Happy Wednesday to everyone out there,
We had a small but hearty crew last night at the open mic at the Hearing Room. Rick Cande did a great job keeping things going and after the first round it sort of turned into a jam session which was a lot of fun. Don't forget that next Tuesday, December 6th I will be hosting the weekly open mic at the Hearing Room, so I hope to see a full house. All manners of performance are welcome, including poets. comics, musicians and magicians. Regardless of your level of expertise, you are welcome. Tuesday nights at the Hearing Room is a judgement free zone. This Saturday, December 3rd, The Hugh McQueen Music Project takes the stage at the Hearing Room at 7:00 for an evening of originaltunes, select covers, and a special Tribute to the Music of Cat Stevens. Tickets are only five bucks so come support local live music. Plenty of free Parking, and remember the Hearing Room is a BYOBeverage venue, so just be discreet and legal. Doors open at six o'clock and the show starts at 7:00. There will be one intermission. One last thing I wanted to share with you today on this rainy Wednesday, before I head back to rehearsal. Today when I realized it was the last day of the month, this incredible sense of euphoria just came over me like a wave. You see, for the thirty five years I spent working in the Retail Automobile Industry the last day of the month was hell on earth. I used to have Wednesday as my usual day off, which would have meant that today, being a Wednesday and the 30th, I would have had to work from open to closing just like so many of my friends that are still in the business are doing right now, So to all of my brothers and sisters at dealerships everywhere, I feel your pain.......Well, the truth is, I really don't feel it any more, but I do remember it well and I don't miss it at all. So hang in there, and just remember, there is Life after Retail, as long as you don't let it kill you first. Just sayin...... Safe Travels, Hugh
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Happy Monday,
Hope you all had a great weekend. I spent most of the morning out and about, first taking Spike back to school and then running some errands, including a trip to the Music store for more guitar strings. This afternoon began our preparation for Saturday night's show at the Hearing Room. We will be performing two extended sets. The play list for set one is complete, but we are wide open for the second set the evening. Someone suggested to me this morning that we ask you, the audience, what you most want to hear, and I thought that was a great idea. The Cat Stevens Tribute was actually a suggestion. So if there are any particular songs you would like to hear Saturday night drop us an email at [email protected] or just leave a comment here on the Blog and we will do our best to accommodate your requests. We only ask that you get your requests in by Thursday morning so we have time to build the set. The tribute to Music of Cat Stevens will open the second set and will include either six or seven songs, but the rest of the second set is yours to determine, so send in your suggestions. Well it's back to the dungeon for one more hour of rehearsal and then I get the pleasure of playing guitar technician for the evening. Oh, I almost forgot, Tomorrow night, Tuesday, the 29th my friend Rick Cande is hosting the weekly open mic at the Hearing Room. Sign ups start at 6:30 and Rick usually starts things off about 7:00. I will be there and I hope you will too. Safe Travels, Hugh "Another Saturday Night" December 3rd at The Hearing Room, Lowell's Hottest Music Venue Join Hugh McQueen for a Special Night of Original Music and a very select collection of covers including a Special Tribute to the music of Cat Stevens. Tickets just $5.00 Show starts at 7 and will include one Intermission, The Hearing Room is a BYOBeverage venue. Plenty of Free Parking Additional Upcoming Dates for the HughMcQueenMusicProject Tuesday Dec.6th Open Mic at the Hearing Room hosted by Hugh McQueen Friday, December 9th, Angela's CFP, Tyngsboro Ma Thursday, January 12th, The 110 Grill, Chelmsford Ma Friday, January 20th, Angela's CFP, Tyngsboro Ma Happy Sunday Sports Fans,
Just figured I would send out a quick note today before the Patriots get ready to crush the New York Jets. I am excited to announce that next Saturday night, December 3rd we have a special show at the Hearing Room in Lowell Massachusetts. I am really excited to be returning to their stage as it is truly an intimate room that allows for a real connection with the audience. I will be doing two extended sets with an intermission in between, and we will be performing both originals and your favorite covers, including a segment that will be a special tribute to the music of Cat Stevens. So join us for a night that promises to be a lot of fun. Music is scheduled to start at 7:00, and the doors open at 6:00. The Hearing Room is a BYOBeverage and munchies venue, so for a measly $5. cover you can enjoy a great evening of music with friends on the cheap and save some $$$$ for your Holiday shopping excursions. On Friday the 9th we will be traveling up to Tyngsborough to enjoy some delicious thin crust pizza and play at Angela's Coal Fired Pizza. As far as we know right know we will be playing from 6 until 10, but if there are any changes we'll let you know. I will be creating a couple of facebook events for