JoeMcGinty.com

Stew at Alice Tully Hall

I was honored to play in the all-new Alice Tully Hall with Stew last Friday night. There's a good review in the Times here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/09/arts/music/09stew.html

 

Unfortunately, I'm on stage right...

Happy Birthday, Jean-Jacques Perrey

Today (January 20) is legendary Moog pioneer Jean-Jacques Perrey's 80th birthday. Perrey made groundbreaking Moog records in the 60s, "The Amazing New Electronic Pop Sound of Jean-Jacques Perrey" and (with Gershon Kingsley) "The In Sound From Way Out" and "Kaleidoscopic Vibrations". He was a huge influence on me, particularly my "Space Nutz" project (see previous post). At 80, he's still going strong. Here's a brand new video from his current CD (with Dana Countryman), "The Happy Electropop Music Machine" (it features my keytar!):

I was honored to be the support act for Jean-Jacques Perrey's recent NYC gig. As a surprise we worked up a version of his "Moog Indigo". Here's a brief clip from rehearsal (I had a 2 measure rest--I grabbed the camera):

And footage from the actual performance at Le Poisson Rouge:

Featuring Circuit Parade: Mike McGinnis, Leon Dewan, Eleanor Norton with guests Natalie Weiss (Unicornicopia), Dave Amels, and Dorit Chrysler.

Nada Surf "Whose Authority" On Conan O'Brien

I'm playing the B3 in the background...

Circuit Parade In The Studio

  Circuit Parade 
  Originally uploaded by Brooklyn Hilary

Here are some photos of Circuit Parade recording the debut CD at Trout Recording, Brooklyn, NY. Also, some potential photos for the CD. Photos by Hilary McHone.

Click here to see the full set.

Million Dollar Mermaid Video

Here's the video for Million Dollar Mermaid, my tribute to Coney Island. It was shot and directed by my cousin, Ed McGinty. Music by my band, Circuit Parade. You can download this song for .99 at www.myspace.com/circuitparade

Million Dollar Mermaid

  Mermaid Festivities 
  Originally uploaded by Brooklyn Hilary

Here is a new song I've written, Million Dollar Mermaid, which pays tribute to Coney Island and the Mermaid Parade. Big changes are in store for Coney Island, and I wanted to capture my favorite memories in song.
Listen To Million Dollar Mermaid

Circuit Parade features myself, Mike McGinnis on bass clarinet, Leon Dewan on Dewanatron and Julia Kent on the cello. With special guests Steve Calhoon and Joe Cripps on percussion. Mixed by Bryce Goggin.
Oh, and by the way, we're playing at Pete's Candy Store on Wednesday June 27 at 11 PM!

Whitest Kids U Know

The Whitest Kids U Know is a new sketch comedy show on Fuse that airs Tuesday nights at 11 PM. Craig Wedren wrote & sang the theme song, and I produced and arranged it. For more info about The Whitest Kids U Know, check out www.whitestkids.com/

Click here to listen to the Whitest Kids U Know Theme

Hall And Oates at the Borgata, Atlantic City, NJ

Thanks to my friend Cathy at CAA, and my friend Lorenza, currently playing violin with H & O, I was able to get tix and backstage passes to Saturday night's show at the Borgata. I needed an excuse to go home and visit the family, and with the Hall & Oates Loser's Lounge a few weeks away, the timing was just perfect. The Borgata Event Center is a huge room: 2400 capacity, and they sold out 2 nights. Even though casino shows are padded with package deals and comps for high rollers, etc. this seemed like a crowd of true Hall & Oates fans. Including this duo:

And this couple:

There were two other couples in their group with “Sara” and “Smile” and “Private” and “Eyes”. So cute! It made me wonder if they were some sort of Hall & Oates-themed swingers group (“No I wore the mustache last time, it’s your turn!”)

My brother Tom and I walked in and they were playing “Maneater” to a surprisingly over-enthusiastic crowd. These shows are “all-request”, so audience members enthusiastically hold up banners, hoping the band will play their favorite song (if the band knows it). According to Lorenza they know 30 songs, and they literally do have to jump to whichever song the band calls out, which keeps things exciting. Most of the signs were not too adventurous—nothing from “Sacred Songs” or “War Babies”, though someone actually went to the trouble to make a “Free Bird” sign—couldn’t security have confiscated that one? There was a sign for “Have I Been Away Too Long”, which would have been great, but Lorenza told me that it wasn’t in the repetoire.

Daryl’s voice was in top form (“Me & Mrs. Jones”—BAM!), and the band, featuring long-time saxophonist Charlie DeChant, and T-Bone Wolk (now on guitar) was super-tight.  The string section added a nice touch, sometimes covering synth parts. Who ever heard of string players putting synth players out of work?

Highlights included a piano-and-strings arrangement of “Wait For Me” and deep cuts like “Las Vegas Turnaround” and “How Does It Feel To Be Back”. “Sara Smile” and “She’s Gone” sounded just great. All in all, a great show, except when they played some “newer stuff”, which lost me for a bit.“I Can’t Go For That” was their opportunity to “stretch out”. Charlie DeChant did some nice sax work, but it just went on for too long. No “It’s  A Laugh”, which they sometimes play (I shoulda brought a sign), and no “Rich Girl” (Daryl doesn’t like performing it because it’s “too negative”). They finished with a cover of “What’s Goin’ On”, to which Daryl decreed, “every band must do this song, every night”. A great song, indeed, but I’m not sure if that’s such a good idea really.

Obviously some major hit songs were missing, so the first encore consisted of “Out Of Touch” and “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling” (Honestly, I could’ve done without the covers). And then they came out once again for, of course, “Kiss On My List” and “Private Eyes”.

After the show, I met my friend Lorenza (violinist to the stars) in the “strings” dressing room. Everybody felt that it was the best show, musically, and audience-wise. It was the last show on the 8 show mini-tour. Most of the band members came in to say the loved having the strings and want to include them for more shows in the future. No Daryl, but John came in to extend his thanks.  In the hallway, we saw him introducing people to his parents, who seemed very nice.

Lorenza Ponce, violinist to the stars

The Loser's Lounge Tribute to Hall & Oates is at Joe's Pub in New York City. For tickets and info click here

Raising Arizona Theme

Here's an all-synth version of the Raising Arizona theme, performed on several tracks of the DSI Poly Evolver Keyboard (No other instruments were used in this recording).

Listen here

I Scored For Microsoft

Here's a short "industrial" that I scored, directed by Ryan McFaul, director of Home Sweet Cube, which I also scored (Go Industrials!). It was fun to work on, and Ryan did a pretty good job of making potentially "blah" subject material funny & entertaining. BTW, these are actual Microsoft programmers--no actors were harmed in the making of this short (can you tell?). watch it here