The Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library have a way with words and interesting instrumentation. They brought their modern indie folk and zebra prints to Brighton Music Hall as part of the Boston Does Boston benefit for the Animal Rescue League of Boston. They even performed the Gene Dante And The Future Starlets cover that is featured on Boston Does Boston Vol. 1 & 2.
Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling @ Davis Square Theatre 12.6.2013
The Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling Big Band Revue* took to the Davis Square Theatre stage for some Jingle Ball Rock. The world’s only drum, bass, trombcussion and fluboe quartet might not be festive, but they are compelling.**
* At least I think that’s what they’re called these days. I may be making that up. Yes, I’m most definitely making that up.
** Probably the world’s only. I sorta made this one up, too, but it may actually be true.
Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling @ T.T. The Bear’s Place 11.15.2013
Crazy. Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling just released two songs, with videos(!!!), on the same night night. That’s not the crazy part.* The crazy part is that they added a few folks to the DNFMOMD fold for the occasion. Matt Graber, Rachel Blumenthal and Susannah Plaster all pitched in on various instruments for a memorable set. What’s so crazy about that, you ask? One look into Sophia’s eyes and you’ll understand…
*For most people releasing two videos on the same night would be called crazy. For Sophia and Michael, it’s called Friday.
The Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library @ T.T. The Bear’s Place 6.15.2012
The Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library @ Somerville Public Library 4.21.2012
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.