Thursday Night in Northampton (UPDATED 8/23)

Sierra Grille. This past Thurday night. Ray Mason Band, Raymond and the Circle, Claudia Malibu, and Los Hijos Unicos. Josh Belknap (left), a Northampton fixture in the '80s (as was brother Ian, not pictured) up visiting from NYC where he runs an ESL program. Josh says he was out in a canoe with Ramona Clifton last week in upstate New York. Ramona was one of the punk icons in town back when Echo and the Bunnymen were Radiohead and Sheehan's (now Eileen Fischer) was a pre-Baystate era bar and not just Mark Sheehan's last name. The Sierra Grille is in the old Baystate Hotel building. You can't read Mark's shirt but it says "Re-animate the Baystate." I think you can buy the shirt. The Baystate is in the past but it laid the groundwork for the now which is, face it, all there is even if you're not buddhist. The past is the cape that flaps behind me as I soar, ever in the now, into the future where more and more people say "excuse me sir" instead of "watch it dude" when they bump into me.

Mark Sheehan (left) who makes Thursdays at the Sierra Grille (and Northampton in general) a likely place to have musical and social "wow I think I'm where it's at" moments. Mark told me today that the other fellow in the shot is Tony Westcott of School For The Dead. As I clicked this picture, Mark says, the two were discovering that they went to Holy Cross grammar school together! Mark has seen many a SFTD show in the last 3 years and only now figured this out with Tony. Tony recalls that Mark walked around school saying "Poems! 6 cents!" That sounds like a deal to me. The "wanna buy a BOOK" lady charges 10 bucks.

This mod squadesque entoutage is on the way to the Sierra. The original Mod Squad is pictured below. Sollllid.

Mod Squad, l to r, Link, Julie, whathisname

Ray Mason and the gang with Bruce Tull who's leaving town much to everyone's surprise and dismay. This blog is not the sort of blog that's supposed to have all kinds of insider references, but sometimes it will but I swear I am not a townie I am not a townie...not that there's anything wrong with that.

I must be dreaming.

Kevin and Katie both have necklaces. Should I wear a necklace? I never know what's going on until it's not going on anymore. Should I have an Alistair Crowley jazz beard like Kevin's? Is this what the chicks dig? I might need his chin to make it work.

Lucky's Tattoo on lower Main Street, soon to be neighbors with Dynamite Records. The needle serves many purposes in flesh and in vinyl.

The window at Lucky's. Buried with your Camels.

Behold the temple of enlightenment and Mango Curry.

Katie is tan. I am not. I am hairy. Katie is not. Veins are weird. When I'm on an airplane my veins shake. Look, we're all friends here. I should be able to reveal this kind of stuff without you judging me like that. Look at your veins next time you're flying. Then we can talk.

Don't scroll down past this next picture yet! What is it? A dinosaur attacking the St. Louis Arch whilst the moon hangs in the distance above a DPW worker's butt cheeks in silhouette? A baseball sailing toward two bald fans seen from behind. Answer at bottom of post.

Music Trivia: What does the title of The Minutemen's album "Double Nickles on the Dime" refer to?

Answer: Going 55 mph on the 10 Freeway in California.


Hiatt. With band. New album. Older. Funnier. Don Knotts meets Tom Waits. Hot Tuna. Jorma and Jack. Playing together since 1958. Jefferson Airplane for a few years in the middle. But Tuna always had its own wings. Robert Earl Keen. Not to be confused with Steve Earle in Keene NH on 9/12. Built To Spill and the Meat Puppets. The Allmans and the James Gang of indie rock.

Answer to picture puzzle: