Like most people, the Valley Advocate keeps its treasures in cardboard boxes on top of high dusty shelves. But when those shelves had to come down this spring, it forced the staff to dig through filing cabinets and taped up boxes no one had opened for decades. What we found was a bonanza of band publicity photos from local and national acts. The photos were mostly sent to the Advocate in the ’90s before the Internet digitized everything, but there are some from the ’80s and early aughts as well.
The cache was just too cool not to share. So, Aug. 15-Sept. 12, check out The ’90s Rock! at the Platinum Pony, 30 Cottage St., Easthampton. On Aug. 15, there will be an opening reception for the show, 5-7 p.m. Meet Editor Kristin Palpini and Advocate writers at this event geared toward promoting local bands and the Advocate’s Grand Band Slam (online voting going on now, final showdown Sept. 12, at One Bar & Grill in Northampton).
Check out photos of Beck as a teen, The Nields before they started touring, Billy Joe Armstrong of Green Day shredding it at the Mullins Center, a young Ani DiFranco, Drunk Stuntmen, The Roots, The Black Rebels, Dinosaur Jr., and who knew Mixmaster Mike looked like that? Plus much more.
Curated by the paper’s staff, The ’90s Rock! exhibit is no frills and stripped down — craftily hung on canvas and with all the production notes by editors and publicists from many years ago still intact. Photos were shot by excellent photographers both national — such as Annie Leibovitz and Blake Little — and local — including Paul Shoul and Adam Cohen.
For music lovers, there is sure to be something in the exhibit that will surprise you about local music and the early days of your favorite bands.•
— Kristin Palpini,
editor@valleyadvocate.com