both upcoming gigs so I encourage you to let us know if you think you might be attending either or both evenings by responding to the invitations. Lastly, an apology for the short notice about last Wednesday's show at Lenzi's in Dracut. We received several comments after the fact from some of our favorite fans that they did not know about the show. We apologize for not being able to get the word out sooner but we really were booked less than 24 hours in advance and it made it a little tough to get the word out. Next time we are in Dracut I promise we will give you a little more lead time. Well I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. I already told Elise that lots of salad will be on the menu this week so I can recover from all the Turkey, the stuffing, the potatoes and gravy, and the pie. Safe travels, Hugh Happy Friday people,
I finally figured out how to post pictures on the Blog, so I thought I would post a couple of photos from this past Wednesday night at Lenzi's Tavern in Dracut Ma, The people were awesome , and we wanted to thank Mike Lenzi and his entire crew for having us in to play and for taking such great care of us. Great people at Lenzi's, a real classy operation, and they sent me home with food which was spectacular. And speaking of food, I am still feeling a little stuffed from the great meal yesterday, complete with pie. It was a pretty relaxing day with some family and friends and we hope everyone had as nice a day as we did. Elise braved the elements on Thursday morning and did a 5K in Lowell, successfully snagging a pie, a new shirt, and beating her personal best by over a minute!!!!!! After dinner there were games, and naps, and non stop Christmas music playing in the house. The meal was a true group effort in the kitchen. Elise roasted the turkey and made Homemade Bread, and of course her famous green bean casserole. I took care of the rest of the root vegetables and made Gravy from Scratch. Our daughter-in-law Lindsay hit it out of the park with the most delicious stuffing I've ever had, made with hot Italian sausage it was so good it is the reason I am still feeling stuffed. Well it's time to burn a few calories and make some room for athose delicious leftovers in the fridge. I had better start off by finishing up off loading the Nitro Tour Bus and setting up the rehearsal space to get ready for our next show. I was about to grumble mildly about having to play moving man, electrician, roadie, engineer and guitar-tech when I thought to myself; "This is the first Friday after Thanksgiving that I can remember in over thirty years that I have not had to work a Twelve Hour Day in a Dealership Showroom wasting my time taking test drive after test drive with those research engineering types whose better half is at the mall or the big box store spending all their money on shit that no one really needs",.... ah, I knew there was a rant left in me somewhere...... Safe travels, Hugh Greetings from the kitchen.
I know this is incredibly short notice, but if you are out and about tomorrow evening Wednesday November 23rd, I will be appearing at Lenzi's on Merrimack St, Route 110, in Dracut Ma. from 6:30 until 10:30, or later if you all come out and don't want to go home too early. The tavern there is an awesome space with a great vibe, huge fireplace in the middle of the room and a classy but comfortable atmosphere. Lenzi's features incredible Italian cuisine, which may not be a big draw on Thanksgiving Eve, but rest assured they serve a full selection of all of your favorite beverages. So come by, have a beverage and catch up with friends before facing all your relatives on Thursday. Incidentally if you ever need a function catered the function rooms at Lenzi's are spectacular, and they do a an amazing job on the food!!!! Five stars from the HughMcQueenMusic Project. On a related note concerning the announcement for our show at Lenzi's, I apologize that a few of you may have received duplicate invitations on FB, but if you did it's only because we want you see you twice as much!!! All this talk about Italian food is making me hungry and I don't need to spend any more time in the kitchen tonight. After making home made pizza for dinner this evening ,(you're welcome Kayley) I helped Elise prepare enough Turkey stuffing to feed 100 of her students at the school tomorrow for their annual pre-Thanksgiving Potatoes and Stuffing dinner. I can't believe how much butter goes into stuffing, but I understand now why these kids love it. With Thanksgiving in just two days I am not going to think about calories in stuffing , but I heard on the news this morning that the average person gains one and one half pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas....... I guess most people I've known through the years are above average people. I am very excited that my buddy Spike will be coming home tomorrow so he can celebrate Thanksgiving with the clan. No turkey for the little guy, but he does eat squash and veggies and I am sure he will enjoy all the attention he will get from his human sibs and his buddy Frances the Cat. I'll be picking him up when the kids get out of school tomorrow before heading over to set up and do the sound check. Well that's enough out of me for now. If you are traveling for Thanksgiving please be extra careful since it's going to be really busy on the highways, railways, and airways. Hope to see a few of you Wednesday night at the show. Safe travels and a Happy Thanksgiving, Hugh Good afternoon music lovers,
