Julie Kramer's THE BASEMENT ARCHIVES: THE GHOSTS OF WFNX: VOLUME II Opens July 20

Photographer and revered long-time on-air radio personality Julie Kramer will uncover her new rock & roll photography exhibition The Basement Archives: The Ghosts of WFNX: Volume II, taking over Boston Center for Adult Education (BCAE) with over 100 portraits and live-concert images of celebrity musicians. The exhibition takes place at Boston Center for Adult Education, located at 122 Arlington Street, in Boston's Back Bay. The exhibition runs July 20 through December 20, 2019, and the opening reception, Saturday, July 20 from 4-8pm, is free and open to the public with reservation at https://bcae.org/eventrsvp/. Limited edition signed photographs will be available for sale and the exhibition is on view during BCAE regular hours.

After decades hidden away - last year Julie Kramer unearthed and unveiled THE BASEMENT ARCHIVES: THE GHOSTS OF WFNX: VOLUME I in Lynn, MA. Now, she's back with VOLUME II, this time taking over BCAE with over 100 portraits and live concert images of celebrity musicians from the heyday of modern rock-the 1980s and 1990s.

"The public's response to Volume I was positively overwhelming," Kramer shares, "that it immediately inspired me to move ahead with Volume II. People were brought back to a time and place that was very dear -- a young, care-free, fun lifestyle that was held close to their hearts. The WFNX staff relived the magic of that time with the listeners who appreciated and loved what WFNX was all about."

Kramer continues. "So many FNX long-time listeners came out to see the photos of bands they love - and to see the disc jockeys - who they listened to every day for years. Getting all the FNX jocks together was real special - we are a group of people who lived, worked, and played together. It's is a bond that cannot be broken--a family." The Basement Archives: The Ghosts of WFNX: Volume II exhibition features both color and black and white analog images including portraits of Blondie's Debbie Harry, X's John Doe and Exene Cervenka, The Jam's Paul Weller, The B52s, The Clash's Joe Strummer, The Replacement's Paul Westerberg, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Stooges' Iggy Pop, The Velvet Underground's Lou Reed, Elvis Costello, Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore, Liz Phair, Talking Head's Tina Weymouth, and dozens more.

Volume II also showcases modern rock heroes from Boston including Dinosaur Jr.'s J Mascis, Letters to Cleo's Kay Hanley, Buffalo Tom, Throwing Muses' Tanya Donelly and Kristin Hirsh, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, The Lemonhead's Evan Dando, Pixies' Black Francis, and Morphine. "We're thrilled to have Julie's photographs 'take over' the walls here at Boston Center for Adult Education," shares Director of Education and Community Engagement, Tom Formicola. "This exhibition will show over twice as many and new images since her popular exhibition held in Lynn last year. We're glad to offer this special collection to our BCAE community and the public this year."

Kramer, a trained photographer, left being a full-time DJ at WGIR in New Hampshire to spend more time on her photography. At WFNX, she shares "I always had a camera around my neck - and the rest is history." She often captured moments when bands visited WFNX in Lynn-during the late 1980s and 90s. Modern Rock radio was huge and lots of artists visited the station for live on-air interviews. Kramer documented some of those visits, and often took portraits of the artists after the interviews. Some photos were shot on the roof of the WFNX building (25 Exchange Street in Lynn), some at the nearby Capital Diner, and some at Lynn Beach, a short drive away.

Kramer loves being a radio disc jockey. "I love the music and I love the connection to the audience. I love spreading good karma--making listeners feel like we're having a cup of coffee together--hanging out, enjoying life, and good tunes. It's great being part of breaking new music-it's exciting to discover a new band or song that makes you feel a certain way and being able to share that with the audience is a great gift."

When asked to recall some favorite moments at WFNX Kramer says, "I loved it all-seriously. The early years were so exciting and creative; we were a family--a bunch of kids pushing the envelope every day and breaking barriers. I loved hanging with Joe Strummer, who was just so nice and funny. I had many fun times with him, like dancing at the VFW in Cambridge just dancing, drinking, and having a ball."