Author: Erik J. Heels

The MCats Band is pleased to announced that is has officially commenced its second award-winning decade! To celebrate the occasion, we had a small private party at West Acton Villageworks, which also marked the soft launch of The Gallery at Villageworks.

And if the accolades, gigs, and parties weren’t enough, we were flattered to be featured in a BBC America documentary, which debuted at the event:

Finally, and only tangentially related, our keyboard player Erik (notably the only member of the band besides Josh, the drummer, to play sitting down) is moving his law firm, Clocktower Law, to West Acton Villageworks in the spring of 2016.

To those who have rocked, do rock, and shall continue to rock, we salute you!

Set 1

1. Breakdown (Am) – Eamon
2. It’s All Been Done (D) – Erik
3. Oye Como Va (A) – Jon / Eamon
4. *Look Sharp (C) – Jo
5. No Matter What (A) – Eamo
6. *Girlfriend – Erik
7. Sultans of Swing (Dm) – Jon
8. Stray Cat Strut (Cm) – Paul
9. Lonely Boy (E) – Eamon
10. Pump It Up (B) – Jon
11. Psycho Killer (Am) – Erik

Set 2

1. *When Will I Be Loved (F) – Rebecca
2. Old Time Rock ‘n Roll (E) – Eamon
3. Bohemian Like You (B) – Jon
4. Just Like Heaven (A) – Erik
5. Honky Tonk Women (G) – Eamon
6. Brown Sugar (C) – Eamon
7. What I Like About You (E) – Erik
8. I Fought The Law (D) – Eamon
9. You Wreck Me (D) – Eamon
10. Runnin’ Down A Dream (E) – Jon
11. Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love (C) – Eamon
12. Learn to Fly (B) – Erik

Set 3

1. Rock ‘n Roll Fantasy (E) – Eamon
2. Sunshine Of Your Love (D) – Eamon / Jon
3. Please Come Home For Christmas – Paul
4. *Come As You Are (E) – Erik
5. Tush (G) – Eamon
6. 867-5309 (Jenny) (F#m) – Eamon
7. Peace, Love And Understanding (G) – Jon
8. Love Shack (C) – Eamon
9. Already Gone (G) – Jon
10. The Boys are Back (A) – Eamon

* = new to us

By popular demand The MCats Band was welcomed back to the Coppertop Lounge (after last year’s epic gig) to kickoff the 2014-2015 season of live music at Wachusett Mountain. Slightly warmer than seasonal weather did not stop the throngs of skiers and Actonian fans from descending on the Coppertop for what many called a “righteous gig.”

No doubt the MCats entering their second decade of playing together had something to do with the tight tunes played that night. Friends from as far away as Persia rocked out.

And, for the record, I’m pretty sure this was the first time since our fist gig that we played the setlist exactly. So there’s that.

Set 1

1. It’s All Been Done (D) – Erik
2. You Wreck Me (D) – Eamon
3. Cover Me (Bm) – Eamon
4. Just What I Needed (E) – Eamon
5. Breakdown (Am) – Eamon
6. No Matter What (A) – Eamon
7. Sultans Of Swing (Dm) – Jon
8. Smoking In The Boys.. (A) – Jon
9. Honky Tonk Women (G) – Eamon
10. Brown Sugar (C) – Eamon
11. Learning to Fly (B) – Erik
12. Lonely Boy (E) – Eamon
13. Psycho Killer (Am) – Erik

Set 2

1. Old Time Rock ‘n Roll (E) – Eamon
2. Rock ‘n Roll Fantasy (E) – Eamon
3. Bohemian Like You (B) – Jon
4. Just Like Heaven (A) – Erik
5. Oye Como Va (A) – Jon / Eamon
6. *Please Come Home For Christmas (A) – Paul
7. *Run Rudolph Run (A) – Jon
8. Smoking Gun (E) – Eamon
9. Already Gone (G) – Jon
10. Refugee (F#m) – Eamon
    
11. 867-5309 (Jenny) (F#m) – Eamon
    
12. Peace, Love And Understanding (G) – Jon
    
13. Tush (G)
14. Rebel Yell (B) – Eamon

* = new to us

As Eamon and Nancy said in their invite, “As you know, it is a rare event that we have a party, so, we are calling it a Blue Moon Bash!” You had me at party!

