Boston Rock Photos And Stuff
D-Tension’s Secret Project was recently unveiled at The Middle East Downstairs. Backed by the tight and versatile Secret Project Band, D-Tension hosted a slew of talented collaborators to perform the electro-pop hits of the companion album. Cool idea. Well executed. Fun night.
The 2013 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble is in the books. This one won’t soon be forgotten. Anngelle Wood did a tremendous job. The Rumble requires gargantuan effort to pull together under ideal circumstances. This year? The way Angelle, Richard Bouchard, Kerri-Ann Richard and the rest of the Rumble crew navigated this Boston institution through uncharted waters was commendable. A careful balance of tact, compassion, flexibility and understanding the need for normalcy made the Rumble whole. I’m glad I got to be there.
Congratulations to Eddie Japan on their 2013 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble win! They were stellar in every round, never taking a single moment up on the TT’s stage for granted. Thanks to all 24 bands that participated. The talent in this city is inspiring. You kept me thoroughly entertained, even when I wasn’t sure I wanted to be.
I hope I was able to capture some of those special Rumble moments…
Finals:
Eddie Japan (2013 Rumble Winner)
Glenn Yoder And The Western States
Twin Berlin
The Dogmatics (Special Guest)
Semifinals:
Camden
The Daily Pravda
Eddie Japan (Semifinal Night #2 Winner)
Lifestyle
The New Highway Hymnal
Twin Berlin (Wildcard)
White Dynomite
Glenn Yoder And The Western States (Semifinal Night #1 Winner)
Preliminaries:
Blackbutton
Camden (Prelim Night #2 Winner)
Cancer Killing Gemini
Coyote Kolb
The Daily Pravda (Prelim Night #6 Winner)
The Deep North
Eddie Japan (Prelim Night #3 Winner)
Endation
The Field Effect
Ruby Rose Fox
Herra Terra
Jack Burton Vs. David Lo Pan
Lifestyle (Prelim Night #4 Winner)
Mount Peru
The New Highway Hymnal (Prelim Night #1 Winner)
The Okay Win
Parks
The Suicide Dolls
Supermachine
Twin Berlin (Wildcard)
Velah
Whitcomb
White Dynomite (Prelim Night #5 Winner)
Glenn Yoder And The Western States (Wildcard)
* Oh, and a t-shirt from Audio Cotton.
It’s no secret that Eddie Japan is one of my favorite bands in town. Their run in the 2013 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble showed exactly why that is. Their wasn’t a single moment during any one of their sets in the year’s event where I thought they were anywhere but at their best. From the songs to the showmanship, the folks in Eddie Japan refused to let each other down. This was their night. This was their year. Eddie Japan won the 2013 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble.
Rumble Finals
Twin Berlin
Glenn Yoder And The Western States
Eddie Japan (2013 Rumble Winner)
The Dogmatics (Special Guest)
I liked Camden a lot before The Rumble. I flat-out love ’em now. Their set in the semifinals was a rock ‘n’ roll sugar buzz.
Rumble Semifinal Night #2:
Eddie Japan (Winner)
The New Highway Hymnal
Camden
Twin Berlin
The Daily Pravda are grand. Their set in the Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble Semifinals was majestic. These guys have become one of the best in the city.
Rumble Semifinal Night #1:
Glenn Yoder And The Western States (Winner)
White Dynomite
The Daily Pravda
Lifestyle
WHITE DYNOMITE EXPLOOOOOOOOOOODE!!! Holy smokes, that was awesome. White Dynomite take Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble Preliminary Night #5 with a bang.
Rumble Preliminary Night #5:
Coyote Kolb
The Field Effect
The Suicide Dolls
White Dynomite (Winner)
Velah closed out the first night of this year’s Rumble. I continue to be impressed with their high-wire act. Somehow they remain on the tightrope, balanced between the atmospheric and the immediate. They’ve got the songs. They’ve got the sound. Impressive stuff.
Rumble Preliminary Night #1:
The Okay Win
Cancer Killing Gemini
The New Highway Hymnal (Winner)
Velah
Well, that was fun.
I’ll try to keep this brief. I’ve been posting up a bunch of One Night Band 4 pictures, but I wanted to tie up a few loose ends.
First of all, One Night Band 4 raised more than $3000 for Zumix and Girls Rock Campaign Boston. That rules.
I was honored to shoot some of the promo photos for these new bands. Working with Mary Flatley on this was super fun.
Lastly, all of this would not have been possible without Ashley Willard, Richard Bouchard and Kerri-Ann Richard working together like they do. There are so many moving pieces. Keeping them all moving in the same direction is no easy task, but this crew makes it look effortless.
OK, here are links to all of the bands that performed at One Night Band 4:
SNUGGLZ
Big Head Big Ears
Lesbian Frankenstein
The Walls
Impossible Stairs
Sir Vix-A-Lot
Caress
Grandfather Time Bomb
Mötörböat (One Night Band 3 alumni)
The Mosquitoes In Tuxedos (Zumix band)
See you next year!
People were excited about The Walls for a lot of reasons. For me it was one: guitarmony.
You see, Thin Lizzy came on the radio during my morning car ride into Central Square (to shoot some of the One Night Band promo photos). With “Cowboy Song” stuck in my head, I struck up a conversation with Adam Andersen about my hope that one of the bands about to be formed would try to pull off harmonized guitar lines during One Night Band 4. Lucky me, The Walls did just that. Now, I’m not trying to take credit for this joyous turn of events,* but this was my favorite part of their stellar set. It was either that or Aaron Perrino and Mariam Saleh’s awesome vocals. Or maybe Kyle Rasmussen’s kinetic drumming. Or the way Aaron, Adam, Mariam and the ever-versatile Rafi Sofer wove their stringed instruments into a textured sonic fabric.
Hmmm. It was one of those things, anyway.
* I totally am.
Parlour Bells
“Airwaves”
2012
There’s a big show at The Paradise on Saturday night. Some former WFNX DJs are putting together an event to celebrate the WFNX that was.* Parlour Bells are on the bill for good reason. They are a band that has always championed radio as being essential to the local music scene, even in a time of readily available digital downloads and internet streaming. They are tireless supporters of Boston Emissions, Boston Accents and any other radio program devoting time to playing Boston artists. They even performed on the resurrected WBCN rock bus. I believe Glenn DiBenedetto when he sings “now my radio dial is missing two front teeth.” He means it.
“Airwaves” is a sentimental reflection on the state of Boston radio in June of 2012. It strikes a chord by revealing the emotion of a specific time and place. “Airwaves” is a song about how fans of Boston radio feel right now. It’s immediate. You can’t listen to Nate Leavitt’s delay drenched guitars and not be reminded of the countless U2 radio anthems broadcast by both of our recently departed rock radio stations. It’s a consoling echo. I’d be lying if I said the song wasn’t playing in my head last night as I lay in bed. The sound of the Metropolitan Chorale** was ringing in my ears as prepared for a new day.
Where to get it:
You can also watch a mini-documentary on the making of “Airwaves” right here.
* See what I did with the link there? Garvy J And The Secret Pockets Of Hope And Resistance are part of the show, too.
** Kerri-Ann Richard, Richard Bouchard, Anngelle Wood, Michael Marotta, Chris Mulvey, Lisa Libera, Leesa Coyne, Adam Ritchie, Rishava Green, Matt King, Michael J. Epstein, Sophia Cacciola, Jessica Sun Lee, Adam Anderson, Michael Gonzales, Ken Marcou, Tom Roppelt, Joel Edinberg, Rachel Blumenthal, Sarah Rabdau, Peter Moore and Dan Nicklin all lend their voices to the song.