Music by Matt Putnam, Massachusetts singer/songwriter
Vocals, guitar, harmonica
Open Mike Night
Open Mike takes place Wednesdays from 9:00 - 12:00 (sign up at 8:30) at Paddy Barry's in Quincy. Come on down and enjoy the famous Paddy's "vibe". People here love live music.
Email me with any questions, or call Paddy's at 617-770-3620.
March 2008
March 26
Return engagements: Chuck Whelan • Brian Mahoney
Bob McDermott
The internationally-famous, yet humble Bob McDermott was gracious enough to host this evening's festivities while I was off doing something so important I can't remember what it was. Bob's the guy for whom the expression "host with the most" was coined back in 1943, when he joined Bob Hope on a USO tour. Around that time, he also first drew the "Kilroy Was Here" figure, momentarily forgetting that his name wasn't Kilroy.
Jammin' Jim
This was the legendary first appearance of the Jammin' Man, who can be seen regularly on Sunday nights down the street at another fine establishment that shall remain nameless, although rumor has it they aren't doing so well—they only have half a door.
Anne Marie and Katie
I'm really sorry I missed this. I'm told that Anne Marie and (Paddy's own) Katie sang with the voices of angels while Bob and Chuck Whelan held the fort with bass and contralto, temporarilty transforming Paddy's into Quincy's version of the Metroplitan Opera. James Taylor's "Shower the People" was the standout.
Tom Fitzpatrick
First time for Tom as well, who turns out to be quite a good singer and player, with an excellent selection of material. He's a nice guy, to boot.
March 20
Greg and Elaine
It's probably a safe bet that Greg and Elaine make up the first mother-and-son duo to appear at Paddy Barry's. In addition to that great distinction, they're really good. They did "Blackbird" (the Beatles tune) and "I Wanna Fall in Love Tonight" by Jimmy Eat World (whose name begs the existential question: if Jimmy can eat the world, should he be afraid of Fine Young Cannibals?).
Tom Sweeney
It's a treat when Tom drops by, since he always manages to rock things up. He's got a million tunes and has a blast playing them.
Brendan Feldstein
Brendan's a hotshot singer and player. In between his gigs at Mount Blue, he managed to squeeze in another appearance at Paddy's bringing his entourage of fans and roadies. Here's a shot of Brendan with his fan club, shoehorned into the back of the room.
Mike Dardis
Mike's been threatening to bring in his keyboard for a year now, and tonight he finally did, after having playing a gig in Dorchester. He's played guitar at Paddy's plenty of times, but he's really at home on keys. He did everything from Billy Joel to Supertramp.
Kevin Godbout
Kevin's been in plenty of times. He played on his own for a while, then joined Mike for an impromptu duo set, culminating in a rip-roaring rendition of the Monkees' "Daydream Believer." Yes, I said "Daydream Believer." Only at Paddy's...
Gonzo
You gotta love a guy named Gonzo (he told me it's short for Gonzales). He did some chilling original songs (some with alternative tunings), and then floored me with an old tune by Chicago.
Freddy K.
Quincy's own Freddy K. has a unique approach to songwriting and performing. His voice may remind you of Bon Scott from AC/DC. His lyrics may remind you of...well, you decide. You'll never be the same.
Bob McDermott
The gracious Mr. McD stops in just about every week, but he deserves Extreme Honorable Mention™ for bringing Anne Marie with him (see following riveting paragraph).
Anne Marie
She lives to sing, and it's always our pleasure when Anne Marie drops in. It's rumored she's a heck of a dancer as well.
Chuck Whelan
When he's not at Paddy's, you'll find Chuck entertaining the crowd at Murphy's Law in South Boston, among other places. He's always willing to jump in and get the whole place going.
March 13
Return engagements: Chuck Whelan • Brian Mahoney • Bob McDermott
Jim Keady
We got to hear Jim two weeks in a row; that's just plain good no matter how you slice it. This is a guy who really plays guitar and really sings, which makes him pretty tough to follow. So my advice is, get here before Jim does.
Brian Mahoney
He's been doing sets on Wednesdays and Thursdays for a long time now, and is wickedly on top of his game. Here's a dimly-lit, moody photo of Brian, the type of photo they used to use for Bob Dylan's LP covers back before Bob's head shrank to the point that it became impossible to photograph.
Noel Vickery
It's been a long time since Noel last came in. What a pleasure—his original songs and guitar arrangements are melodic as all holy heck. Plus, he's a huge Beatles fan, so he's got my vote.
March 6
Return engagements: Chuck Whelan • Brian Mahoney • Bob McDermott
PMD
David Legge, who usually performs with Larry Beguerie as "Begs and Legs," tonight brought his other band, PMD—that's Paul Scarpino, Melisa Scarpino, and David Scarpino. They ripped through a set of barrelhouse pub rock. Attention, drummers: Melisa brought a snare, a cymbal, and brushes. You can do it too! Check out Paul's tartan guitar bag—now, that's class.
Jim Keady
I hate to say this publicly, but Jim's kind of a ringer. He plays the sort of sophisticated guitar that only a serious lifelong player can pull off. For crying out loud, Jim, could you just do some Neil Young and stop making the rest of us look like schmucks?
Shohei and Junpei
The ringer parade continued with Shohei on saxophone and Junpei on guitar. They came from the big city of Boston, and they too specialize in flawlessly-executed jazz. The folks at Paddy's absolutely ate it up, along with the pizza from the place next door.
James Norton and Ray
Never a dull moment with James. If you haven't heard his original songs, you really should make it a point to before you reach retirement age. Tonight James was joined by his buddy Ray, who played harmonica while channeling the spirit of Jim Morrison. Note that you can't actually see the harmonica—that's an inherent problem in taking pictures of harmonica players. I once met a guy who could do an amazing vocal impression of a harmonica while cupping his hands around his imaginary harmonica. But trust me, Ray's got a harmonica here.
Kevin Godbout and Janine Jackson
Kevin drops in and jumps up when the mood strikes, and it's our good fortune when he does. Tonight he doubled the ROI by singing with Janine, who turns out to be an awesome vocalist.
Brendan Feldstein
Second time here for Brendan. Man, is this guy good. He's got great energy, and does all kinds of stuff new and old—plus, he enjoys himself. So let's start a letter-writing campaign to get Brendan back a third time.
? and the Mysterians
I'm shedding "96 Tears" over the fact that, not only did I only manage to capture the name of one of the members of this trio (Rob), my disposable camera ran out of film when I'd shot but two guys. My only excuse is that they signed up close to midnight and I hadn't had a nap that day. Here's hoping they mail in their corrections. Apologies all around.
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