Boston Rock Photos And Stuff
Darling Pet Munkee invaded the Braintree Newbury Comics as part of Record Store Day 2013. With kids in tow, we braved the South Shore Plaza so Little Little One could dance and Big Little One could cluck like an Arrested Development character trying to be a chicken. It was well worth it.
Tonight’s show was advertised as having a vaudeville bent, so seeing an oboe and viola up on stage with Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling doesn’t seem that strange. Then again, their performance was preceded by ukulele confessions, gut-wrenching music-as-therapy, a “ventriloquist”, burlesque and Tad McKitterick. My sense of normal might be a bit off right now.
Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling are an exposed nerve. All of that breath and fuzz goes straight to your head.
Darling Pet Munkee released their new EP, You Better Believe It!, on Halloween. That seems appropriate, doesn’t it? The band celebrated with a show at Brighton Music Hall that showcased their comic-book-ad-inspired-sonic-freakout sound. My only complaint? They should have turned up Bonesy Darling’s backing vocals.
For Radio’s One Year Anniversary Party, Michael J. Epstein and Sophia Cacciola gave the early crowd a crash course in their varied musical ventures. We were treated to stripped down versions of songs that originated with The Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library, Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling, The Motion Sick, Darling Pet Munkee and probably a few others that I’m forgetting. We even got to hear the stories behind some of the songs, despite being promised otherwise. Fun stuff.
When Darling Pet Munkee aren’t playing their songs inspired by the advertisements in the back of old comic books, they’re covering the songs they were likely listening to while perusing said comic books.
Did you miss the photos from this show? They’re right here.
Darling Pet Munkee draw their inspiration from the ads in the back of old comic books. They wear skeleton costumes and X-Ray Specs. They’ve got to be one of the geekiest bands around. That’s what makes them so fun.
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.
The Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library experimented with playing along to a silent movie they made. If this is anything like the way Mr. Epstein “experiments” with new bands, expect to see more of this in the future.
The Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library at the Somerville Public Library? I’m in.
I’m always looking for opportunities to take the boys to see some live music. Big Little One has been into taking pictures lately, so I thought this would be a good opportunity for him to do his first live shoot. I grabbed his camera (and mine of course) and we headed out for the Somerville Library.
We got there a little late. The band was already playing. The PA wasn’t working properly, but this may have been a blessing in disguise. Michael and his bandmates were able to deftly balance their levels with good old fashioned playing dynamics. It made for a folksy performance that suited the songs well. A song like “Lymph Nodes” is made all the more rousing by voices moving air without any amplified assistance.
As for the boy, he had a blast. After the first song he ditched his kiddie camera and convinced me to hand over my iPhone. He spent the rest of the set snapping away. So, what kinds of photos does a five-year-old take?* The most amazing live music photos ever.** See for yourself. The Instagram photos at the end of this set are some of his shots from the day. He even chose the black-and-white filter all by himself.
* To be fair, he’s almost six.
** Full disclosure: I may not be entirely impartial.