Michael Cleary Band: Blog

This last Saturday, due to a cancellation by a band previously scheduled to perform there, we were given the call by the owner, James Verano, to fill that date. With that night open on our calender we gladly accepted.

 

 

     For those of you who don't know Black-Eyed Sally's, let me briefly state, it is the best live music club in Hartford that features a great Cajun themed menu with plenty of dining space, a spacious stage for the band and a very adequate dance floor. Upon arriving to set up our gear the dining tables were filled with eager diners and fans most of whom stayed for the evening.

     To get the party started the band kicked it off with a nice slow groove, "Fell in Love With A Girl", by the White Stripes via Joss Stone, now re-grooved by MCB with drummer Edmund Peart taking the lead vocal.

The band worked through the first few songs that featured Burn Brite, When you Get Back, Free JB, among others, with the crowd initially being a bit reluctant to take the dance floor, that is, until Edmund made the call.

   Before starting James Brown's, "Sex Machine", Edmund told the crowd that it was time to get their funky selves out on the floor. Heeding the call, that is precisely what they did, filling the floor, unlocking the the energy and releasing the flow for all. The party was on with the gang from Susie's Soiree's boogieing down and taking the charge.

   Another great group of girls dancing was the girl who was wearing blue, complete with blue tiara, along with her three friends. When I spoke with them at the break I thought I was in a scene out of a Ben Stiller movie. I went to their table, stood before them seated and asked if they were digging the band, which they were, if they had seen MCB before, which they hadn't. I said to the girl in blue that I really dug her funky look and she replied to me by saying that she and her friends were having a pre-wedding party and that she herself was the bride to be. Upon saying that she whipped out a T-shirt that she had neatly folded into a square displaying the front image of a five-year old boy with the name Adam below it and followed with, "This is the guy I'm marrying !

It was cute, yeah I got it, it was a picture of her future husband when he was five.

 

 

  A pleasant surprise for the band and the fans that night was a visit by our old friend and former member of MCB, saxophone player, Chip Fenney. Chip sat in with the fellas at the end of the first set for a trio of funk tunes and provided us with some smokin' Sax playin' taking the band to an amazing peak on "What is Hip".

Thanks Chip !

 

  

 After a short break the band started back up and soon after, the people followed,

filling the floor back up to dance. Two songs into the second set while the band was in full swing 

our keyboardist, Vin DeLaria,  was overcome with a wave of heat exhaustion and dehydration.

Vin had to stop playing and take the rest of the night off. The band stopped to assess the situation and realizing that Vin wouldn't be able to go on had to make the decision to play on or not. That decision was quickly made when one fan asked if we were going to continue playing. To which Mike replied, "Yes". 

   Shaking off that uneasy moment, still worried about the well being of Vin, the band picked up their instruments  and played out the rest of the night. Things were a bit shaky for the crowd as well but people soon went back out to dance resuming their fun. Edmund, being our spiritual undertow of the evening, made the call for me to get out on the floor to do my thing. When the man calls, you can't let him down, you just got to go !

  At the closing, with an empty seat at the keys, Mike went over to the piano and lead the band through, a first, a version of Tom Petty's "Breakdown". It was a fun and strange ending to a fun and strange night. 

 

 

 

 On a blue note, during the evening Edmund dedicated "What's Goin On " to the victims of the recent shooting in Manchester, Ct.  Our condolences and sympathy go out to the survivors and victim's relatives as well.

 

  The shout outs;  To Lisa K and Sue D, Leah and Adriano, Jane and Joyce,

 Beth, the girl in blue, and Adam may you have a wonderful life together,

 and the lovely and talented Jen Lowe !

 

 Oh, Vin's fine recuperating at home, come on out to the Wadsworth Mansion this Wednesday evening

 and help us welcome him back !

 

  Thus ends another memorable night in the now chronicled escapades of MCB via the Jonny Gates Frequency

 

    Stay tuned,    Jonny Gates