Sometime around mid-February 2007, I was attending a show at the Curtain Club when this guy in a hat came up to me and started talking. "Do you just like to hang out down here and go to shows?" he asked. I didn't quite know what to say, other than "yes," since that was after all the truth. "I was just wondering," he continued. "Every time I come to a show, you're down here." He seemed personable and friendly enough, so I wondered who he was and what this was all about. "I'm Jeremiah," he said. "I play in a band called Reverent." Reverent? I had seen them before, when they'd played Curtain in January as part of a "chick-themed" show, and again not too long afterward when they played the Galaxy Club at one of the last shows ever held there. We shook hands, and I made a mental note to myself to give Reverent a closer look.

That meeting at Curtain put an idea into my head. I dug my camera equipment out of mothballs and set up on Curtain's top floor with a tripod, and produced my first ever concert photos. After that show, I tried it again when Reverent played Reno's Chop Shop, and then again at the Ridglea Theatre, and then tried shooting some other bands as well, and discovered a new hobby for myself. After a while, I thought it might be time to put some of these photos online, hence the beginning of PAO Productions.

So just who are these guys and gal?

Reverent was formed in the summer of 2006 by guitarist PJ Blackburn and drummer Ryan Lee, two friends who had worked together previously in Rain Down Sky. Recruiting Jeremiah Nation on second guitar and Clayton Spears on bass, the newly formed group sought to forge a sound and style that were distinctly different from the dominant metal / industrial vibe which characterized the contemporary Dallas-Fort Worth musical scene. With the power and dynamic intensity of such compositions as "Inside Out," "So Far," and the early favorite "Why I Try," they took the first steps toward carving out that niche, and by August, with vocalist Melody brought into the fold, Reverent was complete. The band's inaugural show took place on January 20, 2007 at The Door, near Fort Worth's famous Rodeo and Stockyards area. Their Dallas introduction followed the next night by way of the illustrious Curtain Club venue, followed soon afterward by an appearance at the Galaxy Club, both located in the historic Deep Ellum entertainment district.

By March, Clay had departed and was replaced by Josh Armstrong, who with his incendiary, frenetic playing added a whole new dimension to Reverent's sound and live persona. With Josh and Ryan now providing the solid foundation for PJ's and Jeremiah's aggressive guitar work and Melody's vibrant, penetrating vocals, Reverent would go on to play numerous notable area venues including Tomcats, Reno's Chop Shop, and the Darkside Lounge as well as making further appearances at the Curtain Club, culminating in a headlining performance at Fort Worth's Ridglea Theater in the summer of 2007. Many of the Curtain Club shows took place under the banner of Scream For Me Dallas Productions, a promotional outfit organized and presided over by Dallas radio luminary Robert Miguel.

The five members of Reverent continued to cut their teeth playing around the Dallas-Fort Worth area until July 2007, when Jeremiah had to leave the band due to personal commitments. Though his shoes were filled for a time by Matt Miller (now of Red Pyramid), the band increasingly came to feel that it was time to take a break from performing and regroup. PJ, Josh, and Ryan spent much of 2008 networking and playing with other musicians, seeking to eclectify their pallette of musical expertise through exposure to more diverse influences and different styles of playing. Melody furthered her skills as keyboardist and lyricist while also working to train and further develop her stamina and delivery as a vocalist. Then, in August 2009, the newly reformed band made its début at the Lone Star Country Club in Coppell, TX with Herb Crookall on second guitar and Adrian Sage now filling the bassist's shoes, Josh having since taken up playing for local industrial rock band Red Pyramid. After their months of development, this new incarnation of the band displayed tremendous growth as musicians and performers, demonstrating greater confidence and assurance and playing more tightly than ever before. With the addition of Sneer Yacobi on drums in late October 2009, the newly refreshed Reverent is back bigger and better than ever.

"We are all more focused and comfortable being onstage and I think that is showing in our performances now," explains Melody. "Everyone [is] on the same page for the first time with like-minded goals and the drive to go wherever this may take us."

Their music has been described as a heavier alternative rock with some new metal and melodic influences, though their ability to assimilate diverse influences ranging from The Cure, The Deftones, The Beatles, Metallica, APC, Tori Amos, and many others into their own innovative, distinctive sound largely defies easy comparison and should continue to carry them to greater and greater success. Keep your eyes and ears open!