Happy Halloween to all .
     If you are heading out tonight please be safe and keep a watchful eye out for all the miniature ghouls and goblins roaming the streets in search of a sugar high. I saw on line the other day that Hillary and Donald costumes were flying off the shelves this year. Elise actually dressed up like Donald Trump last Thursday night to pass out candy at the Stem Academy Halloween Event. The outfit was a hit, and many of the parents wanted their pictures taken with the faux Donald.  I have to admit she really nailed it with the crazy hair and the orange make up. Glad to see one of my old business suits and my red power tie getting some use anyway.
        On the music front;
      Today I was finally able to get back into the rehearsal studio for a couple of hours. My voice is finally starting to come back and I think we'll be okay for the Launch Event at the Hearing Room this Friday.  It looks like we will be playing  for a full room which makes it  even better. There is still limited seating available so if you still have not reserved seating and are interested in attending the show on November 4th at the Hearing Room message me here on the blog or on the contact page on the website. Tickets are only $5.00  and it's a BYO beverage  venue. Show starts at 7:30 and runs until 10:00. The Hearing Room is a unique venue that in and of itself is worth checking out.
     I will be performing two extended sets mixing some original tunes in with some of your favorite covers, and portions of the show will be recorded.  i really hope to see you there.
                                                                                                           Safe travels,
                                                                                                            Hugh

     Happy Friday People,
         Well I am still alive and finally starting to feel like I am on the mend.  Thankfully I have nothing booked this weekend so I have a few more days to recover  before the Launch Show at the Hearing Room in Lowell Massachusetts on November 4th. We have gotten lots of responses back from our event notification and it looks like we will be playing to a full house which is always awesome. Don't forget , message us on the blog comments or on the contact page if you are planning on coming and want to reserve seating for the show. 
             And now for something completely different
             With all the time I've had this week confined to quarters I have been wondering.  Why, with all the advancements in medicine and science can't someone come up with a cure for the so called Common Cold? I am starting to think it's a conspiracy. 
        I have gone through at least five boxes of tissues, over a gallon of homemade chicken soup, and by now I'm guessing the stock prices for the makers of Mucinex, DayQuil, and Halls, and Lysol have all gone through the roof. 
      Now  I don't get sick very often, but when I do I am like most men....I become impossible to live with, and I totally admit to it. I get cranky, irritable, short tempered and generally I am not a real joy to be around, (like I usually am).  No matter how hard I try to be nice, I fail.  I hate not being able to function and having to put life on hold. I have to believe this is what it must be like to be under House Arrest.  Cut off from the outside world and unable to do the things you want to get done. It drives me insane, and I can only binge watch just so many episodes of Shameless. 
         Add to that, the ultimate torture to any germaphobe ; feeling  like I myself have become one giant Cold Germ. I detest  that feeling of having to sneeze, but not being able to get the job done even when I tilt my head back and stare into the bright light.  Blocked sinuses and stuffy nasal passages have no business taking over my head and I am genuinely pissed off about it.  
            So here I sit, as Kayley would say, ​still " sucking the joy out of life", waiting until  I am once again feeling one hundred per cent so I can apologize to Elise for being the worlds' crankiest old guy.
Until then, just pass me the box of Kleenex,  I feel like I'm going to sneeze.

                                                                                         Gesundheit,
​                                                                                          Hugh
                               

                                                                                           
               
            
         
          

Hello everyone,
      Well if you are reading this it means you have survived another Monday. I just barely did as 
I am still stuck at home under the weather. I am however, thankful that I managed to make a huge batch of  Chicken soup yesterday before I hit the wall. Now I wish  this cold would just hurry up and run it's course so I can get "back to business as usual".  I can't say "back to "normal" since I don't think "normal" would accurately describe me even before I was exposed to this germ of a cold. 
      I just wanted to mention a correction regarding the Launch Event we created for November 4th at the Hearing Room in Lowell. It listed the website as hughmcqueen.net, which we do actually own but for some reason is not working properly, so to  link to the contact page for reserved seating for the event the correct link is hughmcqueen.com . 
       You can also drop us an email at any time at [email protected]. 
       I am really bummed that I will be missing the open mic tonight with Rick Cande but I think it best to avoid human contact until I stop barking. For anyone in the Lowell area tonight stop by the Hearing Room on Chelmsford St and check out Rick and the Crew and tell them I said hello. 
        Well. time for more chicken broth and maybe an afternoon couch nap. . 
                                                                                                                                Safe travels,
                                                                                                                                 Hugh

