It's Such a Paul Thing To Do..............

Mick's Pick of the Week, Volume I Lost Count

Stevie.....

The Mighty Mystics Hit The Spot!!

The road took me to Providence, Rhode Island to a hidden gem called The Spot Underground.  I'd seen this venue advertised in various places and I'd been wanting to check it out for a while.  This place breathes creativity and it's got to be one of my favorite venues yet.  

The unassuming exterior of this place gives nothing away to what you'll find through that front door.  

Not only does The Spot have music 7 days a week, they also exhibit art from local talents.  The art is not confined to canvas, it takes various forms and you'll see it on the walls, behind the bar, hanging from the ceiling--pretty much everywhere you look.

When you walk in, you pay the expected cover and make your way toward the stage.  There are multiple floor levels (not multiple floors, but floor levels--stairs, ramps, etc) and you are underground so you get that speakeasy feel that is brought current through the artistic expression that is virtually everywhere you look.  There's a dance floor and several lounging "nooks" with comfortable seating of various types..........

This is my kind of place.  The picture is a bit deceiving.  We got there early so the crowd was just starting to fill in.  Believe me, they can pack 'em in this place, and they do!

Top billing this night went to The Mighty Mystics, a reggae band with an all-original set list.  

By the way, that's the thing that makes The Spot such a gem.  If you want to play there (and believe me, if you are a worthy musician, you do) you've got to play all original music.  Cover bands and tribute bands need not apply.  All genres welcome.

Personally, I'm not a reggae follower but I like my island music at the right time and place.  These guys were good and I was swayin' and head boppin' with the rest of  'em.  They drew a crowd and obviously had a following.  Unlike a night of metal, the atmosphere was just all so easy. I was in the mood for easy and The Mighty Mystics delivered!

The Mighty Mystics.........

This was an all around A+ evening and I can't wait to visit this musical haven again soon!!  As for the music, The Mighty Mystics are rockstars!!

See you at the next show!

Seeing Red in Rockport

This is a departure from the expected rock'n roll blog you are all used to by now.  I thought I needed to spread my wings a bit and what better way to venture out into new territory than to take some advice from my Dad.

Like most little girls, Dad was my very first Rockstar!  He was, and still is, handsome, funny and extremely musically inclined.  He's self-taught on the guitar and has a great singing voice to go along with his finger pickin' skills.   He's been in bands and done his share of singing with a variety of groups so his ability to harmonize is spot on.  Like I said, he's a Rockstar!!  His musical tastes span a variety of genres so when a band or group peeks his interest I sit up and take notice.

Dad loves Red Molly.  I love Red Molly.  Everybody who hears Red Molly, loves Red Molly!!  Dad was first introduced to the trio at "Merlefest", a music festival he travelled to somewhere deep in the heart of the grits-eatin' south.  There were a variety of country, folk and americana type bands at the festival but Dad came home singing the praises of Red Molly and he's been a "Red Head" ever since.  

Red Molly came to Rockport in 2011 and again in 2012 and played up at the Old Sloop Coffee House to a packed house on both occasions.  I was lucky enough to be in attendance at both shows but I'll never forget the first time I saw them.  When those lights came up and Red Molly made their way to the stage, I literally heard the angels sing! 

There's never any shortage of applause and the performances are always harmonic perfection.  After the shows, Laurie, Abbie and Molly always make their way into the crowd for animated conversation and fun fan photos.  They love their fans and they always oblige.

The trio includes Laurie MacAllister.....

Abbie Gardner....

and Molly Venter....

There is always a table set up outside the show.  They have several CD's, both solo albums and as a group.  There are bumper stickers for sale and t-shirts too. I own several of their cd's and you won't go wrong with any of them.  Red Molly has a special pricing structure that is definitely fan-friendly so get yourself to a show and stock up for Christmas!

The ladies of Red Molly are Rockstars in my book!!!  
See you at the next show!

Karen Grenier Takes to the Sea

It's been a while folks and for that I am infinitely sorry.  Things have been a little crazy, life gets in the way and at the end of the day I'm 3+ blogs in the hole (or maybe 4,5 or 6, I lost count).  Time to dig out and there's no time like the present.  It's 1:21am and I'm a bit bleary-eyed so forgive the inevitable typo or two.


So as I was saying, life gets in the way.  I know I'm not alone when I say there's just too much to do and not enough time to do it in.  It's all I can do to get out and see a band from time to time and maybe, if I'm lucky, snap a shot or two. Finding the time to get the pics out of the camera has been a challenge let alone finding a spare moment to actually gather cohesive thoughts and write a blog!  Surefire medicine is a little piece of home.


Karen Grenier is, quite literally, a little piece of home.  She and I grew up in the same town, graduated from the same high school and knew each other back in the day.  Karen always had a smile on her face, a spring in her step and, as I recall, was well liked by all.  She left home for bigger and better things and, coincidentally, so did I.  When I heard that she'd be playing at a beautiful inn just steps from my front door, I knew I couldn't miss it!

The Seaward Inn

The view is phenomenal...........

The Seaward Inn serves a great brunch and the food was amazing..............

A scenic venue, scrumptious food and perfect melodies executed by Karen Grenier made for a great Sunday afternoon!

Karen played a beautiful mix of traditional folk/americana music and some originals as well.  It was a joy to listen to.  If you get the chance to see her out, its well worth the trip.  She's on tour right now but she'll be gracing New England once again so be sure and catch her when you can!


See you at the show!

Mick's Pick of the Week, Volume Whatever

Rock Steady at City Oasis

A few weeks back I packed up my camera and hit the road once again.  Destination?  City Oasis in Norton, MA.  Band du jour?  Rock Steady, a popular Boston area Bad Company Tribute Band.  I've got to laugh at the blunder I made on the way out there. First of all,  I was accompanied on this road trip and I think that was my first mistake.  Usually I fly solo to these gigs because I like to just mill about the venue taking pictures and because of that I'm really not all that great of a date when I shoot.  There's no socializing in it for me, that's not what I'm there for.  I concentrate, I take pictures and that's it.  Anyway, I had my husband with me and he was driving.  He was driving so I wasn't paying attention and....well...yes, so I told him Newton instead of Norton and the rest is history.  What should have been about an hour and a half turned into an over 2 hours commute out to the venue.  Oh well!!  It was all worthwhile in the end as the Oasis came into view...........

City Oasis

Let me get right to the point.  I absolutely loved this venue.  What a great spot to see a show.  First off, it's clean and appears to be well run.  Its roomy on the inside, has a good sized stage,  pool tables,  a couple of different bars and a good sized dance floor.  There's plenty of parking and its relatively easy to get to (as long as you set the GPS to Norton and not Newton).  All in all, a great place to hang out.  What's odd though is that there wasn't a big crowd and I can't figure out why.  

I made the trip out there to catch Rock Steady.  I'd been keeping tabs on them for a while but my calendar was always full when they were playing and this is the first opportunity I had get out and take a listen.  

Rock Steady

They played all the fan favorites, the crowd seemed to enjoy it and all in all I had a good night.  At posting time (that would be right now), I couldn't locate the names of the band members so I'll have to update the blog later.  For now, you get the pics............

Last but not least, the bonus B&W............

Rock on peeps!! See you at the next show!!