a drum set and guitar for Christmas when I was 5. I loved to just mess with them. What kid doesn’t want to hit some drums? Guitar took a bit longer, but eventually I got there. Oey: The piano in my childhood home, and my mom playing only one song that she made on the black keys, and her exclaiming “I only want to play what I make.” Saint: How has your creative process evolved from the beginning of the band to now? Elijah: It’s much more collaborative now. When it started I wrote alone a lot, but I feel like we have all caught our stride in writing together. I think the through line is that it’s always been super hands-on with everything. Oey: New members, new sounds. Exploring a lot more now than ever. Saint: How do all of you bring ideas together and make creative decisions when making music? Elijah: We all kind of just add onto each other’s ideas. There’s really no order or sense to it, we just kinda go when it happens, trusting each other. Oey: Finding the vin diagram where all the tastes line up, many pieces fit together and eventually start to mean something. Lots of chipping away. Saint: Finally for each of you, what is your favorite song to play live? Elijah: I like all of them, but recently it's been "Wait it Out." Oey: Consistently it’s been "Pilot Wings", but when I feel like I can mean it, "Chaos." Ian: "All I C" because of the pure grooviness, but recently it’s been "Can’t Get Enough of It". Foxtide is going back on tour across the U.S. in August. Tickets can be found at foxtide.band.
This June, the third annual Idobi Summer School tour, a tour dedicated to spotlighting rising artists and providing an affordable way to experience live music, made a stop in Orlando at the House of Blues. This year featured an incredible lineup, including: Chase Petra, South Arcade, Games We Play, Winona Fighter, and Honey Revenge. The night kicked off with Tampa-based pop-rock band Pretty Pity, who were Orlando’s city-specific opening band, and perfectly set the tone for the entire night with their infectious and booming energy. Shortly after them came my personal highlight, Chase Petra. The night of the Orlando show happened to coincide with the release date of the band’s new EP, A Terrible Ennui; a three-track EP featuring the band’s signature introspective lyricism and unique genre-blending sound. Throughout each song, the band consistently captivated both me and the audience and established themselves as a strong musical force to keep an eye on. After Chase Petra’s set, came out the UK-based South Arcade. The band came out swinging to a roaring crowd with an electrifying performance of HOW 2 GET AWAY WITH MURDER and left not a single dull moment during their set. South Arcade was followed by Games We Play. The band, who prior to this tour was on an extended break, returned to Orlando with their classic pop-punk sound, and consistently kept the audience engaged at every moment; they even brought up an audience member at one point to play the keyboard alongside them. Winona Fighter was the second-to-last act of the night and was nothing short of spectacular. Once again, all of these bands brought a strong presence to the stage, but this one was especially captivating. I was unfamiliar with this band prior to this show, but their raw and fiery energy made an impression that’s certainly hard to forget. Sadly, I had an emergency at home that forced me to leave before Honey Revenge’s headlining set, but from what I have seen, they too were absolutely incredible that night. As of publishing, you can catch them, Chase Petra, and all the other bands mentioned in this piece on the rest of the Idobi Summer School Tour, from June 30th to July 23rd, 2026.
SAINT PRESS Editor: Saint Barbarella Photos by: Saint Barbarella Words and interviews by: Saint Barbarella
SAINT PRESS