In its maiden voyage as a punk venue, Kristen Kidd Photography pulled off an amazing, sold-out night of fun, awareness and music on Saturday evening. As a fundraiser for New Leash On Life, an organization that takes shelter dogs and redirects them to be fostered by prisoners, the night resulted in more than just a raising of funds. For a few hours, what is normally a venue for shooting exquisite photos was transformed into a dimly lit and crowded punk show. Four area bands made up the bill of what will be remembered as a historic night in local music for years to come.
Playing their first show ever, The Last Call opened things up with their cross-blend of punk rock stylings. Family and friends of the band spanning an age-range of about 40 years watched with genuine support and smiles from each end of the room. After a short but sweet set, the night moved on to showcase the youngest heavyweights in local music: Big Handsome.
While all the members of Big Handsome are now teenagers, it should be noted that their guitar player looks like he should barely be able to hold his instrument. That is, of course, until you hear him play it and you understand that his grasp on that guitar is better than most seasoned adult players. The rest of the band are also masters of their craft, whaling away with a stage chemistry dynamic somewhere between Nirvana and Primus. Their family and friends came out in great numbers to support them without question.
With an elated smile across her face, resident landlord, venue-owner and general master-of-ceremonies, Kristen Kidd, spoke halfway through the show. She addressed the amazing fact that the first show to be held there had sold out. The cause of the night was explained in detail and various dogs up for adoption were pointed out in several pictures hanging around the room. After her spoken intermission, the show moved right along.
Also playing for the first time was Doin' Great. This band is made up of people that have played in local bands for years, but perhaps have had a little bit of a gap in their productivity recently. One would not guess that; however, as none of them have skipped a beat from the sounds of things. The positive attributes of the organization the benefit was for are something the band's singer, Ryan, was able to speak about intimately. Having seen and been aware of the program's direct results with inmates, this cause hit home for him and many others in the room. Having just released their first demo only days before, the crowd was in full participation mode, singing along and dancing with the widest grins you can get out of people.
Closing out the show was The Bad Ups, who are gearing up to play again next weekend at Underground Arts in Philadelphia. The vibe of the night was undoubtedly a fun one, and The Bad Ups kept that up without any trouble at all. Even with the children of friends and other band members running around, screaming and hitting drums, the show was able to maintain the insurmountable positivity it had from the start.
There is much than can be said about such a night: How a local business woman wanted to open her studio up to music in the area. How not a single complaint was made for noise or people hanging in the street outside. How there was somehow about a half-dozen little girls ages 4 through 7 running around having a great time and (hopefully) making friends. Even how there was a crew there filming for a documentary about the Lansdale music scene, taking the time to tell the night's promoter how great the show was and how special things seem in the area.
Oh, and the event raised more than $1,100.
Maybe the best thing to do is not say all the things that could be said. Perhaps it should be encouraged that anyone that is reading this comes out to see what the local music scene has to offer for themselves. Possibly one should simply get to one of the upcoming events being held at Kristen Kidd Photography. There is one thing that does not need to be said, but we can say it anyway: The local music scene is not going anywhere but up.
See also:
Local Photographer’s ‘Woman’s Best Friend’ Project To Benefit Local Rescue
Kristen Kidd Photography to Host Puppy Fashion Show
Local Photographer’s Book Release Raises $6,000 For Harley’s Haven Dog Rescue
Keep Your Dog Leashed: Thoughts From One Friendly Pet Owner To Another
Lansdale Facebook Group Takes Online Community to Real Life
