sondre lerche @ the bell house - 1.27.10

sondre lerche is one of my all-time favorites. i've been listening to him for years and have seen him play a bunch of times. i rather enjoyed running into him backstage when we were both in line for beers and telling him about the time i saw him play in the tiny arlington, va club called iota in 2003. once we had our beers, we realized that there wasn't a bottle opener. i think i really impressed him when i acted all classy-like and opened his beer for him with a lighter. i'm nothing if not resourceful.

you can see the rest of my photos here.

k

the seekers cover band @ the bell house - 1.27.10

as i mentioned in my last post, rhett miller, nicole atkins, a.c. newman and charles bissell formed a seekers cover band for the bell house haiti benefit. and they were TERRIFIC. they sounded like they've been playing together forever and the songs were just right for the event. i took these all from backstage.

you can see the rest of my photos here.

k

backstage @ the bell house - 1.27.10

as i mentioned in my last post, i spent the rest of the bell house haiti benefit backstage. and it was AWESOME. i took this shot of rhett miller right after he performed. i tried several times thoughout the night to talk to him, because i am a HUGE fan, but every time i saw him, there were 82 people attached to him. that is, until the very end of the night when i was leaving. he was sitting alone, right by the door and said to me, "you're leaving already?" (it was 1:00 a.m.) so i took advantage and had a really nice conversation with him. i ended it by saying "GOOD JOB" and forcing him to give me a high-five. yes, i'm that person.

anyway, earlier in the night, my friend lisa and i were wandering around when we stumbled upon the green room. we could hear music coming out of there, so we decided to poke our heads in and see what was going on. and we hit the jackpot. we walked in, sat down, and were treated to a private concert by rhett miller (of the old 97's), nicole atkins, charles bissell (of the wrens) and a.c. newman (of the new pornographers) who were rehearsing for their set as a seekers cover band. it was like heaven. my pictures aren't that great, but it was one of the best moments i've had in a long time.

you can see the rest of my photos here.

k

here we go magic @ the bell house 1-27-10

here we go magic, who i really enjoy, also played the benefit. unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) i never got to see them beyond their setting up. because i ended up backstage shooting the rest of the performances from the side of the stage.

these are the only pictures i've got....sad. although later in the evening when i was in line for cheese with the drummer, i remarked to him that he had to be at least a million feet tall (i'm 5'2" - almost). he agreed.

k

eugene mirman @ the bell house - 1.27.10

the always hilarious and bell house mainstay eugene mirman also played the benefit. and was so damn funny. i especially enjoyed his schtick about writing pearls of wisdom on cocktail napkins in bars and then putting them in the middle of the stack so that some unsuspecting drunk person can read them and learn something.

you can see the rest of my photos here.

the wahoo skiffle crazies @ the bell house - 1.27.10

the wahoo skiffle crazies are staten island's finest jugband and are a bunch of super talented musicians who play instruments like washtub bass, ukelele, banjo, washboard, saw and of course, the jug. they are also my friends and i cannot say enough good about them. they are consummate performers and they have a hell of a lot of fun performing their unique brand of americana. i've seen them play so many times and they always make me dance and bring a smile to my face. if you ever get the chance to see them, DO IT. you will be happy that you did. i promise. i am so proud of them that they were invited to play such an important event and that they brought the house down while doing it.

you can check out the rest of my photos here.

k

freelance whales @ the bell house - 1.27.10

the freelance whales also played the bell house's haiti benefit. they've been getting a lot of buzz lately (and not just for their infamous busking at the bedford l stop) - and deservedly so. they were a tight band and played original and inventive songs.

you can see the rest of my photos here.

k

jimmy fallon @ the bell house - 1.27.10

jimmy fallon played the all-star strength through unity haiti benefit at the bell house in january. he came out as neil young, said nothing, sat on a stool, played the theme song from "the fresh prince of bell air" and then wordlessly got up and left. it was HILARIOUS.

you can see the rest of my photos here.

k