WEEKLY UPDATE FOR OUR MUSIC FANS!

As I sit here on our back porch savoring some moments from this past weekend, all I can say is I hope the weekend was an indication of what the rest of 2019 will bring. We played a show, hosted an open mic, and hosted a concert for Warren Paul, a singer/songwriter who regularly appears in our concert series. These events went very well, and we owe a big thanks to all of you who came out to support them! So, THANK YOU!!!
Most bar and restaurant owners bring in music to enhance the atmosphere of their place during a happy hour, and the patrons merely have one ear on the music and the other on the conversations they are having with their friends. This is usually what happens at Rylie j’s, but this past Friday, however, there was a moment in our show when Siobhan, Perry Cleaveland, and I realized a portion of the crowd was turning both ears on our tunes, and they were getting into our music. Our band, which, by the way, never really has a set list carved in stone, seized this moment and began to select songs to draw the crowd in even more. People were dancing, and those who weren’t were watching the dancers. Everyone was just having a real good time, and I love when our band can make this happen. Thanks to Perry Cleaveland for helping us select the right songs for this moment and ignite the crowd with his electric mandolin and fiddle! Thanks to Pat and Amy McGhan, the owners, for being so supportive of our music for many, many years! Thanks to Roachie, who bartends and works the crowd like he is coaching a football team! Finally thanks to all of you who were there! We had a blast!
On our regular web site, there is along-winded bio of Meyer and McGuire. You can check it out right here. It starts out in 1970 when Gene Warfel, a friend of mine from Saugerties, NY, started teaching me to play guitar. After I learned those famous “Three Chords,” I began to sing. I developed an ability to remember lyrics and was given the job of passing around leads to Gene and his brothers whenever we would jam in the living room of the Warfel Family. I loved doing this, and I still love doing it. I was able to do it this past Saturday night when Siobhan and I hosted the open mic at Brew and Brats. We had a terrific group of players, and at the end of the night, John Denniston (mandolin) and Tom MacAllister (spoons) joined Siobhan and me to close out the night. Passing leads to John and Tom brought me back to that living room I once played in nearly fifty years ago, and it seemed like yesterday. The magic was still there and I once again savored the moment as I always do when this happens. Thanks to the following players who contributed to this wonderful evening at Brew and Brats: Mike Joseph, Harry Lancaster, Jack Jones, John Dennisston, Tom MacAllister, and Ed Loesch! Thanks to John and Katie Brahm and John and Sherry French for creating such a terrific venue! Thanks to Edgar Brown and the rest of the staff for all the help they give us when we are at Brew and Brats! Finally, thanks to all of you who were there to be part of a splendid evening!
Siobhan and I kicked off the eighth year of hosting our concert series for songwriters at Rio Tomatlan this past Sunday. The series started in 2012 at Buffalo Bill’s in Shortsville, NY, and it moved to Rio Tomatlan in 2018 after the retirement of Bill and Robin Mallwitz, the owners of Buffalo Bill’s. Warren Paul, a terrific singer/songwriter and guitar player, was our guest, and he delivered a fantastic show. His humorous and sensitive lyrics, many of which reflected his joy for the simplicity of living in and enjoying country life, were accompanied by his awesome voice and outstanding guitar playing. Since words are my pictures, there is no reason to explain why I savor the moments when our songwriters are on stage. Maria Gillard, Scott Regan, Keith Baker, and John Denniston, musicians, who appear in our series, were there to support Warren, and I really love seeing musicians supporting other musicians. You see, this venue we created is something special for us. It’s not just another gig. It’s a platform for musicians to test the waters with their creativity, and I love when other musicians realize what we are trying to do. Big thanks to Warren Paul for a great show! Big thanks to Raf, Erin, Teresa, Chris, Brittany, Trevor, Gabe, Julie, Amy, and the rest of the staff at Rio for all the help they give us when we are putting on these concerts! Big thanks to Scott Regan for promoting our shows on WRUR’s “Open Tunings!” Finally, Big thanks to all who came to Warren’s show! You have no idea how much we really appreciate it!
Ok, enough rambling for tonight! Still reading? If so, thanks for being in our lives and sit back and savor some moments of your own! It will make a difference!