Tag: Jared Egan

Posted on

Here’s a sneak peek at this year’s One Night Band!

One Night Band 4 is tonight! That means we’ve got 8 brand new bands scattered around the city writing songs and learning covers for the big show. Once again I was lucky enough to get to shoot the official photos for a few of the acts.* This year we got some classic brick wall action going. Here’s a sneak peek at some of what you’ll see tonight at the Middle East Downstairs!

Big Head Big Ears
Candace Clement, Rice Edmonston, Nicholas Ward, Peter Moore, Aaron Silverstein

Grandfather Time Bomb
Walter Sickert, Jared Egan, Caroline Toth, Evelyn Pope, Annie Hoffman

Lesbian Frankenstein
Molly Zenobia, Steven Lord, Dave Stoops, Bryan Hinkley

* Mary Flatley took the rest. I’m sure they’ll pop up soon. Keep an eye out.

Posted on

Sidewalk Driver @ T.T. The Bear’s Place 7.27.2012

A couple of weeks ago, we presented a show at TT’s with our good friends over at Boston Band Crush. Sidewalk Driver was on the bill. I may have posted some pictures of these guys before. I kinda sorta like ’em a little bit. They’ve got these songs. Really cool songs. Songs about magnets and Tad’s face. And they play the hell out of ’em. They do all that while blowing confetti all over the friggin’ place.

One of my favorite things about a Sidewalk Driver show is telling my boys about it the next morning. As I was describing this particular show, Big Little One suspected I may be embellishing the tale a bit.

“You’re teasing.”

I assured him I wasn’t, although I understood his skepticism. It all sounded to fantastic to be true. It was too much for his six-year-old brain to process. I paused a minute to let him take it all in.

Then I told him about the parachute…

Posted on

Sidewalk Driver @ Brighton Music Hall 5.18.2012

Sidewalk Driver at Brighton Music Hall is always a good idea. Friday night was no exception. These glam-poppers played a nice mix of recent tunes* and songs from FATBAG. They debuted a fantastic new song called “My Face” that found Tad confettiizing in ways previously unknown.** They even busted out a cover of The Turtles’ classic “Elenore.”*** Gee, I think Sidewalk Driver is swell…

* They opened their set with “Kidnapped.” It’s probably my current favorite Sidewalk Driver tune. That’s like picking a favorite guitar, though. They’re all special.

** “Confettiizing” is a real word. OK, it isn’t.

*** Boy Wonder used to cover that song. I had flashbacks during Sidewalk Driver’s rendition. Happy-happy-sing-song-sing-along flashbacks. What a great tune that is. Between this cover and their recent take on The Monkees’ “Star Collector,” Sidewalk Driver is sending me to ’60s pop heaven.

Posted on

Sidewalk Driver @ Brighton Music Hall 3.16.2012

The morning after Sidewalk Driver’s semi-final set at last year’s Rumble, I described the spectacle that took place to my then-4-year-old son. He listened in astonishment.

The morning after Sidewalk Driver’s recent show at Brighton Music Hall, I told my now-5-year-old boy that Tad made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on stage.* He laughed hysterically.

I’m not sure which reaction made me happier…

* Yes, this is real. It was one of the single greatest moments of my concert going life.

Posted on

Sidewalk Driver @ House Of Blues 12.1.2011

A couple of months back, Sidewalk Driver opened for The B-52s up at Hampton Beach.* When I heard about that show, two things crossed my mind:

  • That’s a really good break for a really good band.
  • I want to take pictures of Sidewalk Driver opening for The B-52s.

Alas, it wasn’t in the cards. Fast forward to the announcement that Sidewalk Driver would be opening for The B-52s as part of Epilepsy Therapy Project’s fundraiser at the House Of Blues. Two things crossed my mind:

  • That’s a really good break for a really good band.
  • I want to take pictures of Sidewalk Driver opening for The B-52s.

Oh, House Of Blues. You’re usually not too keen on people bringing cameras to take pictures of your innards. I was pretty sure this wasn’t going to happen. Then fate Kate smiled upon me and got me a photo pass. So happy. So very happy.**

Come showtime, Sidewalk Driver did what they do best: worked their glorious confetti and power chord magic to make the audience swoon.*** Isn’t that what they always do? Hell yes, it is. This band lives to entertain.

…

A couple of days later I was looking through the photos on my computer.

“Who’s that?”

My five year old had just wandered into the office with his little brother close behind.

“That’s Tad from Sidewalk Driver.” I replied.

“Side-walk-dri-ver?” questioned my curios 2 and a half year old.

“That’s the band that sings ‘Tornado’!” exclaimed his older brother.

