BY MAUI CABRAL There are certain venues that become markers in your life .Places where things shift, where a door opens, where the univer...
BY MAUI CABRAL
There are certain venues that become markers in your life .Places where things shift, where a door opens, where the universe taps you on the shoulder and says “You’re going this way now.” For me, that place is The Pour House.
Back in 2023, I stood outside this same building on my last dollar with my girlfriend at the time, waiting to neet two of my favorite artist growing up: Crucifix and Sean P East (Youngbloodz), only to get invited to go on tour with them a little bit over a month later. A tour that cracked open a world I didn’t know i was ready for... Let alone ready for ME!
It was my first real jump into life on the road, chasing music across state lines, documenting sweat, chaos, quiet moments in green rooms, and cities blurring through RV windows. I left The Pour House one person and came back different.
Friday night was my first time walking through those doors since then. And I wasn’t just here to be in the crowd; I was here to shoot Crobot, a band I’ve admired for years. A band that, in its own loud and wild way, shaped the kind of photographer & motorcycle rider I’ve grown into. The second I stepped inside, it felt like a memory and a prophecy colliding.
The night opened with LieHeavy, a Raleigh-based band that comes from the same soil i live in. Local energy, local spirit, and the relentless drive of musicians who refuse to be overlooked. LieHeavy’s sound is thick, gritty, and unapologetic. They mix classic heavy-rock roots with modern edges, making each riff feel like a boot to the chest. But what really hit me was their intention. The way they carried themselves. They weren’t just performing, they were representing Raleigh. Showing the out-of-towners exactly what this city can do. There’s something special about seeing a hometown band open the night when the venue already means something personal. It felt grounding, like Raleigh welcoming me back before the chaos began.
Then came Atomic Bitchwax, the kind of band that feels like a thunderstorm plugged into a space station. These guys have been around since the late ’90s, born from the stoner-rock lineage of Monster Magnet, and they carry that same psychedelic, fuzz-driven DNA. Their music isn’t just heard. It’s felt.
Thick bass lines. Spiraling guitar work. Drums that vibrate the back of your skull. They’re the type of musicians who walk onstage, plug in, and instantly make the room feel like a time capsule from the golden age of heavy rock , but with enough speed and energy to qualify as a controlled demolition. For me, shooting them felt like chasing comets. They don’t stand still. Their sound doesn’t settle. You have to move with them, anticipate them, feel them to freeze the right moment. Their performance cracked the room open and delivered the perfect warm-up for what was coming.
Then the lights shifted. The crowd tightened. And Crobot took the stage. If you know Crobot, you know they’re not just a band. They’re a fucking force, somewhere between comic-book heroes, intergalactic mechanics, and an electrified sermon delivered through a wall of amps.
Formed in Pennsylvania in 2011, Crobot built their name on dirty grooves, massive riffs, and pure theatrical energy. Brandon Yeagley’s vocals hit like a bolt of lightning. Soulful, sharp, and explosive. While Chris Bishop’s guitar work carries that swampy, funk-rock snarl that makes Crobot instantly recognizable. Their live shows feel like stepping into a world with its own rules. Gravity bends. Air heats. Time speeds up. That night was no different.
From the first note, the room transformed into a comic panel drenched in neon and distortion. Brandon’s signature moves, Bishop’s wild guitar antics, the rhythm section punching through the air. It was everything I love about rock ‘n’ roll, but with Crobot’s signature swagger and cosmic weirdness. Shooting them was a rush. Every frame felt alive, like the band was daring me to keep up. Somewhere between the sweat, the lights, and the distortion, I realized something. This was the first band I’ve shot at The Pour House since the tour that changed my life. The last time I stood near that door, I was a guy with a camera and a dream. That night, I walked in with years of experience, thousands of photos, dozens of cities, and everything I learned on the road.
Crobot didn’t just give a performance. They gave me a reminder. A reminder of why I do this. Why I chase these nights. Why I document the chaos, the beauty, the energy that only live music can create. It wasn’t just a concert. It was a homecoming. A reset. A memory I didn’t know I needed. The Pour House felt like it was saying, “Welcome back. Now show us what you’ve become.”
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- JOSH "MAUI" CABRAL
Hey! I'm Maui. Originally from Queens, New York, now making Raleigh, NC my new home. I'm a touring photographer and Nomadic Motorcycle Rider, obsessed with seeing the world through different lenses!
Read Maui's posts here
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