For the curious, the last blue moon was 08/31/12 and the next one is 07/31/15. In any event, we don’t exactly need a lot or prompting to gig, so gig we did at the Tighe house!

Thanks to Wendy Oltsik, Eamon Tighe, Amy & Chris Miles, and Julie Greenspan for the pics! We love you mans!

Set 1

1. Breakdown (Am) – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
2. My Best Friend’s Girl (F) – The Cars
3. Stray Cat Strut (Cm) – Stray Cats
4. Centerfield (G) – John Fogerty
5. Oye Como Va (A) – Santana
6. Just What I Needed (E) – The Cars
7. No Matter What (A) – Badfinger
8. Tush (G) – ZZ Top
9. Sultans of Swing (Dm) – Dire Straits
10. Psycho Killer (Am) – Talking Heads

Set 2.5 (a mashup of sets 2 and 3)

1. *Old Time Rock and Roll (recorded in F#, play in E) – Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
2. Bohemian Like You (B) – The Dandy Warhols
3. Just Like Heaven (A) – The Cure
4. Honky Tonk Women (G) – The Rolling Stones
5. Brown Sugar (C) – The Rolling Stones
6. Can’t Get Enough (C) – Bad Company
7. *Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy (E) – Bad Company
8. 867-5309 (Jenny) (F#m) – Tommy Tutone
9. (What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding (G) – Elvis Costello & The Attractions
10. You Wreck Me (D) – Tom Petty
11. Already Gone (G) – Eagles
12. *Rebel Yell (Bm) – Billy Idol
13. Runnin Down A Dream (E) – Tom Petty
14. Love Shack (C) – The B-52’s

* = new to us

Double booked – d’oh! So, not Hull 2 gig today.

Since I won’t have gig pics to upload, I thought I’d take this opportunity to share a little behind-the-scenes info with the above setlist photo. As you can see, we plan the song order in advance, for many reasons. On the keyboard, I have 10 presets. I rarely (if ever) transpose, but it’s easier for me to have, for example, two B3 songs back-to-back. Similarly, Paul (lead guitar) uses two different guitars and tries to minimize switches. Some songs are in the same key, so they make good songs to play in succession. All of that said, we rarely follow the setlist exactly. We often tweak the setlist on gig day to accommodate requests, time restrictions, and the mood of the crowd.

Most of us play from chord sheets (lyrics plus chords). We don’t use sheet music, never have. But it’s not exactly easy to remember the lyrics of 100+ songs, which is how many we have in our repertoire!

Finally, we try to add new songs (highlighted in yellow above) every gig.

Those who rock salute you! We love you mans!

Set 1

1. Breakdown (Am) – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
2. My Best Friend’s Girl (F) – The Cars
3. Stray Cat Strut (Cm) – Stray Cats
4. Centerfield (G) – John Fogerty
5. Oye Como Va (A) – Santana
6. Stacy’s Mom (E) – Fountains of Wayne
7. Just What I Needed (E) – The Cars
8. No Matter What (A) – Badfinger
9. Tush (G) – ZZ Top
10. Sultans of Swing (Dm) – Dire Straits
11. The House Is Rockin’ (B) – Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble
12. Lonely Boy (E) – The Black Keys
13. Psycho Killer (Am) – Talking Heads

Set 2

1. Old Time Rock and Roll (recorded in F#, play in E) – Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
2. Bohemian Like You (B) – The Dandy Warhols
3. Just Like Heaven (A) – The Cure
4. Cover Me (Bm) – Bruce Springsteen
5. Honky Tonk Women (G) – The Rolling Stones
6. Brown Sugar (C, sax) – The Rolling Stones
7. Stand (E) – R.E.M.
8. Should I Stay or Should I Go (D) – The Clash
9. I Fought the Law (D) – The Clash
10. Smokin’ In The Boys’ Room (recorded in D, play in A) – The Brownsville Station
11. Can’t Get Enough (C) – Bad Company
12. Summertime Blues (A) – The Who
13. Learn To Fly – by Foo Fighters (B)

