Who I am.
ABC – Acoustic Bruce & Chrissy featured on CBS Detroit
Chrissy and I decided to record a song from our homes in tribute to the always awesome DETxDET concert, which was sadly cancelled this year. It’s an annual concert featuring Detroit original bands covering artists who have some connection with Detroit. Six and the Sevens played it four times as The Knack, Edwin Starr, Was (not was), and The Romantics. It was as the Edwin Starr show that I got to know Chrissy–who sang backup with us–and we decided our voices played well together (guessing you can spot both of us).
Not wanting to let the occasion pass without some Detroit music, Chrissy and I decided to cover Love Interruption by Jack White. We regularly do it at our duo shows and thought it would be fun. We each recorded our pieces and posted it on YouTube. We were really happy when a few days later it (and sever other “from quarantine” videos) was featured on CBS Detroit. Here it is–we hope you enjoy.
Happy Easter from McSpillin
It’s been weird not being able to make music WITH people these past weeks. It’s the thing I miss most in this strange new world we find ourselves in. So what to do? How about do a song acapella and each record our parts into our phones, Then mix them together and see what happens. This is the result. Enjoy!
FB Live Show
Thursday, April 2 I performed my very first solo show via FB Live. It was a little weird and a lot of fun. Here is a link if you’re up for some quarantine fun. Hoping to do another, perhaps on Thursday, April 9.
Set List
Down Under (Men at Work)
Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard (Paul Simon)
Summer Morn (Bruce Farrell)
If I Had a Boat (Lyle Lovett)
Black Velvet Band (Irish traditional)
The MTN Song (Rayland Baxter)
Bad Bad Leroy Brown (Jim Croce)
Hey Jealousy (Gin Blossoms)
Shifting Sands (Twelve Bridges/Bruce Farrell)
Should I Stay or Should I Go (The Clash)
Worried Man (Johnny Cash)
Wild Rover (Irish traditional)
Rocket Man (Elton John)
Pink Cadillac (Bruce Springsteen)
Have You Ever Seen the Rain (CCR)
Can You See (Twelve Bridges/Bruce Farrell)
Beautiful World (Colin Hay)
The Boxer (Simon & Garfunkel)
Being a musician in these times…
So everything around Covid-19 really ramped up fast. Here in Detroit, we went from telling people to exercise some caution to cancelling events in a flash. It was a bit stunning to see all of my St. Patrick’s gigs (six of them) go away over a 24 hour period.
But I get it. We’re not going to make this virus go away, but there is great wisdom in doing the things we can to slow it’s spread. And all the St. Patrick events on my calendar involved a whole lot of people being packed tightly together for hours at a time. So it was a tough call and it kind of sucks to see the gigs go away, it was absolutely the right call.
So what’s next? I certainly don’t know. I’ll continue to play shows in smaller rooms where the patrons aren’t stacked together–presuming that doesn’t stop too. We’ll get back to normal, but it may take a while. Hoping all of you stay safe and be smart.
Madigan’s Attic: Behind the Mic w/ Pam Rossi
Madigan’s Attic was featured on Pam Rossi’s Behind the Mic program. It’s an hour long interview with some live music thrown in. Pam is a real pro and we had a blast. We also performed two songs from my solo CD–Sweet Maria and Summer Morn–along with a Doug Thomson original, Two Days Sunday.
If you haven’t seen Pam’s show, it’s good viewing. More shows here.
Songwriter Showcase
It’s good to have friends.
In late January–just prior to embarking on another trip to Mumbai–my duo partner Chrissy Morgan asked me to perform a songwriter showcase at the Cadieux Cafe. Rather than perform my set entirely solo, I decided to ask some special guests to join me on stage for various songs. We ended the night with a rousing version of I’ll Fly Away.
The result was a truly special night. Good friends, good music, and a wonderful time. Big thanks to Chrissy, Julia Hickling, Josh Shaughnessy, Bill Cook, Leslie Read, Michelle Cote, and everyone else who showed up.
Twisted Tonic
So I wasn’t looking for another band. Really. But here we are.
Some time in 2018, I started sitting in with a Celtic band called McSpillin. We played County Oakland Irish Festival together in 2017 and became fast friends. I’d run down to the Gaelic League every month to watch them play and they were gracious to have me on stage for a few songs here and there. When they needed a sub to play guitar and sing a bit, I sat in with them. And it became more of a thing as the year progressed.
They are a lot of fun to play with and I love singing with them. So we decided to just do it up right. Joni Cavanaugh and Jenny Atkinson have been singing together since they were in grade school. Each of them sings like an angel and their voices blend perfectly. I get to add another harmony and play with Sean Cavanaugh, who is a beast on the banjo.
We’ll be at the Gaelic League the first Friday of every month in 2020 and we’re looking to book some other shows too. Stay tuned!
Twelve Bridges on the Radio
Twelve Bridges was featured on WHFR.FM for their Live from Studio J broadcast, hosted by Scott Boatright. It was a mix of interview and live music, with about a dozen songs and lots of chatter. If you’re interested in our music and what’s behind the band and some of the music, here you go!
To play/download the show, click here.
New Music from Twelve Bridges
So Twelve Bridges is currently recording music for a forthcoming album. Here is just a taste. We recorded this at Soundscape Studios in Royal Oak and this is our first draft mix. I hope you like it! More music is on the way.
Bruce Farrell Music 