The new CD, Mused & Amused illuminates and celebrates the folk and rock heritage of New England singer/songwriter Stephen Pellegrino, whose recording career is highlighted by collaborations with national recording artists and some of the finest local musicians to be heard on the Boston folk scene in the 70's and now. The disc not only offers listeners a unique chance to experience the first released audio recordings of Pellegrino's songs, but the rare opportunity to hear previously unreleased tracks with such Boston recording artists as Eric Lilljequist and Dean Adrian of Orphan, jazz guitarist/keyboardist Mark Marquis and keyboardist/producer Winston McFarlane.

"Who's Who" of the New England Music scene - then and now

The fourteen song album features Pellegrino with many musicians from the past and present Boston music scene, in addition to Lilljequist, Adrian, Marquis and McFarlane, he collaborated with Rash of Stabbings drummer Bob Giusti, fiddler Kevin Fallon, Raindogs Mark Cutler, George Nardo of Velvet Underground/Lou Reed, film actor Dan Von Bargen and a host of others. The 14 song CD also includes two covers of Tom Rush and Bruce Cockburn, each featuring Pellegrino's unique spin on the original recordings. "There was enough material for at least five albums but I chose the play list to reflect the versatility of the songs and players themselves from decade to decade" explains Pellegrino. All of the recordings were made in New England, with many of them captured in Boston and Cambridge studios. The challenge in bringing this disc to light was that the original recordings were literally falling apart, many in the bottom of the proverbial closet. Pellegrino enlisted the aid of audiophile and analog restoration specialist David Busch of Busch Engineering, to save the tapes from destruction and create the new digital masters featured on Mused & Amused.

Bio

BEGINNINGS: While a student in the 70's at Boston English High and studying art at the Museum of Fine Arts, he snuck out evenings to play the legendary Boston and Cambridge coffee house circuit, as well as working at the famous Boston Tea Party. All of this was while Steve was about 17 years old. ", "I can still remember the after-hours scene there. Any given night at about 3 a.m., a knock on the door could bring, say Van Morrison in to the place looking to jam with the guys from Hot Tuna - or say, Poco onstage with Jefferson Airplane. It was a special time for a musician to come of age. I was lucky to be a part of it."

Musings from Stephen Pellegrino

The Sword in the Stone 

EARLY MEMORIES: I used to kill time while waiting to go on at The Sword in the Stone (on Charles Street) by helping my friends - "hawkers", they were called - distribute the new "free rag" in town. That underground rag was the Phoenix, which (like me) is still kicking around after all these years. At that time, these guys would drop the bundles of free papers all around Boston Common for so many pennies per bundle. It was an easy way for them to make money. But they had to drop ALOT of papers. So, I would go out before sets and give 'em a hand so they could buy smokes and a jug of wine.

Playing at the Sword was a trip, a small stage in a very dim, smoky room. The owner would sit in a dark corner, often announcing each act with a poetry reading. If business was slow, he used to make the musicians head out to the curb and go play on the sidewalk to bring people in. I can still remember the very first time I played there. I was so nervous that the sweat was pouring off of me. I looked down and the playlist that I had taped to my guitar was completely washed out by the sweat coming off of me. I looked out into the audience and was amazed to see a young couple practically getting it on right in front of my mic stand. My sidekick Larry Doheney the only Cowboy from Revere (who thankfully had not sweated through his list) called the tunes and we made it through our set. Afterwards the owner (whose name I can't recall) emerged from his dark corner long enough to take us backstage and lecture us for not talking to the audience more. (actually what he pretty much said is that we were great, but don't be a f**cking radio, talk to them) I went outside to get some much needed air and was checking out the Hari Krishnas selling their magazines on the Common and saw this well dressed businessman on a "power walk" swipe the Krishna's magazine when he stuck it in his face for a sale. Much to my surprise, the Krishna kicked him in the ass. I just laughed, assumed it must have been a day for honest criticism and went and drank wine with the hawkers.

Mysterious Journey

When it came time to leave Boston I feared that I was leaving the hip culture mecca of my young world behind me. What surprised me as I moved around Western Mass. and Northern New England was the sheer talent that I discovered everywhere I lived. Here were little towns that were home to amazing musicians. These areas were flourishing; cultivating the arts in a way that I had never seen in Boston. Upon moving to Providence I found the same thing in abundance. The one common thread that I noticed along the way was that every town had their "tribal musicians" - almost a caste system that ranged from "wanna be's" (the young players) to "be's" (the local success stories). I was always lucky to fall in with the best (and more seasoned) musicians that every town and city had to offer.

All materials on this website © 2003-2004 Stephen G. Pellegrino unless otherwise noted.

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