Great Weekend

This past weekend was a busy one but great one.

Friday night I played at O'Toole's in Whitman.

It was a nice night. There were cool people there.

Great to see my friend Andrea and meet Lisa.

It was nice to see Greg with a friend.

People had fun.

Life was good Friday night.

More pictures from Friday night available here.

Saturday afternoon I played for a Baby Chloe Tierney Benefit at Hajjar's in Weymouth. The baby suffers from a rare form of brain cancer. The benefit raised money for the family to defray the cost of her treatment. It was a well attended event. They had face painting for the kids, a DJ, raffles and live music. I played a couple sets in the afternoon. I think they had a band later in the evening. It was a bonus for me because my cousins were at the event and I got see them.

Saturday night I played at my friend Jackie and Tykie's house for a 'fire pit' party. It was an awesome party. 'Back in the day' I was a fan of a local band that was really awesome. The singer for the band was Mike Garvey. Mike was at the party Saturday night and he got up and sang a bunch of songs with me. He is a great performer. It was a lot of fun. Mike has a band that performs in the area. Mike's band is listed on Boston Bands. Check them out sometime.

Why I Am Supporting Tim Cahill

Something Different

Normally I write about my musical adventures in this blog. This entry is an exception. The purpose is to call attention to the Massachusetts Governor's race and especially the candidate Tim Cahill. I am supporting Tim Cahill's campaign for a number of reasons.

The Issues

When I compare the positions of the four candidates I agree more with the positions that Tim Cahill has taken. He has pledged to focus on job creation. Tim intends to be tough on immigration policy in the state. He wants us to have a strong police presence with well trained police. There are many specifics that I could mention here but I encourage you to check out Tim's website for more details on the issues.

Who Is The Middle Class Candidate?

I can identify more with Tim Cahill than I can with the other candidates. Tim grew up in a middle class home on the south shore. He is the only middle class candidate in the race.

Democrat But Not For Patrick

I have been a life long democrat but the party has reached a point where I can't agree with some of the radically liberal positions that the current Governor supports. I also can't bring myself to vote for the Governor because of his horrible performance recently with attempts to build a new gambling industry in this state. His efforts worked against a business that is close to my town employing many people in southeastern Mass, an area of the state that really is hurting and needs those jobs. I also see him as a more of a 'carpet bagger' (he is from Chicago) who sees this job as a way to bigger and better things as opposed to someone who has grown up here and truly loves this state.

Won't Vote For Charlie Baker

I can't identify with Charlie Baker. To me he seems like someone born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Comments he made recently in a debate were very revealing. He bragged about cutting jobs at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care like it was a badge of honor. He then went on to attack my State Senator which to me only shows that he probably wants to outsource state jobs. Outsourcing is the problem not the solution. Finally his attack ads against Tim Cahill are insulting to the intelligence of every voter. People are smart enough to know that Constitutionally Tim Cahill did not raise taxes. Saying that or strongly implying that is just plain lying. I encourage you to review the ads that the candidates have run so far and you will find that Tim Cahill's ads are truthful and have class. That is not the case for Charlie Baker's ads. At this point I think Tim Cahill would be justified to run an ad that calls attention to the fact that during a long period of time when it was Charlie Baker's responsibility to watch over "the big dig" he did nothing to detect and correct the fiasco that it ultimately became.

Green Party is Still Green

While I admire Jill Stein for her performance at the last debate I don't agree with her positions.

The Intangibles - What You Might Not Know

There are some things about Tim Cahill you might not know or think is a big deal but to me they speak to his character and qualities that we need in the statehouse. 'Back in the day' when I was in high school Tim Cahill was a coach for the wrestling team. I played football but many of my friends wrestled. I know how hard those guys practiced and worked out. That wrestling team was built on the notion of hard work and determination, individual effort and responsibility. Those traits are something that Tim Cahill has had for a long time. We need those traits in a governor. Finally I think you have to look at the fact that he is a family man who has a fine family, something that is easier said than done.

I urge you to look at all the candidates. Ask if what they are claiming is true. See who you identify with and want to be our governor. I think many of you will find that Tim Cahill is the right person for the job.

Last Week Was A Busy Week

Last week was a really busy week with the musical adventures. This is campaign season and I was approached to play two different events. This weekend was also one of my favorite benefit events The Quincy Animal Shelter Beer and Wine Tasting. That combined with two regular gigs made for a very busy week.