I couldn’t have been more proud. For the next ten minutes we scrolled through the photos, the boys quickly learning to identify each band member. So happy. So very happy.

* I’d like to point out that when I started this blog, the thought never crossed my mind that it would have any references to The B-52s. Live and learn, I guess.

** Have I mentioned how happy I was? Seriously, it’s a little embarrassing. When I got word that Kate had secured the photo pass the combination of sheer joy and the sudden realization that “Golly, I better take some good pictures at this thing or I’m a complete jerk” nearly incapacitated me. I was a wreck. Still… so very very happy.

*** Did I mention showtime was 30 minutes before the stated start time on the House Of Blues website? Surprise! No matter. Sidewalk Driver still kicked ass. No surprise there.

Posted on

Sidewalk Driver @ Radio 10.7.2011

[INTERIOR – SIDEWALK DRIVER PRACTICE SPACE]

KATE: I’ve got this awesome new song I want to teach you guys.

JARED: Remember that time I used Richard Bouchard’s face as a slide? How great was that?!?! And I jumped off of A.J.’s kick drum.

KATE: Speaking of A.J., where is he?

JOHN: He’s going to be a little late. The Rolex folks needed him to swing by the factory so they could set their watches to him.

TAD: Has anyone seen the Sparkle Fairies? I can’t seem to find them.

KATE, JARED, JOHN: Not again!

[LAUGH TRACK]

KATE: Really guys, I’ve got this new song to show-

JOHN [INTERRUPTING]: In the last seven days we’ve opened for the B-52s, rocked the big Township gig at Brighton Music Hall and blown the roof off of Radio on opening night. Not bad.

JARED: And I used Bouchard’s face as a slide!

[TAD RETURNS COVERED IN GLITTER AND CONFETTI]

TAD: I found the Sparkle Fairies, but now the Confetti Monster has gotten loose!

KATE, JARED, JOHN: Oh, Tad!

[LAUGH TRACK]

KATE: You guys aren’t going to learn this song tonight, are you…

JOHN: No. I’m busy learning “Big Bottom”.

JARED: I’m practicing slides on Bouchard’s face.

TAD [OFF SCREEN]: I could use a little help in here!

KATE: Argh! Let’s just watch Maru videos and look at these photos from the Radio gig up on Daykamp Music…

Posted on

Sidewalk Driver @ Brighton Music Hall 10.1.2011

I love Sidewalk Driver. I imagine, though, that there are some people out there that hate Sidewalk Diver. Really hate them. That’s the way these things work, right? For every person out there that loves yogurt, there is someone who thinks it tastes like the disgusting thing it is: A dairy product produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. Think about that the next time you go to eat yogurt.

I thought it might be fun to play devil’s advocate to my usual Sidewalk Driver-loving self. The problem is, everything I thought of as my alter ego just made Sidewalk Driver sound more awesome. It was an exercise in futility. I mean, telling someone to avoid a band because they have a song about the singer potentially dispensing of his man-parts* to get in good with a girl who may or may not be into said man-parts is like telling a 5 year old boy to put the bug down so he doesn’t squish it. It ain’t gonna happen.

So, I guess it’s OK to listen to and enjoy the music of Sidewalk Driver.** Why not check out their fantastic record, For All The Boys And Girls? But whatever you do, don’t go to their live shows. You might get covered in confetti.

* Be it by scissors or knife.

** I suppose there are still people out there that don’t like Sidewalk Driver. I’m content not to be one of them. I still don’t like yogurt, though.

Posted on

Sidewalk Driver @ The Middle East Downstairs 7.29.2011

It’s becoming old (tiny) hat for me to heap praise upon Sidewalk Driver. Lest you think I’m blowing smoke up their asses, lets get straight to the facts:

  • July 29th was the big Boston Band Crush show at The Middle East.
  • Sidewalk Driver played.
  • The crowd clapped and cheered.
  • The band covered Queen’s “Keep Yourself Alive”.*
  • Tad crowd surfed.**
  • Sidewalk Driver was awesome.***

So there you have it.

* Video by the tireless Sophia Cacciola for Sophia’s Rock Beat.
** No video. Sorry.
*** Fact.

Posted on

Sidewalk Driver @ T.T. The Bear’s Place 5.27.2011

I sit here tonight editing photos of Sidewalk Driver at TT’s and Massachusetts is in the middle of some crazy weather. It’s mainly a lightning event here, but the storms out in western and central Mass are horrific. Tornadoes? Seriously? While I’m editing photos of Sidewalk Driver? This is just too weird.

As for the show, Sidewalk Driver is real. Sidewalk Driver is amazing.

Oh, I almost forgot. I’ve still got some video of Sidewalk Driver performing “Tornado” to edit. You might not want to get out of the basement just yet.