The day started with a small ceremony at the quaint and cute Annapolis Wedding Chapel, followed by a phenomenal wedding party lunch at Dogwood (seriously, go there next time you are in town), and closed by a blast of a reception at Metro Gallery.

Below are some of my favorite images from the day. You can check out the full gallery (and order prints!) at http://clients.michaeltodaro.com/Weddings/2012-05-11

Here’s some of my favorite shots from that day, and the full wedding can be viewed at http://bit.ly/daviswedding

Thanks for looking, and you can leave comments and/or questions below!

If you like what you see, do me a favor and hit up Facebook to give me a like at facebook.com/michaeltodarophotography and follow me on Twitter @michaeltodaro

Project 86:

Family Force 5

Gideon

My Heart To Fear

As Hell Retreats

Sleeping Giant

More later.

Testament

Death Angel

So, I’ve seen Ice Nine Kills a bunch. They come through the area a lot, and without even trying I saw them four times, including a sick set when they were touring with Taproot in May of 2010. I shot some quick shots on a nearly dead battery at last year’s Launch conference in Lancaster, and have been trying to catch up with them again since then. They’ve played a bunch of shows around here in that time period, but my schedule and theirs just never seemed to line up. Finally was able to catch them, and got some decent shots. After the images, you can read some of my review from Examiner.com, which will be up as soon as the uploader stops acting buggy.

Named after a deadly substance in a Kurt Vonnegut book, the Spencer Charnas lead Ice Nine Kills has been making a name for them as an equally deadly force in the current American Metalcore scene. A relentless touring schedule of intense emotional shows has brought them recognition among the scene’s starchiest critics, and has no doubt helped in securing their place in the at times overcrowded field of the current metal landscape.

The Champ, the local Lemoyne venue, has seen countless high school bands come through the ranks over the past few years, most with star eyed dreams of an idealized tour life and countless screaming fans adoration. The old warehouse right off of Market Street has become a regular stomping ground for the Massachusetts born quintet.

After beginning the recording of their third LP on January 23rd at The Square Studio in Marcellus, NY, Ice Nine Kills returned to a hot and sweaty group of fans at Champ. They have already announced a return to the Champ on June 1, for the album’s release show celebration.

Set list:
Proximity Mines In The Complex
The People Under The Stairs
Chris Brown’s Latest Hit
Buildings Burn, People Die
Newton’s Third Law Of Knives To The Back
Red Sky Warning
So This Is My Future
You Scratched My Anchor
Greatest Story Ever Told

The majority of their set comes from their 2010 Ferret Music debut, “Safe Is Just A Shadow”, the lone exception being You Scratched My Anchor, from their popular 2007 EP, “The Burning”

“It’s not a church, but it is Holy Ground” – Bret Hart, October 21, 1996, WWF Monday Night Raw

On that faithful Monday night in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Bret Hart made his return to World Wrestling Federation Television after a 7 month absence, and in his acceptance of Steve Austin’s challenge for that November’s Survivor Series, he uttered the words quoted above, in reference to New York’s famed Madison Square Garden, where the Survivor Series would be held.

I was a boy of 12 at the time, and having grown up in a strict church going family, it had never dawned on my that anyplace other then Cathedrals and places of worship could be considered Holy, or sacred. My 12 year old mind was opened a tad bit when I heard those words. I knew Madison Square Garden was an important venue, the first WrestleMania was held there in 1985, and the 10th in 1994. I had only been witness to small clips at the time of the other major moments in that building, not even beginning to be aware of the legitimate history and legacy beyond those moment crafted by professional wrestling.

It was right around that time I was first exposed to pro wrestling newsletters, both Pro Wrestling Torch and Figure Four Weekly. Both spoke quite highly of this newer promotion called Extreme Championship Wrestling, based out of Philadelphia, which was only about 2 hours from my home at that time in Mechanicsburg. I heard of the converted bingo hall that this company was playing in every third Saturday night, and how the product was revolutionary, nothing like anything America had ever seen.

