What's happening in Marc & Brian's world??
| 8/19/08 | Milford are you ready to rock??? |
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Tennessee's yet again, tomorrow, 8/20 at 9:30. We meet again. For the first time. For the last time. Again. Stay tuned for other venues and dates hopefully being announced soon. Until then, you know where to find us every other Wednesday night. |
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| 8/13/08 | Yup |
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Tennessee's tonight at 9:30. We meet again. We haven't practiced in a while. This could be epic. |
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| 7/30/08 | C'mon down tonight |
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We'll once again be at Tennessee's tonight at 9:30. We've got some cool stuff lined up. B's annual BBQ set on Saturday turned into a free-for-all jam at 1:00 am, with Doug M. also joining the mix. It was fun, I think. |
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| 7/24/08 | Good times missed by all |
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Cheese Merge hit Tennessee's again last night with a solid set. Several new songs made their debut, mostly with success (eh, and a few hiccups here and there...don't worry, we'll iron them out for next time). Many thanks to none of our friends who showed up, but that's ok because we really didn't tell anyone about it. It's nice to play in front of mostly strangers from time to time. Highlight of the night: Blackout mid-set for 5 seconds due to the intense thunderstorm that passed by. Don't worry, all of Bill's open mic gear made it through unscathed. Is it monsoon season? |
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| 7/10/08 | Epic gig! |
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Cheese Merge brought the heat to Tennessee's last night with a full hour set (thanks to someone who bailed). Marc's friend, Alex Miranda, joined us for the whole set on a hand drum, and even played 2 songs on guitar while Marc switched instruments with him. This gig was truly a classic Cheese Merge gig. New songs debuted, Brian busted out the Hot Hand Phaser for the first time, and with a full hour we were free to try some new stuff. Epic. Confirmed. Thanks to Damian who, well, showed up after we were done playing but still bought us drinks. What a guy. Heh. |
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| 7/3/08 | We're baaaaaack. |
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Cheese Merge returned to Tennessee's last night with a fun half hour set. We hadn't practiced in a couple of weeks due to, well, summer, but we played a real energetic set with a couple of, how do you say, noticeable miscues? All in all it was a good set, and we'll be there again next Wednesday (the 9th) to do it all over again. Thanks a ton to Kevin and his friends, plus Rob for showing up to support us. We promise to practice a couple of times before the next gig! |
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| 6/19/08 | Solid show last night! |
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Cheese Merge hit Tennessee's last night, and will return on July 2nd and 9th. We had a longer than usual set due to a cancellation, and had a few friends who drove all the way from Billerica to come see us play. Hopefully they enjoyed the food because, man, that's a bit of a drive for 45 mins of music! Seriously though, thanks a ton for coming out...hopefully everyone enjoyed themselves!
Hey Venkat, see how fun America can be? You know it! Marc will be flying solo on the 25th at Tennessee's, as Brian will be at Madison Square Garden with 21,998 other crazed Pearl Jam fans. SWEET!!!!!! |
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| 6/12/08 | Missed a show, scheduled 4 more |
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Well, because of scheduling conflicts, we had to bail on last night's show. Thankfully Marc felt bad enough for the ditch and scheduled 3 more sets. That makes Brian a happy monkey. All of the following dates & times are at the usual: Tennessee's BBQ in Milford. |
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| 6/5/08 | Another solid set! |
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Cheese Merge brought the heat again last night at Tennessee's BBQ in Milford. "4am" wasn't a train wreck like last week, and everything else was pretty solid. We hit the groove pretty well and were reading each other perfectly the whole time.
9:00, same place next Wednesday, the 11th. Who's there? Special thanks to the white trash chick who had to make it a point to
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| 5/29/08 | Ripped it up last night |
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Cheese Merge stepped up and played a tight set (eh, except for one slightly butchered out-of-practice song) last night at Tennessee's BBQ in Milford. We went back to a few staples we hadn't played in a while. As usual, Bill McCarthy is the open mic circuit man! And I gotta give props to the guy who played after us who also plays a Breedlove. The man has taste!
We've got another gig at Tenn's on June 11th @ 9:00. It's the 11th longest day of the year. What better reason to go? Thanks a TON to Corina, Ben, and, ummm, Ben's friend (who will remain nameless because I suck at names) for showing up and supporting us. |
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| 5/12/08 | Another May gig. Yup. |
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Cheese Merge hits the open mic circuit yet again on May 28th at Tennessee's BBQ in Milford. We go on at 9:00, and you show up earlier. That's how this whole thing works. You show up, eat some BBQ, drink a beer or four, and then we go on at 9:00. Don't make it more complex than it has to be. Cheese Merge is all about keeping the flow simple. On a difficulty scale of 1-10, this is about a 2. That's how we roll in Milford.
See, if you show up after 9:00, you could miss us. That's what locals would call a "wicked pissah". |
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| 5/8/08 | Good show last night |
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Cheese Merge played for the 3rd week in a row at Tennessee's BBQ. There were a fair amount of people there and we busted out a few tunes we hadn't played in a while, and a few new merges as well. After all, that is what we do.
