Posted on 05.23.17

While I’m not actively touring and the chances of you finding me in some bar or pub is rare these days, I’m playing House Concerts.  Wanna book me? Click here for a little more info…

Posted on 07.13.16

As I was looking for something I had worked on, I tripped over this little gem of a version of “Found Mary”. Needless to say…..different.

https://www.seanmccarthy.com/audio/demo/SeanMcCarthy-Found%20Mary-DemoMix.mp3

(For those that aren’t familiar, it all got better! http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/everything-has-past-ep/id364722655 )

Posted on 05.06.16

Since my last EP release, I’ve done a handful of shows, and dove into writing music for film & television.  I’ll be honest, as I tried to write lyrics, I either fell short of what I felt was of any quality, meaning or, both.  Television music is forgiving- no lyrics.

Being from the northeast, I’ve been skiing my whole life.  I’d like to think I’m pretty good at it after doing it for so long.  I once had a conversation with an older gentlemen and it somehow came around to me sharing with him that I could ski an entire season without falling even once.  He assured me that if that was the case, I wasn’t skiing hard enough.

I have a new single that will be out pretty quickly as soon as the mastering is complete….while I get back to working on the rest of the record.

I’ll admit this, when I do fall, you’ll want to have your phone camera set to record video- I guarantee it’ll be worth it.

Posted on 09.07.14

as i was looking at an old release of mine on itunes, i noticed other “popular” sean mccarthy songs.  the catch?  they’re not all from me.  as it turns out, there are actually other artists with the same name!  huh?  go figure!  here are the key factors should you be looking for stuff from this sean mccarthy….  i sound nothing like the others, i don’t live near the beach and i don’t use bagpipes on any records.  well, not yet- because c’mon, bagpipes do have their respective “cool” factor!

that said, i was asked by a friend where he could get “all” of my music a while back.  well, what’s been officially released over the years is on itunes and pretty much everywhere else.  the rest?  even i’m not sure of that.  however, i come across old lyrics and recordings once in a while when i’m looking for something that has nothing to do with music.

yeah, my filing system is killer.

Posted on 08.14.12

a few years ago when i was touring on a stupid level (stupid = too many shows to count), i had gone back to a small club that i really loved playing.  the owners were great, the crowd was great and consisted of some great fans that were extremely loyal- just a fun place.  someone came up to me in between sets and said that they were going to have a private party and wondered if i’d be interested in playing.  at that point in my career, i was pretty much up for any show that paid- but especially one that i knew would be a good time with some crowd interaction.  so, i was like, “yeah….sure, that would be great!”  they then jumped in with the second question that is always asked of a band/artist- “how much do you charge?”

ugh.  the uncomfortableness (which is not even a real word).  what to say?  do i ask how much they make at their job?  nope, totally bad taste.  it’s a legit question, to ask an entertainer how much they get paid to perform.  after all, how else would you hire an act?  the truth is, i used to play in bands that got a certain amount of money per show no matter where we played- and it was probably common knowledge after a while how much the band(s) got paid.  still, no one really knew how much the members of the band made out of that amount.  sure- there was some speculation; if there were 4 members of the band the amount was divided by 4, right?  nope- wrong.  just like any business, it’s called overhead.  agent fees = 10-15%, manager fees = 10-20%, roadies, sound tech, fuel, truck payment, blah, blah, blah. oh, and what was left, yes, was normally divided by the number of members in the band.

back to the gig proposal.  no “band” here- just lil’ ol’ me.  so, that must mean that total $ > yours truly, right?  nope, wrong again.  at this point, i had management, and agents, and people working for me.  truth is, everything that was booked was booked through my agents and/or manager.  still, this was a loyal fan, a great person in my eyes.  they just wanted to hire me for a private party and wanted to know how much it would cost them.  so what did i do?  i excitedly handed them my manager’s business card and said, “give them a call- they’ll take care of all of the details.”

it was a crowded club with a lot of noisy people and music playing in the background, still, all i could hear was the loud chirping of a single cricket as their face had a perplexed look on it as they took the card and turned away.

yep- never heard from them again.  actually, the club i heard burned down a short while later, which was a total bummer.

