** New Release - Coming September, 2022 **
I am beyond blessed to be working with people that are better than me, because that is how I get better at what I do. For those who are not familiar with the personnel on this track, [at least for me] it is worth sharing:
- Charlie Morgan, the drummer, spent 15 years as the session and touring drummer for Elton John, having began his journey playing with him at 1985's legendary Live Aid event. He has played on all major albums and tours since 1985's Ice on Fire up until the 2000 Disney movie The Road To El Dorado.
- Dennis Gallo, the keyboardist, and Guy Walker, the guitarist, were the original and touring band members for the Backstreet Boys. They played on the first four albums and tours: Backstreet Boys, Backstreets Back, Millennium, and Black and Blue.
- Kenny Passarelli, the bassist, was the first bassist ever to play a fretless bass. He formed Barnstorm with Joe Vitale and Joe Walsh in 1973. He co-wrote the hit "Rocky Mountain Way." Afterwards, he went on to tour and record for two years (1975 and 1976) with Elton John playing on the Rock of the Westies and Blue Moves albums. Later in his career, he recorded and toured with Hall and Oates, Dan Fogelberg, and Crosby Stills Nash and Young to name a few. He is still with Joe Walsh and Barnstorm to this day.
- And Julia Wolfe is a musician based out of Connecticut. I happened to have networked with her at a function about two years back. She is currently launching her career as a singer.
Hopefully, you can listen to this track and feel the same excitement that we all had doing this.
Music With Alex Brown (2021)
It was such a blast to record these tracks with Alex Brown, who was one of the backing vocalists for Stevie Wonder's backing band "Wonderlove" in the 70s and 80s, and for Elton John's Reg Strikes Back tour in 1988.
Dancing in the Street (Single)
Drew Michael McWeeney
Recorded on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts USA.
Project finished and released August, 2021.
Album Nominated For Grammy Award for "Best New Age" (2020)
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I am very sad to say that my best friend and music colleague, Grammy-winning cellist David Darling, passed away. You can read about our story here. I wrote tracks 1 and 7 and provided compositional revisions to the remainder of the tracks for his album Homage to Kindness. It was nominated for a Grammy award for "Best New Age" album in 2020.
Teaching Online e-Video Series (2019)
In this pilot episode of a new series I created that stemmed from the COVID-19 disease, I explain how to teach a form of writing called "blogging." My educational series teaches students how to communicate effectively on the web, and teaches educators how to foster those skills through the use of digital literacy skills. Visit the store to purchase this series.
Anti-School Regionalization Effort (2019)
Alongside my colleagues Gail Lavielle, Themis Klarides and many other prominent state political figures, we led the statewide reform movement against school regionalization. Before the anticipated hearing at the state capitol in March 2019, the Senate and House Republicans gave a press conference that was broadcasted on all the major cable television channels. I spoke at the press conference. The reform movement picked up quickly, and was covered by all state news outlets and newspapers. It was the hottest topic of the year in state politics.
I was able to land quotes and features in WFBS Eyewitness News, Good Morning Wilton, Yankee Institute, The News-Times, Republican American, and the Hartford Courant. My op-ed piece on this effort was also published in the Connecticut Mirror. I was proud to be one of the key leaders in this fight that led to the bill dying inside the Capitol. I am proud of the friendships that I made along the process.
To watch the entire press conference in its entirety, click here.