There's another gig on the horizon. Stay tuned! (Do I hear rumors of a full gig or two sometime this summer?) |
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| 5/1/08 | Surprise set last night |
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On a whim, Cheese Merge decided to check out the Milford open mic scene last night. First we showed up at Doc's. Their "first come first serve" Wednesday open mics appear to be on hold. So we downed a Guinness and went over our game plan. Bill McCarthy's open mic at Tennessee's BBQ was 1/4 mile down the road, but we didn't have a slot. No worries, we decided to check it out anyway. Bill put us on after his last slot and we played for about 45 minutes. We busted out some new stuff in front of a crowd of strangers. All things considered (like Brian's b string going out of tune a couple of times) it was a pretty fun set and got a good crowd reaction. When we were done one of the patrons told us, "Good job guys. You played good music for hitting on chicks to." We took that as a compliment. Who is coming next week? We've got the 9:00 slot on May 7th at Tennessee's BBQ in Milford. |
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| 4/23/08 | Yet another gig |
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Wednesday, May 7th at Tennessee's BBQ in Milford @ 9:00. We had a great showing at last night's show. Let's get even more people down there next time! Requests? We'll see what we can do! |
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| 4/23/08 | Hell yeah |
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What a great time last night! Cheese Merge busted out some new covers (see the setlists page) and really changed up the setlist. The other acts were solid, the food and drinks were plentiful, and it was easily the most people we have played for, except maybe at the Uxbridge benefit.
Much thanks to: Corina, Kristen, Mike & Jess, Damian & Kim, Kevin and his entourage, and everyone else who was there last night. Bill McCarthy once again proved that he runs the best open mic in the business. And to the guy who Hendrix'd it up after us and played a solo on his Strat with his teeth: we're not worthy. |
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| 4/22/08 | Tomorrow's gig |
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Tomorrow's gig, Wednesday the 23rd, will be at 8:00, not 8:30 like we originally thought.
Avoid the monkey vengeance: just show up! |
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| 4/9/08 | New show, New venue |
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Cheese Merge returns to the open mic circuit on Wednesday, 4/23 at Tennessee's BBQ in Milford. We got on at 8:30.
You will be there or the monkeys will have their vengeance. If you do not know what that entails, just play it safe and show up. |
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| 2/21/08 | Impromptu open mic last night, pt 2 |
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Cheese Merge once again showed up at Doc's in Milford last night and played 2 solid sets. The stage was setup, and the acoustic-electrics sounded great yet again.
Much thanks to Brian's parents and D&K for showing up and supporting us. Spread the word, Doc's is a good time. Also, props to Patmos Brothers Revival who played sets in between our sets. According to their site they have a drummer as well, but last night they were a 3-piece: mandolin, stand-up bass and guitar. I'd describe them as bluegrass meets country meets train songs with a thumping bass meets a damn good time, all wrapped up and jamming for your pleasure. I hope they play at Doc's again! |
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| 2/14/08 | Oops, a no show |
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Due to a nice case of the flu (or whatever the heck it was), Brian spent Wednesday and Thursday curled up on the sofa with no appetite and a nice case of the shakes, dizziness & a headache. Marc took one for the team and played the slot as a solo gig and did fine. We're planning our next move. Oh yes, we will be back. |
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| 2/12/08 | Tomorrow is just a day away (thanks Annie) |
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Wednesday, 2/13/08 @ 8:00 - Speaker's Night Club in Marlboro. B - I've warned you about the consequences of not attending. You'd better listen. Was I right about CFC's? Was I right about the harmful effects of UV rays on your skin? Was I right about how some milk companies tend to be way off on their expiration dates while others hit the nail right on the head? Was I right about global warming? Was I right about the innevitable collapse of the U.S.S.R.? Do you want to see what happens if you ignore me? NO!!! |
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| 2/7/08 | Impromptu open mic last night |
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Cheese Merge decided last minute to check out the new open mic at Doc's in Milford last night. What a great new place to play! Doc's is huge, and although the stage was not setup, it was a great place to jam. We ended up playing 2 sets, broken up by other performers in the middle. Set 1 was an absolute piledriver (possibly the tightest we've ever played), and set 2 was more exploratory and still really good. Kudos to the other people who performed last night. We'll definitely be playing there again!
