Michael Cleary Band: Blog

Time flies when your having fun....
 Our 20th year passes but we've accomplished much all while having a blast. From the massive crowds at Wadsworth Mansion and Jonathan Edwards Winery, to the groovy festivals like Strangecreek and The Daffodil Fest. The private parties, benefits and tons of clubs; Jakes, The Main Pub, Black Eyed Sallys, Donahues, The Winchester and Theodores, just to name a few.
 Somehow, along the way, we managed to record and release our 5th cd "MCB Five". We consider this our finest album to date and poured our heart and soul into the making of it. The story of this cd is deserving of its own blog so keep an eye out for that. We look forward to seeing you at the cd release party on New Years Eve at The Main Pub.
 All of these happenings could not be possible without the efforts and support of friends and family. We would also like to recognize some of the people behind the scenes, our booking agents; Cubed Squared and Wendy Gnaidy of BGM Artists, [...]

"Strange days indeed, most peculiar mama". Well, nothing peculiar at all if you're an old hippie or a young modern day hipster who enjoys a good outdoor music festival.
After not having seen MCB in several months, I recently wandered into the Strange Creek Festival in Greenfield, Mass on May 28th to check them out.  Not only was I able to see the band but was also able to see  "The Face of Today's Hippie".
After a truck drive and a walk through the woods with the gear, the band hit the stage amongst tent city and came out of the gate strong playing a solid hour long set. Following a very good performance from the band that played before them, Mike started out the set with something familiar to the crowd, a Trey tune, “Alive Again”. Mike's superlative guitar playing drew people in from afar, so I was told from people in attendance, to hear the groovy sounds.
With a crowd gathering and not one afraid to take chances, Mike had the band [...]

It's Springtime so just as good a time as any for a winter recap of MCB shows. MCB managed to make it through without having to cancel any gigs! We had a close call the night of JD Coopers with a brief ice storm but we survived. We had a great gig at Jakes in December as well as a couple of stops before and after New Years Eve at Donahues. Speaking of New Years Eve, this year we played at Sues Soiree held at the Artspace in Hartford. This turned out to be an amazing party and was topped off by a briiliant fireworks display at midnight. MCB also had a great show at The Hungry Tiger on MC's birthday in February. In between gigs we managed to knock out 9 tunes in the studio and we are in the process of finishing them up and mixing at this moment. We have been posting new tracks on our music page so check them out here. 
http://www.michaelclearyband.com/music.html Below we've posted some clips for your enjoyment from some of the shows this winter


And we came across this one which does [...]

MC here, filling in briefly for Jonny Gates in the Blogosphere to recap our last few gigs.
 We made a stop at Jakes in Wallingford on October 23rd to a fantastic crowd who was treated to our mini psychedelic light show. We like to utilize their built in projector and screen which sits behind the band and is perfect for this type of setup. Tony, the friendly gent who books us there, commented that "you guys do it right with your whole show" at the end of the night. Our friend Jim Mingo brought in his PA with his new Presonus board and powered QSC Speakers and had the sound pumping steadily all night. Shout outs go to Dave Brewer, Anne Marie Cannata, Lori Esposito, Dave Alston, Lisa Ramsey Hollenbeck and Mike Lapitino from WPLR. It was great to see all of you guys as well as the whole crowd at Jakes who made it a memorable night.

 On October 30 mcb traveled down to Donahues in Madison for a wild and crazy Halloween party. The band got dressed up in a varied assortment of costumes [...]

  For the second time MCB had the pleasure of performing on the WFSB local television show "Better Connecticut".
  After cutting our teeth with our first appearance on the show 2 years ago, this second time round went very smooth. The only thing that wasn't smooth was having to be at the studio at 7:30 AM.  A bit earlier than the band is used to performing. Thanks to the help of Dave, Rich, and Darryl, the production crew, we were able to set up our gear, do a sound check, and easily be ready for taping at 9:30. These guys were great to work with. They have a good demeanor and really put the guys at ease joking around with them while maintaining their professionalism.
And that goes a long way cuz let's face it not everyone is used to appearing on TV, and most people, who don't appear regularly or who never have, are usually a bit nervous and anxious. I myself detected not a bit of nervousness with any of the band members. [...]