This week in Freak Scene, we hear the latest from Valley veteran Rick Murnane, while a single from Connecticut’s Made up Saints takes inspiration from a new-age novella that came out in 1970. Plus, the surviving Scud Mountain Boys have planned a concert to celebrate their bandmate Bruce K. Tull, who died in June.

Northampton singer and guitarist Rick Murnane has been part of a number of musical projects over the years, including the Prestons, the Mistress Miriam Show and Group DeVille, which played what the trio billed as a retirement gig this past weekend. He’s also contributed to studio sessions by Chris Collingwood and Cliff Eberhardt, and built a solo catalog that expanded by one EP earlier this month when Murnane released Over the Water.

Rick MurnaneOver The Water

It's his first collection of new music since 2021, on five songs with a well-honed pop-rock sensibility. Murnane played all the instruments and sang, and he sounds very much like he’s at home here on tracks with straightforward hooks and vivid lyrics that connect with various emotional wavelengths. There’s a yearning tone to opener “Flying Away,” where Murnane’s voice rings clear over muted guitars with a touch of jangle. A sense of catharsis runs through the next track, “All of Her Ghosts Are Gone,” where the protagonist frees herself of burdens that had been weighing her down. Murnane starts with acoustic guitar and layers on electric licks, bass and drums, paired with tuneful vocals that convey a low-key air of liberation.

Later, his lyrics get more pointed. While he never names names, you get the sense he has specific people in mind on “Mars,” a sleek jam with a bluesy tint where Murnane notes how everyone always wants to be somewhere other than where they are — and maybe some of them should just go. Closing track “When Your God Gets Here” casts an eye toward comeuppance as Murnane summons visions of a displeased deity who won’t be taking any petitions for mercy, even as a deep-pocket rock ’n’ soul vamp softens the dire overtones. It’s a slightly foreboding way to end Over the Water, though the idea of karma coming around is appealing enough these days in a FAFO way that maybe Murnane’s brand of mordant optimism is suited to the present moment.

Made Up Saints Seek to Fly Free on ‘Jonathan’

Jonathan Livingston Seagull was a book that was perfectly suited to its time. Published in 1970, Richard Bach’s novella about a young seagull casting off the conformity of his flock in search of self-realization arrived just as hippie indulgence was turning to new-age seeking. Bach found plenty of seekers: by 1972, the book had topped the New York Times bestseller list with more than a million copies in print.

Adam Lippman clearly came across the book at some point: it’s the underpinning for “Jonathan,” the latest single from the Norwalk singer’s new project Made Up Saints. Recorded with Eric Lichter at Dirt Floor Recording in Middletown, “Jonathan” burbles along with a blend of acoustic rhythm guitar, fuzz-tone electric licks and punchy bass. The track is the follow-up to the gloomier sounding “Blind,” which came out in May.

Lippman has a long history on the music scene along the Connecticut shoreline and in New York, with bands including Naked Jennifer, Supple and Automatic Children. He’s working on more material for Made up Saints with an eye toward putting a band together for live shows.

This Week’s Shows

City Space in Easthampton hosts a Halloween-themed show with Doctor Gasp and Moon Hollow tonight, Friday, Oct. 23 (tickets).

The first of several Dolly Parton tribute performances happens tonight, Friday, Oct. 23 with a sing-along at Bombyx in Florence with local acts including Naomi Nye (tickets); proceeds benefit Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

Creative Writing, Dominick & the Family Band and Slowpoke Records perform tonight, Friday, Oct. 23, at Belltower Records in North Adams; there's a $10 cover.

Sleep Destroyer, Riconnaissance and Eevie Echoes & the Locations play Sunday, Oct. 25, at Haze in Northampton; there's a cover at the door.

Upcoming Concerts

Joe Pernice, Stephen Desaulniers and Tom Shea — the surviving Scud Mountain Boys — perform Dec. 6 at the Iron Horse in Northampton (tickets) as part of concert celebrating Bruce K. Tull, their bandmate who died in June (FS #125). Frank Padellaro will join them on guitar. “Bruce played music with tons of folks, and a good number of them will be performing that evening. The Scud Mountain Boys will play a handful of songs to close it out,” Pernice wrote this week in his newsletter. Proceeds will go to the Bruce K. Tull Memorial Music Fund, to help pay for music lessons for students at Downtown Sounds in Northampton.

The Iron Horse also hosts the Kimaya Diggs Holiday Show Dec. 19 (tickets), the annual FAT holiday show Dec. 26 (tickets), Nightanimal with Rubyvine Jan. 7 (tickets), the Dirty Dozen Brass Band Jan. 13 (tickets), Melissa Ferrick Feb. 19 (tickets) and Haggis X-1 March 4 (tickets).

Paul Winter Consort return to Bombyx for a pair of soltice(-ish) shows Dec. 20 (matinee and evening).

The Space Ballroom in Hamden has the Sheepdogs April 23 (tickets).

Stone Church in Brattleboro has added the Suitcase Junket Feb. 13 (tickets) and Martin Sexton Feb. 26 (tickets). The Suitcase Junket recently released a very good new album, To Go On (FS #138).

That’s it for now. Thank you for reading! Previous issues are available in the online archive. Freak Scene is free, but donations help make this happen and are gratefully accepted. If you’re able, please consider a paid subscription!