Boston Rock Photos And Stuff
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.
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 was next up on The Motion Sick reunion show under card. I always enjoy this ensemble. Well crafted songs with intelligent lyrics go a long way in my book.
PorchFest! What a beautiful day to head into Somerville and listen to bands play out-of-doors. Big Little One and I jumped in the car after his swimming lesson* to catch some songs from The Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library. We camped out on the sidewalk and enjoyed the ample sunshine and harmonies. As we walked away, Big Little One informed me that he had enjoyed himself.
“I like the way they sound. They sound the best.”
* There may have been a quick stop for a donut on the way.
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.
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.
