Featuring Dan Nicklin:

And Mike Mirabella:

Video courtesy of Mike Epstein. Thanks, Mike!

Getting excited about Week #2 of the Songwriter Residency over at the Somerville Armory? No? You’re not? Well, how about this to whet your appeties…

Here is video of “First Saturday” written by Sarah Rabdau and myself:

And here is “Heart Unbroken” by Mike Mirabella and me:

Thanks a bunch to Sophia Cacciola for the video!

After all the preparation, frantic scheduling of songwriting sessions, and laundering of hot pink shirts, it was finally time last Thursday for the Songwriting Residency at the Somerville Armory to begin. Some highlights:

- We arrived at the venue for load-in only to find that the Armory parking lot was full. Why was it full? Because there was a yoga chanting event scheduled for the big room. Of course there was. That’s the thing about Somerville – maybe you can get a few folks out to a rock and roll show, but you’ll always sell a chanting event right the frig out.

- We also learned that although the Somerville Armory’s beer and wine license has been approved, it has not yet been issued. Furthermore, the approval of the license meant that the days of the temporary one-night licenses could no longer be obtained. So in a rare moment of actual irony, the Somerville Armory’s liquor license was preventing us from drinking.

- Before the show, I spent the majority of my non-drinking time chatting with Keith from Scamper’s 5-year old son Jason. The subject of the conversation was “What if everyone suddenly forgot how to do everything?” As it turns out, they’d just sit around and go “Duh…” That kid blew my fucking mind.

- On first was Mike Mirabella, drummer extraordinaire of The Rationales and The Future Everybody. And by the “first,” I literally mean first, as it was his first solo singing performance ever. And Mike was, shall we say, a little on the nervous side. When he found out that there was no beer on the premises, three of us had to hold him down so he didn’t go around the corner to buy some oxys just to take the edge off.

Mike Mirabella rocks the Armory

Once he got started, it turned out there was no need to fret. Mike gave the performance of a veteran. The songwriting was poptastic and his singing voice has never sounded better. He even managed to squeeze in a little banter in between racing through his songs.

When it was time for our song, Mike was good and warmed up. We played “Heart Unbroken,” the song we wrote only a few days before the performance. Our new song was warmly received by the crowd and I was very pleased with how it came out. Overall, I couldn’t have been prouder of Mike’s performance.

Just a couple of handsome dudes playing sad songs at an Armory

- When it was time for my set, I had realized that I had spent so much time working on the collaborations that I had neglected my own set. Luckily, I stumbled my way through a few pop songs, trying to drown out the chanting coming from the next room. When things got a little to zen for my liking, I told Buddha where to stick it. I’m a class act.

Bringing it

- After my set, I brought Sarah RabDAU up to perform our song, a heartbreak ballad entitled “First Saturday.” Playing music with Sarah was, as always a joy and a pleasure. She even wore pink patent leather shoes to match my stage outfit. What a sport!

Sarah and me emoting

- Sarah’s set was predictably terrific. She is such a monster talent that I have no idea how she writes songs in the way she does. She strikes that balance in which she is able to be musically artistic and risk-taking without coming off as pretentious or ironic. She’s the real deal, folks.

The lovely Sarah

Overall, a tremendous night of music and fun. But wait – there’s more! We’re going to do it again this Thursday with Jason Dunn of The Luxury and Magen Tracy of St. Helena.

[Photos by Gonzalo Plaza]

Here it is – Night 1 of my May residency. Here’s the info:

Somerville Armory
8pm $7 All ages
with Sarah Rabdau and Mike Mirabella (solo debut)

Drop on by! It promises to be a lot of fun.

You remember that time when Mr. T was at the mall and you kept saying “Mr. T will be at the mall all day, so I’ll go down later” and you kept putting it off and putting it off and when you finally went to the mall Mr. T was gone?  Remember how disappointed you were, Homer?

Don’t let that happen to you again, my friends. The Songwriter Residency at the Somerville Armory begins this Thursday night. Come on by for one of the more unique lineups in Boston music with the scintillating Sarah RabDAU, myself, and the solo debut of Mike Mirabella of The Future Everybody and The Rationales.

