The Del Fuegos at the Paradise Rock Club 6/24/11

Simply put, The Del Fuegos rocked the stage at the Paradise from their first song to their last.

The last time I heard them play was some 20 plus years ago at Bunrattys or the Channel or maybe even at the Paradise ( I think I was only about 12 so its hard to remember). The band played as hard and with as much energy this night as they did back then. Non-stop, take-no-prisoners, blow-the roof-off, rock and roll. In other words, they were amazing and they held the heart and soul of each person in the packed club in the palm of their hands.

The whole night was like a trip down memory lane to when music was about standing against a stage in a small club packed with people dancing and singing the words as a your favorite band tore the place up. A time when you could literally reach out and touch the musician and feel their sweat as they played their hearts out (a special thanks to Tom  Lloyd in particular for sharing).


I had forgotten just how much I had missed experiencing music like that. The Paradise is one of those clubs that has survived through the years and it was the perfect place for The Del Fuegos to reunite. The combination was genius and as a fan of both the club and the band I can say it was a night that will bring a smile to my face for many years to come.

Dinner with the band and family before the show at Jasper White's Summer Shack on Dalton Street was very cool and the food was amazing.
I learned that one should ask for a doggie bag though as stuffing extra deserts in a camera bag while jumping into the van with Dan and Tom is not as good an idea as it seemed at the time.

It was great to spend some time with the band before the show and catch up on many of the musicians that we all know from various bands. What struck me most during dinner and the ride over was the attitude of everyone involved in this reunion. This night was not about limos and 5 star hotels and green M&M's in the dressing room it was about 5 guys getting together to do what they do best for a cause that helps people help themselves (www.Right-Turn.org). There were no egos and attitudes to be found, just smiles and hugs and a tremendous energy from beginning to end.

It was, I must say, a huge honor to be a small part of that night and I'm looking forward to the next time the band takes the stage and shows how rock and roll is meant to be played.

It's 2011? Really???

Okay, so for those of you that have been keeping track I have not written in this Blog since June of 2009.

I apologize to all the readers (both of you) that have been waiting by their computers patiently for the next thrilling installment of all the edge-of-your-seat adventures I have been on since 2009.

It's not that I am lazy when it comes to writing in this blog but more a matter of my thinking that the chances of somebody sitting down and reading this is about as likely as having people line up to drive me to the airport.

So, instead, I have decided to look at making entries in this blog as more of an advice column than a "Hey, look what I did today," kind of thing. And when I say "advice" I mean it more in the terms of what not to do as opposed to great words of wisdom delivered in a Charlton Heston kinda voice advising you to build an Ark and grab some raingear.

In order to catch up to the present I am going to do a sort of Readers Digest version
of the last year or so (or maybe just the last couple of months if I lose energy).
Since most of '09 is a blur I will just ramble on about 2010 as best as I can remember...

Spent a couple of weeks in Hawaii shooting a wedding and working on a poster for Johnny A. that we shot literally 2 days before we left. LSK spent some serious potential beach time working on the final product to meet the deadline but the end result was worth it and I have to say that it is still one of my favorite shots ever.

Came back to a variety of different shoots ranging from some very cool weddings with amazing couples to music events at
The Foundation Room at the House of Blues, to the stage build at Fenway Park for the Aerosmith/J. Geils concert, to shooting Bad Company at the BoA Pavilion

This is the kind of stuff that I live for. Incredible music with some amazing people. Even got kicked out of the hotel bar with Johnny A. and some of the Bad Co members. Ended up hanging out in guitarist Mick Ralph's room the rest of the night with JA and Billy Loosigian. Very cool stuff just like the old days...

Also started a great working relationship with Jon Butcher and Charlie Farren as they launched their FBI (Farren Butcher, Inc) project as well as the amazing Ayla Brown as she rocked the Country music scene with her band. I am looking forward to a long and creative relationship with them all and I am honored that they have chosen me to record the images that they want to present to their fans.





I'm realizing as I write this that this blogging stuff is very close to work. I have just scratched the surface of 2010 and my fingers are cramping and I'm wondering what might be on cable. I'm really glad that I decided to skip 2009 or I would be knee deep in Red Bull cans and Oreos about now.

Tune in tomorrow (or maybe the day after) as I continue to get caught up and work the kinks out of this writing thing. Over and out.