Tag Archives: Folk Rock

Get Out

12 Monday Jun 2017

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One of the most fun aspects of playing with a working band is getting out and exploring new places. Over the past two years since we formed Wendy Darling and the Lost Boy, Peter and I have been fortunate enough to play at many interesting locations and events in and around Boston including Harvard’s 4th of July Fireworks, the Farmer’s Market and Volksfest (both of Harvard), Fotini’s Restaurant of Bolton, the Middle East Cafe and the Rising of Cambridge, the Battle Road Brewing Company in Maynard, and Markoh’s on Main in Ayer.

Recently, we have added a few more to the roster and it seemed like a good time to tell a little more about the venues and what they have to offer.

Markoh’s on Main – Ayer, MA

http://www.markohsonmain.com/

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We have been playing at Markoh’s pretty regularly over the past year or so and love the place for a number of reasons. As soon as you walk in, you get the feeling of “old school.” There is no barrage of TVs staring you in the face and the intimate setting allows for down home friendly service and conversation. It is set in a charming old building in downtown Ayer and has a distinct local flair (no big chain feeling here). The owner and head Chef, Mark DiCicco, always delivers a selection of fresh creative cuisine and they offer a well rounded beer selection and great bar.

Next Wendy Darling and the Lost Boy Show:  Friday, June 23

Battle Road Brew House – Maynard, MA

http://www.battleroadbeer.com/

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If you like sipping on quality local beer while eating plates of beef brisket and BBQ ribs, you’ll love the Battle Road Brew House. Set in Maynard’s Historic Clock Tower Building and exuding a revolutionary vibe, Battle Road’s mission is to produce a variety of quality beers that are among the best available, and that is exactly what they are doing. We played here for the first time on March 25, 2017 and the restaurant/bar was full and alive with a vibrant energy. Maybe it was the beer, maybe the music, probably both :-).

Next Wendy Darling and the Lost Boy Show: Friday, September 15

The Colonial Inn – Concord, MA

http://www.concordscolonialinn.com/

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Located in the heart of Concord, the Colonial Inn has been around just about as long as the town itself. Certain parts of the building date back as early as 1716. It is a full service Inn with several guest rooms and three restaurants. The Liberty Room, where the bar is located and where the music happens, provides a charming intimate setting where patrons and musicians become one. This will be the first time we’ve played here and we are pumped. We will be sharing the night with Kenny Selcer, another fabulous local musician, who is worth the trip out. Visit his website for more info http://www.kennyselcer.com/.

Next Wendy Darling and the Lost Boy Show (with Kenny Selcer) – Friday, June 16

Rapscallions Table & Tap – Acton, MA

http://drinkrapscallion.com/

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Rapscallions defined is “a mischevious person,” and it is with this rebellious attitude that two brothers decided to open a local brewery in Sturbridge, MA with the intention of staying small, local, and of the highest quality. Once their beer was perfected, they felt it was only natural to create a cool place to serve it up. The result, Rapscallions Table and Tap Restaurant, located on a neighborhood street in Acton. The restaurant is essentially an old house converted into a pub/restaurant with patio seating in the warmer months. The atmosphere is intimate and cavelike (low ceilings) and you get the distinct feeling that something unique and exciting is happening and you have fallen right into the middle of it. I was most impressed with their commitment to using locally sourced ingredients in both the menu items and the beer itself and to their support of local music. And, if you’re not a beer drinker, no worries. They also offer a full bar and signature cocktails as well.

Next Wendy Darling and the Lost Boy Show – Thursday, Sept. 7 (may be rescheduled, so check first)

 

The Heritage Inn and Restaurant – Sherborn, MA

http://www.heritageofsherborn.com/

The Heritage, consisting of an inn, restaurant, gastro pub, and wine store, features live music on Wednesday nights in their Fireside Lounge. With a full selection of wine, beer and cocktails, the restaurant also boasts a “seasonal menu inspired by farm fresh local ingredients.” Do I sense a trend? The August 30 show will be our first time here so we hope that many of you will make it out.

Next Wendy Darling and the Lost Boy Show – Wednesday, August 30

Band Update

01 Wednesday Feb 2017

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Hey all.  A quick update on Wendy Darling and the Lost Boy, the New Year and all that lies ahead.

We just finished the video for the Tiny Desk Contest held by NPR.  It’s our third year of entry and we’re looking forward to the final product, which you’ll see soon.  We hired a company started by a former student of mine called Gimmick Studios and held the shoot in his studio which was a very cool structure—a former church renovated into living/working space.  We had an incredible experience in the making of it as we were treated professionally by four very young, but extremely competent artists who, having heard our song and what we wanted out of the shoot, made it come alive.

Here are some shots of us recording the video.

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This Friday we’re playing at a club in Cambridge called The Rising and, having scoped it out last weekend, we are thrilled at how warm and inviting a place it is to play.  We feel both fortunate to have gotten the job, and also very confident that we are perfect for the vibe of the place.  It is our hope that we can earn a few places there in Cambridge to play regularly and are working hard to make sure it happens.

What’s true is that it IS HAPPENING.  We’re playing in Cambridge at a very great club…can you believe it?

The Rising Bar, Inman Square, Cambridge

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We are entirely grateful to all of you who have shown your support by coming out because it makes us work harder and push our goals forward.   It matters a lot and while we know that you enjoy the music and that The Rising is a great venue, that you’ll have a great time, we also know that it’s late and a significant drive.  We know it and cannot thank you enough.

Do come out.  You’ll like the place.  We go on at The Rising in Inman Square  a little after 10 and are playing until 1:30.  Can you believe that?  It’s like the real deal.

Hope to see you there.

Emerging Artist Series – Night One

28 Thursday Apr 2016

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By Peter Banker

Well, it’s on. We have our Emerging Artists and are set for this Saturday, April 30 at 7:00 Upstairs at the Harvard General Store.

And as the days have passed and in the planning Wendy and I have done, our eyes are becoming wide open to the possibilities that this venue, this event and those beyond it have as a potential for artists, like ourselves to have our work heard and appreciated. In our quest to expand our horizons, we have targeted other larger venues and have found it not entirely easy to break in. It’s not impossible if you have a good product, but we have come to know that it’s going to take some time, patience and dedicated work for our vision to become reality, which it will. This event, we hope, will open some eyes to our work and also the work of two additional local artists, both of whom are very accomplished and further ahead of us in their musical journey.

One is Aidan O’Brien, a young man who I met many, many years ago at an outdoor music festival in Trumansburg, NY called Grass Roots. He was…about 7 and was in the camping area playing a guitar that looked enormous in his little hands, but there he was…for three consecutive days, playing that thing and hugging it like it was his best friend. And, damn it, he was good. Even then. Now, of course, he’s really good, has been in several successful bands and has an entire trove of songs he’s written and covered. Just wait. He’s the real deal. That guitar has never left his side and has proven to be faithful friend.

The other is Mike Kelly. Wendy and I met him at Slater’s Pizzeria and he runs an open mic there on Thursdays, one in which we played early when Wendy Darling and the Lost Boy were just getting started and he was encouraging from the start. A couple of weeks ago when we asked him to play at the Emerging Artist Series, he was on board immediately, telling us that it was a great idea, that he’d be glad to be a part of it. What Wendy and I didn’t quite know then was how accomplished he is. Like Aidan, he’s had an instrument in his hand from the beginning and has, over the course of his young life played with James Montgomery, James Cotton, Johnny A., J. Geils, David, Maxwell, GE Smith, Paula Cole, Trombone Shorty, Joan Osborne, Simon Kirk, Barry Goudreau, The Uptown Horns, and others. He is an excellent song writer and musician in his own right and you’ll love him. (website: www.thebrotherstereo.com).

What are these two doing at the Harvard General Store? Just sharing their music. They, like Wendy and I, just want to play. It’s such a blast, you should know, and it will be a pleasure to play alongside these two for all of you.

Do show up on time and bring as many people with you as possible. We’re trying to fill the place and to fit in as much music as we can. More importantly, Wendy Darling and the Lost Boy are on first; you do not want to miss that…. No way. We are emerging, baby, and want to share our love of what we do with all of you on that night and, hopefully many others.(website: bankeP.wix.com/wendydarling).

See you there.

If you want a sneak preview of what you will see Saturday, check out the video links below.

Mike Kelly…..

 

Aidan O’Brien…

 

Wendy Darling and the Lost Boy…

The Writing of “Blue Skies”

09 Tuesday Feb 2016

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By Wendy Saydah

writing blue skies blog

Some people have asked me about the evolution of the song, “Blue Skies,” how it came about, what inspired it, when it was written. With the advent of our Tiny Desk music video highlighting the song, it seemed like a good time to reflect on these questions and blog it out.

I wrote the first version of the song (formerly called “Nobody Knows About Me”) in 2008 at a time when I was working on songwriting as part of my guitar training with Greg Passler. The song is essentially about some of the deeper parts of myself that are kept hidden or not given a voice. These are the parts that are different, personal, vulnerable (nobody knows about me). The song also expresses an acceptance and even self love (dancing alone cause it feels so good) of these lesser known pieces and deals with the sadness of isolation by seeking out happy people (replacing the tears with your laughing eyes) and good times. In other words, blue skies.

I have written songs as far back as I can remember (using several tape recorders to lay down different tracks) and one thing I have noticed is this. At least for me, the best inspiration comes at times when I am not expecting it, not looking for it, not even trying. It is at these times that a feeling (and it always starts as a feeling as opposed to an idea or thought) begins to tug from deep inside. Most of the time, the emerging emotion gets ignored or pushed away in an attempt to deal with the day to day.  However, if it is not acknowledged immediately, it disappears, never to return, at least not in the same way. In the case of “Blue Skies,” the inspiration and the time lined up and I was able to sit down with my guitar and pen and let it come forth.

I was mostly happy with the song right away. It became one of my favorites, actually. So, when Peter and I began playing together and I started pulling out some of my old originals, this was one of the first ones I shared. I was a little worried at first that it would be too slow for us or maybe better played by one person. However, once Peter got a hold of it, he helped bring it to another level. He created a much better groove, added tasteful harmonies in just the right places, and threw in a few lines here and there. He really helped bring the song to life.

Once we had come up with a version of the song that we both liked, we recorded it and I had a listen. I immediately realized that the name, “Nobody Knows About Me,” no longer made sense and renamed the song “Blue Skies.” I am extremely optimistic and excited about the future of Wendy Darling and the Lost Boy. The possibilities are endless, the potential unlimited, and the skies…..well, the skies are definitely blue.

Cat Stevens, Revisited.

28 Sunday Dec 2014

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cat-stevens-tea-for-the-tillermanI first remember listening to Cat Stevens (born Steven Demetre Georgiou) in the spring of 1985 while in my Junior year at Ithaca College. My roommate, Jane, had his album, “Tea for the Tillerman” and would play it often. I was particularly captured by “Father and Son” and “Miles from Nowhere,” both songs that delivered the deeper meanings of life on a melodic wave of sound. Stevens’ tunes were insightful and harmonic. They made me think, feel, and listen. I never did buy any of his albums, and as I moved on, away from my college years and into a more digital age, I left his music behind.

Stevens also walked away from the music in 1977 when he decided to give up his career as a popular musician and convert to Islam. He changed his name to Yusuf Islam and focused his efforts on educational and philanthropic causes. Since then, he has received several awards for promoting peace in the world including the World Award (2003), Man of Peace Award (2004) and the Mediterranean Prize for Peace (2007). It would be years, however, before I was to hear or even think about this iconic man again.

During a visit with my mother this fall, we had the good fortune of watching Harold and Maude, a 1971 film about a young man obsessed with death and his relationship with a 79 year old woman who teaches him that life is the most precious gift of all. Stevens’ music surfaces in the opening scene and continues throughout the movie. The soundtrack is 100% Cat Stevens (with the exception of one or two classical tracks). As soon as I heard the scratchy sound of needle on vinyl leading up to “Don’t Be Shy,” I was immediately propelled back to a different era. First to 1984, in my junior year apartment and then to the early 70’s when I was growing up. Both periods punctuated by feelings of freedom, independence, creativity, and thoughtful expression.

More recently, it has come to my attention that Stevens (or now Yusuf) has decided to revisit the music and embark on a full fledged American tour. He began releasing new albums in 2006 and just this year (2014) began his first tour since 1978.

Peter and I decided it was a great time to cover one of his tunes, and Peter brought “Longer Boats” to the table.

Here is our version.

We have since changed a few of the harmonies and are working on refining the arrangement and tempo. All the same, it is a great tune to sing out, “If You Want to Sing Out.” Enjoy.

“Her Song,” the B Side

19 Friday Dec 2014

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I wrote “Her Song” in June of 2005 when my oldest daughter was 11 and entrenched in the challenges of middle school navigation. “Her Song” is a look into the mind and feelings of a young girl on the brink of adulthood for whom I care deeply but could not always reach or understand.

I recorded “Her Song” this past summer in Dave’s studio. Again, Dave did an amazing job helping to refine the arrangement. He also added a bass line and acoustic guitar solo that are right on the money. I have thought of this song as a good B Side to “Flowers.” I can picture it on a Vinyl 45 Single. Maybe someday.

Enjoy listening and let me know what you think.

The Benefits of Blogging and Gigging….

13 Saturday Dec 2014

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As I woke up this morning reflecting on my first GIG with Wendy Darling and the Lost Boy, I asked myself what was so fun and rewarding about this type of experience. Over the past week, I had also been contemplating why I was enjoying writing the blog and what I realized was this. There were some common threads that pulled me towards both.

The thing about blogging that is different than writing an essay or more formal paper is that it allows you a space to jot down ideas in a variety of ways without the pressure of having to be “perfect.” It is a journey rather than a destination and as journeys often go, there is no real ending or final product to worry about, mistakes happen (and it’s ok), ideas evolve, unexpected events occur, and if you allow it, the path may lead to a place of discovery that you would not have found had you tried to over plan it.

Gigging can offer the same freedom to grow and evolve. Getting out and playing in front of an audience on a regular basis allows you the opportunity to try new things, to make mistakes, to perfect your technique and presentation, and to connect with others. It offers you the chance to put aside fears of failure or not being perfect in favor of embarking on a journey where the unexpected is the norm. The key is to keep moving, keep evolving, keep listening, keep playing.

Last night, as we performed to an intimate audience, we realized the benefits of embarking on this musical journey. Through some hard work, commitment to creativity, support of one another, and a willingness to take small risks, we were able to put out some music that made people smile, groove a little, and connect to some great tunes. What could be more fun and rewarding than that?

Fortini's

Peter and I with Fotini (One of the Owners of Fortini’s Restaurant, Bolton, MA) after the show.

Pulling Together Some Last Minute Tunes ….

09 Tuesday Dec 2014

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Wendy Darling and the Lost Boy will be playing this Friday night at Fortini’s Restaurant in Bolton, MA. Our goal has been to begin booking gigs after the New Year, but this one came along and we are really excited! We realized, however, we needed to add a few more songs to our list in order to fill up the 2 1/2 hours. This is what we came up with..

(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone, written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart and made famous by Paul Revere & the Raiders, who recorded and released it in May of 1966 on their Midnight Ride album. The Monkees also released a version in November of 1966 which made it to the top of the charts. I recently heard Steppin’ Stone when I went out to see my brother-in-law’s band over Thanksgiving weekend. They did a splendid version and I immediately knew it would be a good one for us.

The other song we added this week is Everything Has Changed by Taylor Swift. Covering Taylor Swift is not an easy task but after many requests from my 18 year old daughter, we thought it would be fun to try. We chose Everything Has Changed because it is not only a beautifully written song, but it also features British singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran. This vocal and guitar duo seemed like a perfect combo to cover.

If you have the chance, come down to Fortini’s Restaurant (544 Wattaquadock Hill, Bolton, MA) this Friday night, December 12, and check out the rest of our music. We’ll be starting at 7.

In the Studio with “Flowers”

03 Wednesday Dec 2014

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I wrote “Flowers” in the winter of 2006 while taking a course in Craniosacral Therapy. As we explored the deeper parts of ourselves, I came across a space within myself that held an old and elusive memory of my father, who died when I was only 2.

The song “Flowers” is about the importance of my relationship with my dad, but how quickly it ended and the difficulty in holding on to the memories. Sometimes they surface and hint at a rich connection, but always, they quickly fade.

This summer, I had the privilege of working with a talented musician and friend, Dave Parker. We worked through a couple of my original songs and chose two to record, one of which was “Flowers.” Dave made some insightful additions to the song as well as created and played drums and bass on the recording. Oh yeah, he also recorded the song in his new studio, an amazingly talented guy. Thanks, Dave!

Here is the final recording. Let me know what you think.