The historic Liberty Hall in Downtown Lawrence, Kansas holds a soft spot in my heart.
It’s where my brother’s band from the 70’s, Treefrog, plays a reunion concert every two years.
When we were in college back then the place was named the “Red Dog”. It was a favorite stomping ground where we’d down pitchers of beer and dance our pa-tooties off as Treefrog rub shoulders with Bonnie Raitt and Pure Prairie League if they happened to be in town.
It was a place where we could forget our struggles to get through college at KU.
It was also grungy then and I’m happy to report it remains so today but just in a slightly more sanitized way.
The smells of beer soaked carpet and cigarettes are long gone.
On Saturday night as I was photographing the band I also shot in and around the stage.
A kind of ‘edginess’ comes through. The sound guy stuck back in the darkness. A dirty shirt hanging. The beat up walls of the hallway, with that dirty piece of carpet where thousands of musicians just like my brother have passed over and through.
I miss the place, frankly. And it sounds idiotic but I actually miss the 70’s. And I miss the “back then” of all of it.
And mostly?
I’m happy that in such dim light I was able to capture a little bit of what I wanted to remember.
What fun. Grunge is good.
Looky.
Filed under: ART, buildings, Getting Lost In Kansas, historical buildings, Jayhawks, kansas, Life in Kansas, Photography, photojournalism, things to do in kansas, Treefrog, working with light Tagged: backroads of kansas, Downtown Lawrence Kansas, edginess, familiar place, getting lost in kansas, historical buildings, Jayhawks, kansas, kansas backroads, kansas photographs, kansas photos, kristen garlow piper, KU, Lawrence, Liberty Hall, musician, musicians, photographing kansas, photography, photography techniques, photos of kansas, reunion concert, sound guy, stomping ground, The Red Dog, Tree Frog, Treefrog, University of Kansas, working with light