could i have said, “i need x amount of dollars for the show”?  sure- but i no longer did that.  i had someone that did that for me now.  i had someone that took care of things like that.  it’s not that i was above any of it, or  better than any other artist out there,  it’s just how it was for me.  the truth is, when i get booked for a show, i need a certain amount of money.  the funny thing is, it varies because it completely depends on whether i’m able to piggy-back it onto another show that i’m doing in the area, or if a room deal couldn’t be worked out for the other show- maybe i just need enough for the show to cover the room for a couple of nights, or maybe it was way off the map and i needed top dollar to cover everything and also make some money for living expenses off the road, you know….bills and stuff.  it’s all about covering the overhead and making a living.  no, i certainly didn’t put that much thought into “how much money do you get” when i was asked.  i didn’t have to.  i had someone else to put that thought into it.  i certainly meant no disrespect to the fan- yet, because of the business end of things, i’m pretty sure i lost a fan that night, or maybe 50…..if they told all of their friends about me seeming like i was “all that”.

like i said, it’s been years since this event occurred.  why am i writing about it now?  well, for a couple of reasons.  i’m pretty sure not a day has passed that i haven’t thought about it.  fans are too important to me.  the fact that i may very well have “dissed” one into no longer being one, honestly bothers me….everyday.  i wish that this person, and everyone, can understand that it’s nothing personal.  to just be able to play and not put myself in the middle of the “money” discussion, allows me keep my direct relationship with my fans between them, my music and me.

why else?  well, because i’m entertaining the thought of playing some house concerts.  basically, me, playing for you and your friends in a private setting, at your house, backyard, or small party.  in short, the same thing i was asked by this fan.  how much do i charge?  don’t worry, i’ll have someone that you can work out the details with.  but here’s a bit of a tip that i now share after learning what i consider a career/life lesson- figure out how much you have to spend.  if the numbers work, i’m in.

Posted on 01.05.12

hoping that you had a fantastic holiday season!  personally, if it matters, i still wish those that i know celebrate it a “merry christmas” or “happy chanukah”.  those that i’m just not sure of?  yes, “happy holidays” works, too.  where do i leave most of those wishes out?  when eating at a chinese restaurant over this joyous time.  but, i guess that some winter wishes would suffice in that case.

for those that don’t know, i spend most of my non-family time working from home.  my co-workers are the family black lab and my daughter’s two cats.  it’s tough, none of them even look my way when i come up with a catchy song, lyric or even hook.  what i do get, is the occasional yawn or raising of an eyelid in more of an “are you done yet?” fashion.

pets.  who gets ’em?

i was recently asked by a hip-hop producer from the washington d.c. area to be the featured artist on a new single for a pretty talented hip-hop artist he works with.  working with that track at the moment- no clue how it’ll turn out, but sure, i’m up for it.  why not?  we’ll see how it goes.  (notice how i included you there along with me?)

i’ve noticed that i’m fast becoming a mac person.  turns out, i’m a fan of fast, intuitive & pretty.  oh, and i like things that don’t seem to crash as often as others.  yes, we’re still talking about computers & alike.

i’ve sent some new material off to my good friend & producer, steve, in la for the new record.  writing every chance i get.  of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s all good.  🙂  turns out, i can write some really bad songs if i’m not paying enough attention.  the good thing is, i’ve learned from experience and can usually catch myself and either stop or turn it into a catchy music queue for film or tv placement.   again, no thanks to the family pets.

oh hey….if you click here, jango.com , you can listen to the “everything has past” ep along with tons of other of your favorite artists.   who knows, you might even find some new indie artists that you like!  sure, i’d be psyched if you’d grab (purchase) a copy of the record or download it to your isomething or other, but even if you don’t, i still want you to hear it!

so yeah, i’m good, sort of making up my resolutions as i go.  how about you?

btw- there’s still time to get your 2012 calendar before the world ends.  better hurry, though…..

now, who wants french toast?

Posted on 10.13.11

you could say that i’ve learned my lesson about speaking before i should.  i’ll be the first to say that it’s a bit awkward when promising that something will be done, completed or  is in-the-works and things fall through behind the scenes making it seem like forever for “it” to actually come into fruition.  i hope that somewhat explains why you haven’t heard too much from me lately.  it’s not that i’m not working on a few things, but there’s so much involved that i’d rather wait until there’s some actual substance in place before ripping open the bean bag chair.

that said, here’s the “loose” rundown- yes, i’m writing new material.  yes, some of it’s pretty good (i think).  yes, some of it isn’t (or “wasn’t”- i’m quicker to realize than i used to be!)  i’m continuing to have good success with film/tv song placements and keep building on that.  once i actually get some of these new songs closer to fine (yes, i’m an “indigo girls” fan), i’ll see what i can do to put up an acoustic  demo or two.  there are a few other items, we’ll see how those pan out as well.

other than that, it’s my favorite time in new england.  i’m soaking it all in.  and if you’re wondering, lately i find myself listening to the new “chickenfoot”, a little “marc broussard” and the new “maroon 5” and “incubus” records.  not sure how much variety is there, but thankfully satellite radio has me covered should i lean too much to one musical side for too long.

that’s it for me.  dress me up and trick-or-treat….and stuff.

oh- last thing….  i keep up a bit more on twitter & facebook.  so, find me there and follow or like me!

