Jo's Nautical August 2016

Rock and Roll Diary

August 12, 2016 brought a return to Jo's Nautical Bar in Hull MA. Jo's Nautical has a quite a history. My last performance at Jo's Nautical was a great time so I looked to this gig with great anticipation. It is an early start at Jo's Nautical (7 PM).

I was thrilled to see my friends Bob and Julie walk in with a group. In the group was another friend Mark Shom, an award winning entertainer and great guy. Mark consented to join me for a song and sang a rendition of Sweet Caroline.

I've met some nice people at Jo's Nautical Bar.  Until recently I hadn't even been to this part of Hull. My perspective of Hull was that it ended at the end of Nantasket Beach.  If you venture further towards the tip of Hull where Jo's is located you will see a beautiful vista of Boston across the ocean and other great scenery. Search for the waterway Hull Gut to get an idea where Jo's Nautical is located.  Check out this promo video for the show that has a Google Earth zoom to see where exactly Jo's Nautical is on the planet.

Back at Jo's Nautical Bar FRIDAY OCTOBER 28th! 

Red Stone Grill August 2016

Rock and Roll Diary

Photo: Lisa Liftman Cooper

Here is the recap of my recent performance in North Attleboro at The Red Stone Grill.  I love the Red Stone.  The place is nice and the people are great.  The Red Stone has an awesome patio setting for outdoor dining and socializing. The challenge this show though was the heat.  It was close to a record high of 92 degrees and humid that day and it did not really cool off much as the evening went on.

I am super thankful for my friends who were able to make it to the Red Stone that evening.  I also am impressed that they survived the heat for a whole set.  After the first set, I moved inside into some wonderful air-conditioned surroundings to finish out the night.  Took many requests inside. Looking forward to bring the band Spyglass to the Red Stone in the future.

Music makes life better.

Two Doubles First Half Of August At The Sand Dollar

Rock and Roll Diary

The first half of August included two Sunday Funday shows performing at The Sand Dollar Bar in Dennisport that were 'double shifts',  5PM to Midnight, shows.  Each night I actually ended the evening by DJ'ing a dance party from 11 PM to Midnight.  Both shows had friends present from the south shore and it doesn't get any better than having friends supporting you in the crowd.

The first show featured Amy Korim playing accordion on a number of tunes.

It was also nice to get a dance floor moving with just one man, one guitar.

The first show included a couple birthday celebrations and a bachelorette celebration.  There were also guest performances with people from the audience singing including an amazing version of Sugar Mountain.  A young lady  got up and sang a resounding version of Proud Mary.  The following video is a montage of photos from the first show along with a recording of Wagon Wheel.



The second show was on an excruciating hot and humid day and I was amazed at the response I was getting from the crowd.  I took a number of requests including one for a Scottish tune Caledonia that I really love to play.  I also met some folks visiting from Australia who had a blast at the show.  The night ended amazingly well with basically the clock running out on the party.  I think people would have danced two more hours if it wasn't closing time.  Here is a video with a montage of pics including a recording of American Pie. 



Two more shows scheduled this summer down the Cape.

The Sand Dollar Bar is THE BEST BAR ON THE CAPE! #bestbaroncape

Music makes life better!

Started August With Some Excellent Fiddle

Rock and Roll Diary

The first show of August was at Daddy's Beach Club on beautiful Nantasket Beach.  It was a unique show because I was joined for a number of tunes by a fiddle player Faith Pyne.  This was a pleasant surprise as Faith was in the audience at Daddy's and she joined me on stage for a totally impromptu performance.  Faith is an excellent player.

There was a nice group of folks there that day including my Accounting Professor and friend Jim and his wife.  I was glad to play a bunch of requests for her and other folks there that day.

It was an awesome day to be by the ocean making music.  Here is a video montage of pics taken that day along with a recording from that day of a CSNY tune.

  Music makes life better!

Finishing July 2016 Strong

Rock and Roll Diary

The last shows of July were really fun and I felt like I finished the month firing on all cylinders and hitting all the right notes.

Sand Dollar Bar July 24, 2016

The July 24th show at the Sand Dollar Bar was a blast.  The Sand Dollar Bar is the best bar on the Cape and I have been fortunate to have a weekly summertime engagement there for the last 5 years. This show was destined to be a good time because friends were in the crowd that know how to have fun.  Later in the evening the crowd waned but I was so happy when I saw some folks re-enter the place later and become really engaged in the show.  A lady told me that she and her friends had bar hopped to another place and they liked my music better than the music at the other bar.  That put a smile on my face.

Daddy's Beach Club July 25, 2016

The last solo show at Daddy's Beach Club in July was an awesome day at Nantasket Beach.   A bunch of friends came out for the show including some friends I only get to see once or twice a year. I also got to meet my friend Sarah's new son!

Damien's Pub July 2016

The end of July included a show at Damien's Pub the King of Bars. Damien's in Hanson has the 'best pizza and coldest beer in town.'   This show was also a reunion of sorts because I got to see some fan club VIPs that I hadn't seen in a long time. Seeing friends at shows is the best.

Crescendo at The Sand Dollar 

The last show of the month was at The Sand Dollar Bar on July 31st and it was an amazing night.  I played a marathon performance from 5 PM to midnight and had a great response from the crowd.

Once again there were folks that I love in the crowd I hadn't seen in a while.  Some were visiting from out of state.

Others got into the act and sang of played the tambourine.  So fun!

Here is a video montage of pics along with a recording of a clip of a song from the performance. The video includes a nice bit of spontaneous applause at the end of the 'behind my head' guitar solo. 

Music made life better in July! 

Spyglass At The Lodge July 2016

Rock and Roll Diary

The band I have been performing with Spyglass had a return show to The Lodge in Randolph on July 23, 2016.  Spyglass is Beverly on Vocals, Vince on Bass, Gary on Drums and yours truly on Guitar and Vocals.

It was a great evening and was a great celebration for my friend Nancy's birthday.

One wonderful benefit of making music is being a part of the special occasions in people's lives. Literally being the soundtrack for the specials moments of their life.

People danced and had fun.  It was a great night!

Legally Blonde

Rock and Roll Diary

July 22nd I played a show at TKO Shea's in Rockland.  TKO's is a fun place that is conveniently located about a half mile off the highway of RT 3.

Sometimes during a performance at a venue that serves meals there can be an exodus.  Many times people tell me "we came for dinner and didn't expect to stay all night," and I love to hear that but I realize that some folks have places to go or are not late owls or just don't like music in general.  If I am bringing my best then I never take this exodus personally.  I have also learned to never give up on an evening because of the size or reception of a crowd at any given point in time.  I have learned through experience that a low key night can turn into a really fun night just by a couple of the right people walking in the door.  People who are interested in having a good time.  Well this performance was going that way.  A small crowd swindled right at the time I was about to start.  But things were about to change.

Later in the evening many of the cast of a production of Legally Blond The Musical walked in the place.  They were coming from a practice. When I started singing an Ed Sheeran tune they all began to sing along on the other side of the bar.  I stopped the song and invited them all to join me at the mic and they took the mic and gave some amazing vocal performances.  Throughout most of the rest of the evening different cast members took turns singing songs while I played.  It was a really great night.

My next performance at TKO Shea's is August 5th!