Well Friday is finally here, so congratulations for making it through another week. I spent most of my day today working on the business side of things, which is, without a doubt, my least favorite part of being back in the music business. Still, as an independent artist it is a necessary evil that must be done if I want to be able to spend time writing, composing, recording, and best of all, performing live. The good news is that we managed to already schedule five dates for the month of January so we will be starting off the new year busy. And we are already booked for the evening of St.Patrick's Day, which, "thanksbetoPeter-saintspreserveusfortheloveofJesusMaryandJoseph" falls on a Friday. (sorry, channeling a little of my maternal grandmother there) We'll let you know where, as we near the date, but here's a little hint: They do not serve corned beef and cabbage , but they do have plenty of Beer, wine, whiskey and whatever else you'll be craving to quench your thirst. I have a down weekend this week so I will be spending some time in the studio working on a couple of new songs, but if you are looking to have a little fun and catch some live music tonight I suggest you head on over the the Loft in North Andover and catch a set or two from the dynamic duo of Bob Desmarais and Jack Crane, aka The Sonic Boomers. If Bluegrass is more your thing and you feel like a little banjo action head over to the Hearing Room in Lowell where Mark Abare is hosting a Bluegrass Jam Session starting at 7:00. Drop in for a listen or even bring your fiddle. You are always welcome at the Hearing Room. Well that's it for me today, no rants, no raves, just looking forward to a nice weekend. Oh, and really looking forward to Elise coming home today, I have it on good authority that Spike's school pictures came in and I can't wait to see them! Safe Travels, Hugh Good evening,
Tonight I guess I need to get a little personal. Nearly thirty years ago I wrote these lyrics for a little girl. That little girl is now a grown woman and she turned thirty-one today. I have not seen her in a long while, and that has been one of the hardest lessons in Acceptance that I have had to learn. You see, in spite of my best efforts, I was not the world's greatest father. I made mistakes, I fell short on many counts, of that I am sure. But I was the best father I could be, especially considering the circumstances. One thing I know for certain is that I really tried. I may not have always succeeded, but I know I tried, and sometimes that is all we can do. So if you are out there reading this, Happy Birthday. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope you are happy and safe. We'll I cried the day I had to say goodbye to you and without a doubt it's the hardest thing I've ever had to do and even though your mom and me don't get along between you and me there's nothing wrong I'll see you when I can...Heather Anne We'll here's a picture of you smiling pretty, sitting on my knee and here's that drawing of that I love you heart that you colored for me and though it gets real lonely out here on the road what keeps me going are the thoughts of you I hold I'll see you when i can...Heather Anne and I think of you each night... and it keeps me from my sleep never sure if you're alright, wishing I could hold you tight... and wish you sweet dreams if you look up to the sky at night and find the brightest star and you blow a kiss I will catch it here and send it back to where you are and maybe baby when you're older things will change and we won't need a judge and lawyers to arrange when I can hold your hand....Heather Anne Safe travels. Hugh Well it's official. Starting on Tuesday, December 6th I will be hosting the Open Mic at The Hearing Room in Lowell Massachusetts, alternating weeks with our friend and fellow troubadour extraordinaire Rick Cande. Last night was an incredible gathering of talent at what is becoming one of Greater Lowell's Hottest Venues. For a $5. donation those in attendance we treated to a non stop string of incredible performances. Rick Cande started the night off with a solid set featuring John Prime tunes with some nice harmonies and fine accordion work from Susanna Doyle. Representing the old folks in the room I took to the stage for a short set that included Harry Chapin's Taxi, Blackbird by McCartney, Kathy's Song by Paul Simon and Make You Feel My Love by Bob Dylan. The night rolled on from there with a solid set from up and coming songwriter Nick Weeks, From the Comedic musical stylings of Dan Margarita to the Greg McConnell's awesome cover of Neil Youngs' After the Gold Rush, to Caelin Graber's tribute to Leonard Cohen, complete with the "oh shit" moment, it was truly a night you should not have missed. Steve Smith delivered a solid set of classics including a sweet rendition of Dave Loggins' Please Come to Boston, and Mike Birch, whose soon to be released CD will be launched at the Hearing Room on December 10th played a solid set as well. I will apologize now to the many other performers that played last night that I failed to mention but my time is short as I head out to rehearsal, Keep coming back to the Hearing Room, It's a great place, a fun space, and it's even better with you there! Safe travels, Hugh Welcome to Tuesday the 14th of November.