Set 3

1. Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy (E) – Bad Company
2. Are You Gonna Be My Girl (A) – Jet
3. What I Like About You (E) – The Romantics
4. Smoking Gun (Em) – Robert Cray
5. Refugee (F#m) – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
6. 867-5309 (Jenny) (F#m) – Tommy Tutone
7. (What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding (G) – Elvis Costello & The Attractions
8. You Wreck Me (D) – Tom Petty
9. Already Gone (G) – Eagles
10. Back In the U.S.S.R. (A) – The Beatles
11. Takin’ Care of Business (C) – Bachman-Turner Overdrive
12. The Boys Are Back In Town (A) – Thin Lizzy
13. (Ain’t Nothin’ But a) House Party (E) – The J. Geils Band

Encore

1. Love Shack (C) – The B-52’s
2. Runnin Down A Dream (E) – Tom Petty
3. You Really Got Me (G) – The Kinks
4. Dirty Water (E) – The Standells

We weren’t sure if it was on the North Shore or the South Shore, but we trusted our GPS, and a mere 59 minutes (WAY less than an hour), we arrived in Hull. What a great gig! New Haven-style pizza, Fred Lake on freelance percussion, constant dancing, gracious hosts. Go to Hull!

Set 1

1. Good Lovin’ (C) – Grateful Dead
2. My Best Friend’s Girl (F) – The Cars
3. Breakdown (Am) – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
4. Stray Cat Strut (Cm) – Stray Cats
5. It’s a Shame About Ray (A) – The Lemonheads
6. Centerfield (G) – John Fogerty
7. Oye Como Va (A) – Santana
8. Stacy’s Mom (E) – Fountains of Wayne
9. Just What I Needed (E) – The Cars
10. No Matter What (A) – Badfinger
11. Sultans of Swing (Dm) – Dire Straits
12. Psycho Killer (Am) – Talking Heads

Set 2

1. Lonely Boy (E) – The Black Keys
2. Bohemian Like You (B) – The Dandy Warhols
3. Just Like Heaven (A) – The Cure
4. Cover Me (Bm) – Bruce Springsteen
5. Honky Tonk Women (G) – The Rolling Stones
6. Brown Sugar (C, sax) – The Rolling Stones
7. Stand (E) – R.E.M.
8. Should I Stay or Should I Go (D) – The Clash
9. I Fought the Law (D) – The Clash
10. Smokin’ In The Boys’ Room (recorded in D, play in A) – The Brownsville Station
11. Can’t Get Enough (C) – Bad Company
12. Flagpole Sitta (D) – Harvey Danger
13. Learn To Fly (B) – Foo Fighters

Set 3

1. Are You Gonna Be My Girl (A) – Jet
2. What I Like About You (E) – The Romantics
3. Smoking Gun (Em) – Robert Cray
4. Refugee (F#m) – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
5. 867-5309 (Jenny) (F#m) – Tommy Tutone
6. (What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding (G) – Elvis Costello & The Attractions
7. You Wreck Me (D) – Tom Petty
8. Pump It Up (B) – Elvis Costello
9. Back In the U.S.S.R. (A) – The Beatles
10. Takin’ Care of Business (C) – Bachman-Turner Overdrive

Encore

1. Love Shack (C) – The B-52’s
2. Dirty Water (E) – The Standells

Not that we’re counting, but this was gig 47! Eamon knows a guy in Lowell at the Backpage club, so party! Also, 14 more months and we will have been together as long as The Beatles! Surely you’ve heard of them.

And so, the Backpage Lowell, usually reserved for jazz on Thursday nights, was graced with the presence of 70s and 80s rock, courtesy of yours truly (minus Erik, who spent his Thursday night prepping to teach his patent law class in Maine, which explains the severe lack of keys).

Set1

1. Good Lovin’ (C) – Grateful Dead
2. Stray Cat Strut (Cm) – Stray Cats
3. Centerfield (G) – John Fogerty
4. The Old Man Down the Road (E) – John Fogerty
5. No Matter What (A) – Badfinger
6. Bang a Gong (Get It On) (E) – T. Rex
7. The Last Time (E) – The Rolling Stones
8. Spooky (Em) – Atlanta Rhythm Section
9. Sultans of Swing (Dm) – Dire Straits
10. Back In the U.S.S.R. (A) – The Beatles
11. Tush (G) – ZZ Top
12. Lonely Boy (E) – The Black Keys
13. Psycho Killer (Am) – Talking Heads

