518scene.com is the leading curated online source of cool, alternative- and underground-leaning music, film, comedy, festivals, theater and more in the Upstate New York Capital Region, with a specific focus on heavy music and the community and lifestyle that surrounds it. If you’re looking to read timely arts features, see amazing concert photos and live video, and find out about awesome events happening in the 518—without wading through endless irrelevant listings or visiting 10 different competing sites—then 518scene.com is your one-stop shop and nightlife planner.
518scene.com is the culmination of Editor and Publisher Brendan Manley’s decades of music and arts industry experience, both as a musician and journalist, including 10 years as an editor with Alternative Press magazine, plus numerous feature credits in leading publications like Substream and Revolver. A longtime 518 resident, Manley felt the Capital Region needed a fresh, reader-friendly resource when the pandemic ended several years ago and a rush of shows ensued. As a local concertgoer, he was seeking a comprehensive portal—tailored to his interests, as part of the heavy music community—that simply didn’t exist. So in early 2022, he built one.
Partnering with some of the best live concert photographers in the region, Manley (who also works in digital marketing and web development) and the 518scene.com team have quickly brought the 518 arts scene an exciting, vibrant new online media outlet and information headquarters for lovers of all types of heavy, alternative and indie music in the area, presented with a professional, major media style and perspective. No website in the 518 market offers as deep of an archive of first class live event photography from the post-COVID era, or as comprehensive of a live show calendar, and we’re growing every single day. So join us for the ride… This bus is rockin’!!
THE 518SCENE.COM TEAM:
Brendan Manley is an award-winning journalist, screenwriter and marketer with deep entertainment experience on both coasts. He's also a lifelong musician, who grew up playing guitar in metal and alt rock bands on Long Island, later migrating north to the Capital Region. Brendan is perhaps best known for his decade-long run as contributing editor and lead reporter for Alternative Press magazine, during which he toured with and authored numerous features and cover stories on major artists like The Wonder Years, The Used, Circa Survive, Thursday, Four Year Strong, New Found Glory, Taking Back Sunday, and many more. An avid concertgoer, Brendan launched 518scene.com in early 2022 after the COVID-19 lockdown, sensing the need for a central, objective, curated source for all things cool in the 518.
A blossoming photographer based out of Troy, NY, Kylie Spinelli hopes to make people see the world as she sees it: an intricate, evolving place filled with unique people and experiences. Kylie specializes in concert photography, nature, architecture, and portraiture. At 518scene.com, she is our go-to gal in the pit, ever ready to dodge crowd surfers to get that killer shot! Once a member of the Queensbury Madrigals touring vocal group, Kylie is a talented singer and guitarist with a range of musical experience now in her repertoire.
Stephanie J. Bartik was always surrounded by photography and music, so it seemed a natural transition to blend two of the things she is most passionate about as her chosen profession. It's been a long road she's traveled to get there: from being “the person with the camera” at family, work, or school events, to photographing families, weddings, and real estate listings, then starting to take headshots. When asked by a friend to photograph a festival for a radio station website, the movement, lights, and music grabbed her and never let go. It was at exactly that moment when she knew she wanted to be a music photographer. “I wanted to show anyone not present, what they missed,” she says. “To share what I saw, and how I felt.”
In 2020, Benjamin Hunt picked up a camera and found that photography was something that came naturally to him. A self-taught photographer from Amsterdam, NY, Ben also runs his own growing photography business, Black Moth Photography. He has a creative mind and a passion for photography, as well as music, especially hardcore and metalcore. (In the past, he's even fronted bands as a lead vocalist.) Ben enjoys working with our team at 518scene.com and he is a true master in his element dodging pits, flying bodies and climbing on the stage for the best shot. Ben also enjoys traveling to shoot many different types and styles of photography, including portraits, street photography, architecture and most risky: traveling to abandoned places to capture urban decay.
Ronald Loria Jr. is a self taught photographer who began his journey as a hobbyist nature and landscape photographer, often traveling to find the beauty of nature and all things spooky whenever possible. With a deep love for the Adirondacks, the inception of Ron Dacks Photo began, and as time has gone on, Ron has added product and portrait photography to his resume, including street photography and photojournalism. Recently, Ron has freelanced for several artists and outlets, including 518scene. He loves capturing the magic of live acts from any genre, but enjoys shooting rock, metal and hardcore shows most. He has photographed Chelsea Grin, Suicide Silence, The Acacia Strain and many more, and loves experiencing new bands through concert photography. His passion for photographing people doing what they love resonates throughout his work!
Combining the two things she’s most passionate about, Angela says “photography is my Zen and music is my therapy.” Based out of western MA and Upstate NY, Angela is an intuitive visual storyteller specializing in concert, wildlife and creative portraiture. Whether it’s a serene scene or chaotic pit, Angela has a unique way of capturing the details in every shot. She’s been rocking out at shows since the age of 9 with metal, industrial and ‘80s music having a special place in her heart. When not taking photos, you may catch this stay-at-home mama snuggling with her cats, banging on the drums, growling to a catchy tune or swooning over The Bride of Frankenstein.
Jon Monaghan is a photographer and bassist out of Albany. He has been a photographer for 15 years; besides photographing live music, Jon also shoots weddings, food and commercial photos. Jon has a wide range of musical influences, starting with a love of Motown he gained from his mother, to the more modern sounds of Thrice and Bayside, to the virtuoso playing of Bela Fleck and Victor Wooten.
Abby is a local photographer based in Amsterdam, NY. Her interest in photography started in high school, while attending the HFM BOCES program for digital media. Starting with nature shots, Abby also slowly found her way into the music scene, where the high-paced environment of hardcore shows keeps her on her toes. (Especially at Empire Underground, which is her second home, and where the magic happens.) Local 518 band Deadweight was Abby’s launch pad into shooting live music, but she is now fully immersed in the 518 and national touring scenes, recently shooting Between the Buried and Me, Thank You Scientist, Rivers of Nihil, Under the Den, Archers, Millington, Keep Flying, and many more. Abby is ready to take on any challenge the world of photography has in store.
Melanie is a 25-year-old concert photographer based in Amsterdam, NY. She began her photography journey nine years ago, attending photography and videography classes at HFM BOCES Vocational School, and is now majoring in Digital Cinematography at Full Sail University while actively pursuing her career. Melly has photographed many national and local bands in the 518 Capital Region to date, recently shooting The Acacia Strain, Year of the Knife, Escuela Grind, Chained To The Bottom Of The Ocean, Extinction A.D., Pathogenic, Deadweight, Breathless By Dawn and many more. Melly’s passion for music is evident in her work, as she can often be found taking a photo break to indulge in some crowd surfing, two-stepping, or moshing with the big guys in the pit, only to continue shooting the same set, without missing a beat.
