Abbie Barrett @ Sally O’Brien’s 9.7.2019

There’s nothing I dislike about Abbie Barrett and her band. One might say I actually kind of enjoy their musical adventures. I mean, they’re better than alright. One might even say that Abbie’s songs are little musical treasures and that you can feel her voice in your bones and that Mike Oram perfectly layers in his guitar textures and that Ed V is probably my favorite person to watch play the 4 string Fender bass (ever) and that Rice pretty much rules no matter what he’s doing (in this case, drumming just the right amount of drums) and that “Better Machine” might have been the best song released in 2018.

One might say those things.

Behind the Scenes at Boston Stands with the ACLU @ Paradise Rock Club 3.18.2017

Perhaps you saw my photos from the Boston Stands with the ACLU benefit show at The Paradise and thought to yourself “That’s unusual. Johnny is usually right up front when he takes pictures, but most of these photos are from the back. Was it crazy crowded and he couldn’t get up front? Was he trying out some new perspectives? Was there something else going on that prevented him from standing in one spot for 6 hours?” Well, I have answers to these imaginary questions you may or may not have asked yourself! Yes, it was sold out! Yes, but only because it was so crazy packed I couldn’t get up front! And yes, because I was also busy taking all of these photos!

Some really wonderful people were involved with putting this show together. The night raised $24,800 for the ACLU. The musical lineup was unbelievable. Seriously. Did that really happen? Jokes were told. Songs were sung. My head is still spinning. I’m going to take a nap. Right after I leave these here…

Check out performance photos from all of the acts on this amazing night:

Ken Reid
Bill Janovitz
The Gravel Pit
The Sheila Divine
Evan Dando
Belly
Juliana Hatfield
Nada Surf

Full Body Anchor @ Radio 10.5.2012

Full Body Anchor ripped it up as a four piece on the Radio stage for Nicole Tammaro’s book release party. I’ve never seen a band as intense as Full Body Anchor have so much fun. Normally, that’s a delicate balancing act. Full Body Anchor flat-out levitates.

Mötörböat @ The Middle East Downstairs 9.8.2012

Last year, One Night Band 2 alumni Bedss came out to shut down One Night Band 3 with a drunken rousing rendition of “Cum On Feel The Noize.” This year, the drunken rowdy sing-along tradition continued. Mötörböat rocked the hell out at last year’s event. They returned to the scene of the crime to close out the 4th edition of this treasured Boston institution. Mötörböat tore through a couple of their original tunes like they had firecrackers in their pants. Then a cast of thousands* got up on stage to end the night with a drunken spirited cover of “You Shook Me All Night Long.”

* OK, a cast of tens. This included One Night Band participants past and present, organizers and, well, just about anyone else who wanted to jump on stage.

Big Head Big Ears @ The Middle East Downstairs 9.8.2012

I’m just a cat!
I’m just a cat!
I’m just a cat and I like it like that!

Remember those lyrics. The crowd at The Middle East Downstairs for the 2012 edition of One Night Band certainly will. Big Head Big Ears* (Aaron Silverstein, Candace Clement, Nicholas Ward, Peter Moore and Rice Edmonston) put together a mini rock opera with an unexpected twist that made for one of my favorite moments of the night.

* Like SNUGGLZ, Big Head Big Ears named themselves after the kitty pic they used to find their band mates earlier in the day.

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.

Full Body Anchor @ T.T. The Bear’s Place 3.2.2012

After the last time I caught a Full Body Anchor set, I vowed to go see them more often. That turned out to be one of my better decisions. Their set at the Big Queer Rock Show (a benefit for BAGLY – Boston Alliance for Gay and Lesbian Youth) was awesome. Full Body Anchor shows are intense. I love this band.

Too bad Rice didn’t win the raffle prize he wanted. That would have made things really interesting.