Wednesday evening I played an event for the re-election campaign of Sheriff Michael Bellotti that was held at The Next Page in Weymouth Mass. I had never been to the Next Page before. It's a nice venue. The night went really well. My childhood friend Lisa was there and there were other folks I knew there. One group of folks was really getting into the tunes. They asked me to play for a benefit this weekend at Hajjar's in Weymouth. This Saturday afternoon I will be performing at the event (3PM).

Thursday night I had the honor to provide live music for the Tim On TV event a rally for Tim Cahill's campaign held at Granite Links in Quincy. The event was a big success and raised $125,000 for the campaign. Check out the video on this page.

Friday evening I played at The Quincy Animal Shelter Annual Beer and Wine tasting event. This was the third year in a row I have played this event. It was held at The Kennedy Center in Quincy. Photos from the event are available online.

Later in the evening on Friday night I played at The Abington Alehouse. It was great to see friends at the show.

More pics here

Saturday night was a great night playing tunes at St John's Athletic Club in Fall River Mass. :-)

It was a wicked busy week.

KC's September 2010

Friday night was a great night. It was a band show at KC's on RT 53 in Weymouth, MA. KC's is a sports bar and music club combined with great pub food, reasonable drinks and an outside section to accommodate folks who want to have a smoke. KC's is casual and fun. We had a blast at KC's Friday night.

I was joined by Mike McHugh on Bass, Bill Lawnsby on drums and Evan Dennis on lead guitar. All three guys showed great musicianship Friday. Billy traveled a great distance to do two gigs with me this weekend. This was his end of the summer south shore tour weekend :-)

Folks danced, sang along, got into the act and had lots of fun.

A bunch of Evan's friends came out to cheer him on. Evan wailed out some great leads as usual.

My friends Dave and Linda made it out for set or two.

It was definitely a ladies night out at KCs and the ladies had fun. :-)

It was a nice surprise to see Barbie and Michelle walk in with friends Christine and Tracy. I met Barbie and Michelle at Daddy's Beach Club.

Barbie, Christine, Michelle and Tracy

It was awesome to see Beth and Lee again. I met them at McGuiggan's. They introduced me to Mary. Both Mary and Beth got up to sing. Definitely a fun night.

Next show at KC's is the Friday after Thanksgiving November 26th.

Rest In Peace Rich Cronin

Rich Cronin passed away this week. Rich was a singer songwriter for the hit group LFO. A group that rode the top of the charts in 1999 with the hit song Summer Girls. I met Rich a few years ago when I recorded a CD at his studio. He was a super cool guy for someone who had achieved so much. Rich shared his story about how his song took off and how his life changed. He also shared about how he had got sick and learned that he had leukemia. At that time the prognosis was good. Rich worked to raise awareness of the disease and created a foundation, The Rich Cronin Hope Foundation, for that purpose. He told me something that day at the studio that I have heard so many times before and we can always be reminded of "If you have your health, you have everything."

I wrote this song Linger In The Echo after the experience of watching my wife's aunt pass away with family by her side. I am posting the song lyrics and including a player to the song today while remembering Rich.

When my time is coming to its end

When our time together is almost over my friend

The light will fade at dusk

and all the people walk away

but let the music play that day

Chorus:

There is life in the music

But at the end of the show

When the music stops

I'll linger in the echo

I won't quickly leave and go

When the music stops

I'll linger in the echo

When all the love comes back to you

All who loved you just for you

Are by your side to ease your pain

The sound of voices will be a song

They will join to make the chourus long

The reflections of happy times

Sung like verses without the rhymes

A bridge from here to there and everywhere

Memories from way back when

Will play in your mind again and again

Great Night At Damien's - Labor Day Weekend 2010

Saturday night I played a show at Damien's on RT 58 in Hanson. Damien's is a great place to hang out, have some pizza and beverages and listen to live music. I was kind of expecting a slow night just because it was Labor Day weekend but it turned out to be an awesome night. There was a birthday in the house and it was a great celebration with singing along and dancing too!

Thank God for supporters in the crowd. :-) My friends Patti and Kristen came out for the tunes.

Kristen brought a friend along. It was nice to meet Elizabeth.

Kristen got into the act and sang along on a couple songs.

My friend Joyce was there with some friends. Joyce's friend requested Taxi.

There were a lot of nice folks there.

