Tag: folk music

There was a time when I thought I’d have a go at making music my full-time profession. And while playing at pubs in Montreal for a few bucks (and more than a few beers) was fun…probably too much fun, it eventually dawned on me that my career path lied elsewhere. So, I hung up the gig bags, coiled up the cables, and moved my butt back home to Boston.

It had been many-a-month since my last performance when I got the call from my sister. A friend of ours had just graduated from the police academy and his girlfriend was throwing him a party at a local bar in Woburn (our hometown). Live entertainment was needed and I just happened to be both alive and mildly entertaining.

Having “retired” from being a part-time pub musician, I’ve realized now that music for me is all about friends and family. My favorite gigs have always been in living rooms and backyards and front porches. Beer cans scattered lazily about. Your friend named T-Mac doing some strange dance, while the less-initiated (aka non-Woburnites) look on in horror. This coming-out-of-retirement gig felt just like one of those casual, drunken singalongs.

And I loved it.

Below are two songs from the gig. The first is a special rendition of “Dirty Old Town,” which I wrote to celebrate my sister’s recent engagement (Woo hoo!). The second is a cover of “Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. Enjoy!