Tag: Chelsea Berry

P&V’s LOL #12: Sometimes you just can’t blame anybody

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

(For those of you who have just tuned in, “LOL” stands for Law of Life.  Click here to see the first 11.)

Everybody’s looking for somebody to blame — especially for last night.  First there’s the power outage.  Even though the official line still makes vague reference to an “abnormality”, you can bet people are scrambling to nail somebody’s ass — or “hold them accountable” to use the latest PC term.

Then there’s Beyoncé.  Joey may have liked her lip-synched dance numbers, but Vickie and I have to agree with venerable music curmudgeon, Bob Lefsetz, who said, “I wasn’t sure what to do after Beyonce’s appearance, join a gym or masturbate.” (We know Joey’s done the former.  What about the latter, Joey?)

Lefsetz tries to blame Madonna, CDs, Hip Hop (read his full tirade here) and he lauds  Prince, Adele, Mumford & Sons and The Lumineers.  (Joey likes The Lumineers too.  See this post.  Their show tonight at House of Blues — yup, across the bridge — is sold out.)

Singers love to lay blame.  Usually they blame somebody else, like when Beyoncé admonishes “you should have put a ring on it.”  Once in a while somebody writes a great song blaming himself.  Of those, my favorite is Guilty by Randy Newman, sung here perfectly by Bonnie Raitt.

You’ll be blaming yourself big time if you don’t get VIP tickets to see Henri Smith featuring Charles Neville this Friday.  It’s the best dinner / show / Mardi Gras party deal around.  Best of all, you can avoid feeling guilty because you’ll be helping to send local YMCA Teens on their service-learning trip to New Orleans in April.  Oh, and Henri won’t be lip-synching.

The older I get the more I realize that casting blame feels good, but doesn’t accomplish much — sort of like masturbating.

Blame is best left to songs.  Chelsea Berry knows how to write a great song that lays blame.  And you can bet she won’t lip-synch when she sings it at her  Shalin Liu concerts.

Did you miss Chelsea Berry on Aurelia Nelson’s Curtain UP? No worries, you can now listen on line

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

chelsea live toy driveThat’s right folks.  The good people at Northshore 104.9 make their podcasts available for download, so all you sleepyheads who didn’t get up on Sunday can listen at your leisure. Just click here.

Notice how the show starts with one song on Chelsea’s new CD and ends with another one. Rock on Chelsea!

Did you get your tickets for Chelsea Berry’s concert on Feb 8th yet?  Good seats are still left, but you know this will sell out just like the one on Feb 9, so don’t procrastinate.  Click here and get those tickets now.

Music tips for this weekend that you might not know about

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

Chelsea Berry will be Aurelia Nelson’s featured guest on her North Shore 104.9 show Curtain Up this Sunday, Jan 20, at 9am.  You don’t even have to get out of bed.  Just tune your clock radio to 104.9 and set it to go off at 8:59am.  Lie in bed and listen comfortably.

If you saw Jon Butcher on Local Music Seen with Allen Estes, you’ll know he’s playing at Shalin Liu tonight with James Montgomery, Charlie Farren & David Hull.  As of this post there were about 15 tickets left and you can get them here.  Jon may ask Allen to join him on a song they performed together on the Local Music Seen.

Another good bet for tonight is Renee & Joe @ Minglewood Tavern.  Here they are at Latitude 43 for the November Berklee in Gloucester show:

As for the rest of the weekend, we honestly don’t have any idea how you’re going to choose from over 2 dozen excellent shows — and plenty of them early enough to take the kids.  Here’s the complete live music lineup.

GOOD LUCK!

New Concerts: Larry Coryell, Chelsea Berry & Tamir Hendelman @ Shalin Liu

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

This just in from Karen Herlitz @ Rockport Music:

New Concerts Announced at Rockport Music

Rockport Music announces some new additions to our 2012-13 Season.  Enjoy the highest quality of concerts and presentations year-round at the stunning, seaside Shalin Liu Performance Center.  Additions to the 2012-13 Season include:

chelseaberry2Since local favorite singer/songwriter Chelsea Berry sold-out her concert on Saturday, February 9, at 8 pm, Rockport Music has added a second night on Friday, February 8, at 8 pm.  Back by popular demand, singer/songwriter Chelsea Berry performs with a tremendous edge, power and finesse.  Chelsea’s presence has been described by listeners as “compelling… she draws the entire house into her world like moths to a flame.” Combined with her acoustical guitar skills, Berry will charm audiences with popular hits as well as original songs, including pieces from her CD “I Wonder.”  Chelsea has opened for such artists as Livingston Taylor, Roger McGuinn, and Chris Isaak.  The Dejas open the concert.  Tickets:   $19-$34 [Editor’s note: We posted about this on Wednesday here]

