I Hate Music
Okay, I don't really hate music. But I have no objectivity or prespective any more when it comes to music, especially contemporary popular music. My neighbor asked me to listen to his friend and protege's latest effort. The act is a duo called Master McCarthy, and my neighbor, who is a veteran engineer/producer, produced and engineered the sessions. I know the McCarthy half of the duo, and he's a good guy and seems really smart and thoughtful, but I'd never heard him sing and play. Anyway, I listened to the four songs on their MySpace site, and I just don't know what to say. I think it sounds great. It's obviously very well performed, recorded, and produced. They had some top-notch session players record the songs (who are all old enough to be Master and McCarthy's fathers), and the singers' voices blend really well. I've always been dubious about pairs of singers who claim to have that special, unique blend with each other, but these guys do sing well together. But I don't know what to say about the songs themselves. As a musician and former studio guy, I hear things I don't like, but I don't know if any of that makes any difference. And I know I can't just plug into what a listener half my age would plug into and just hear and appreciate the music as a music lover and/or potential fan. I'm way too jaded and cynical. Are these guys great? I don't know. I don't hate it. I don't think it sucks.
Mrs. shnooky and I have launched a new dogwalking/petsitting business (but that's another blog post). Anyway, I walk a dog for a lady who lives in a retirement apartment building about a block away, and in the lobby of this building is a beautiful grand piano. The lady whose dog I walk gave me the name and number of the activities director of the place, so I called her and told her I'd like to come play for her. Apparently, they have a regular schedule of people who come in and play for the old folks there. So she set up an informal audition where I'd play from 4:30 to 5:00 just as the folks were filing in to go to dinner. Well, I arrived at 4:30, and the damn lobby was jammed standing-room-only with about 30 or 40 old folks there to hear me play. I threw some Gershwin at 'em, some "Danny Boy," and some show tunes. I even sang a few songs, because I think some of the other acts who play there do sing-along stuff. Well, they seemed to like it, though the activities director lady told me later to just stick to playing the piano and not to sing any more (fine with me), and they're going to add me to their regular rotation of piano players. She already asked me to come in and substitute for one of their regulars who called in sick, but I don't have an hour's worth of material prepared yet. I'm going to learn some more standards, some Jerome Kern and Cole Porter, etc. My first official gig there is on October 1. There are quite a few retirement homes in the 'hood. This could be a whole new career for the shnookster.
In the park where I walk this lady's dog, there is a guy who comes every day and sets up his music stand and his music and plays his cheap guitar and sings simple, dumb songs there in the park. Some day I'm going to show up with my accordion and ask the guy if I can sit in with him. He usually has another guy who sings with him, and I think it might be fun to join in for a few numbers. Any chance to play the old accordion, I say.
So check out Master-McCarthy or Master/McCarthy or mastermccarthy or however the hell you write it, and let me know what you think. I sure don't know what to think.
Mrs. shnooky and I have launched a new dogwalking/petsitting business (but that's another blog post). Anyway, I walk a dog for a lady who lives in a retirement apartment building about a block away, and in the lobby of this building is a beautiful grand piano. The lady whose dog I walk gave me the name and number of the activities director of the place, so I called her and told her I'd like to come play for her. Apparently, they have a regular schedule of people who come in and play for the old folks there. So she set up an informal audition where I'd play from 4:30 to 5:00 just as the folks were filing in to go to dinner. Well, I arrived at 4:30, and the damn lobby was jammed standing-room-only with about 30 or 40 old folks there to hear me play. I threw some Gershwin at 'em, some "Danny Boy," and some show tunes. I even sang a few songs, because I think some of the other acts who play there do sing-along stuff. Well, they seemed to like it, though the activities director lady told me later to just stick to playing the piano and not to sing any more (fine with me), and they're going to add me to their regular rotation of piano players. She already asked me to come in and substitute for one of their regulars who called in sick, but I don't have an hour's worth of material prepared yet. I'm going to learn some more standards, some Jerome Kern and Cole Porter, etc. My first official gig there is on October 1. There are quite a few retirement homes in the 'hood. This could be a whole new career for the shnookster.
In the park where I walk this lady's dog, there is a guy who comes every day and sets up his music stand and his music and plays his cheap guitar and sings simple, dumb songs there in the park. Some day I'm going to show up with my accordion and ask the guy if I can sit in with him. He usually has another guy who sings with him, and I think it might be fun to join in for a few numbers. Any chance to play the old accordion, I say.
So check out Master-McCarthy or Master/McCarthy or mastermccarthy or however the hell you write it, and let me know what you think. I sure don't know what to think.
posted by Shnookylangston at 9:15 PM
2 Comments:
So, I think the best I can figure is that they're an "if you like that kind of stuff" kind of band. It's good, it's laid back, like you said, it's all there technically. I think that the Guster comparison in their "sounds like" column fits the bill for me.
Personally? It's a little too soft for me. But is there a niche for it? Sure, I think so.
It took me a moment to get used to their voices, but they're alright.
I thought "The Fire" was the best of the 4 songs in terms of sound and lyrics.
I wouldn't say they sound like the Beatles or Simon and Garfunkel, but they seem to have potential. I think I'd need to hear how they are after a year or so.
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