Gigs.

Arts at the Armory • Somerville MA • photos by Sarah Palmer

• The Prestons play a half hour set on June 22nd at Memorial Hall in Shelburne Falls.

• The annual Pop on the Lawn show returns to Angel Park in Williamsburg on July 31st. I'll be joining my former Group DeVille bandmates Nick and Fred for a set of GDV songs in honor of the 20th anniversary (see post below).

• Transperformance returns to the Pines Theater in Northampton's Look Park on August 20th. I will once again be transperforming with the Zip Cody Band.

• I'm featured performer at The 413 in Easthampton on August 26th.

• I'm playing a full evening at The Common Table in Chester on September 13th.

Twenty Years After.

If Group DeVille had stayed together, 2019 would have marked our 20th year. We played a 10th anniversary show in 2009, but called it quits two years later. Following the split, I began showcasing my solo stuff. At times this was as the Rick Murnane Band, along with players such as Sturgis Cunningham, Dave Hayes, and J.J. O'Connell. Quite often it was Nick Dines and Fred Goodhue from the GDV days up there with me.

A couple of years ago, Nick and Fred and I renamed ourselves The Town Council (a little in-joke for the neighbors) and reworked the repertoire a bit. Unfortunately, various external issues that same year led us to once again step away from the public stage. We still get together every month (well, most months) for an evening of music and a cuppa tea, but we don't play out.

Until now, that is. A full, original lineup GDV reunion isn't in the cards, but the three of us decided it would be fitting to celebrate two decades of the music itself. So heads up, everyone. We're gonna dust off some songs and play a couple of gigs this year. The first one will be in July (the "Pop on the Lawn" show, details to follow once confirmed), and we're ironing out plans for one more sometime in the Fall.

Now all we have to do is come up with another new band name.