Known as the pioneer guitarist merging jazz, rock, free-form improvisations, and Eastern influences, Larry Coryell brings his eclectic style back to the Shalin Liu Performance Center on Friday, March 22, at 8 pm.  Described by critic Whitney Balliett as “the most innovative and original guitarist since Charlie Christian,” Coryell’s career spans four decades, over 60 albums (dozens more as a sideman), and performances with some of music’s heavy-weights like Eric Clapton, John Scofield, Elvin Jones, and Chick Corea, to name a few. Also a consummate composer, he tells Rockport Music, “I write music because I can’t help it. I think perhaps I want to complement all the great compositions already out there…Wayne Shorter and Sonny Rollins come to mind, and of course, Monk!”  Tickets:  $19-$34

Performing on Saturday, May 11, at 8 pm, award-winning jazz pianist and composer Tamir Hendelman has performed and recorded with such notable artists as Barbra Streisand, Natalie Cole, and John Pizzarelli. With awards from ASCAP and the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, his latest album Destinations hit number one on the JazzWeek Jazz Charts. Hendelman’s trio explores standards, Brazilian music, blues, and Hendelman’s own Israeli roots.  The LA Jazz Scene proclaims that, “Hendelman played with a fullness of content and intensity, bringing new presentations of tunes. Not a fixed position player, Hendelman wears off the ivory over the entire keyboard.”  Tickets:$18- $32

For ticket information and details on the 2012-13 Season offerings, please visit our website at www.rockportmusic.org.  Tickets are also available through the Box Office at 978-546-7391 or visiting 35 Main Street, Rockport, MA.  The Box Office is open Monday-Friday, 10am-4 pm.

BREAKING NEWS: Guess you’re not screwed after all

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

A couple of weeks ago we warned you (in this post) about waiting until the last minute to get tickets to Chelsea Berry’s triumphant return to Shalin Liu with her new band, performing songs from her new CD.

Well, Chelsea decided to give all you procrastinators a second chance by offering a second show on Friday, February 8 at 8pm (the Saturday, Feb 9 show is sold out) and remember, you heard it here on GMG first!  The Dejas will open this show with their 4 piece band just like the Saturday show.

Now, don’t screw this up and think you can just sit there and procrastinate some more.  This show was just announced so there are still good seats left (clicks on this link to get some).  But they won’t last long.

Just in case you missed Chelsea opening for Chris Isaak at North Shore Music Theatre with her band last June, here’s a taste of what you can expect next month in a much more intimate setting:

Don’t let today’s snow (which is now melting) dampen your entertainment for the evening.  There are excellent live music choices tonight.  See the complete lineup here.

Local rising star profiled in Northshore Magazine

Posted on by Vickie & Peter
Chelsea Berry from the Northshore Magazine feature story

Last week (in this post) we warned you against waiting until the last minute to get tickets to see Chelsea Berry  at Shalin Liu on Feb 9.

You may have thought we were just helping  promote her concert, but you’d be wrong.  That concert will sell out.  Chelsea Berry doesn’t need our help promoting it.  That’s because she’s a rising star, which is precisely why Northshore Magazine chose to feature her in their latest issue (see here).

We posted the warning so you wouldn’t miss out on a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see her debut new music with her new band at one of the most spectacular venues anywhere on Earth.

It won’t be long before tickets to a Chelsea Berry concert will cost at least a hundred bucks, they’ll sell out in a day, and even if you’re lucky enough to get them, you’ll very likely be a lot farther from the stage than the last row at Shalin Liu is.  Plus you’ll have to drive an hour and pay for parking.

Don’t take our stellar talent and venues here on Cape Ann for granted.  Look at it this way: It’s a Sunday in the dead of winter, yet there’s plenty of good live music to choose from tonight.  See the lineup here.

You could be screwed

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

As of yesterday, there were only 50 tickets left to Chelsea Berry’s triumphant return to Shalin Liu with her new band, performing songs from her new CD.  And the concert is on Feb 9 (five weeks from Saturday).

Do you really want to be one of those people who clicks on this link in two weeks and screams at the computer, Oh Sh*t, it’s sold out?

