Biagio’s November 20th
October 19, 2009
Our next show is November 20th, 2009 at Biagio’s Grille on Park Avenue in Worcester. There is no cover. Come on down and enjoy a great meal with some great tunes.
Welcome to HODW
October 15, 2009
“Worcester’s answer to Wilco”-Craig Semon Worcester Telegram and Gazette
Hat On, Drinking Wine first appeared on the Worcester music scene in April of 2007, performing a two-hour set of original music at a tiny coffee shop on the west side of the city. Since then, the band’s repertoire of songs has expanded exponentially, and they have appeared all over the city and region, performing at bars, music clubs, private functions and benefits, and outdoor festivals. From May of 2008 until September of 2009, the band played a weekly show on Wednesday nights at Nick’s Bar and Restaurant on Millbury St., just off Worcester’s famous Kelley Square. The band’s lineup consists of Jarrett Conner on drums; Jared Forgues on bass and mandolin; Jim Lang on piano, accordion, and tin whistle; Matt Robert on electric and acoustic guitar, harmonica, and vocals; and Ed Whalen on acoustic guitar and vocals. HODW writes and plays as a true ensemble, with all members of the band contributing to the writing and arranging of the songs, and with instruments and lead vocals swapping around from song to song. The sound is American roots, with traces of blues, folk, reggae, and traditional Irish music. The band’s self-titled debut is available on itunes, Rhapsody, CD Baby, Amazon, and pretty much wherever else you buy your music.
In September 2009, the band began recording again with Roger Lavallee at The Tremolo Lounge, in West Boylston Massachusetts.
Beatnik’s…and recording again!
October 15, 2009Hey Everyone:
This past Saturday night we had the pleasure to play at one of Worcester’s best new music venues–Beatnik’s, on Park Ave. here in Worcester. Formerly the Foo Bar, Beatnik’s has been renovated into a beautiful and hip new bar. There are two rooms inside–one features a stage and a back bar, and the other features the main bar and seating around the edges of the room. They have great beers on tap and food as well.
We started around 9:00 pm on Saturday night, and played three ten-song sets. It was one of our most enjoyable gigs as a full five-piece band, the first–we hope–of many to come. We had a terrific crowd, so thanks to everyone who came out to support us and this great venue. We saw plenty of familiar faces from our fans at Nick’s, and it was great to see people making the effort to check us out in this new space.
We will be back there in early December, but you should check their schedule and get out to a show sometime before that. It has a similar setup to our longtime home, Nick’s, in that you can sit and listen to the music in the stage room or you can go hang out and chat in the other room if that’s what you prefer.
Our next live performance will on October 30th at Nick’s. We are excited to play on a weekend night, and I am really looking forward to getting my hands back on that piano after two months away.
In the meantime, we headed back into the studio last month and are close to finishing up the first three tracks of our next CD. If you’ve heard us live, you might recognize the song names: “Practical in Love,” “Makes Me Spin,” and “(Sadie) You’re Leaving Me.” We are working with Roger again at the Tremolo Lounge and he has us sounding great on these first mixes. We will return in early November to clean up these first tracks and begin the next three songs. We are shooting for a twelve-song release in the spring of 2010, so stay tuned.
With our rhythm section now locked firmly in place (Jarrett on drums and Jared on bass), and our array of roots instruments finding their way into many of our songs–accordion, tin whistle, harmonica, mandolin, lap steel–we have come a long way from the days when Matt and Ed and Jim played our dozen originals in the local coffee shop. We are offering a show these days that we want you to come see, and that we know you will enjoy. If you’ve seen us before, come check us out now in full band-and-instrument mode; if you haven’t seen us yet, now is the time!
JL
