Gig Diary - May 2nd - The Iron Horse - with Harry and the Potters

I just came up with a killer idea, man. We're gonna start a new band. It's called "My and the Left Foots". I'll be Daniel Day Louis in his Oscar-wining portrayal of Christy Brown, the rest of the band can dress up as toes. We'll play all songs about overcoming the odds of growing up with Cerebral Palsy in a poor working class Irish neighborhood. It'll be terrible uplifting.

Last night, School for the Dead, played at The Iron Horse here in Northampton as the supporting act for Harry and the Potters. It was terribly uplifting. Really. It was.

The crowd was awesome. They were super enthusiastic and open to enjoying themselves. There wasn't a shadow of cynicism in the lot. You could feel it in the air, what a different sensation than we find in lots of rock clubs.

We only had a half hour set and we decided to keep it all upbeat. If you look at Tony's song listing below, you'll see what I mean. So we played tight, fast, crisp pop. I had an excellent time. It's so easy to play in this band. All I do is strum my guitar and sing my songs and listen to the rest of the band do their thing.

The audience was instantly receptive to us. They are all my best friends now.

Harry and the Potters were inspiring. I had received different impressions of them from a few folks, and now I understand why. You need to see them live, to absorb their enthusiasm and energy, and to see the audience raise their freak flags high and give themselves entirely up to the duo. You need to experience that. Not just listen to a recording.

The two brothers themselves are very nice shy guys. After we played, Harry Grade 4 said to me, "You guys were great. I love songs about food." They seem so lovable and nice and gentle onstage that you might wonder if it is all part of their act. Well, it's not and this is how I know. When we were down in the green room after our set, they were getting ready to head out on the stage. Just before they left, the older brother straightened his younger brother's tie and brushed his hair down a little with his hand. It was a moment of real tenderness. Max turned to me after they left with a did-you-see-how-great-that-was expression.

Then they went up stairs and stuck it to the man by rocking out so hard.



CALL FOR PHOTOS: I don't have any pictures from last night but I saw a bunch of flashes go off. If anybody has any photos that they would like to share, please send them to us: photos (at) schoolforthedead.com