Bio
Jon Strymish is a bookseller who tries to forget his day job at night by immersing himself in the world of music.
He likes to take black and white pictures in the style of the old Jazz photographers, because when he was young, he was told that that's what photography was supposed to look like.
He has a great fondness for the music of Thin Lizzie, Jim Croce, and any of the other records he heard in his older brother's room in the basement when he was growing up, and still to this day doesn't understand why more people don't cover Thin Lizzy songs, or Paul Revere and the Raiders.
In high school, he got to see the Ramones, the Clash, X and the Replacements live and was hooked, and became even more hooked by local Boston music when he saw Mission of Burma, with the Proleteriat opening at a bar in Somerville, and the great Willie Alexander at the Rat.
He has strange ideas about the history of punk rock, not understanding why everyone else can't see that it began with Bob Dylan and ended with the Ramones, not that he doesn't love the Ramones.
About 15 years ago, he took a photography class at the local community center with his niece Sarah, and for homework took his camera to a Jonathan Richman show at Mama Kins, and was happy enough with the pictures that he kept taking more, meeting many cool and interesting people, and feeling very thankful for all the friends and sense of community he has made along the way.