      Hello good people,
   Well another Monday has reared it's ugly head as I enter into my third day of battle with the dreaded common cold!!!!! Arughhhh!!!! Elise can attest to the fact that I am not the most pleasant person to be around when I am under the weather but the good news is that the Emergen-C I have been guzzling daily seems to actually work.  I am hoping this thing will run it's course by Thursday so I can get back to vocal rehearsals. Until then, I am focusing on guitar skills, doing some writing and making a huge vat of CHICKEN SOUP from scratch. 
      CHICKEN SOUP is truly universal. Regardless of ethnicity, culture, social status, country of origin, possibly with the exception of hard-core Vegans, everyone has a version of chicken soup. Whether you are Irish, Jewish, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Greek, Polish, or Portuguese, it doesn't matter; the healing powers of chicken soup do not discriminate. Recipes may vary from kitchen to kitchen, stove top to crock pot, but when you boil it down to it's true essence, it's CHICKEN SOUP. Noodles or rice, carrots or kale, thick or thin, when it comes down to battling the common cold, the healing powers of CHICKEN SOUP cannot be and should not be denied. It's one of the good things we all have in common, and unlike the Common Cold, it's okay to share.
                                                                                                                     Safe travels,
                                                                                                                     Hugh
       

Good morning to all on this rainy Friday.
A fun day of rehearsal lies ahead after a quick trip to check venues in Billerica, Burlington and Dracut. We are starting to schedule performance dates for the 2017 calendar and it's really exciting to see that this new venture is actually coming together. We are doing our best to try and get a couple of shows lined up on short notice to finish out this year, and that includes a couple of private parties as well, but stay tuned. If you are hosting any events and would like to book us you can link to the contact page on the website. We do corporate functions as well.
    We have ONE BIG EVENT  coming up in just two weeks in Lowell.
   On Friday, November 4th at the Hearing Room in Lowell Massachusetts, the HughMcQueenMusic Project has it's official launch party that you will not want to miss. The Hearing Room  is an intimate venue with great acoustics, and we will be Recording LIVE at the Hearing Room during portions of that evening's performance. You can reserve seating for the evening by messaging on either the blog or the Contact page on the website. We will also be posting the event on Facebook, so here's your chance to be part of our launch. Tickets for the venue are only $5. and are available at the door, but seating is limited so message me if you you would like to reserve seating.
     The Hearing Room does not serve alcohol but you can bring your own beverages and whatever you want to nosh on during the performance . They do have free popcorn which is always smells amazing. The only problem with the popcorn is I can't eat popcorn and sing at the same time.  I'd most likely end up choking on stage, and, there is NO WAY I am not going to trust one of you guys to perform the Heimlich Maneuver if I can avoid it. I mean, you would try to save me if I was choking, right ?.......hello.........hello....................I mean if I started turning blue and my eyes started bulging out like Marty Feldman you would try to save me right?????? At least call 911.................okay fuggetaboutit!!!!!!!
 I'll just sing ........... you eat the popcorn...................................................
                                                                                                                 Safe Travels
                                                                                                                  Hugh

