I have spent quite a bit of time downtown over the past year enjoying (and photographing!) some great music from local and touring bands. So when I saw that there was a birthday bash for the man responsible for bringing all of this great music to The Belle Pub, I knew I had to get out to show my support, say “Happy Birthday!” and drop off a toy for the toy drive.

When I left the house, I told my wife I wasn’t going to be too late. These days, staying out until after midnight is really not too appealing to me, especially knowing that my five year old will be awake poking me to get up at 6:45! On the other hand, I had checked out the headlining band Mother Leads and knew I wanted to stay to see them play. Long story short: I didn’t get in bed until 2 :-(. But it was totally worth it!

Also on the bill were local bands One Day To Live and Rye And Silence (who played some brand new tunes for us!), make sure to check them out. I’d like to also say thanks to Dan Foote for all the hard work he’s putting into bringing some great music to Belleville. He was even working his own birthday show!

Here are some of the photos from the night, including some fun candid shots…. at least these are the ones that were tame enough that I’d post them on my blog :-).