Dave’s Photo Blog

It was sweet, yes, but bittersweet when Nicole Berke played her last local show at Toad recently. After a strong opening set by Cody James, Nicole sang 17 songs – some old, some new and with a few really good covers mixed in. Nicole has moved to the west coast, Oregon, for her last year of college. Boston has been fortunate to have her in town these past years and performances like this one prove it. Even with some new musicians thrown in the mix, she delivered a rock solid set with great songs and stunning vocals. Read more »

On this beautiful Friday night, The Neighborhoods performed at City Hall Plaza as part of the Boston’s GreenFest. They were the first band, playing about an hour set. Although I’d like to see them closing the night rather than opening, I suppose it worked out as Johnny Rock had another gig to get to later that evening. Although hampered by some initial equipment problems, the Hoods hit their stride and put in another high-energy performance. Yes, they played The Prettiest Girl, and I’ve got an embed of the video below. But they played another surprise song – you’ll have to read on to hear that story. Read more »

I met Noel Smyth at the Lizard Lounge. I’d seen him play there are bunch of times and so it was only a matter of time before we struck up a conversation. Lately, he’s been playing out more (both with a full band and solo) and is now in the final stages of releasing a CD. Recently he had a sneak-peak pre-release party at The Burren. It was part of Danielle Miraglia’s Sunday singer/songwriter series. I had the pleasure of attending along with a strong turnout of folks there to watch him and the other performers.

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David Minehan takes a break from singing to talk with the crowd of people in the audience at The Vixen in Provincetown.

“How many people are staying in Provincetown tonight,” he asks?

The audience cheers.

“How many people are staying in Wellfleet?”

A much smaller cheer.

“How many people are staying in Orleans?”

Barely a reaction.

“Well that’s too bad, because I was going to invite you all surfing tomorrow.”

Lee Harrington pipes in, “What street is that house of yours in Orleans on again, Dave?”

“That would be 12 nitrous oxide road, Lee”

Then they rip into another song to the delight of the crowd.

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I had just walked into The Vixen, in Provincetown, to shoot The Neighborhoods, who were headlining. Sidewalk Driver was onstage and most of the way through their set. Then Tad, the lead singer, dedicated their last song of the night to Mike Scag. The song was Rock and Roll Suicide, and they played it in tribute because Mike had passed away earlier that week. At the end of the song, Tim Frustration (pictured on left) came onstage to thank Tad and then they threw their arms around each other in a long, emotional hug. Mike Scag was the lead singer of The New Frustrations, and Tim was three hours away from performing with the band in a riveting, emotional and triumphant performance of rock and roll grit.

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Thursday night in Cambridge was crazy. I was hopping between the Lizard Lounge and Toad. I’ve wanted to see the Baker Thomas band for some time now, and on Thursday I made it happen. I’ve been looking forward to seeing them because of the line-up, which includes Tom Bianchi (seen here on the left playing bass), Jeff Gaynor (keyboards), Dietrich Strause (trumpet), Hugh McGowan (guitar), Larry Scudder (viola) and Jim Larkin (drums) and on this night, Brendan Hogan (guitar) as well. These guys are some of the best musicians and songwriters in the Boston area and it showed in their performance. At one point there was sheet music flying around, but you wouldn’t have known it if you didn’t see it – these guys are good.

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Billy Beard

The July residency at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge hosts two spectacular bands: Mia Dyson opening for Dennis Brennan. Mia Dyson is an Australian singer, songwriter and musician with tremendous talent who relocated to the United States earlier this year. She brought along her bassist, James Haselwood and sound man Lloyd Barratt. With Billy Beard joining on drums, Mia has a powerhouse trio that showcases her considerable talent. She has a fantastic voice and is equally impressive on guitar. And Dennis Brennan delivers captivating songs with some of Boston’s best musicians backing him: Duke Levine and Kevin Barry on guitar, Billy Beard drumming and Richard Gates on bass. This show is a must-see for any fan of roots or folk music in the Boston area, especially in an intimate setting like the Lizard Lounge. Even blues and country music fans will find something to like here.

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I had the pleasure of attending a show at the Limelight on Tremont Street this past Sunday, and decided to write about it. The band that I saw there, January Broke, was making their first appearance with a drummer. Previously, they had played with just guitar and bass or guitar and piano. Both Jeremy Ross (guitar, vocals) and Cilla Bonnie (bass, piano, vocals) have won the Lizard Lounge Open Mike Challenge. Joined by drummer Chris DeSanty, they scarcely had time to practice together before this first gig at the Limelight.

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If you drove on Massachusetts Avenue in East Arlington this fine Saturday afternoon, you could not have missed the festival taking place on both sides of the street. Today was the Feast of the East – the annual festival in Capitol Square, better known, probably, as the “Lake Street” area. The Feast of the East is the brainchild of Jack Hurd, a town selectman. This year was the 11th year it has run. It’s funded by local businesses, but caters to safe family activities: face painting, jumping castles, food and of course, cotton candy and other sweets.

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Copyright © 2009 Joseph Allen