The summer of 2011 is off to a good start for us.  The Tolland Relay for Life was once again a fun and inspiring event for us to be a part of, and of course the Monroe Strawberry Festival is one of our favorites (if you go next year you really must try the smoothies!).  This past Saturday we had the unusual opportunity to perform as a duo at the Kenyon-Sedelnik wedding.  The wedding was at Lighthouse Point Park in New Haven and the night was excellent.  Mark and I played the cocktail hour outside the carousel overlooking the water.  Jim couldn't be with us that night and we missed him.  Mark and I thought we played really well and were left wondering just how good we would have sounded with Jim....

Now were looking forward to our next adventure- the Mattabesett Canoe Club (formerly Harbor Park) in Middletown.  It is under new ownership and the new owner, Danny, is bringing in an eclectic mix of music and has employed us for three dates.  It is a great setting and I hope many of you can come join us down by the river.  See you then-

Steve

Well, we all survived the crazy winter, none the worse for wear. Actually, we have been pretty busy by Marksmen standards, with two gigs at the Glastonbury Irish-American Home. March 4th was our last scheduled gig in Glastonbury for a while, so we decided to run the tables and rig up some stage lights.....well, Christmas lights anyway.....wrapped around each speaker.....but at least they were green. Our most exciting gig to date was on St. Patrick's Day, at McLadden's Pub in West Hartford. We played the Happy Hour set to an absolutely packed house, complete with green beer, Irish Step Dancers, and a fake Blarney Stone. We had a blast and kept the crowd pumped with a mix of our best Irish tunes and some new material we've been working on. We even got to play several tunes with Alex Stott, a fantastic young bagpiper - a first for The Marksmen. Once again, there were not many among the inebriated, twenty-something revelers who actually knew the name of the instrument Jim was playing. Most, I'm sure, called in sick to work on Friday.....Look for us to play McLadden's again sometime in the near future......On Friday, March 18, we entertained the residents of Chester Village West - the polar opposite of McLadden's, but no less enjoyable. This was the 2nd time we have performed for the folks in Chester, who kept the St. Patrick's Day spirit going for a second day by clapping and singing along to every tune we played. So stick with us - we're just getting warmed up! - Mark

 Well, we have made it to the end of yet another year. 2010 was a busy year for The Marksmen (perhaps our best yet), with 18 gigs to our credit. We've been lucky enough to play some new venues this year, including the new Mattabesett Canoe Club (formerly Harbor Park, in Middletown, CT), and McLadden's Irish Publick House, in West Hartford. Look for more appearances at both of these great pubs as the new year rolls around. With our new Bose sound system (a.k.a. our trip to Ireland...), we are playing and sounding better than ever (and that's not just the Guinness talking!). So, we hope to continue moving forward in 2011, and we hope you'll come along for the ride with us. In the meantime, have a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!  - Mark

Well I see that we've been neglecting our blog for a while!  That's not to say we haven't been busy.  We've been making the rounds to Glastonbury and New Britian and have been having a great time playing.  Making it even better is the sweet sound of our new Bose L1's- outstanding sound!  As for the near future we're pretty excited to be playing at some new venues.  THIS saturday we will be at the Matabesett Canoe Club in Middletown.  This is the restaurant right down by the river formerly known as Harbor Park and before that America's Cup.  It is under new ownership and they want to give it an Irish Pub feel- we'll do our best to help out!!  NEXT saturday we'll be at McLaddens Irish Publick House in West Hartford.  Again, we'll do what we can to bring our Irish vibe to the place. 
I'm definitely looking forward to the next week and I hope I'll see some friends along the way........come on out and have a Guinness with us!! (Marks buying....)

Steve

 Hello everyone! It has been a while, but now summer is in full swing. We kicked off the summer back in June at the Tolland County Relay for Life, and had a fantastic time playing and keeping the walkers moving. We finished up June with a wedding reception and the annual Monroe Strawberry Festival. We had stellar weather, a great crowd, and the smoothies and shortcake were bangin'! (see pic of Jim on stage and smiling...).

