DUG MCCORMACK - CLUB BOHEMIA ARTIST OF THE MONTH

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 THE CLUB BOHEMIA ARTIST OF 

THE MONTH FOR SEPTEMBER

DUG MCCORMACK

Club Bohemia: Dug, you are quite active on the scene, what are you doing with all the clubs coming to a grinding halt during Covid 19?

DM: Well, I have been working since this all started and began recording a collection of songs/pieces at home and having some friends collaborate on them with me. It started as a fleshing out songs for Square Ape, we finished our first EP in February, had our first show, and released it 3/30/20,  

( https://squareape.bandcamp.com/album/process ) 

 and then as the current situation intensified, I started focusing on ideas that had been shelved, or sitting around way too long. That process ended up with lots of playing and creating new songs and things of that nature. I am in the final stages of mixing now and hope to release it before the end of 2020.  I have also been doing LIVE ART every Thursday night at 6pm on my Dug McCormack Art facebook page. ( https://www.facebook.com/DugMcCormackArt )
The artistic side of my brain has not been functioning as well the last 6 months, so I have been using the LIVE ART nights to try and shake things loose, and also "perform" a bit for folks. People can make donations and suggest things for me to create while they watch. I split donations 4 ways, 25% - the Black Lives Matter Movement, I usually choose a different city based on that weeks news, 25% to the Greater Boston Food Bank, 25 % to a Local Club and Their Staff, and 25% for art supplies.

 I also use this LIVE platform to get others to support clubs by donating to GoFundMe campaigns and buying any merch they may have. Lots of places have Tshirts for sale, O'Briens, ONCE, Charlies Kitchen, Great Scott, Midway Cafe, all have merch for sale to help the clubs and the staff. Another big way to help is to support promoters like Greyskull Booking and TinyOak Booking have merch for sale to help them get through these ODD times.  JUST FIND THE PEOPLE YOU MISS THE MOST FROM THE MUSIC SCENE AND SUPPORT THEM.

CB:The last post on the Psychic Dog site is Dec 24 2018, what's going on with Kevin and Dug and Psyhchic Dog?
https://www.facebook.com/PSYCHICDOG/


DM:   Psychic Dog had our last show at ONCE Sept of 2018.
I formed an MK III version with Kevin on drums and my brother Mike on bass and we recorded a 9 minute "prog" song for a compilation for our friends in Lazertuth, that should see the light of day in 2021.
(https://lazertuth.bandcamp.com/)

CB:You still have MySpace up on your Facebook page.  How is MySpace for musicians these days>

DM: That link is up there from when I started on fecebook back in 2010, I'm sure it's good for a laugh!

CB:   Guitar / Tall Person at Pony Snot and Guitarmouthkeys at Baluchitherium or on your Facebook page.  How many bands are you
in and can you tell us about these groups ?

DM:  At the moment none...... HAR HAR HAR.  I am in 3-1/2 bands at the moment. 
Pony Snot is a Rock band with my friend Britta, who sings and writes all the words, and I write the music and play guitar. We have been together for 2 years. Britta just turned 8, and we are currently in talks on releasing our first recordings with a major label.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY WEASELPUSS!!!!!
Baluchitherium is a country rock and blues band that Iplay keys, guitar, and sing in with some stellar musicians and pals, 2 of which happen to be my brothers.
It's good time music about themes as old as time, drinking, heartache, and cheese.
We released our first record last year at Club Bohemia
 https://baluchitherium.bandcamp.com/album/lost-glasses-empty-love
Square Ape is a dumb rock band with some extra wank added in. I wanted to play loud and fast dumb stuff with more guitar, so I asked Kevin from Psychic Dog to join in and got the magical John from BlissfullWizard, Death Is The Dream, Band Without Hands, and countless other bands to hop on bass.
We recorded an EP last November at Chillhouse Studio, played our first show in February and a week later the country was shut down. Never got that second show, but released our EP on 3/30/20
 https://squareape.bandcamp.com/album/process             https://blissfulwizard.bandcamp.com/releases
I sometimes play bass in the garage rock band SHAKE, great people making great sounds, and always a good time thrashing about.
And of course I have my "solo" stuff that goes all over the place
https://dugmccormack.bandcamp.com/album/back-out

CB:  When did you first get into playing music?

DM: We had an old piano that I would clunk around on growing up and then borrowed a neighbors guitar, THANKS LINDA, but really became focused on music around 15. I started as a bass player in a 90s cover band and started writing my own music around 1998. I love the blues and moved onto playing in blues rock bands and then just started "making it up" as I went along, which is what I still enjoy about music to this day.

CB: What was the first record you ever bought and do you still like it today?

DM:  First tape I bought - "The Real Thing" - Faith No More 
        First CD I bought - "The Downward Spiral" - Nine Inch Nails
        First Record I bought - "Further Adventures of Jimmy and Wes" - Jimmy Smith and Wes Montgomery
All of these albums are still in heavy rotation.

CB:  Many clubs are on the verge of closing, Bull Run and Thunder Road, across from each other in Somerville, C Note in Hull, will this make it
harder for your bands to perform AND, just as important, will bands survive COVID if the club scene doesn't?

DM: Music will always find a way.
I just hope that those club owners being smashed in the face with debt and destruction right now can find a way to make it through with their health and hopefully their business.  The music community is one of the most supportive communities you could hope to be a part of, and a lot of people outside the scene take it for granted, most folks LIVE IN the music scene, these are the ones hit the hardest. These are the folks that open the club EVERY NIGHT, Book the bands, Serve the drinks, clean up the bathroom, make sure you are safe, Close down the club and DO IT AGAIN TOMORROW.  Most of your friends work at 3 different clubs, busting their ass for your enjoyment. 

I feel that the government local and national/ international has done a great disservice by leaving the clubs, staff, sound engineers, promoters, servers, bar backs, coat checkers, just left holding the bag.
Clubs are being closed, dreams are being shuttered, and there seems to be no plan for these folks whose livelihoods have been squashed and put on indefinite hold.

Most folks take the arts for granted and just assume they will always be there, that is definitely not the case.  

ALL MUSIC LOVERS should head here and show your support
https://www.saveourstages.com/

CB: Will the way music is performed and marketed change with the pandemic, and maybe just as essential, with musicians performing live on Facebook and other internet sites, is it already reshaping?

DM: The arts always have to be evolving. 
If it isn't fast and free, folks aren't interested. 

With technology in just the last 10 years, music has had to roll with the punches with the artists being taken advantage of at each turn. Major streaming platforms pay fractions of pennies on the play, and most sites to sell your music take a cut as well.
Live streaming will stay popular and whatever comes next will be good until someone figures out a way to better monetize it and milk the fuck out of it

CB: How many records have you released?'



DM:  maybe 10 ?


CB: How many tracks have you appeared on?

DM: 69

CB: Anything else you'd like to say to Club Bohemia?


DM: THANKS MICKEY.
Thank You for always being kind and supportive of whatever we brought down to Club Bohemia. You opened your space to us and we treated it like our own home. You played our records before bands when we weren't even playing. You always had a bit of musical knowledge to share and I always loved loading in early to shoot the shit or hear you play guitar, and of course  just hanging out in the back.  You are a genuine music lover and that is something that can never be beat, thanks for giving so many of us a place to start out, and a place where we could be ourselves.  Love ya dude.

Thanks for the opportunity Joe, Be Well my friend.

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