Category: Photos

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John Powhida International Airport @ T.T. The Bear’s Place 4.22.2011

What does a Rumble winning set sound like in the year 2011?

Well, during John Powhida International Airport’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble Finals set someone from Boston Band Crush posted the following Facebook update:

“Does anyone else think John Powhida is from another planet?”

Now, most of my alien rock music experience comes from Gwar. Locally we’ve got Planetoid living among us. What about Mr. Powhida? Could J-Po be from another planet?

I think the BBC folks may be onto something. There’s just too much crazy goodness going on in a John Powhida International Airport set for it to be of human origin. J-Po’s previous outfit, The Rudds, was a pretty kick-ass rock band.  Here, the kick-assity remains, but it’s infused with synthesizers, danceable grooves and a healthy dose of insanity.  It sounds crazy.  It is crazy.  But it works. It works beautifully.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, you may be wondering what a Rumble winning set looks like in the year 2011. See below…



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OldJack @ T.T. The Bear’s Place 4.22.2011

Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. Sometimes (like say, once every 32 years) you lose, but you still get to keep playing because of a previously scheduled gig at a clam shack.

Such was the case with OldJack’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble run.

Look, life doesn’t always go as planned. It’s what you do with second chances like these that defines you. OldJack used theirs to cook up a semi-final set that was good enough to land them in the finals.

That’s where we caught up with the band. OldJack opened the 2011 finals with a blistering set. Dan Nicklin and his gang poured their hearts and souls onto T.T.’s stage until the room felt like it would burst. They were taking nothing for granted. They showed why they were there. OldJack showed, once again, that they are one of the best bands around.

Pay attention boys and girls, this is how you do it…



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Mellow Bravo @ T.T. The Bear’s Place 4.14.2011

Mellow Bravo played their Rumble semi-final set as if it was their last ever. I suspect they play all of their shows this way.

What a fun band. I wouldn’t doubt that Mellow Bravo fans think the band has a middle name. I, for one, found myself muttering “Mellow F’n Bravo” underneath my breath more than once throughout their supercharged set.  The band was firing on all cylinders, and singer Keith Pierce was their spark plug. Jeffery Fultz and Andrew Doherty channeled every classic rock guitar riff they’ve ever heard.   Dave Jarvis on drums and Seager Tennis on bass kept things moving along with reckless abandon.  Jess Collins helped make the whole thing gel on keys.  She also happened to explode when they put a microphone in her hand and gave her center stage.

Semi-Final Night #1 of the 2011 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble was one of the best shows I’ve seen in a long time. Spirit Kid won the night, but any of the bands could have moved on given a different set of judges or a groundhog seeing his shadow or what have you. Mellow Bravo, Sidewalk Driver, and Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling (and Spirit Kid, of course) were just that good.  What an awesome night.



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Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling @ T.T. The Bear’s Place 4.14.2011

Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling are raw power and emotion. Dark clouds and heavy winds set forth from the stage as the band pounds its way through their Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble Semi-Final set. Boom! Thwack! Thump! Bzzz! Roar! Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling!

They hold nothing back.



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Sidewalk Driver @ T.T. The Bear’s Place 4.14.2011

The morning after Semi-Final Night #1 of the 2011 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble I found myself in my kitchen trying to describe the night to my son. He’s 4 years old. For several minutes I told him about platform boots, confetti cannons, playing guitar behind your head, layers of outrageous costumes, facial adornments, winged shirts and glitter. I told my wife about the witty and outrageously infectious songs.

“The singer, Tad, wore a little hat… and he shot confetti out of the hat!” I explained excitedly.

There was a brief pause while my son took it all in.

“Tell me again.” he implored.

“About the hat? Sure, he had this little hat…”

“No.” He took a break from eating his waffle to clarify. “The whole thing. The part about the shoes and the shirt. Tell me the whole thing again.”

I patiently described everything I had witnessed the night before for a second time.

I waited for some kind of reaction. His nearly five year old brain was working hard, trying to formulate some kind of response. Finally it came.

“Is this real?”

Yup. It’s real. It’s called Sidewalk Driver.



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Spirit Kid @ T.T. The Bear’s Place 4.14.2011

Spirit Kid was the one band in the 2011 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble that I managed to catch in each round. Their performance on Semi-Final Night #1 was easily their best. The band seemed both at ease and full of energy. It was urgent and effortless. This was the set that turned Spirit Kid from the band I like into the band I can’t wait to see again.

Spirit Kid won the night.



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Spirit Kid @ T.T. The Bear’s Place 4.5.2011

Spirit Kid put their ’60s pop-inspired songs on display during Preliminary Night #3 of the 2011 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble. It was a non-stop hit parade.* Although they didn’t win the night, their performance was strong enough to earn them a wildcard selection.



*Well, not really. However, in a just world, all of these songs would be hits. Also, I don’t think songs can actually be paraded about.

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John Powhida International Airport @ T.T. The Bear’s Place 4.5.2011

By now we all know that John Powhida International Airport took the tiara in the 2011 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble.  Congratulations to J-Po and his flight crew on their well earned victory.

Here are some photos from the night that started it all for them.  The band rocked, rolled, shook and shimmied their way to a Preliminary Night #3 victory.  Good times.



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Cult 45 @ T.T. The Bear’s Place 4.5.2011

Any band that can pull off a cover a Sabbath’s “The Mob Rules” is OK in my book. So… Cult 45, you’re OK in my book.

Cult 45 represented the horn-throwing underbelly of Boston rock during Preliminary Night #3 of the 2011 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble. Rippin’ guitar riffs, driving bass, pounding drums and wailing vocals are the name of the game here. Cult 45 has all of these in spades.



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The Autumn Hollow Band @ T.T. The Bear’s Place 4.5.2011

The Autumn Hollow Band is a band that sounds like The Band. Band band band. They have one foot in rock, one in folk and one in country. They are a three legged monster of Americana.

Speaking of feet, a good portion of the band was barefoot during their set that opened Preliminary Night #3 of the 2011 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble. As they finished their set, I ruminated that topping The Autumn Hollow Band’s set would be a challenging feat.*


*John Powhida International Airport would go on to win the night, but we’ll have more on that later.