Barnstar! at the Outside the Box Festival
July 15, 2013- Boston, MA
C’mon! Besides being the name of their album, this is a phrase that you can often hear bassist Zack Hickman holler during a rollicking bluegrass solo. And as he pointed out, their name isn’t Barnstar, it’s Barnstar! This is fitting for a band that blows me away each time I have the privilege of seeing them live. They are a super group comprised of Mark Erelli (sideman and solo artist extraordinaire), Charlie Rose, Zack Hickman (also in Josh Ritter’s Royal City Band), Taylor “Old Train” Armerding, and his talented son Jake.
As I stood in front of the barricade taking photos for this show, I couldn’t help but sing along to each of the songs that I have come to know so well. Another special treat was being joined in the photo pit by a photographer whose work I admire, Brian Stowell. There were so many unique things about this show. The Outside the Box Festival is the first multi-day free music festival to be put on at different outdoor venues around Boston. It was a sweltering day, but I was distracted by the bluegrass tunes and the views of each band member shown on the jumbotron screen behind them. As the band played their beautiful version of Josh Ritter’s song “Darlin'”, they showed Ritter himself on the screen enjoying the show from the audience.
It was very exciting to photograph Barnstar! in such a special location. They don’t play together often and this was the first time I’ve been able to photograph them with so much natural light. I am excited about these photos and I hope that you are too! Do yourself a favor and catch Barnstar! ASAP!
Photos by Suzanne Davis McMahon (Suzanne Davis Photography)
About the author: Suzanne started her love affair with photography at age 15. When she's not snapping photos, she is working as a Clinical Social Worker just outside of Boston. Suzanne also enjoys attending concerts and singing. Check out more of her photos at facebook.com/suzannedavisphotography