Rick from Pile, Dino Gala, Squirrel Flower played The Lilypad – 2/19

Illegally Blind presented a three-act bill to benefit the LUCE Immigrant Justice Network of MA.

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Just when you think you’ve seen every possible iteration of a Pile show, Rick busts out the grand piano. Such is one of the advantages of Inman Square’s Lilypad, a spot that regularly hosts jazz gigs and keeps the enormous instrument tucked away at the back of the room, just in case.

Rick was up first last Thursday night, splitting his set of mostly-recent-ish Pile tunes between solo electric guitar and the piano in question. Allston rockers Dino Gala followed up with what turned out to be the sole full-band set of the evening. Providence’s babybaby_explores were a late scratch for the closing slot, and the set ended up being a solo acoustic appearance from former Bostonian Ella Williams, aka Squirrel Flower. In town by chance and planning to attend the show, she’d grabbed a guitar from her parents’ house and subbed in to play it instead. A fun surprise, particularly given that Williams is typically playing much bigger rooms than the Lilypad these days.

The evening served as a benefit show for LUCE, who operate Massachusetts’ ICE watchdog hotline and can use all the help they can get right now keeping communities safe. You can read more, donate and learn about getting involved at their site here.

Scroll below for a gallery from the night.