            Welcome to Wednesday,     
       Glorious, truly glorious. Is there a better adjective to describe today? Unseasonably warm weather, blues skies, and spectacular New England Foliage almost  make up for having to stow away the umbrella and beach chairs until next year. Today is one of the days I will have to draw from my memory when I am cursing the cold and snow of the upcoming New England winter. 
           Last night we had a fun time with Lori Zuroff at the Hearing Room open mic, with several great performances culminating in a nice little jam session to wrap up the night. Thanks to Lori for hosting and to everyone that came down to take part in the evening. I got the chance to try out some new material in preparation of our upcoming show at the Hearing Room on  Friday, November 4th. 
           As a reminder, if you want to get reserved seating at this intimate venue for the upcoming show please message me on the blog or on the contact page for the website. 
            Tonight marks the third and final "Presidential" debate between the Orange Megalomaniac and the Compulsive Liar. This years election reminds me of going to the Huddleston Dining  Hall for lunch. You know you have to eat, but neither of the choices on the menu are very appealing, and the salad bar is closed. So here we stand, empty tray in hand, ticket punched by the lunch lady, and forced to decide between the leftover Turkey Tetrazzini and the Mystery Meat sandwich that looks an awful lot like Spam. Either way, you know you will end up with indigestion. Thinking back, you realize  that maybe the Mitt Romney Meatloaf or the Paul Ryan Pasta they were serving last semester wasn't all that bad.
              I saw a quote in the Boston Globe earlier this week from a 19 year old student that summed things up pretty well. She said, and I am paraphrasing here, that the Republican nominee represents everything that is wrong with our society while the Democratic nominee represents everything that is wrong with our government.  Now if only there was a viable alternative that actually stood a fighting chance. At least back in my days in Durham you could head down to the Quad for a late night  burger off of Karl's Food Truck to fill the void in your stomach. It wasn't the healthiest option, but at least it tasted good.
                                                                                                                     Safe travels,
                                                                                                                      Hugh
       

Good morning people,

   Normally Sunday is a good day to sleep in, be a little lazy, read the paper and kick back a bit, but today started out a little early for me as Elise and I went downtown to cheer on Kerien Driscoll as she completed her 1st Half Marathon. Kerien is our IT Specialist for the Hugh McQueen Music Project. Navigating Lowell was even trickier than normal with several streets closed for the Bay State Marathon but we managed to snag an excellent vantage point on Middlesex St. in front of Hadley Park to cheer on the runners . Kerien broke the two hour mark by a good margin so "Congratulations Kerien" on your excellent run. Thirteen plus miles in under two hours. I get exhausted just thinking about it.
     Making our way down to the finish line was a little tricky since the City bagged all the parking meters on every side street and turned the entire downtown area into a tow zone, but we managed to secure a spot in the parking garage near the High School. 

      Today will be spent mostly in rehearsal, with a break to watch  Tom Brady's return to Foxboro, as we prepare for  a HUGE SHOW scheduled for  FRIDAY NOVEMBER 4th. at the Hearing Room on Chelmsford St,  in Lowell. Doors open at 7:00 and the show runs from 7:30 until about 10:00.  
       Think of it this way, We're throwing a party on Friday November 4th an YOU ARE INVITED!!!!!!
      We will be performing  two extended sets of  original music and  select covers of my personal favorites. Seating capacity for the Hearing Room is limited to under 100 people so this is an intimate venue and promises to be a special night, I believe tickets are just $5. and will be available at the door, but you can reserve seating by messaging me on the contact page here on the HughMcQueenMusicProject website. 
        The Hearing Room is a unique venue. Opened in June this year by Caelin Graber, it serves as a great outlet for artists and musicians in the greater Lowell Area, and it needs your support in order to continue it's mission of supporting the arts in the Greater Lowell Community. 
         The Hearing room is not a bar, but you can bring in your own refreshments of choice and food. It's a great space to hang with friends, have a relatively inexpensive  night, and enjoy a couple of hours of some great music. So message me if you want reserve seating and I hope to see you all on the 4th.
                                                                                                                           Go Pats
                                                                                                                           Hugh

      Good morning people,
This is my thirteenth post since I started this blog just shy of one month ago. Some folks have inquired as to why I don't post something daily, but the fact is,  there are some days I just don't  have anything to report, and other days I am either too busy, lazy, tired, distracted, occupied, or empty to post. So that's the long and the short of it. I will try to be more consistent in the future but I make no promises.
      The St. Michaels's College community suffered a great loss yesterday. Father Michael Cronogue died unexpectedly. Father Mike was one of the good ones.  In these days where all we here about regarding the Priesthood are scandals and lawsuits, I thought it worth mentioning that here was a man than truly dedicated himself to a life of service to others. He was genuine,compassionate and caring, and he will be missed by many. My deepest sympathies go out to his family, friends, colleagues, students, and the entire St.Michaels' community. Rest in Peace Fr.Mike.
       
