The Party Faithful at Bar Matchless - October 18, 2007

Click image for The Party Faithful photo gallery

I think I have taken more photographs of The Party Faithful than I have of any band, since I first saw them on January 26, 2006 at Pianos. In December 2005 I had gone to support and photograph my friend Susie Deford's old band Terset (love you Susie!), over at an early show at Pianos. I looked at the lineup and saw a band called The Lolita Bras going on around 10 (The Lolita Bras were finishing up a one month residency that night). I knew I wasn't going to stay out that late, but I loved the name. I spent a lot of time on the Lower East Side in the 1970s and 1980s, and I always loved the sign for the Lolita Bras store on Orchard Street which hung there until just a couple of years ago. When I got home I googled them, found their electronic press kit, saw their photos then downloaded the 4 songs I found there. First off, they looked really cool. I really enjoyed the songs I downloaded...I heard traces of The Cure, The Smiths, New Order (all bands I loved in the 80s), but it wasn't just their influences, they also had their own sound.

I had met Jay Russo of Hopewell (another band I love) through some mutual friends, knew he had played in Mercury Rev (I was a fan in the early 90s). Hopewell was doing a gig at Pianos with the Lolita Bras the end of January, so I decided I go check them both out. The show was awesome. The crowd obviously loved them, and I had a wonderful time. At the time I was 47 years old...and such a joy to realize that there was still great live music out there, and that I wasn't too old to get out there and enjoy it (getting up to go to work the next was another story however!) Anyway, that night I went home, looked at the pictures, and thought, hey this is pretty cool. I put some of the photos on my website, sent an email to the Lolita Bras, and got a really nice thank you from them.

In the ensuing weeks, I listened to their demos a number of times, and those songs started becoming part of the playlist of songs I'd listen to on the job. I also looked at the shots I had taken, saw the things I wanted to change, and knew I had to go back to hear their songs, but also try to take better photographs of them. Over the last (almost) 2 years, I've seen them countless times. I've gotten to watch them change, to hear their music evolve. I've loved countless bands over my last 40-some odd years of listening to music, but had never had the opportunity to see it happen in front of my eyes. When one of the members left the band, I got to watch them regroup and go through the pain of change that every band who wants to keep growing go through. And now I've gotten to see the Lolita Bras end, and a brand new band called The Party Faithful rise up in their place. I've gotten to watch them find a new voice, different and better than the old one. As a music fan, this has been incredibly rewarding for me. Watching how other people handle change has always helped me in my own life, and to see how I am constantly evolving too. On their MySpace page it says: "Change returns success - Action brings good fortune." That sounds like it might be from a Chinese fortune cookie, but it also rings true.

At this point I've probably taken thousands of photographs of them. I've gotten to know them better (and not that this is a reason to go see a band, but they have to be some of the nicest people I've ever met!) I'm still taking photographs of them, and I'm still trying to become better at what I do (with mixed results, but that's part of the process.) And out of the thousands of photos I have taken, there is one I took of bassist Erica D'Andrea Gray at Crash Mansion back in April, a photo I consider one of the best photographs I have ever taken...one of those shots that I'm really proud to show people. You can see that photo here.

Thank you guys, you've brought me the gift of much more than music, and hope to keep seeing you in the years to come.

The Party Faithful are (from their MySpace page):
Paul Frick - Drums, Percussion, Obtuse Humor
Erica D'Andrea Gray - Bass, Backing Vocals, Keys, Motivation
Patrick Harmon - Vocals, Guitar, Keys, Contributes Very Little

Change the Station at Bar Matchless-October 18, 2007

Click image for Change the Station Gallery or here for some better shots (well, better lit, anyway) of them at Trash Bar.

I've always wondered how bands find me on MySpace...seems there are many ways...some bands seem to add anybody who is in a 500 mile radius of them, some bands take the time to look at your profile and interests, some bands add you as a friend on the basis of the other bands in your friend list. I think Change the Station found me because they are friends with one of my favorite unsung Brooklyn bands, The Party Faithful (ex Lolita Bras).

I'm glad they found me, because I love their music. I hesitate to call it pop music, but what the hell, its catchy as hell, which qualifies it as pop to me! They write great intense songs that incorporate lots of different influences, but they make all their own. Singer/Guitarist Ian Jacobs a bit of a young Pete Townshend, crossed with Laurence Olivier in Richard III (and that's a good thing in my book), and throws out all these great melodic riffs all over the place. On keyboards and bass, Michelle Feliciano looks all quiet and shy, but her keyboard playing makes me wonder if she might not be the offspring of Martin Rev of Suicide and Yvonne Pawlett of "Live at the Witch Trials" era Fall. Drummer Lisa Poole might look like the girl next door, but I never lived next door to a girl (or a guy for that matter) who played this well.

I went up to see them a few weeks back at Trash Bar with my friend Maryanne, but I had been having such a crappy day I really couldn't enjoy myself, but I knew I'd have to give them another listen. I'm glad I checked them out again. They were playing over at Bar Matchless with my friends The Party Faithful. I thoroughly enjoyed the show, and will be going to see them again soon.

As far as Bar Matchless goes...it seemed like a really nice place, but the lighting in there was almost impossible! It was so dark...and the red and green lights they use make it almost impossible to post process. I'm a photographer...I can complain about the lighting, but as a music fan I had absolutely nothing to complain about. So unfortunately the photos I took aren't my best work, but it looks like Change the Station is going to be playing a lot, so I'll have another chance. You can check out their songs on their MySpace page.