In the nearly 2 years since I started this webzine, I can unequivocally say that shooting Junkyard was the single most frustrating, yet rewarding thing I’ve ever done. Being able to capture their energy on camera is a herculean task for even the most accomplished photographer. For a self made amateur like me? This could’ve been a bonus round in Squid Games. I say this because at no single moment during Junkyard’s 45 minutes set last night did any one member of the band stay still for more than a second. That, my friends, is what rock n’ roll is all about.
This was my first time seeing Junkyard. It was also my first time at the famed LiveWire Lounge, despite it being only 10 minutes away from me. I couldn’t think of a better pairing. This venue (which safely holds all of maybe 80 people) is about as up close and personal as you can get. It was the perfect setting for a band dealing in sweaty, sleazy, unadulterated, uncompromising rock n’ roll, especially one that has been doing so for as long as Junkyard. Their current lineup consists of original members David Roach (vocals) and Patrick Muzingo (drums), longtime members Todd Muscat (bass) and Tim Mosher (guitarist), and “newcomer” Jimmy James (guitars), who’s been holding it down since the 2017 departure of Brian Baker.
Together, the ferocious five blazed through a set that drew heavily from their first two albums: 1989’s Junkyard and 1991’s Sixes, Sevens and Nines. These already energetic songs only became further amplified in a live setting. Muzingo and Muscat held down the fort all night, Mosher and James traded licks like Thin Lizzy’s Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson, and Roach’s vocals packed the same grit driven punch they did 30+ years ago. Put it all together and you’ve got the musical equivalent of an engine running on whiskey and cocaine. Junkyard is must see for any self respecting rock n’ roller! It doesn’t matter whether you’re in Chicago or Hoboken. When these dudes take the stage, you’re immediately transported to “Hollywood”.
Setlist
- “Lifer”
- “Life Sentence”
- “Long Way Home”
- “Misery Loves Company”
- “Nowhere to Go But Down”
- “Simple Man”
- “Blooze”
- “Clean the Dirt”
- “Hellbound”
- “Shot in the Dark”
- “W.F.L.W.F.”
- “Hollywood”