I’ll be at the Hearing Room on Chelmsford Street in Historic Lowell Massachusetts for the Open Mic tonight with Rick Cande and Company. Sign ups start at 6:30 and we run from 7 until 10, so stop by if you happen to be in the area to hear some very talented artists. It’s always a great group of people, and it offers a great opportunity for budding artists, poets, and musicians of all ages to play and perform. So bring your instruments or just bring your favorite beverage and a friend and check it out. You will be glad you did. Mark your calendars; on Tuesday, December 6th I will actually be hosting the Open Mic at the Hearing Room for the first time. Then on Friday, December 9th, I will be performing from 6 until 10 at Angela’s in Tyngsboro Ma. And now a few words from our sponsor; It’s only ten days until we celebrate my favorite holiday of the year. Thanksgiving is the one day that most of us will actually take at least a minute or two to reflect on what we should be most grateful for in our lives. It’s a chance to reconnect with family or friends, usually around a dinner table laden with a large turkey and countless dishes full of special recipes that have been passed on for a least a couple of generations. It’s a day filled with High School Football, 5K’s, too much travel, and old guy’s napping on the couch after eating too much. It can be a bittersweet day as well, as we think of those loved ones that have passed on to the next realm, and those, that for geographic reasons, just could not make it home for Thanksgiving. But then we are drawn back to the moment by the people we love that are gathered around us and we can be truly thankful for the joys and blessings this special day brings. So I have a just three requests for this Thanksgiving; First of all, can we let Christmas wait until at least after the Thanksgiving leftovers are gone? Nothing against Christmas, except for the commercial bull$hit that’s taken the Holiday over,, but doesn’t Thanksgiving deserve it’s own time in the spotlight? I am already seeing way too many advertisements with jingling bells, Christmas trees and the fat guy in the Red Suit. Buying an expensive car has nothing to do with Christmas so this year just once can we give it a rest? Oh, and since we are on the subject, Lexus is nothing more than a souped up glorified Overpriced Toyota, and Santa does not drive a Mercedes, or a Fiat!!! As for my second request, Please don’t talk to me about Black Friday sales and shopping because I do not want to be any part of making people that happen to work in retail leave family and friends on a Holiday just so someone can get a deal on a new flatscreen or whatever. I do not understand why people that just spent time observing “Thanksgiving” have to run out to the mall and buy more stuff. Lastly, if you know anyone that has no one to share Thanksgiving with, invite them into your celebration. The Holidays are a difficult time for many people, so in the spirit of giving Thanks for the Blessings we have received, share the bounty. And if any of you have no one to share your day with Elise and I extend an invitation.for you to share the day with our family. Just give me a little heads up so we can make enough stuffing and green bean casserole. Safe Travels, Hugh Well we all survived another weekend. I hope you all had a good one.
The Patriots lost, Tom Brady actually threw an interception, and people are still running around all jacked up about the election results. Maybe it's the super moon creating all this lunacy. Sunday afternoon I had the pleasure of sitting in with my old friend Jack Crane, half of the fabulous duo known as "The Sonic Boomers". It was great catching up with Jack, and he is as talented as ever. If you ever get the chance to catch the Sonic Boomers in action I highly recommend it. Jack's partner in crime, Bob Desmarais from NH Tunes in Manchester is a phenomenal guitarist and Jack helps keep the night rolling with strong vocals, solid rhythm guitar work and great showmanship. Sad news in the music world this week with the passing of both Leonard Cohen and Leon Russell. Russell was a true musician's musician and played with so many great artists. Both will be missed, but thankfully there music lives on. Rest in peace Leonard and Leon. We are still looking for bookings, so if you have a regular hang that features live acoustic looking for acts please message us and let us know, We appreciate any and all referrals. If you are planning a holiday party and are looking for something to make your occasion stand out give us a shout. We actually have a full catalogue of holiday tunes we can add to the mix. We'll, it's back to rehearsal now so I can finish up before it starts getting dark. I'll be out tonight howling at the moon, and tomorrow evening, on Tuesday the 15th, you can catch me at the Hearing Room with Rick Cande and company. Open mic is from 7 until 10, sign ups at 6:30, so stop by if you are in the Lowell area. There's always a great group of people so come join the fun. Safe Travels, Hugh |