The year was 1994, or maybe it was 1995. My girlfriend and some friends and I were at the Middle East Restaurant, Boston, in the smoky “downstairs” venue. We were there to see the band Morphine. We showed up early, more to get the night going than for the opener, who must have been local, because a number of beer-nursing regulars kept shouting “yeah, Chris!” as the music rose and fell. We were blown away by the singer’s rich voice and the gorgeous melodies. Pretty soon we were shouting “Go, Chris!” too. Morphine was earth-moving, of course, but what we remembered afterwards was our surprise at how great the opener was. We stuck with them, seeing more performances around town in the years that followed. I have a wonderful memory of a disco-ball-accompanied performance of Silvertown at the long-gone dive Gerlando’s in Allston. We were two of probably six people in the whole place. It was transporting.
Afterward: Chris was Chris Trapper of the Push Stars. He is now on the PodShow Network. Go there now and listen to some of the tracks, there’s a “play all” button about mid-way down the page, or just click on the track name. Morphine disbanded in 1999 after singer Mark Sandman died of a heart attack, RIP. The girlfriend and I got married in 1998.
Special thanks to Adam Curry for spinning Chris on Friday’s Charlie. Definitely a part of the soundtrack to my life.
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