Sunset Dreams @ Bougainvillea's

Sunset Dreaming at Sunset Place

This was the first time I saw Carlos Escanilla perform, he sings and plays guitar in the bands Sunset Dreams and Tremora, formerly known as Carlos and the Experience. Saturday night, November 3, 2023, I was at Pub 52 near Sunset Place watching my drum instructor’s 80s cover band play a couple sets. When that ended I walked east down the street, kicking my feet a bit, not feeling done with the night. My ears perked up to the sound of live music somewhere nearby and I followed it.

I came to Bougainvillea’s and it was jumping, this was obviously a popular place in the area. I walked in, a crowd of people bustling to the right and a band on a small stage past them; I squeezed my way to the front, camera in hand. It looked like the perfect Saturday night out, people dancing with drinks in hand, the band giving absolutely everything, the whole room is being completely lit up by the greatest hits of the 80, 90s, and now.

Carlos loves to interact with the crowd, he’s really good at that. He stepped down from the stage and walked up to me and smiled pointing down to the floor. I was confused about what he was trying to say to me, it was really loud in there. Then I looked down and saw it, we were wearing the same shoes, a sturdy, tough, low-cut pair of Doc Martens. We were a pair of pairs together. He loved it, I loved it - the serendipity of this night.

Carlos loved the shots I took and would continue to regularly hire me to photograph his shows, becoming my first recurring photography client, and one of my first friends in the Miami music scene. It was wonderful and so motivating. This was the first night I went out to shoot in a couple years. It was the very start of a very fun run of bouncing around Miami clubs and venues almost every weekend to photograph bands, to rock n’ roll.

Follow them on Instagram @sunsetdreams305 and @tremoramusic

All photography by me.

Shot on Nikon.

Follow me on Instagram @irie.io