Forgive Group Deville's Rick Murnane if he's not quite as bubbly as you'd expect him to be when he performs this Saturday, June 30 at Bishop's Lounge in Noho. Sure, that's the night he and his Group troupe will be celebrating their first release in three years, dubbed The Dark End Of The House. But as the guitarist, whose resumé includes jam sessions with David Gilmour and Robert Fripp, explained to the Nightcrawler in a recent interview, he'll be involved in more CD release parties this year than most bands will in their entire careers.
"Well, firstly, we're having two release parties for our new disc," he explains. "For this weekend's show, we'll be playing from 6 to 8 p.m., knowing that a lot of our fans are either older or just plain sleepy. The other will be at the Basement July 21 from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., obviously geared toward the late-night crowd."
In addition to the GDV shows, Murnane adds that he also designed the cover for the recently released Storybox disc, played on the new Sitting Next to Brian project, has a Prestons album in the can (a duo with Bill Catalde) and has just now begun work on his first-ever solo effort.
"Sounds like a lot, and it probably is," he chuckles. "But I can't think of a better way to spend a year in which I will celebrate a personal milestone of my own—my 50th birthday this October."
For almost daily updates on any and all Group Deville activities, kindly point your browser to www.groupdeville.blogspot.com.
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Meanwhile, when I spoke to Springfield's Dave Mech several months ago, he clued me in on an amazing organization he founded& and even floated the idea of throwing a concert to benefit it at some point. The organization is called First Aid, and its goal is to help troops and their families obtain medical and financial assistance when it is—as is sadly so often the case—otherwise not available.
The concert, as it turns out, has also come to fruition—slated for this Sunday, July 1 at Noho's Three County Fairgrounds. And to headline Mech's little musical fundraiser, it appears he's landed no less than Jefferson Starship?!
"I know. It's amazing," he says of the star-studded affair. "I was working with Jody Cyr of Mainestream Music in Maine. She's from Longmeadow originally, and she hooked me up with the Starship/Summer of Love Tour."
In addition to other acts of note on the national tour, including Big Brother & The Holding Company and Quicksilver Messenger Service, Mech has laced the local stop with several special performances. Songwriter/discharged veteran/Pittsfield native Tony Lee Thomas is slated to perform with his band. Wounded East Longmeadow vet Sgt. Mark Ecker II will also be honored—not to mention escorted to the show by The Patriot Guard.
"It shaped up better than I could have ever imagined," Mech concludes. "And on top of the concert, all of the bands have also agreed to donate two songs for a benefit disc and let us film a documentary& you just couldn't ask anyone involved to do anything more."
First Aid/Summer Of Love is general admission, $30 per person. For more details on the show or the cause, visit www.firstaidforourtroops.org.
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Lastly, on the Drunk Stunt(men) front, guitarist Alex "Freddy" Johnson also checked in to report that he and his merry band of music makers are also fast at work culling new material for a 2007 CD release.
"We'll be sticking around New England for a while, so we're hoping to get into the studio late summer in hopes of having it out this fall."
In between, he says, fans can check out the Stunt-sters in paisley when they pay homage to Cream at this year's Transperformance Concert in August; then Johnson and bandmate Steve Sanderson will hook up with the Young At Heart Chorus again this fall for a European trek."
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