The music scene.

The prevailing opinion among those I talk to about it is that the music scene here in NH is pretty nonexistent. I submit that the scene is what we make it. We have our share of musicians, and no lack of places to be heard, and even plenty of people who want to listen. The problem is, each of the three (musicians, venues, patrons) generally wants the 'scene' to be kickstarted by the ambitions of the other two.

There are exceptions on all three counts, and these are the trailblazers that are making the scene what they want it to be. Some examples:

Musicians - Linden Mazurka has been working hard for 2+ years, hosting an originals-only open mic in Meredith NH. Sky King hosts an open mic in Warren, and writes the Mountain Beat article for the Northcountry News, reviewing music and interviewing musicians here in the North Country (for which he is not compensated, to my knowledge).

Venues - Tony's Italian Grill in Thornton NH hit the ground running as a great venue for original performers. Giuseppe's in Meredith and the Sunset Grill in Campton have had open mic nights every week for as long as I can remember. Each of these venues recognizes the importance of regularly scheduled entertainment that people can count on.

Patrons - Speaking from my own experience, there are a few locals who really enjoy live music and can almost always be seen at my shows. They come out to have a good time, and they buy food and drink while they are there. (A personal shout out here to Mike B and Sara, Susan, Raf, Sabre, Harry, and everyone who goes out of their way to hear me do my thing. Thank you all so much.)

Each of these lists can go on, for sure. But the point is, we are the scene, and the scene is us. Let's not waste time wishing things were different or easier, and get to the business of being awesome.

Song Spotlight: The Blitz

The scene is a moderately busy city street. A small group of men huddle together against the cold and spontaneously break into song, offering the tale of an ex-footballer and his struggles with addiction at the end of his storied career. The motivation behind this song? NO IDEA WHATSOEVER. Except for the fact that I was in the Nur Ein songwriting competition, and the song title came up, and I felt like doing some a capella. And somehow, the bizarre content/setting/delivery combine to make something with an undeniable truth to it, at least to me anyway. It's too weird to not believe it.


The Blitz

If I saw you today I don't know what I would say
Because I don't like the way you live now
You're not completely to blame 'cause it's the fault of the game
And I know nothing's the same once you're out

You were the heart of the line in 1979
Before you ruptured your spine blocking down
There's more than one quarterback who never saw the attack
Until he's flat on his back wondering how

You made a business of fear for your entire career
When you would blitz from the rear and take 'em down
But soon enough came the day you couldn't play through the pain
You had to give up the game and walk out

It didn't take very long for you to see what was wrong
With all this freedom you suddenly found
You lost the glory and fame that goes with playing the game
And it's just you and the pain hangin' 'round

So pretty soon you will meet another man on the street
Who spends exactly an hour in town
You may have damaged your rep, and yeah you lost half a step
But when you want to you still get around


This song (and all the songs from Onward To Yesterday) can be heard on the 'mp3' page on this site.

Live at Woodstock Station.

Tonight I'll be at the Woodstock Inn Station & Brewery in North Woodstock NH. I'm playing a solo show at 8:30pm, and I intend to webcast the show here at jimtyrrell.net. You can watch it on the 'video' page. Or you can come up to North Woodstock and have one of their fine beers and see the whole thing in person. That'd work just fine too.

In other news, I was interviewed recently by a NH paper called The Northcountry News, and the article will appear in this week's issue. This can also be read online, and I'll post a link when it's available.

What's new?

Man. What a summer! And things aren't about to slow down too much in September. Let's recap a few of the more notable events:

• I played the Margate Beach Bar twice a week through July and August.

• I played more than 50 shows in those two months, all right here in New Hampshire.

• I did a live radio segment on The Planet (WPNH 100.1FM).

• I met REO Speedwagon at Meadowbrook US Cellular Pavilion.

• I played at a midsummer Mardi Gras party that I can't even show you any photos of.

• I fit in a mini-vacation at York Beach.

• I walked up the train tracks to Livermore Falls and tubed home.

• I took the boys to Six Gun City for Shannon's birthday.

• My web site went down because the traffic allowance was exceeded for the first time ever. Thanks for listening, gang!

That's what comes to mind, but lots of other stuff happened too. Now I'm back at the day job, and playing shows at night and on the weekends. Someday I'll be able to be a full-time musician. Next year, maybe? Until then, I'm gonna keep plugging away. You can help by coming out to a show! The next one is this Thursday at the Woodstock Station. If you can't make it to North Woodstock, you can watch the show online (on the Video page on this site).

Song Spotlight: Sister Cocaine

A few years ago I was playing a show with Chris Downing at Clarkson University. A girl came up between songs and asked me to guess her name. What? I said I didn't know, and she said "Crystal Cocaine". Of course, I made her prove it, and she showed me her ID. Sure enough, that's her name (spelled a little differently, but still).

Some time after that, I found myself in an online songwriting competition called Nur Ein. The song title Sister Cocaine came up, and having only five days to write and record a song, I penned a fanciful story of the difficulties that such a name might present. The version of the song on the Onward To Yesterday CD is a slightly reworked (and remastered) version of that original demo.


Sister Cocaine

I knew a girl named Crystal Cocaine back in school
And I remember thinking her name was pretty cool
But twenty years of jokes and jeers had left her offended
And she thought that getting married was a good way to end it

She wasn't very choosy when she found a fiancee
He left her for a floozy who was built like Beyonce
Another year alone and she had finally decided
Her name was all she owned and she was foolish to hide it

But with a name like Crystal Cocaine
She aimed to live a life of humiliation and pain
No matter what she did or what she'd say
All that they'd remember was her name

She told her priest her sorrow was as deep as the ocean
He suggested that she follow a life of devotion
A better way was waiting there for Crystal to grab it
'Cause maybe all she needed was to take up a habit

So she hid away her beauty like a pearl in an oyster
And she did her sacred duty with the girls in the cloister
Soon it came time for her to do her missionary service
Even though the Reverend Mother was admittedly nervous

'Cause with a name like Sister Cocaine
She aimed to bring the nunnery nothing but shame
She could save a hundred sould but at the end of the day
All that they would ever remember was her name
No matter what she did or what she'd say
All that they'd remember was her name

(instr.)

'Cause with a name like Sister Cocaine
She aimed to bring the congregation nothing but shame
No matter what she did or what she'd say
All that they'd remember was her name

This song (and all the others on Onward To Yesterday) can be heard on the mp3 page on this site.

Summer Tour.

And away we go! I've left the day job behind for the next eight weeks, and I'm playing at least 5 shows a week for the summer. Tonight is a No Limitz show at the Totem Pole Campground. Tomorrow is the first of the beach bar shows at The Margate in Laconia. Check the Shows page for the full schedule. See you on the road!

Tony's tonight.

I'm playing at Tony's in Thornton tonight! The show starts at 6:30pm. The internet connection up there is kind of spotty, but I'm going to try to webcast the show. Check the Video page for the live stream, hopefully starting sometime around 6.

Today was my last day at the day job for eight weeks. I'm going to be a working musician for the summer and that's it. Maybe someday I'll be able to pull it off year-round. :)