Tag: Jonn Smith

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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.

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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.

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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.



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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.