You will also hear the world premieres of both “First Saturday” by Sarah Rabdau and Brendan Boogie as well as “Heart Unbroken” by Mike Mirabella and Brendan Boogie. Two new songs, three full sets, lots of surprises – come on down to night 1 of my residency. I’ll be very excited to see you. I’ll probably say hi and maybe even hug you, depending upon how well we know each other. I’m not going to get too forward or anything. I promise the appropriate amount of body contact.

Come on by and check out some great music at this unique venue. Only $7. Doors at 8pm. And the Armory now has beer and wine! Hooray!

You may recognize Mike Mirabella from seeing him behind the drumkit of the bands Scamper, The Brendan Boogie Band, or currently The Rationales and The Future Everybody. (Or maybe you don’t. I mean, who pays attention to the drummer?)  Besides banging on things loudly, Mike is a songwriter in his own right. Did you know it was actually Mike who penned the Scamper hit “Wait Wait”? True story. 

Mike and I have been playing music together for many years.  When I was offered this residency at the Somerville Armory a few months back, Mike happened to be standing next to me and also happened to be drunk. He asked me to book him for his solo debut show and I (who was equally drunk) agreed.

After a very fun (and shockingly drunken) songwriting session, I chatted with Mike about the experience:

Mike: Once we settled in things started to go real smooth real fast. Did you go into this with any plan? Song Title perhaps?

Brendan: No, nothing at all. I thought of an idea beforehand about everyone thinking we’re brothers, but we ended up not using that. I was surprised the direction the song went in. Not at all like anything we’ve played in bands together before. Were you surprised by the process at all?

Mike: Honestly, I was a bit nervous. When I write songs on my own its very easy to “ignore the rules” and just write what I want. The idea of writing with someone else had me worried that I might be called out as a fraud…so to speak. Instead, as ideas started popping up, we started heading in all of the directions I hoped we would.

Brendan: So you didn’t mind when I pointed and yelled “Fraud!” at you for twenty minutes?

Mike: I would have but it was only minutes later that you accepted one of my lyrical ideas so I figured it was worth the ridicule.

Brendan: It’s funny – we’ve been in bands together for over 5 years now and we’ve never really written a song together. We’ve done so many other things together.

Mike: So, so many other things… In all honesty it is pretty surprising that we’ve never written together before. I’ve always wanted to write like that, a couple of guitars and notebooks bouncing ideas off each other. I am so happy with the results.

Brendan: Yeah, it’s not a bad little tune. Definitely not like anything we did in Scamper. It’s nice to write without those assholes Keith and Nate around to fuck up the awesome sauce.

Mike: Wow! So all this time it was them holding us back. It’s all coming clear now. Hey Brendan – remember that time we almost wrote a hair metal song about being brothers but then came to our senses?

Brendan: We really dodged a bullet on that one. So how are you feeling about your first solo show?

Mike: Nervous, excited, hungry?

Brendan: What’s your worst case scenario of what will happen on May 6?

Mike: I don’t get a record deal. I’m really going for the gold on this one. I feel no one has really ever cornered the market on playing power chords on acoustic guitar and singing about girls who went away and/or are in the process of going away.

Brendan: Well, the good news is there is now beer available for sale at the Somerville Armory. How much political lobbying did you do to make this happen?

Mike: I filled out the form, I posted the link in my profile. Thank heavens, it was enough to keep the beer flowing. I am going to need to have a beer or two to get up there. I hope the good people enjoy a few and get in a FRIENDLY mood before I play.

Brendan: Well, just to let you know – I have no faith in you whatsoever.

Mike: That’s what keeps me going. Keep doubting and I will get up there and (most likely) prove you right. Over all, I’m pretty excited. A few months ago I had one of those drunken moments, demanding that I must play a solo show, you booked me and you’re holding me to it. So thanks for that D-bag!

Brendan: No problem. Brendan Boogie makes performance anxiety nightmares come true!

Mike: There is a good chance that I’ll get up there, freeze up and start playing air drums while shouting out the chorus to “Two Princes.”

Come on by the Somerville Armory this Thursday to support your pal Mike in his solo debut. 8pm doors.

You may be wondering what’s with the slow April in Boogieland.  When are the gigs, Brendo?  We’re tripping all over ourselves to see your music again, goddamn it!  Our lives are empty without you!

Rest easy, honkies.  Here’s the big announcement for which you’ve been waiting:  I’ll be playing every Thursday in May at the Somerville Armory.  What’s more – check out the great lineups I have uh… lined up: