Issue link: http://southshoremagazine.uberflip.com/i/826197
Greetings, music lovers, and welcome back to South Shore Magazine's "The Beat," Volume 11! Here at The Beat, we cover all things music on Boston's best shore, the South Shore! In this edition, we will talk about some of the area's most seasoned veterans and the new work that they have been creating. Like a fine wine, musicians who stay true to their creative spirit only get better with age. Their knowledge, experience, skills and resources are all finely tuned, which makes for a splendid concoction of creativity. Let's dive right in and take a look at what some of the area's most respected veterans have been up to, lately. I'd like to start with my dear friend, Chuck McDermott. McDermott has been featured in an earlier edition of The Beat at the beginning of his resurgence. Almost a year later, he is ready to release his first record in (roughly) 30 years. "Gin and Rosewater" is a 14 track LP, chalk-full of with lush and relevant roots music. The album features an all-star lineup of Boston musicians such as Duke Levine, Kevin Barry, Marco Giovino, Lyle Brewer and Mark Erelli, just to name a few. It kicks off with "James Foley Diaries," filled with beautifully stacked harmonies, introspective guitar layers and lyrics that reflect hope in today's turbulent and complicated political landscape, as seen through the eyes of the late journalist, James Foley. The record moves on to "A Thousand Cuts," a seemingly retrospective love story filled with recollection and redemption. The first single from "Gin and Rosewater" is "Belvedere," which starts with a dark and soulful groove. The chorus lifts into the light as the song gracefully toes the line of all the success and failure love can bring to the human condition. Later in the record, we arrive at the silly "Tryin' to Keep the Wheels on the Road," a perfect depiction of the humor found through life's trials and tribulations. This paragraph simply does not have enough space to truly elaborate on what a spectacular record McDermott has created. He has marvelously and gracefully covered a lot of ground with this record…30 years or so to be exact! It is my prediction that this record will be met with loads of critical acclaim. McDermott's songwriting runs deep, with stories that reflect on all aspects of the human condition. It is beautifully portrayed by someone who has experienced and observed them, both from afar and at close range. My personal favorites from the record are "Irresistible Targets" (a cover of McDermott's late friend/mentor John Stewart) and "Gin and Rosewater." Please, do yourself a favor and visit www.ChuckMcDermott.com. Next up, I'd like to talk about the delightfully eccentric and beautifully creative, Paul Santo. As stated on his website, "Paul Santo is a Grammy Award winning American composer, producer, engineer, singer and multi-instrumentalist." Now, wait a minute… that's a lot of stuff! Santo has made a career by being the guy who does everything that everyone else can't do. You might not see by Jay Psaros 42 Steve Smith Paul Santo