One of the highlights of the night for me was playing a Peter Frampton tune by request. Do You Feel Like We Do got an awesome reaction from the crowd. I also played a song for the first time Amnesia. It's a fun tune that starts out with the line When you hit me on the head with your beer bottle. :-)

Sweet Caroline got a great crowd response too.

These folks were enjoying a lot of the new country tunes I do.

I am back to play at Damien's on Saturday November 6th!

Daddy's Beach Club Labor Day Weekend

It was a beautiful day at Nantasket Beach this Sunday and I played in the afternoon at Daddy's Beach Club. It was nice to see friends both old and new come to the show. My college buddy Jay and his friend Leslie came back again for some tunes. Two weeks in a row. :-) It was nice because I got a chance to hang out for a while and catch up with them after the show.

My friend Pete and his wife Terri love Nantasket Beach and now they are fans of Daddy's Beach Club.

My friend Shawn came out for the tunes with his whole clan. I think they really liked the Zach Brown tunes. It was great to see Shawn again and meet his family. Two football players and a future cheerleader for sure. :-)

I was pleasantly surprised to see Kristine and Eddie walk in with the whole family. I usually see Kristine and Eddie at Damien's but they couldn't go to that show this weekend. Kristine loves John Denver tunes and I immediately broke into some John Denver tunes when arrived. It was nice to meet their two awesome kids.

My best buddy Dick and his son Steven came by for while to have some pizza and listen to tunes. Dick requested my original Linger In The Echo. Dick is as Irish as they come so they backed me up on Wild Rover with the clap along parts.

I met some nice folks that day. One of these ladies requested Wish You Were Here and Going To California.

These folks were enjoying the tunes with a front row seat for the Atlantic ocean.

These nice ladies were enjoying the tunes. Last time I saw them they were people watching and holding up judges cards (see if you can find that previous blog).

It was nice chatting with this family. The oldest little girl did some nice ballerina moves while I was playing.

Scheduled to return to play next Sunday afternoon at Daddy's Beach Club. The beach season is winding down so if you want to check out my tunes at Daddy's come by next Sunday if you are in the area.

A Busy Weekend

JP Greer's

Last weekend was an especially busy weekend with the musical adventures. All the shows will be in this one blog. Friday night I played a show at JP Greer's in Weymouth, MA. My friend Brenda's daughter got up to sing and so did Brenda. It's makes the night more fun when people can 'get into the act.'

It was a fun time. First time that my nephew and his girl came out for a show.

More photos here.

The next show at JP Greer's is October 1st!

Shedfest III

Saturday during the day I played at a private musical festival called "Shedfest III." I was one of four acts during the day. The headliner act for the event was The Tokyo Tramps. Check them out online.

photo: Kosei Fukuyama

The Piccadilly Pub

Saturday night I played at The Piccadilly Pub in Randolph.

It was a fun night. One of the gents in the crowd has a music act and plays in town. He got up to do a few tunes. His wife joined him on a couple too.

It was nice to see Soupy at The Pic. I usually see Soupy at Nantasket when I am playing Daddy's beach Club.

More photos here.

Next show at The Piccadilly Pub is October 2nd!

Daddy's Beach Club

Sunday funday afternoon I played at Daddy's Beach Club on Nantasket Beach. My friend Dave and his wife had a front row seat for the ocean while listening to tunes.

As did my friend 'Chatty.'

The Kellys were enjoying Sunday afternoon at Daddy's with some friends.

My college friend Jay and his friend Leslie could hear that I was playing from the beach and came in for a beverage and a few tunes.

These folks requested and enjoyed a number of Irish tunes.

These gents enjoyed the Neil Young and Bob Marley tunes.

These folks wanted to hear 'The Gambler'

More photos from here...

Back at Daddy's Beach Club every Sunday in September!

Battle of the Bands

Sunday night I played in a battle of the bands at Tinker's Son in Nowell, MA. The MC for the event was Sean James Gilmartin. Sean played some tunes to get the evening started. Each competing act then played 6 songs. I think 5 acts competed that night. I saw three of the other acts. My friend Jon's band 'Bonifide' played a killer set with a full 4 piece band. I was happy with my set and I think I got a pretty good crowd response, including a lady dancing during American Pie, always a good thing. The winner was a young man named Ryan McKeon. He played a combination of covers and some nice originals. I enjoyed his act. While I didn't win the battle that evening I did make a good impression and I will be starting the new year with a gig at Tinker's Son on January 6th.

Peace, Love, and Live Music,

-Jimmy