Junction 18 rides again

Brighton Music Hall was packed this past Friday night to hear some catchy old songs that hadn’t been played in quite some time. If you walked in off the cold Boston street, you would never have known the crowd was celebrating a 25-year-old record or that the band was performing their first gig in a decade. The band was tight. The songs sounded fresh. The air was full of friendship.

I caught up with Junction 18 drummer Chris Kelley to talk about the big night.

The last time Junction 18 played was a decade ago, and they didn’t even get to perform a full set that night. “We were bribed by Matty from A Loss For Words to play a set at their last show in 2015 at the Palladium in Worcester, MA and unfortunately the bill was packed so we could only play three songs,” said Kelley. “Also it didn’t end up being their last show.” He’s right about that, and about the stacked bill, as well. It also featured other Massachusetts-based bands like Therefore I Am, Transit, Vanna, and more.

Unlike that night, no one was going to keep them from playing their full set for this reunion gig. “To me, it never felt like the end. The situation had to be right for us to come out and play.” The situation was right indeed, thanks to the friends they’d made along the way in their musical journey, but most of all, each other.

This run of shows kicked off at Brighton Music Hall, followed performances the next two nights in Morris Plains, NJ and Philadelphia, PA.

These shows had been in the works for a few months. Back in June, Sands of Time Recordings released This Vicious Cycle for the first time ever on vinyl. Kelley had been trying to get it done for years but kept hitting dead ends, so he was thrilled by the offer. 300 copies were pressed. It sold out. “Our friend Dave [Cloonan, from Sands of Time] approached us about a year ago asking if he could put out a vinyl release of the record. The timing worked out because this year was the 25th anniversary of the original release.” Dave suggested they play some shows to help promote the record, and the band was game. With help from Tokyo Rose (who had to drop off the bill) and Boston stalwarts Rebuilder, they set up this weekend run of shows, which meant they needed to get back in a room together to practice.

Their history together as high school friends and bandmates was helpful, and they’ve remained friends over the years as well. “Nothing was too surprising” once they started jamming again. “The vibes were pretty good! But we were definitely rusty,” Kelley says about their practice sessions. “[Ryan] Spencer, Ryan [McHugh], and I started practicing in my basement as a trio before Andy [Bristol] was finally able to join us. That made a big difference. It’s easier to follow along when you have someone to sing the words.”

The band had plenty of help singing throughout the entire night. They kicked off their set with This Vicious Cycle’s closing track “Abeyance” and the crowd sang every word back. Bristol chose it as the opener as a nod to the high school demo they put out in 1998 where it was the first track. Next up was the record’s opening track “Dakota” and then they ran straight through it from there before closing with three tracks from their 2002 EP, Heroes From the Future. You could feel the energy and warmth in the room all night, and Kelley and the band were pleased with the response. “It was nice to hear people singing along. We put a lot of work into the band and didn’t ever really see the results in the old days, so it felt good to see a bunch of familiar faces and share the music with everyone.”

This is the story of a band triumphantly returning after time away. It’s also a story about the magical alchemy that is rock and roll, friendship, and inspiration. That’s what it’s all about at the end of the day, and it turned out to be the underlying theme of our chat. Pressing the record, practicing the songs, setting up the shows, getting out and actually playing. Reconnecting. This was apparent from talking to the other bands, too. Sal Ellington of Rebuilder, who played an excellent set that night: “Seeing Junction 18 play again was a reminder to do cool stuff with your friends. Rebuilder was built on playing music with your friends. I’m happy we could play a part in making that night happen.” Mike Assatly of Unseemlier, who kicked the night off with a great set in place of Tokyo Rose, spoke of going from being inspired by the band to playing a show with them. “I was stoked to play this show in particular cause Junction 18 was one of the first bands I saw that made me think I could do stuff like this. I grew up on the South Shore so I would see them at VFW shows all the time. Then I saw them open for New Found Glory at The Palladium and go on tour, and it really changed my perspective.” He added that he has kept coming back to This Vicious Cycle over the years, which made it special to be part of the show. That sentiment was shared, both on the stage and in the crowd.

Do cool stuff with your friends. Start a band. Break the vicious cycle. Maybe in 25 years a room full of people will show up and sing every word back at you. And even if they don’t, you still created something of your own and captured a moment in time.

As the band sang in “Adrift” …
More years and less fears, we've grown old. But all we need is one hour to race back and take back what was ours and will always be. It's not a coincidence we've come to this point.

Junction 18 has one more show lined up, and it’s this weekend. You can catch them Saturday, December 20 at TV Eye in Ridgewood, Queens with support from Teenage Halloween, Desert Sharks, and Joudy. Tickets are available now. Follow the band on Instagram for more updates.

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