Pam

This set of portraits is the fourth in a series of four taken over the course of a single day.

Esteban

This set of portraits is the third in a series of four taken over the course of a single day.

Brendan

This set of portraits is the second in a series of four taken over the course of a single day.

Brent

This set of portraits is the first in a series of four taken over the course of a single day.

Flogging Molly Review For The Freep

Flogging Molly came to the House of Blues last night as part of their Green 17 tour. The Devil Makes Three and Black Joe Lewis and the Honey bears opened.

Flogging Molly opened with their most popular song “Drunken Lullabies” and from the very start all the Boston “Yah dudes” were pounding Guinness, moshing, yelling along with the lyrics, and raising their newsboy caps in toast.
Their set spanned their entire career but the borrowed heavily from their most recent album ”Speed of Darkness” including the title track , “Revolution”, “Saints and Sinners”, “Oliver Boy” and “The Power’s Out.”

Their show was extremely polished. It felt like they had practiced a particular routine that they would play every night. From some research it seems like they do the same exact set every night. While entertaining, (especially a guitar tricks/solo guitarist Dennis Casey did for a few minutes) it’s sad a rock band wouldn’t allow for a little more spontaneity. Singer Dave King mentioned Boston like thirty times, and after learning about the repeating set lists it couldn’t help make me think it was a formula, like ‘What’s up (insert city here)’.

Then again, they are mostly playing at House of Blues on their tour, which is the pantheon of taking the soul out of music. The House of Blues is the worst and most corporate venue in Boston. I miss the old Avalon Ball Room that stood where the House of Blues stands today. It was a grungier more honest venue that would have been more fitting for a band like Flogging Molly. Livenation has their grubby soul-less paws all over the music industry.

While their set was pretty captivating, it was sort of monotonous. They tried to break it up by doing an acoustic portion in the middle, but the songs didn’t really change pace much. Again it seemed formulaic.

Despite all my complaining about disgusting big corporation ruining music, and the relative repetitiveness of the set, it was pretty fun. Front man Dave King is an entertainer. The small Irish man was full of energy and running around stage with excitement.

Interstate 5

My obsession with the 5.
Interstate 5 spans from Canada to Mexico and connects Washington,Oregon and California. I spent time on the 5 from San Francisco to Los Angeles. It's unlike anything I've ever seen before, wide open expanses of rolling hills. It's pure nothingness plus cows. We have nothing like it in Massachusetts; It's this timeless void. Driving on it you feel like you could be in 1953 or now, wherever your mind chooses to wander. It's rustic and American. Some of it smells of sow shit though, and it's the only thing that'll snap you back in to reality, that or Carl's jr.

White Wall Series 6