Just in case you missed her opening for Chris Isaak at North Shore Music Theatre last June, here’s a taste of what you can expect next month in a much more intimate setting:

Now just because it’s cold, doesn’t mean the weekend doesn’t start on Thursday.  Good live music choices tonight.  See the complete lineup here.

 

Love Christmas music or not, lots of great live music choices in Gloucester tonight

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

Those of you who like Christmas music are in luck tonight.  Fly Amero is signing Christmas songs with his brother J.B. and Allen Estes at the Rhumbline tonight starting at 8pm.

Then catch the Local Music Seen with Allen Estes 2011 Christmas Special at 11pm on Cape Ann TV Channel 12 (originally aired last year) featuring Dan King, Daisy Nell & Capt. Stan, Ann Marie, Bradley Royds, Inge Berge, Chelsea Berry, Dave Sag, Courtney Reid and Allen’s son Dylan Estes.  Here’s a video of many of the performers singing Santa Claus is Coming to Town. (see more air times here)

Of course, there’s lots of other excellent music in town (not necessarily Christmas — see full schedule here), including Dennis Monagle with Marina Evans, Joe Cardoza and Dave Brown at Minglewood Tavern starting at 9pm.

Live blogging: Chelsea Berry on Northshore 104.9 Live @ the MAC

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

Don’t panic, we’ve figured tonight out for you

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

Raffle Prizes for the GCA FundraiserYou’re overwhelmed.  So are we.  That’s why we’ve got an itinerary that you can follow to make sure you get everything you really want to do into tonight.  It’s good practice for tomorrow (Men’s night in case you haven’t been paying attention).

For those of you who like to start early, it’s dinner at Jalapenos GCA fundraiser at 5pm.  While you’re there, enter to win some great prizes pictured to the right.  You don’t have to be present when the prizes are drawn in order to win.  Just be sure your name is on the raffle ticket.

At 6:30 catch the PART 1 premiere of Dan King on his Local Music Seen with Allen Estes farewell tribute with special guest J.B. Amero that we previewed in this post.  You can run home to catch the show, or, better yet, ask the bar manager where ever you are to turn the TV to Channel 12.

Then at 7, head over to Alchemy to see Chelsea Berry and drop off a toy for the Pathways Toy Drive.

Finish up the night at with Fly Amero and his 80s rock star guest Jon Butcher at the Rhumb Line.  Whew!

Then be sure to get plenty of rest so you can start all over tomorrow at Men’s Night.

Toys, Toys, Toys! You’ve got plenty of chances to donate toys today and tomorrow!

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

Pathways for Children Toy Drive with Chelsea BerryI know it’s a very busy time of year and there is a TON going every night (see live music schedule here) but in the midst of all the frenzy, it just feels good to give a toy to a kid in need, doesn’t it?

Tonight you can go to Alchemy tonight between 7-9, hear one of our favorite singer/songwriters Chelsea Berry and donate a toy to the Pathways Toy Drive.

And if you can’t get to that, you have all day tomorrow to drop off a toy during Bruce Tarr’s North Shore Holiday Toy Drive sponsored by North Shore 104.9 from 6am – 6pm at 10 locations (4 of them on Cape Ann).  And for those of you who are like me and just can’t get enough of Chelsea Berry, you can see her at the MAC from 2-3pm when she’s on the radio.

ToyDrive

Videos from Berklee in Gloucester on Thursday

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

Renee & Joe — just beautiful.

Those of you who were lucky enough to get tickets to see them with John Rockwell and the great Chelsea Berry tonight at Crowell Chappel are in for a real treat!

The Shills – HOT!

Great live music continues on Cape Ann tonight and tomorrow.  See the lineup here.

Our girls representing Gloucester’s great music all across the country . . .

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

Last night, Chelsea Berry played the The Bitter End, New York City’s oldest and most iconic club.  Boy that place brings back memories — I wish I had been there!

Look at her in this picture.  Even without her excellent band she still rocks!

I can hear it now.

And while Chelsea was in NYC, Marina Evans is out west.  Check out this excerpt from her latest  tour report.

The cross country tour is just about drawing to a close as we make our final journey across the southwestern desert. Since the last update from Nashville, we’ve hit Asheville, NC; Atlanta, GA; New Orleans, LA; Dallas, TX; and Socorro, NM. Whew!

So far, the longest stretch has been from west Texas to New Mexico. But not to fear: we brought a ukulele, and were therefore musically productive on the road. Here’s a little diddy from the west Texas brushlands.