 Now for the most recent updates regarding the HughMcQueenMusic Project,
   We have a SPECIAL  SHOW COMING UP ON FRIDAY NOVEMBER 4th in LOWELL MASSACHUSETTS . 
   Details will follow in the next few days. This venue has a limited seating capacity of 100 so we will have a way  to reserve space set up by next week. I will post details as soon as I have them available.
       Dates for the 110 Grills have been pushed back to January due to scheduling issues. My apologies to the  Nashua area people. We will have January dates posted for your area by mid-November.
      BAGPIPER WANTED; If any of you know anyone that plays the bagpipes please message me . I am working on a new song about my Paternal Grandfather and I'm hearing Bagpipes in my head.
       Lastly, if anyone knows of venues, bars, coffee houses, restaurants etc...in their area looking for acoustic acts please message me the information. A small finder's fee  (enough to cover your bar tab for a night anyway) will find it's way to you if we book the venue. We are also available for Private Functions. Many establishments in the New England region utilize booking agencies rather than hiring acts that self promote, so it can be frustrating trying to find venues to play. We are looking to fill the schedule for 2017.
         Finally, special Shout out to B-Dog and Megan. It's a Boy!!!! Congrats on the news.

                                                                                                                        Enjoy the weekend,
                                                                                                                        Hugh
                                   

butHey folks,

    I spent the whole day working on the business end of things so tonight I get to do a little of the fun stuff which is playing.
    If you are in the Lowell area stop in to the Hearing Room on Chelmsford Street from 7 until 10 and I assure you that you will here some amazing talent on the stage. Tonights open mike is being hosted by Rick Cande and for anyone interested in playing sign ups start at 6:00.  
      The Hearing Room is a great venue that gives local artists and musicians an opportunity to perform their craft in front of a usually friendly audience. Admission is free, but  there is a $5. donation suggested but if you can swing it, no problem. The Hearing Room is a Judgement Free Zone. You can bring in whatever you want for refreshments , snacks, etc..., so it's a cheap night which is not a bad thing.
           The fact is that there are really not a lot of venues like the Hearing Room that provide a creative outlet for young and old musicians alike. Occasionally we are treated with appearances from several young poets from the area and their poetry is amazing.  Stand up comedians are also welcome, and I have heard several good ones that stop in on occasion to try out new material or polish up a new bit. 
             Bottom line is that local musicians, singers, poets, comedians, and artists all need our support, and so does the Hearing Room ,if it is continue to provide a unique venue  for these amazingly talented people to perform and perfect their art.  So come on down and support local art.
You'll be glad you did.

                                                                                                      Seize the day,
                                                                                                      Hugh

Good morning New England,
      Judging from the weather when I stepped out onto the back deck this morning I guess it's safe to say that Fall is actually here.  Sadly, my beach chair and Umbrella have been stowed away in the storage closet for another year. 
       Thanks to everyone that came out to Angela'a in Tyngsboro on Friday night to hear me play. It was awesome to see so many friends in the crowd and Elise and I are looking forward to returning to Angela's again in the near future. The folk's at Angela's took great care of us and made us feel most welcome, so thank you to Christina and her staff. You guys are great!

          This week yours truly will be spending most of the time working on the booking schedule with several venues in the area. I will have the schedule of upcoming events posted by the end of the week so stay tuned. If any of you have venues in your area that are looking for acts please feel free to message me. I also am available for private functions, corporate events,weddings, life celebrations and the like. Thanks and a Shout out to B-Dog for the referral in Dracut. 
            Some quick side notes; The Sox really need a win tonight, hopefully Buchholz will bring his A game . /// If Tom Brady was running for President he would get my vote /// Trump is still an Idiot and Hillary is still a Criminal /// . Go SOX!!!!!!!
                                                                                                                   Safe travels,
                                                                                                                    Hugh