July brings yet another change to the sound of The Marksmen with the purchase of brand new Bose sound equipment. We used it all for the first time on July 9, and the C4PT in Manchester, CT - part of their Friday summer concert series. The results were amazing - but don't just take my word for it. You'll have to come out and see us play and hear it for yourselves. We'll be around, so look for updates and emails soon. As always, drop us a note here at the website anytime. We'd love to hear from you! - Mark

Well....It has indeed been a long time since we wrote on the blog so you're probably wondering just what we've been up to.  We've been about as busy as we ever get.  Over the winter we played at the Meriden, New Britian, and Glastonbury AOH clubs, each place having fun crowd to play for (see picture of the Jose Cuervo Girls on the home page......).  Then over the Saint Patrick's holiday we played again in Meriden and for a new audience at Chester Village West.  There is something to be said for playing in front of a sit-down audience- you really have to be on your game because they are listening to every note!  Last week we played for the residents of Avery Heights in Hartford- again another sit down audience.

Now we find ourselves looking forward to summer.  This summer we're planing on playing out more than in previous summers and we're all looking forward to it!  So far we're playing for the Relay for Life in Tolland, a private wedding, the annual StrawberryFest in Monroe, and at the Center for Progressive Therapies in Manchester.  We also might be playing at the Buttonwood Tree in Middletown, but that's still under discussion- stay tuned.  (for us this would be a busy summer!)

As a band the three of us have always been in search of the "perfect sound".  That being said we are considering trading in our current sound gear and going with the Bose L1 sound system.  If anyone out there has any experience with this system we'd love to hear what you think about it- drop us an email.

Hope to see you this summer...........

Steve

 Well, it's a snow day today - a much needed break from the grind before the holidays. The drummer (me) finds himself with some unexpected time on his hands and can finally sit down to practice a little, work on some tunes, and become inspired. The three of us have really become inspired recently with the purchase of some new band equipment. We have re-invented our sound in some ways, and have learned a few new songs that are a bit off the beaten path, as they say. We have even had time to rehearse! In some ways, rehearsing with The Marksmen is as much fun for us as playing in front of an audience, and and it gives us a chance to stretch out and try new ideas. We have been at this thing for 12 years or so now, still going strong and having a real blast! We are lucky, and our real inspiration comes from other people who dig our music.....so we are pretty excited to get started in 2010. Come see us at the Meriden A.O.H. in January and help us really ring in the new year. They have Guinness....mmmmmmmmmm.....precious Guinnessssss........

It seems like all our work comes in bunches.  Over the past couple of weeks we played at the Glastonbury Irish American Home to a small but enthusiastic crowd, at Avery heights in Hartford, and at the O'connell schoo in East Hartford to a group of engaged and well behaved students.  Now...we don't have anything scheduled for the near future.  Bummer.  We're looking forward to getting together, learning some new tunes, and discussing the finer points of Obama's health care plan.....but it ain't like playing out.  Anyone need a band???

Steve

Although the summer was fun it sure felt good to get back to playing!  This past Sunday we spent a beautiful afternoon in Tolland at the Hicks-Stearns Museum playing for a fundraiser for the Silver Lake Conference Center.  We had the privdgledge of playing with the SophistiCats- definitely worth checking out if you get the chance- excellent musicians.  In fact Bill and Lorraine put the whole event together, and we ended up raising over $800!  Nice work.   Anyway- it was a blast to play again and it got us all looking forward to Oct 10th, when we'll be at the Glastonbury Irish-American Home.  Hope to see you all there..........

Steve

Well, all the rain on Friday did nothing to dampen the spirits of everyone who came out to the Meriden A.O.H. ready to kick off the July 4th weekend. And what a weekend it turned out to be! When we arrived at the club to set up, there were already plenty of burgers, dogs, and chicken on the grill (which brought a not-so-subtle smile to Jim's face). After a brief sound-check and a round of Guinness, we were ready to roll. We were locked in from the first note, and I think we were all in agreement that we played quite well all night. That's not hard to do in a great place like the Meriden A.O.H. The small but very loyal and appreciative crowd sang along, clapped, and danced all night, right up to the very last note - well after midnight. We were even able to play four or five requests, surprising ourselves in the process. I think I speak for all the guys when I say that there is no greater thrill for our band than to see people singing along and dancing to our music. What a rush!

After loading up the van and washing down the last of the chicken with one more round of Guinness, we said our goodbyes for the night. Luckily, the Meriden A.O.H. will be making an effort to bring live music to the club throughout the fall and winter, and we can't wait to be a part of it all. Hopefully, you'll get a chance to see us there again soon. -Mark