Back on the home front, you can get a double dose of John Rockwell tonight.  He’s at Alchemy at 7pm and then he’s Fly Amero‘s guest at Rhumb Line at 9pm.

An excellent weekend of live music is shaping up.  See the schedule here.  But check back tomorrow because I’m sure we’ll have new stuff to post.  I really thought Vickie’s post 3 weeks ago would inspire people keep their info up to date, but they don’t, so  you’ll just have to wait.

“Careers are now in the hands of the audience,” says Bob Lefsetz. Boy, I hope you’re right, Bob. But you’re missing something BIG

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

Something big happened to the music business last week.  Mumford & Sons’ new album sold 600K+ units during its debut week, making it the “highest selling debut week for a rock album since 2008” according to Billboard — and they became the first band since the Beatles to have six singles on the Billboard top 100 chart at the same time.

Why is this such a big deal?  Well, a whole lotta reasons.  First of all they have an accordion and a  banjo, once thought the kiss of death in pop music.  Secondly, according to this article, “it also notched New York-based indie label Glassnote Records its first Billboard 200 chart-topper.”  Most importantly, even though he misses the big point, music curmudgeon Bob Lefsetz proclaims victory for music over hype in his recent post (see it here excerpts below)

… it comes down to the music. And that’s where Mumford shines.

They don’t dance. They don’t wear designer clothing. They don’t do beer commercials. They underplay and undercharge. They do everything the complainers say you cannot.

And then they blow up the chart. … It wasn’t their tweeting or social networking, it was the honesty of their music and message, in a phony world, their fans couldn’t stop spreading the word.  …

He goes on to prognosticate about the future of the music business with this bit that I find tremendously optimistic:

This is only the beginning. Careers are now in the hands of the audience. That’s who spread the word on Mumford. It wasn’t a top-down media campaign, but a grass roots thing. People bought the album because they needed to belong, it was a badge of honor.

In case you’re wondering what he’s talking about, watch this video, shot by a fan:

But later in his post, Lefsetz can’t help commenting on the state and future of music distribution (something he touches upon in nearly every post):

The big story has been that the album was available on Spotify yet still sold a ton. That’s missing the point. If you think digital sales are the future, you’re still watching TV on a cathode ray tube. It’s not only music that’s in the cloud, everything’s on demand all the time.  

If he’s right, my prediction (made last month in this post) may come to pass even sooner than I had thought.

Then his post continues with clever barbs for choice selections from the Bilboard 100, as Lefsetz lapses back into his perpetual, pessimistic, put-down rant and completely fails even to mention the real future of music: LIVE SHOWS!  That’s where the music business is really going.

Bob, you can lament all you want about the labels’ decline or the sorry state of top 40 — and you’re absolutely right.  But what IS the future?  Where’s the light?

I’ll tell you, right here.  It’s in live shows.  That’s where most musicians make their money today.  You can’t steal a show.  You can’t download it.  You can’t email it to somebody.  There’s only one way you can get the live show experience.  You just have to be there.

The  Mumford video is one example.  Here’s another one — Chelsea Berry at North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, MA on June 28, 2012.  You can hear the crowd in this one too (even though the camera was behind the last row).

Chelsea’s got it.  She excites her audience just like you say musicians have to these days.  It’s only a matter of time before you’re writing about her, Bob.

Want to see more of  her?  Check out these videos.  And while you’re at it, check out some of the other extraordinary artists who really connect with their audience up here in Gloucester MA and see where they’re playing live shows here.

One more time: Live Shows are the bright spot in the future of the music business.

Who is Yancey Strickler and why are Chelsea Berry and I so grateful to him?

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

I met Yancey Strickler in October 2009, when we were on a panel together at the CMJ Music Festival in New York City talking about the future of music.  Having been a rock critic for the past 8 years or so, Yancey described himself as the Eeyore of the music business, with gloomy predictions for it’s future.  I, on the other hand, was optimistic, pointing out that yes the music business is changing — it’s changed dramatically several times over the past 100 years.  But one thing remains constant: people love music.  We crave it.  Most of us couldn’t even imagine a world without it.  If anything, our insatiable appetite for music is on the rise.

Little did I know that Yancey’s ability to channel his pessimism would revolutionize the music business so optimists like me could once again fall in love with new music.

A few months before we met, Yancey had co-founded KickStarter, a funding platform for creative projects that helps artists like Chelsea Berry raise the money she needs to make her new record.  This new funding model has revolutionized the music business more than any other development since the dawn of the Internet.  Don’t take my word for it, see what cranky music business pundit Bob Lefsetz says about it here.

