Posted by There were certain venues on Long Island that helped shape my early experiences as a concert photographer—not necessarily because they were easy to photograph, but sometimes because they were anything but.
Revolution Bar & Music Hall in Amityville was one of those places.
One of the earlier nightclubs I experienced after beginning my journey into concert photography, Revolution quickly became what I would call a challenging venue. Its lighting was often inconsistent and unpredictable, creating the kind of conditions that could make a photographer question every setting on the camera.
There were moments when a light would blast directly into a performer’s face, creating an intense hot spot while leaving the rest of their body—and sometimes even their instrument—lost in darkness. For someone still learning the craft, those conditions could be frustrating.
And trust me, they were.
At that point in my photographic journey, I was still experimenting, still learning, and still trying to understand what worked and what definitely did not. Some images were good. Some were bad. Some were absolutely atrocious. And maybe, on a good night, one out of every hundred photographs would turn out great!
But that was part of the education.
Revolution forced me to experiment with different settings and techniques. I had to learn how to work around difficult lighting rather than simply relying on ideal conditions. Looking back now, I can honestly say that those nights—even the frustrating ones—helped me grow as a concert photographer.
And perhaps that is why I kept going back.
My First Revolution
As best as I can remember, Ozzmosis was my first show at Revolution.
I had started following the band on Facebook after seeing them perform at One World Trade Center. After that experience, I began paying closer attention to where they were playing and eventually started following Revolution as well.
That opened up an entirely different world.
Through Revolution’s social media presence, I began discovering a mixture of tribute bands, local original artists and musicians I simply wanted to see because I was already such a fan of the original artists they were paying tribute to.
There was Get Your Guns, a Guns N’ Roses tribute band that had a friendly battle for bragging rights with Ozzmosis. There was Bad Animals, along with numerous other tribute acts that gave me another reason to return with my camera.
But Revolution also introduced me to artists who were still building their careers.
I photographed Moriah Formica during a period when she was still finding herself as a musician, before eventually becoming part of the all-female rock band Plush. At the time, the musicians performing alongside her were male, and seeing those earlier performances provides an interesting perspective when looking back at where her career would eventually lead.
I also had the opportunity to photograph Adam and the Metal Hawks, another band that helped extend the relationships and connections I was beginning to develop through concert photography. Looking back, I believe Revolution played a role in extending that handshake I had started making with bands throughout the Long Island music community.
The same was true for Majestic Ryte, Johnny Booth, and others who crossed that stage during my visits.
And then there was Sevenless, the band that would later become Emerald Rising. At the time, they were still performing under their earlier name, another reminder that venues like Revolution often captured artists during periods of transition—before the next chapter of their careers had even been written.
A Photograph That Means Something Different Today
One of the bands I photographed at Revolution was Majestic Ryte, including bassist John Funk.
At the time, his photograph was simply another image from another night of shooting under Revolution’s difficult lights. But photographs have a way of changing over time.
Sadly, John has since passed away, and I understand the future of Majestic Ryte remains uncertain. Looking back at that photograph today, it carries a different meaning.
It is no longer just a concert image.
It has become a reminder of a musician, a performance and a moment that can never be repeated.
That, to me, is one of the most meaningful aspects of concert photography. We may not always realize the importance of a photograph when we take it. Sometimes, years later, an image becomes something more than a successful composition or a memory of a good show. It becomes a small piece of history.
John’s photograph is one of those images.
A Venue That Wasn’t Perfect—But Didn’t Have to Be
Now, if I am being completely honest, Revolution was never my favorite venue from a production or facility standpoint.
Coming from my own background in entertainment management and live-event production, I naturally looked at venues a little differently than the average patron. I noticed things.
The club could have used some work.
A makeover would have gone a long way toward making the space more inviting. There was a certain worn, somewhat dingy atmosphere to the venue that, in my opinion, could have been improved without removing the personality that made it a rock club.
And from a live-production perspective, I felt there was room for improvement as well.
The PA system could have benefited from an upgrade, particularly the low-hanging speaker boxes positioned above the downstage lip. The lighting, as I experienced firsthand through my camera, could have been drastically better.
But those observations are not meant as an attack on Revolution.
They are simply my honest impressions from someone who spent years working in high-capacity entertainment venues and large-scale productions.
Because despite those shortcomings, the layout itself worked.
There was free parking, which is always a huge advantage for patrons on Long Island. Inside, the venue was relatively ergonomic. The VIP sections were positioned off to the sides of the stage, including one raised platform with a handrail that could comfortably accommodate approximately 50 patrons.
The bar was located toward the back wall, pleasantly out of the way without being so far removed that you felt disconnected from the performance.
It was a functional space.
And, more importantly, it was a space where music happened.
A Home for the Bands You Might Not Have Seen Anywhere Else
That may be the biggest reason Revolution kept drawing me back.
It wasn’t because the lighting was easy.
It wasn’t because the venue itself was perfect.
And it certainly wasn’t because every photograph was a success!
It was because of the bands.
Revolution gave me opportunities to reconnect with artists I had already photographed while also introducing me to musicians I had not yet experienced. Ozzmosis. Bad Animals. Get Your Guns. Moriah Formica. Adam and the Metal Hawks. Majestic Ryte. Sevenless before becoming Emerald Rising. Johnny Booth and many more.
In fact, my connection to Johnny Booth became even more personal, as my stepson played bass with the band until his recent departure.
So while I may not have felt like I was part of some extended Revolution “family,” the venue still became an important part of my own photographic journey. I didn’t need to have deep conversations with every band or develop close relationships with everyone who walked through the building.
Sometimes the connection was simply this:
They performed. I was there. And I captured the moment.
That was enough.
More Than Just Another Nightclub
Revolution Bar & Music Hall served the Long Island live music scene for nearly two decades, providing a stage for local and underground artists as well as touring acts. Located in Amityville, the venue eventually closed its doors during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Like so many smaller independent music spaces, Revolution depended on the continued flow of live performances, ticket sales and bar business. When live entertainment came to an abrupt halt, the venue was unable to survive the prolonged shutdown.
Its closing marked the end of another chapter in Long Island’s live-music history.
And perhaps that is why I find myself looking back at Revolution differently now.
At the time, I saw a venue with difficult lighting, production limitations and plenty of room for improvement.
Today, I also see something else.
I see one of the places where I was learning.
I see nights spent experimenting with camera settings, sometimes getting frustrated and sometimes walking away with an image that made the entire evening worthwhile. I see musicians who were just beginning their journeys. I see tribute bands keeping the music I loved alive. I see original artists searching for their identity.
And in one particular photograph, I see John Funk—a musician whose performance is now preserved in a moment that cannot happen again.
Maybe that is why I kept returning to Revolution, even when I dreaded photographing there.
The lighting challenged me.
The conditions tested me.
But the music kept calling me back.
And somewhere between the hot spots, the shadows, the missed shots and those occasional photographs that somehow came together just right, Revolution Bar & Music Hall became another important stop in my journey as a concert photographer.
It may not have been perfect.
But looking back, it was more important to me than I realized at the time.
Long Island Sounds 