TONIGHT, Thursday 4/23, from 7pm – 11pm I will be bringing my solo acoustic show to Donovan’s Irish Pub!
I will be playing my usual mix of pop, folk, indie, country & classic rock and I have some new songs to share with you too! Come down for some food and a pint! At 1655 Boston Road in Springfield (in the Eastfield Mall)
THEN, this coming Saturday night, 4/25 from 7pm – 10pm, you can also catch the Merrill Shepard Solo Acoustic Show at Nathan Bill’s Bar & Restaurant!
They must be doing something right over there because they have recently been voted and proclaimed by a Masslive contest to be the “BEST NEIGHBORHOOD BAR IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS” and I am very excited to have been invited to play there this weekend. Come on out and see what all the fuss is about! At 110 Island Pond Road, Springfield, MA
I’m singing with THE SMOKEY DIXONS atWhiskerz Pubtonight! We’re bringing the party to Easthampton tonight with three sets of country pop and southern rock favorites!
I’ll be taking the lead on several, fun selections and assisting in providing back up vocals on everything else. It’s going to be a fun night and I’m pretty excited for the show!
4/18, 9pm – 1am at 75 Cottage Street, Easthampton, MA
Here’s a quick look at what I have coming up right now but STAY TUNED for more dates to be announced- I have several events still in the planning stages to be set over the next several weeks and months as we head into the nicer weather…
I’m not naming any specific, beautiful, garden patios or grassy wineries -yet- but I’m already getting excited for those sunny, warm, outdoor-acoustic-music-with-appetizers-and-sangria kind of summer days.
You know the ones.
This week and next you can find me playing and singing at: Christopher’s Sports Tavern – Friday, 4/17 – 10pm to 1am – 630 Cooley Street, Springfield, MA Donovan’s Irish Pub – Thursday, 4/23 – 7pm to 11pm – Eastfield Mall, Boston Road, Springfield, MA Nathan Bill’s Bar & Restaurant – Saturday, 4/25 – 7pm to 10pm – 110 Island Pond Road, Springfield, MA
I AM ALSO APPEARING with The Smokey Dixons – Country Pop & Southern Rock Band at Whiskerz Pub in Easthampton, MA this Saturday, 4/18 from 9pm to 1am, so come by for the country party!
That’s all for now but more dates are coming soon!
Catch the Merrill Shepard Solo Acoustic show tonight at Sophia’s Pizza & Sports Bar – 463 Breckwood Blvd in Springfield, MA.
I will be playing at singing from 10pm – 1am!
Tonight I will be appearing in two places!
First, around 7:00 or 7:30pm, I will have the privilege of making a guest appearance with my friend AJ Rubino and his fellow musicians at their gig at The Thirsty Mind in South Hadley, MA. I will perform a few select numbers there and then I will have to be on my way to Christopher’s Sports Tavern in Springfield MA to perform my feature presentation for the evening. You can find me there playing and singing from 9:30pm – 1:30am tonight.
If you’re looking for a beer that comes with musical entertainment later on this week – You can find me at Sophia’s Sports Bar on Thursday night from 10pm – 1am and at Christopher’s Sports Tavern on Saturday from 9:30pm – 1:30am!
*NOTE: Unfortunately the 3/26 Sophia’s date has been cancelled due to a scheduling conflict but stay tuned for additional future shows!
Once again I’ve had the good fortune of finding myself in the right place at the right time.
Following a last-minute cancellation, I will be assuming responsibility for providing musical entertainment TONIGHT at La Cucina Di Hampden House! At 1 Allen Street, Hampden, MA, from 7:30pm – 11:30pm!
It’s a good night to come out for a drink, a bite to eat and some tunes! Got a couple new songs ready for you, too! ♪♫
Last I wrote, I promised to post some personally selected videos of some of my favorite songs and live performances by Jenny.
It was difficult to narrow down to a small handful from at least 25 songs that I’d want to list but for the purposes of this post, I’ve kept it to mostly Voyager tracks – “Slippery Slopes,” “She’s Not Me,” and the title track, “The Voyager.”
I have also included “Better Son/Daughter” which comes from Rilo Kiley’s second album: The Execution of All Things. This album came out back in 2002 when I was only just becoming aware of their existence and I was thrilled to see her perform this song live at both of the most recent shows I saw in November of 2014.
“Slippery Slopes” – The Voyager
A deliberately slow, moody tune about the pains and pleasures of life on the road- the singer explores ways to reconcile two lovers’ emotions and supposed boundaries with the problem of a long distance relationship and the matter of questionable degrees of fidelity.
♫ Notable quote: “And if you don’t express it, you will express it later- with whom, God only knows / If for just one second it helps us to remember that we like each other the most.”
“She’s Not Me” – The Voyager
This sassy number feels like a throwback to the disco movement of the 70’s- in the best way. The instrumentation positively grooves along to a funky disco beat and the lyrics tell of a sort of deservedly jilted lover who still means to keep her head held high. She knows she was in the wrong and freely admits that she screwed up this past relationship beyond repair. However, she will console herself with the notion that it’s still his loss at the end of the day because whoever he’s with now, “she’s not me- she’s easy.” ♫ Notable quote: “All those times we were making love, I never thought we’d be breaking up / Bet you tell her I’m crazy..”
“The Voyager” – The Voyager
This song is very pretty while remaining relatively straightforward, musically. The down-tempo, somewhat plodding chord progression seems very appropriate to the solemn nature of the lyrics and the beautiful, simplistic melody. The lyrics, I feel, are fairly open to interpretation. There is some speculation that it has to do with her own father’s terminal illness and subsequent death, leading her to realize her own mortality. She wrote this entire album after having dealt with that sadness and while spending the following year battling severe insomnia. It also seems to directly reference the Voyager spacecraft, which was launched some 36 years ago and has traveled further through space than anyone or anything- bringing some thought provoking symbolism to the refrain: “The Voyager’s in every boy and girl / if you wanna get to heaven, get out of this world.”
♫ “You’re the Voyager / I’m the Voyager.”
“Better Son / Daughter” – The Execution of All Things
This one is sort of considered to be the chosen “anthem” by her fans and has always resonated deeply with me.
The lyrics at first are quite dark and depressing, rooted in the harsh realities of daily life which are most relatable to those of us who are not particularly favored by ‘the powers that be.’ It’s written for those of us who must work very hard for very little in a seemingly bleak, day-to-day existence, hinting toward our own personal struggles with depression or the pain of trying to deal with the needs of an ailing loved one… some days we might wonder why even to get out of bed in the morning?
HOWEVER the song then pauses in the middle and takes a sharp turn toward the truly uplifting and much more encouraging end of the emotional spectrum. Having outlined all the various reasons one might have to feel sullen and defeated, she suddenly bursts out in an emotionally charged, emphatically triumphant and determined tone of voice, reassuring the listener that in spite of all this, there is still a very good reason to carry on and to use all the strength you can muster to make your way. Believe in yourself -in spite of yourself- and you will overcome.
♫ “But the lows are so extreme that the good seems fucking cheap / And it teases you for weeks in its absence / But you’ll fight and you’ll make it through / You’ll fake it if you have to / And you’ll show up for work with a smile”
“Your ship may be coming in / You’re weak but not giving in”
Merrill Shepard Solo Acoustic 