On Tuesday, something momentous happened: after a tremendous push on her part, Chelsea Berry reached her KickStarter goal (but you can still contribute and get even more good stuff for doing so — just click here).  She IS going to make that new record with her new band that all of us really want to hear.  Here’s a taste of what to expect:

Perhaps Chelsea doesn’t fully realize that she’s also helping to build a new music world where musicians and fans rule — not the multinational corporations that bought up the labels and killed the intensely creative music business we all grew up with (baby boomers, that is).

Congratulations Chelsea — and thank you!

Don’t you wish you could just go out and see Chelsea and her band tonight?  Well you can’t, but you can help the guys in Runaround celebrate some birthdays at The Rhumb Line tonight — that’ll be a rockin’ party.

Indeed, there are nine excellent live music choices tonight.  Check out all the live music in Gloucester here.

And, if you’re near a TV at 1:30pm today, catch the multi-talented Brian King on Local Music Seen with Allen Estes.  It was supposed to premiere on Wednesday on Cape Ann TV Channel 12, but technical difficulties prevented that.  You can also catch it on Sunday at 6pm.

Taking some of Gloucester’s best music to Iowa on a cloud ~ and a prediction for 2020

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

We may be somewhat old-fashioned, but we still listen to CDs for 3 major reasons:

  1. We prefer the superior sound quality
  2. We have a lot of them that we bought before MP3s were available
  3. The only iPod in our house belongs to John (I can’t stand putting anything in my ear!)

But when Vickie had to jump on a plane to Iowa suddenly last Saturday to deal with a family emergency, she felt the need to bring a taste of Gloucester with her.  So she ripped our copy of Chelsea Berry‘s CD Live in the Moment (one of Vickie’s favorites) and put it in our cloud (the Amazon cloud, that is) so she could listen to it on the plane and while in Iowa — along with lots of other music from Gloucester (see list below) and elsewhere that is already stored there.

Although we’re fans of the Joey Approved Product series, those of you who read our posts regularly know that we’ve never even mentioned a product or service that we use — until now.  This is different.  Why?  Because the cloud is changing the way we buy, store and listen to our music more than any other technology since Edison invented the phonograph.

Here’s why we like the Amazon Cloud Service:

  1. We can access our music using devices we already own, including our desktop PCs, laptop, droid phones and John’s Kindle Fire.
  2. It’s free.  Amazon has a free cloud player for the phone and a free interface for the PC.  There is a a limit to the amount of music you can store for free, but we haven’t hit that limit (remember, we still listen to CDs a lot) and music we buy from Amazon (mostly for John) doesn’t count toward that limit.
  3. All music we buy from Amazon automatically shows up in the cloud and is IMMEDIATELY accessible on all of our devices.  Here’s an example.  John and I are big Bruce Springsteen fans — and Vickie knows that.  On the day Wrecking Ball came out, she was sitting on the couch with John’s Kindle fire and said, “I just got it.” (Wrecking Ball, that is) at which point, I plugged my phone into the stereo (because I don’t put anything in my ear) and began playing it!
  4. All of us in the family can play all of the music at any time without restriction.  For example, while Vickie’s in Iowa, she can play Chelsea’s I Wonder on her phone or her mother’s computer while John plays the same song on his Kindle Fire and I play that same song on my phone hooked up to the stereo (because I don’t put anything in my ear) — all at the same time.
  5. It’s easy to rip our CDs and add them to the cloud (it took Vickie only a couple of minutes to add Chelsea’s CD to our cloud before we took her to the airport).

Some of you may know that I’ve made a number of predictions that have come to pass relative to the Internet, music, etc.  (for example, in 1998 I predicted that by 2003 every business will either have a website or wish they did).  Here’s another one: By 2020, the most common way to listen to recorded music will be to access it from a cloud server.

And here’s a partial list of local artists, whose music Vickie is playing for her family in Iowa from our cloud (in alpha order by artist last name or band name):

Fly Amero, Bandit Kings, Inge Berge, Chelsea Berry, Dennis Brennan, Cape Ann Big Band, Allen Estes, Marina Evans, Elle Gallo, Orville Giddings, Tom Hauck, Will Hunt, KBMG, Satch Kerans, Pete Lindberg, Michael O’Leary, T Max, Dennis Monagle, Ned and the Big Babies, Gary Shane, Henri Smith

Chelsea Berry Headlining Shalin Liu ~ Back by popular demand ~ The Dejas open

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

Chelsea just sent me this poster for her show on February 9, 2013 @ 8pm.