I was, being a 12 year old wrestling fan in the 90’s, of course, subscribing to the Apter Family of magazines at the same time. Pro Wrestling Illustrated, Inside Wrestling, The Wrestler, and probably a host of others that names escape me for the time being. The Apter mags were also singing the praise of this company ECW, so close to my home.

I believe it was 1997 when I first heard of the Arena being talked about in almost a reverence form. It was named the best venue to watch professional wrestling in an issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated, and thus, solidified the idea in my mine that this was something special I had to one day experience.

It wasn’t until 1998, when I moved to Florida, that I was actually able to watch an episode of ECW, with the first ECW main event I saw being a highly edited Justin Credible vs. Jerry Lynn match in May of that year. After over 2 years of hearing about this company, and hearing that they were doing some incredible things in this special place, I finally was able to witness it. I had to set my alarm to tape the show at 2am, I watched it live, I watched it again in the morning, and again that afternoon. I had finally seen what the wrestling world was talking about, and I ate it up. I had decided I NEEDED to go to the Arena one day, to experience the atmosphere, the fans, and the wrestling.

By the time I made it back to Pennsylvania, ECW was but a memory. I returned to the Harrisburg area in 2002, over a year after ECW closed it’s doors, I was lucky enough to attend an ECW show in Schenectady, NY in November of 2000, but it wasn’t the Arena. It wasn’t Philadelphia, and it wasn’t the hallowed halls.

The history of the Arena post-ECW is storied as well, but is not yet viewed with the wistful nostalgia of the Paul Heyman days. Chikara, Ring Of Honor and Combat Zone Wrestling moved into the building, after a brief scuttlebutt with XPW renting the place in 2002. All three attempted to carve their own history in the building, and at times succeeding exponentially.

I finally had the opportunity to attend a show at the Arena on 2008. It was ROH’s Glory By Honor 7 show. Attending a show there was a bucket list item for me, as is going to the Garden, the Tokyo Dome, Korakuen Hall, and Arena Mexico. I had just started dating my future wife a month prior, and the trip to Philly was our first out of town experience as a couple. Less then a month into our relationship, and I had to try to explain why this random warehouse in a shady part of Philly was something special. I also had to explain Necro Butcher that night. I’m still amazed she married me.

I still remember the Nigel McGuinness vs. El Generico match from that night. Nigel had been the ROH Champion for sometime, and the match was so wonderfully work that everybody seemed to really believe that tonight was the night Generico could pull the upset and uncrown the Brit. I love watching great pro wrestling live with a great audience, and the ECW Arena fans always fit that bill.

I attended a few other shows there over the years, before finally getting a chance to shoot ringside photos at the Trent Acid Memorial show in 2010. I returned in late 2011 for some CZW shows, as I’m doing a personal project photography series on deathmatches. I was able to shoot the DragonGate USA show in November, and today, I get to be at ringside for what will be the last two shows, CZW and EVOLVE 10.

The building has new owners, and are remodeling it into a 3,000 concert hall over the next 6 months. Walls are coming down, restrooms moved. The rent will be higher, causing the end of the small monthly shows. While it’s not entirely impossible that wrestling will return to that very spot on the corner of Swanson and Ritner, the building will be different. In fact, I’m fairly confident somebody will try to cash in on the building’s history, and shell out some cash in an attempt to recreate what will not be recreate-able. After all, that seems to be the motto of pro wrestling promoters.

So many names have gone through those walls in the last 18 or so years, that if you have watched any pro wrestling at all in the past 15 years, chances are the product you saw was highly influenced either directly or indirectly by what went on at the ECW Arena.

In a lot of ways, the building is the last true connection to the old territories. But that’s another article for another time.

It’s wasn’t The Garden, it wasn’t the Korakuen, and it certainly was not a church, but it was holy ground.

For more information on today’s final shows, please visit czwrestling.com, DGUSA.TV and WWNlive.com