The Natives was a Boston based alternative rock band active in the '80s & '90's featuring the top quality songwriting of Merrie Amsterburg rendered by a fantastic band. Their sound was original, highly accessible, and always artistically rich.
Merrie is now a solo artist with several CDs to her name and Pete Linton, an extraordinary and highly original guitarist, has sided Merrie since the beginning. Russ Lawton is a master drummer and now a recording & touring musician with the Trey Anastasio Band and Soule Monde, among others. Mike "Squid" Rush is an accomplished bassist well known for his melodic and masterful playing in a wide array of musical formats. Together these artists created a trademark original sound with The Natives that was a perfect example of a band whose sound is even greater than the sum of it's masterful parts. Combined with Merrie's excellent writing and expressive vocals this band was a treat to experience.
I had an opportunity to photograph the band on October 11, 2014 at a one time reunion gig that was part of a series of live shows featuring top Boston area bands from the 80s/90s. Having been a long time fan of the band it was great fun to make the images posted here.
© Mark Longo