This will be Chelsea with her full band.  They rock!  Tickets are already on sale (get them here).  Don’t wait too long.  This show will sell out even more quickly than her last one.

“Oh dear, what can I do?” ~ so much happening this weekend …

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

Remember the Cowsills?  This is the tremendously talented family whose quick rise to stardom in the 1960s became the inspiration for the Partridge Family TV Show.  But there was a dark side — and they fell quickly into obscurity.
http://youtu.be/anxL-Jk3tug

On Sunday you can hear Aurelia Nelson of North Shore 104.9 interview Bob Cowsill on her show Curtain Up at 9AM on 104.9FM.  Bob speaks candidly about their life in the early days of rock n’ roll.

Then on Thursday, you can experience it all at Cape Ann Community Cinema with a screening of the new film Family Band: The Cowsills Story, plus a LIVE SET by surviving members of the band and a Q&A.  Seating is very limited so get your tickets now.

Who’s the new face of Jazz, Pop, Folk & World concerts at Shalin Liu?  It used to be Livingston Taylor.  Now it’s “our girl” (as Joey would say) Chelsea Berry!  Check out the link and see what I mean.  CONGRATULATIONS CHELSEA!

Tough Coffeehouse Choice Tomorrow.  Do you go to see Allen Estes at One World Coffeehouse or Chelsea Berry at Old Sloop Coffeehouse.  Both will be great shows!

It gets worse:  Chelsea and Allen are competing with Judy Collins at Shalin Liu and the Noise 31st Anniversary Fete at the Dog Bar.  Judy Collins is playing on Sunday too, but you have to call for ticket availability for both shows.

Plus there are lots of other excellent shows tomorrow.  See Saturday’s full music lineup here.  What do you do?  Go out tonight to one of the 10 excellent live shows and try to figure it out over a couple of drinks.  See tonight’s music lineup here.

We see a trend and we like it: competition & collaboration bolster performance

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

Talented local artists, who started out solo, are beginning to record with bands.  Here are two recent examples:

Marina Evans just released a new EP with her Glosta band featuring one of her best songs (buy it here).  Listen here:

You can see Marina tonight at the Dog Bar with the great Dave Brown.

And Chelsea Berry, who ROCKED North Shore Music Theatre on June 28  (see video below) is about to record with her new band.  She’s doing what all smart, talented independent artists do — raising money herself on KickStarter, where people donate to the project and get something when it’s done.  We donated because we can’t wait to hear her new album.  You can donate too by going here.  See Chelsea with Anna Dagmar at the Old Sloop Coffeehouse in Rockport on Saturday.

Why do we like this trend?  Because sparks of genius ignite fires of creative collaboration and competition.  Don’t you think the Beatles were better as a group than any one of them individually?  You can probably name several other examples like this.  These two elements — competition and collaboration —  inspire most performers to be, at the same time, more disciplined and more dramatic, thereby enhancing the quality and entertainment value of their performances.

Finally, there’s the fact that we love the SOUND of ensemble music, whether it’s a string quartet, rock band, big horn section or full symphony.

As Brad Byrd explains in the video below (after his solo performance), “most every song can use a little something .. to give the listener a little ear candy … to make the song fully realized …”  Hear the fully realized version Zero to the 101 here.

Remember, it’s still summer and Rocky Neck Art Colony presents their final Nights on the Neck tonight with live music at seven locations from 5-9:30pm.  Plus there are six indoor venues with live music tonight as well.  See the full live music lineup here.

Joey may wanna kill me, but . . .

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

I have to say that, certainly from musical perspective, today’s Festival By The Sea in Manchester is the place to be.  [just a little back-peddling, here] Now that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go to the Sidewalk Bazaar in the morning.  And if you’ve taken my advice (given here) you went on Thursday too.  But I gotta hand it to Festival By The Sea Music Director Chris Langathianos.  He put together a DYNAMITE LINEUP headlined by one of my favorite artists: Chelsea Berry with her HOT new band!  Just in case you missed them at North Shore Music Theatre, watch the video below and then tell me you’d rather be anywhere other than Masconomo Park at 6 tonight — REALLY?

And for later tonight you’ve got another 15 artists and Cape Ann venues to choose from.  WOW! See the full live music lineup here.