When a good rock n’ roll band finds its groove, it’s a wonderful thing. It becomes as much about what you feel as what you hear. I feel good right now. I just heard something great. It was a wonderful thing.
The Rationales just played their Rumble preliminary set. By the time they got to “No Guarantees”, a personal favorite of mine, they were so locked in nothing could derail them. The last three songs of their set felt like a victory lap. That’s the beauty of the Rumble. Win or lose, bands rise to the occasion. Bands like The Rationales.
My gut is confirmed. The Rationales take night #1.
When a member of The Grownup Noise slipped a disc in his back (ouch!), Endless Wave became the first band of the 2012 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble. Their sound swirled and churned, washing over the TT’s crowd. The Rumble has begun…
Brendan Boogie brought his new, as-yet-unnamed band down into Moe’s Lounge to show off some new tunes and scrape his knuckles on the ceiling. OK, the second part may not have been intentional.
The Full-Time Dreamers know their hard rock. Jay Ryan and Dave Dyer riff it up on guitar and bass respectively. Kate Kenney wails and Scott SanGiacomo is a madman behind the drums. Sounds about right.
Well, it’s that time of the year again. The Rumble is upon us. Sunday night will kick off the 2012 edition of this rock n’ roll institution. I called the 2011 version “a crash course in Boston awesomeness”. I have no reason to think this year won’t be the same. Having been to many a Rumble show (and participated in a couple) I can tell you these are always a lot of fun.
For the past few years The Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble has been curated by Anngelle Wood. She’s done a fine job, hasn’t she? This year will be no exception. I’ve managed to document exactly half of this year’s participants in the wild. I look forward to checking out the other half. Below is the complete schedule with some links to the bands’ shows I’ve caught in the past. If all goes according to plan, you’ll be seeing lots of Rumble pics up on Daykamp Music over the next few weeks. Check back often. More importantly, go see some of the shows!
PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE
Sunday, April 1
7:30-8:30pm Boston Band Crush sponsored Opening Night Welcoming Party
Why am I posting pictures of Space Balloons playing at a birthday party for a three year old? I’m adding some visual spice to some friendly advice. If you are throwing a party for a kid you should hire Space Balloons. Hell, if you’re throwing a party for an adult you should hire Space Balloons.
One year ago today I posted some photos of Sodafrog, The Painted Lights and The Russians to this site. After over a decade of photographing bands around town, I finally got off of my ass and decided to do something with all of the pictures I take. Daykamp Music was born. I’d like to take a moment to thank everyone who has supported the site in its infancy. So… thanks.
Now onto some useless babbling about the site’s first year. It’s a love letter of sorts…
I was also fortunate enough to get turned on to a whole bunch of bands I had never seen before. Parlour Bells, The Fagettes, Eddie Japan, Streight Angular, Thick Shakes, The Sinbusters and Gene Dante all rocked my world. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Seriously, we have an insane number of high quality bands in this town. Black Thai, Brownboot, Cask Mouse, Motherboar… geezums. I could go on, but I’ve got some other stuff I want to write about. Like, hmmm… let’s go with The Rock N’ Roll Rumble next…
Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling in the 2011 Rumble
The 2011 Rumble was one of the best I can remember. John Powhida International Airport took the tiara. Mellow Bravo, Old Jack, Spirit Kid, Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling and The Autumn Hollow Band were all fantastic. Heck, every band I caught in last year’s Rumble was pretty great. The Rumble has always been and will always be the best way to check out a slew of bands at the top of their game in one fell swoop (the 2012 Rumble starts Sunday night – get thee to TT’s!). In fact, the Rumble is where my obsession with Sidewalk Driver began.
Sidewalk Driver @ House Of Blues
Oh, Sidewalk Driver. You caught me off guard. Some of my friends had been raving about you. I was excited to catch your Rumble set, but nothing could have prepared me for what I saw. The glitter! The glam! The songs about dancing, disasters and indecision! You are real. My mind was blown. You got me my first official photo pass, and I will forever be grateful for that. It was for your show at House Of Blues, opening for The B-52s. You blew them off of the stage. While we’re on the subject of The B-52s…
Bikini Whale @ Radio
You guys out there in Boston rock land love your cover sets. The Bikini Whale show for Halloween at Radio was better than the real thing. The photos I posted from that set currently reign supreme as the most viewed on this site. Aquanutz covered W.A.S.P. and made me a very happy man. Nicole Tammaro put together a Joan Jett tribute night at The Rosebud that was more fun than is legal in 39 states. The MixTape series is a cover set heaven. And then there was Uke Springsteen, who is so amazing I can’t even put it into words. Luckily I have video…
Rule @ Radio
Daykamp Music wasn’t the only new face to show up to the party in the last year. Radio (and Moe’s Lounge in their basement) has been a fun place to see a band since the day it opened last October. Rule, who made their debut at Radio, have become a force to be reckoned with in just two shows. One Night Band 3 saw 8 new bands form and break up in the same day (I got to shoot a few of their promo photos, which was a real thrill for me). Will there be reunions in their futures? Who knows? Oh! Reunions! The Dents had one at TT’s, the same place where Ad Frank And The Fast Easy Women went out in grand style. Speaking of which, I’ve gone on too long. Sorry about that. It’s been fun. Lots of fun. Thanks for putting up with me. Thanks for tuning in. You guys are the best.
Ad Frank And The Fast Easy Women say farewell @ TT's
Walter Sickert and his traveling band of SteamCrunk gypsies make their way to the stage. It has already been an eclectic and memorable evening. Black Thai overpowered us with their thunderous roll. Sidewalk Driver made us a sandwich. Planetoid tried to power their spaceship with our souls and/or melt our faces — which is a better fate than Mary Widow and her seductress companions wished upon us. Now we’re being tipped on end by sights and sounds as varied as the night is long. The Army Of Broken Toys are putting their musical and physical wares on display in an attempt to bring the crowd under their spell. We tumble along, once again avoiding the grasp of Mary Widow as “Ghostbusters” rings through the rafters…
Camden
“Getting Around” b/w “(Talking On The) Telephone”
2012
On their latest 7″, Camden somehow come off as both laid back and hyperactive. “Getting Around” is the indie-bopper that starts things off. The song asks “What you think about me?” I think you’re catchy as hell and I’m playing you over and over again. The two sides of the record are listed as “A” and “AA”. Smart move, because “(Talking On The) Telephone” is just as strong. The band continues the caffeine buzz and rips out some extended melodic guitar parts for this one. What a great pair of tunes.
The record itself is a black, small hole 7″ that come in a full color jacket (which is all inserted into a vinyl bag). There’s even a lyric sheet. It’s also available as a digital download.
