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.
May 2007
May 31
Brian Fay
The man with the plan.
Bob McDermott
What can be said about Bob that hasn't already been covered in hundreds of written biographies and tributes over the last forty years? All right, then.
Scott Bowser
The king of the Wednesday Jam, and rightfully so. Jeez, can he play.
May 24
Return engagements: Brendan Ahern • Greg • Jim Keady • Chuck Whelan
Jillian James
I suspected Jillian might be good, but I was blown away. What a beautiful, strong voice. She gave us Radiohead's "The Bends," among others.
Brendan Ahern
Brendan hasn't been by for a while (he's a new dad). He stopped in to channel the soul of Steve Earle with his own spin.
Greg
Jokes? Greg's got 'em to spare. This was his second time up. I knew he'd get hooked.
Jim Keady
Second time as well for Jim. Extreme Honorable Mention™ for his version of Chuck Berry's "You Never Can Tell."
May 17
Return engagements: Bob McDermott • Chuck Whelan • Freddy K. • Justin Lally • Noel Vickery • Freddy K. • Scott Bowser
Justin
Justin chose to end the evening with a bunch of tunes he chose from my list, some of which I managed to play successfully ("success" being a relative term). He's an excellent singer with a powerful voice and great stage presence—which only shook me up even more.
May 3
Jim Keady
Jim is a fantastic singer and has a sophisticated, jazz-based guitar style. He did everything from Marvin Gaye's "What's Goin' On" to "Teach Me Tonight" (most likely the first time that song's been done at Paddy's).
Noel Vickery
We can't get enough of Noel's songs. A friend of his happened to be walking by Paddy's when he heard a voice from within that he thought eerily similar to Noel's. Nothing eerie about it—just the magnetic pull of the Open Mike.
Justin Lally
Justin was, as always, totally into his music, and carried everyone with him for the ride.
Dan Murphy
In a clear-cut case of "what the hell," Dan decided to on the spur of the moment to jump up and impress his friends. He wound up impressing everyone with some choice Warren Zevon.
Reggie Williams
Reggie returned once again with more funny tales of his life on Earth.
Freddy K.
You can't not listen to Freddy K. He blew in like a tornado, then left just as quickly. No one knows when he'll return.
Greg
Another career decision made on a dime. Greg busted out his jokes for the first time, and now has been officially bitten with the bug. He'll be back.
Chuck Whelan
We're lucky to have Chuck around to show everyone how it's done.
Rich Cesarini
Fat City's keyboard wizard dropped in again with his trusty accordion. Highlight: "Mardi Gras in New Orleans." Keep an eye on this kid; he's going places.
Moms Mabley
Jackie "Moms" Mabley made a surprise midnight appearance, delivering a side-splitting monologue that touched on her unfulfilling love life and her ongoing feud with Nipsey Russell.
May 3
Frank Ruzzano
Frank gave us a set of his thoughtful, melodic original songs. He has a beautiful style on vocal and guitar. I hope he decides to return.
Cliff Davis
Cliff came all the way from Mansfield to grace us with some rockin' tunes. He's an alumnus of the late, great West Bridgewater Tuesday open mic (eyes heavenward). He promised to be back!
Bob McDermott
First time I ever heard a guy sing the Pretenders' "Back on the Chain Gang." Top that off with "Won't Get Fooled Again," and you've got another classic bunch of songs from the classic Bob McDermott, who has been performing in the area since—well, before I started, which would place it some time around Reconstruction.
Chris Schelleng
The word "roots" may be overused, but it describes the vital, no-nonsense stuff Chris played. Best of all, he honored my request for Hank Williams with "Lost Highway,"—which, for me, conjures up Route 44 in Raynham.
Tony P.
Another West Bridgewater Open Mic Class of '06 graduate, Tony P. came up from Hull to play with Scotty, who appears, free of charge, in the next riveting paragraph.
Scotty
Acoustic jam champion Scotty joined his friend Tony P. (see previous riveting paragraph) to rip on some high-voltage guitar.
Matt Whipple
Back once again from the star-studded town of Plymouth came Matt W., with his monster baritone and bag of songs that are too hard for other people to attempt. He teamed up with Chris Schelleng to add even more gravitas.
Bob Winslow
Another West Bridgewater expatriate! The one and only Bob W. improvised a medley of pop and rock tunes spanning the last forty years. Nobody plays keys with as much passion. The fact that his portable keyboard had a few broken keys didn't stop him!
Archive
2008
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2007
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For the serious collector: Vintage Tuesday Open Mike