Posted on 04.29.11

seriously.  he worked in the kitchen of a club i used to play at.  he looked different since the “happy days” days.

so, i noticed that if it wasn’t for the twitter feed at the bottom of my site, some may think that i either;  a) took an extended vacation, 2) hid under a rock, or c) took an extended vacation under a rock.  actually, i switched gears for a bit and have been focusing on music for film & television.  of course, chances are you won’t hear it for a while and you’ll have to be watching shows from the states to canada to australia, regardless.   however, some really good changes are taking place that will allow me to get back to work on new material to release.  i’m excited.  seriously.  what?  you aren’t seeing it?  just wait…..you will.

i’ll plug the new facebook page again…http://www.facebook.com/seanmccarthy.musician – the other one is still up, but facebook has some “suck value” to it so i had to change.  so, if you’d go there, and “like” it (the page, not the “going there”), i’d be eternally grateful and will come to your house and sing you a song.  plus, there are some bootlegs and stuff there that you’ll have access to once you “like” it.

okay, got a little ” (quote) happy there, apologies.

don’t forget to watch the sunday morning video and tell cate carson how great she is, and follow me on twitter, and join the mailing list, and bring me some cookies, and i really like chocolate, and…..

enjoy the warm weather wherever you are!  i’m gonna go grab a coffee.  yeah, sure i’ve cut down.  sure.

Posted on 02.11.11

k, there actually is no word on the street….just wanted you to know that i was still kickin’.  i’ll be back w/more news & my views on the world as a hole, er…”whole”.  here are some of the topics i’ll be covering:

me on facebook, me on twitter, me not wasting much time on myspace, my new facebook page because the first (current) one is set up wrong b/c facebook has some dumb qualities, oh…and, my new video, which is finally done!  (hmmm, seems it’s all about me- i’ll be sure to at least talk about world peace and beauty pageants.)

k, sorry so short, it’s not my fault….it’s hereditary.  plus, i’m actually the tallest one in my family.

check back for more i’ll be talking about soon.

Posted on 12.17.10

wow, is it christmas time already?  (yeah, i know….but i’m trying to seem surprised!)  sure i’m done all of my shopping.  well, except for everyone on my list.  other than that, yeah….good.

in case you haven’t noticed, annnnd judging by the numbers, i’m thinking that maybe you haven’t- but, i’ve been much more active on twitter.  although, i have a problem with two things; first, calling tweets well, “tweets”…but, i guess it’s better than calling them “twits” isn’t it?  second, i find that some  seem to “bark” rather than “tweet”- nope, don’t follow those people.  obnoxious.  oh, and by “much more active,” i mean, getting the occassional word in edge-wise….’cause i can.  so, follow me @ www.twitter.com/seanmmccarthy and we’ll go on this incredible journey together through the wonderland that is wonderful enough to follow me through.  see how i actually said basically nothing just now?  yeah, that’s how i roll sometimes. still, follow me.  thanks.

many thanks to xm satellite radio for keeping me company through my travels.  well, aside from when it sucks and the upcoming cliff, embankment and/or slew of trees blocks the signal.  but otherwise, i love being able to hear new music that may or may not end up on mainstream radio in 6 months- at which point i’ll be tired of the song(s) that everyone is talking about.  still, enjoyable nonetheless.

oh- are you on my mailing list?  ummm, why not?  no, not you- you’re all set ’cause you’re on it.  i’m talking about you.  don’t you know that i sometimes give away free stuff (i’m sucking up to you right now) in addition to telling you about cool stuff (no seriously, sucking up) before anyone else hears about it…..true or not?  so, what is it that you’re waiting for?  www.seanmccarthy.com – slither toward the bottom of any page there & you’ll see how easy it is.

k, that’s my shlobbering shpiel.  oh- almost forgot….wait, awe man, i did forget.