Set 2

1. Brown Eyed Girl (G) – Van Morrison
2. House of the Rising Sun (Am) – The Animals
3. Cover Me (Bm) – Bruce Springsteen
4. Honky Tonk Women (G) – The Rolling Stones
5. Brown Sugar (C, sax) – The Rolling Stones
6. Learn To Fly (B) – Foo Fighters
7. Should I Stay or Should I Go (D) – The Clash
8. I Fought the Law (D) – The Clash
9. I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) (E) – The Proclaimers
10. Smokin’ In The Boys’ Room (recorded in D, play in A) – The Brownsville Station
11. Can’t Get Enough (C) – Bad Company
12. Sunshine of Your Love (D) – Cream
13. Flagpole Sitta (D) – Harvey Danger

Set 3

1. Smoking Gun (Em) – Robert Cray
2. Victim of Love (G) – Eagles
3. Are You Gonna Be My Girl (A) – Jet
4. *You Wreck Me (D) – Tom Petty
5. 867-5309 (Jenny) (F#m) – Tommy Tutone
6. (What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding (G) – Elvis Costello & The Attractions
7. I Wanna Be Sedated (E to F#) – The Ramones
8. White Room (D) – Cream
9. Summertime Blues (A) – The Who
10. Takin’ Care of Business (C) – Bachman-Turner Overdrive
11. What I Like About You (E) – The Romantics
12. The Boys Are Back In Town (A) – Thin Lizzy
13. (Ain’t Nothin’ But a) House Party (E) – The J. Geils Band

Encore

1. Love Shack (C) – The B-52’s
2. Runnin Down A Dream (E) – Tom Petty
3. You Really Got Me (G) – The Kinks
4. Dirty Water (E) – The Standells
   

* = new

Note to self: don’t schedule gigs on the night of your firstborn’s high school graduation. Fear not, we cobbled together a Paul-free set 1. And had a surprise guest for the encore! Note that the surprise guest allowed us to play a full three minutes past the customary 11pm cutoff time. We love this gig, love the barn, and hope to be back again next year!

Setlist

Set 1 (Without Paul)

1. Good Lovin’ – Jon
2. *Old Man Down the Road – Eamon
3. Margaritaville – Jon
4. Stray Cat Strut – Erik
5. Breakdown – Eamon
6. *Down By The River – Jon
7. It’s A Shame About Ray – Erik
8. *Bang A Gong – Eamon
9. Should I Stay Or Should I Go – Eamon
10. *500 Miles – Eamon
11. Take Me To The River – Josh
12. Louie, Louie – Jon
13. Psycho Killer – Erik

Set 2

1. Jesse’s Girl – Eamon
2. It’s All Been Done – Erik
3. My Best Friend’s Girl – Eamon
4. Centerfield – Eamon
5. Cover Me – Eamon
6. Smokin’ In The Boys’ Room – Jon
7. Just What I Needed – Eamon
8. Stacey’s Mom – Jon
9. No Matter What – Eamon
10. Sultans of Swing – Jon
11. Lonely Boy – Eamon
12. Stand – Jon
13. Flagpole Sitta – Eamon
14. Life During Wartime – Erik
15. The Boys Are Back In Town – Eamon

Set 3

1. Oye Como Va – Jon
2. *Victim Of Love – Paul
3. *Bohemian Like You – Jon
4. 867-5309 (Jenny) – Eamon
5. Honky Tonk Woman – Eamon
6. Brown Sugar – Eamon
7. Love Shack – Barnyard Babes
8. Jesse’s Girl – Eamon

Encore

1. Acton Police Department

* = new to us

Inexplicably, the putting green in Stow was closed for our umpteenth annual MCT auction gig. And if I do say so myself, we were very loud. And looked quite smashing with our Photoshopped hair-band hair!

Setlist

1. Born To Be Wild – Eamon
2. I Want To Be Sedated – Jon
3. Tush – Eamon
4. Can’t Get Enough – Eamon
5. Learning To Fly – Erik
6. Sunshine Of Your Love – Jon / Eamon
7. Summertime Blues – Eamon
8. You Really Got Me – Eamon
9. White Room – Eamon
10. Oye Como Va – Jon / Eamon
11. Smoke On The Water – Eamon
12. *Paranoid – Eamon
13. Boys Are Back In Town – Eamon
14. House Party – Eamon
15. Runnin’ Down A Dream – Jon

* = new