Don't forget, we'll be at Speaker's in Marlboro next Wednesday the 13th @ 8:00. |
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| 1/17/08 | Didn't we just play a show last night? |
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2 Cheese Merge shows in less than a month? C'mon?!?!?! What are we, machines? Yes, actually we are machines. Machines of funk and roll for your soul. Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto? Damn straight. Wednesday, 2/13/08 @ 8:00 - Speaker's Night Club in Marlboro. If you don't go, you'll never know. What if it ends up being what could have been the greatest night of your life, and you miss it because you are home slurping chicken soup and watching re-runs of Sanford & Son? HUH?! WHAT THEN?! |
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| 1/17/08 | Everyone had better things to do on a Wednesday? |
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Oh well. We played a pretty good set, and all the other performers were top notch. Why more people don't go is beyond me. There was free music and fairly cheap beer, plus the club provides pizza at around 9:00, and if Brian's parents can come down all the way from VT to see the show, what's your excuse? Wednesday's open mic at Speaker's is a hidden gem in the Metro-West area and we'd love to see it catch on. Last night had styles ranging from folk to classical guitar to Spanish music to flat out rock. It's way too much fun and the place should get more business. (Brian speaking:) Thanks a ton to my parents for coming down. This is the first time they've seen us play and I'm glad they had a good time. "Mrs. Robinson" was played especially for you guys :) |
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| 1/15/08 | Alright punks, who is going to be there tomorrow? |
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They serve beer and there's not a bear to be seen for miles. What more could you blood-thirsty mosquitos possibly want? Ok, aside from that, what more could you possibly want? Oh. That's pretty good too. Well, if you can't get either of those, why not come watch us play? Wednesday, 1/16/08 @ 8:00 - Speaker's Night Club in Marlboro. Don't make me tell you thrice. |
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| 1/3/08 | First gig of the new year is scheduled! |
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Wednesday, 1/16/08 @ 8:00 - Speaker's Night Club in Marlboro. Don't make me tell you twice. |
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| 12/19/07 | Open mic, new venue! |
| New venue. Good times. We played a decent set and then had free pizza. What sucks about that? | |
| 12/17/07 | Open mic, new venue! |
| The Lazy Dog is no more on Wednesdays. From now on we are playing at Speaker's Night Club in Marlboro. We'll be there this Wednesday, the 19th, at 8:30. | |
| 11/28/07 | I'm just saying: you should have been there |
| Great set. You all missed it. Except one of you. The rest of you missed it. All the bar patrons enjoyed it. Where were you? | |
| 11/26/07 | Open mic gig in Marlborough this Wednesday! |
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We play music. You order food and listen to music. Then, when it's done, you go home. Its a remarkably simple concept that has been shown to be 93% effective in clinical studies involving hampsters and marshmallows.
We should hit the stage in the opening slot at 7:30 at The Lazy Dog on Wednesday, 11/28/07. |
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| 10/19/07 | Uxbridge Fire Benefit Show |
| Lots of bands. Lots of food. We opened the night with a half hour or so, complete with an impromptu sit-in drummer, that we met only a few minutes before hitting the stage, who joined us for a few songs. He actually filled in rather well considering he had never heard us, or some of the songs, before. The "No Rain" tease had to bail before it got to the actual song because we were playing at about 130% normal speed. So it remained as, well, a tease. Good times for a good cause! | |
| 6/14/07 | Open Mic last night |
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No planned setlist. Winged the whole thing. Tried some new stuff. Succeeded, eh, in parts. Good times. |
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| 6/13/07 | Open Mic Gig in Marlborough Tonight! |
| We'll be playing at set @ 8:30pm tonight at The Lazy Dog in Marlborough. Food, booze, no shirt no shoes no service. You can't lose. | |
| 5/24/07 | The Lazy Dog last night |
| Cheese Merge returned to the open mic circuit last night and all things considered it was a pretty damn good set. "Stir It Up" was busted out for the first time, "Coventry" and "Message In A Bottle" were nailed. "Porch" was, umm, respectable. Thanks to our friends to came to watch, and everyone else who was in attendance. Oh, and the guy who opened up the night and played "Sweet Child O' Mine" on mandolin? Total money. | |
| 5/21/07 | Open Mic Gig in Marlborough This Wednesday! |
| We'll be playing at set @ 8:00pm on 5/23/07 at The Lazy Dog in Marlborough. C'mon by! We'll be busting out some new tunes and enjoying good food and good beer! | |
| 7/10/06 | The BBQ was a success! |
| So the "Marc & Brian set" ended up being more of a loose jam than anything, with Brian's buddy Matt sitting in for an impromptu 2 hour jam session. We played Coventry with just the two of us, but then Matt joined in (rather well I might add) on Message In A Bottle, Black, Mrs. Robinson, No Rain, AC/DC Bag, Porch and Creep. Then we just sort of jammed for a while, including one jam based slightly on the 2 opening chords of Inside Job by PJ. A bunch of people were all hanging out in the basement checking us out and playing darts. It wasn't exactly a real 'set' per se as planned, but you can never really plan how a BBQ is going to unfold now can you? | |
| 7/6/06 | A gig is just around the corner |
| Saturday, July 8th: The Milford BBQ is on! Good friends and good music, what more could you ask for? We'll be playing a good long set to start the festivities, and possibly a looser (drunker) 2nd set later on. Look for some new song debuts! | |
| 5/19/06 | It's about damn time: We have a web site! |
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On May 17th we played an open mic at The Lazy Dog in Marlborough, MA. Joining us on percussion for the first time was Oren Rosen, and he fit like a glove. We played a 40 minute set and we all agree that it went pretty darn well! The new funky version of "Message In A Bottle" was a standout.
We played a gig in February 2006 at Sayde's in Lebanon, NH, and by all accounts the show went really well. Our good friends Doctor Malcolm let us open up for them and we had a great time. |
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