Heart strings were plucked at the Ciao My Shining Star release party in Brooklyn

Sept 20, 2009, at the Music Hall of Williamsburg

By Elizabeth Flynn
Published: September 23rd, 2009 | 12:00pm

It warms my black, shriveled, rocknroll heart to see a music community come together to help one of its own. It took a tragedy to bring this storied lineup of artists together, but the Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy CD release show was certainly a tear jerker. Mulcahy, the former Miracle Legion and Polaris frontman, tragically and suddenly lost his wife almost a year ago and was left to care for two three-year-old twin daughters alone on a musician’s salary. It certainly speaks to his reputation as a musician’s musician that so many people were willing to support him in this endeavor to raise money for his family and continue his career.

Many artists from the New Haven/Hartford, Connecticut region came out to support the album release show which offered covers of Mulcahy’s work. Mulcahy himself has a stellar reputation for incredible song writing amongst the long list of artists who contributed to the album, although most of the major names were not there. Some notables in attendance were members of Miracle Legion, Wilco, and Frank Black. Every band on the bill played a two-song set of beautiful, jangly, guitar-driven music that shimmied out of the late ‘80s vault from whence they came.

Unfortunately for this reviewer, I believe that a concert is only as good as it makes you feel. And if you were not part of this small, insular community — then you were just standing around by yourself, lamenting how middle-aged the crowd was, and watching every band forced into a small sound check after every two songs played. There was a lot of confusion onstage as to who was standing where, who was singing what part, and who was playing which instrument. Levels went up and down as musicians played and more than once the death look was shot across the stage from band members to whichever musician was being subjected to audio tweaks and turns of the knob. They fumbled while the volume on the keyboard, guitar, bass, or mic careened wildly and the sound guy desperately searched for the appropriate level. But there was one point where a burly backup singer in plaid played the triangle. This fully made the evening.

This was not your typical rehearsed show which is not all bad and does lend a lot of authenticity to the whole deal. But for the outsider audience member, it could be boring at times. At the end of it, I was really feeling for the staff at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. If I was working that show, I would have been so pissed that my previously warmed black little heart would have iced over like Antarctica, and I would be grumbling about how if I had a boyfriend and kids and he died, nobody would have a benefit for me. Then again, I haven’t been writing incredibly beautiful and influential songs for two decades. All in all, it’s the thought that counts behind this album which is a must-listen once it’s released on September 20 (Shout Factory).

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Mark Mulcahy official website

Mark Mulachy MySpace page

Shout Factory