CHEESE MERGE

2006–2016

No need to write down the setlists.

We've got you covered. Setlists from the original Cheese Merge archive, segues and questionable decisions included.

3/4/16Pats Peak - The Sled Pub
    Set 1 (Brian solo):
    1. Psycho Killer (Talking Heads)
    2. China Girl (David Bowie/Iggy Pop)
    3. Happy Birthday* (to Brian)
    4. Ziggy Stardust (David Bowie)
    5. Suffragette City (David Bowie)
    6. Boogie On Reggae Woman (Stevie Wonder)
    7. Lounge Act (Nirvana)
    8. Burning Down The House (Talking Heads)
    9. Immortality (Pearl Jam)
    10. Hey Jude (The Beatles) →
    11. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
    12. Hey Jude (The Beatles)
    13. London Calling (The Clash)
    14. Can You See Me? (Original)
    15. Come Together (The Beatles)
    16. In The Waiting Line (Zero 7)
    17. Naive Melody (This Must Be The Place) (Talking Heads)
    18. Lola (The Kinks)
    19. Fake Plastic Trees (Radiohead)
    20. Silent In The Morning (Phish)

      Set 2:
    21. Drifting (Trey Anastasio)
    22. Mrs. Robinson (Simon and Garfunkel) →
    23. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
    24. Mrs. Robinson (Simon and Garfunkel)
    25. 4am (Original) →
    26. Fluffhead (Phish)
    27. AC/DC Bag (Phish)
    28. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson) →
    29. Stir It Up (Bob Marley) →
    30. Coventry (Original)
    31. Late In The Evening (Paul Simon) →
    32. Legs (ZZ Top)
    33. Heavy Things (Phish)

      Set 3:
    34. Southern Cross (Crosby, Still and Nash)
    35. Wolfman's Brother (Phish) →
    36. Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead) →
    37. All Night Long (Lionel Ritchie) →
    38. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
    39. Wolfman's Brother (Phish) →
    40. Remedy (Black Crowes)
    41. Ya Mar (Cyril Ferguson)
    42. Porch (Pearl Jam) →
    43. Empty Spaces (Pink Floyd) →
    44. Porch (Pearl Jam)

      * by request

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

1 More Pat's Peak Gig!

Originally posted February 29, 2016. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

We'll be back at Pat's Peak - The Sled Pub on Friday, March 4th. Brian will be holding down the fort with a solo set to kick off the night between 7:00 and 8:30, and then CM will jam for the rest of the night.

C'mon out for our last Pat's Peak gig of the season!
1/29/16Pats Peak - The Sled PubFlyer for 1/29/16original setlist
Flyer for 1/29/16
    Set 1:
  1. AC/DC Bag (Phish) →
  2. Knocking On Heaven's Door (Bob Dylan)
  3. Mrs. Robinson (Simon and Garfunkel) →
  4. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
  5. Mrs. Robinson (Simon and Garfunkel)
  6. Running To Stand Still (U2) →
  7. Ants Marching (Dave Matthews Band) →
  8. No Sugar Tonight (Guess Who)
  9. Southern Cross (Crosby, Stills and Nash) →
  10. Fire On The Mountain (Grateful Dead) →
  11. Ambient Jam #1
  12. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  13. Land Down Under (Men At Work)

    Set 2:
  14. Drifting (Trey Anastasio) →
  15. Coventry (Original)
  16. Into The Mystic* (Van Morrison)
  17. Moving On (Original) →
  18. Fluffhead (Phish) →
  19. Moving On (Original) →
  20. Ambient Jam #1 →
  21. For What It's Worth (Buffalo Springfield) →
  22. Black (Pearl Jam)
  23. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson) →
  24. Stir It Up (Bob Marley) →
  25. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson) →
  26. Steal My Kisses (Ben Harper)
  27. Mr. Jones (Counting Crows) →
  28. Stairway To Heaven (Led Zeppelin) (ending section)
  29. My Girl (The Temptations) →
  30. Wild Side (Lou Reed) →
  31. I Touch Myself (The Divinyls) →
  32. My Girl (The Temptations)
  33. Wagon Wheel (Old Crow Medicine Show) →
  34. Let It Go (Idina Menzel)

    Set 3:
  35. Suzy Greenberg (Phish) →
  36. 4am (Original)
  37. Loving Cup (Rolling Stones) →
  38. Ziggy Stardust (David Bowie)
  39. Heavy Things (Phish)
  40. Melissa (Allman Brothers)
  41. Porch (Pearl Jam) →
  42. Fame (David Bowie) →
  43. Porch (Pearl Jam)

    * by request

Original Setlist

Another piece of the night survived.

An actual working setlist from this show, preserved with its original notes and changes.

View Original Setlist
Original Setlist for 1/29/16

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

Re-Peak!

Originally posted January 12, 2016. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Our first gig of the year will be at, surprise, Pat's Peak - The Sled Pub, on Friday, January 29th, 2016!



This will not only be our first show of 2016, but our first show in 10 months. We'd love to see some friendly faces!
After the Show

The Awakening

Originally posted January 30, 2016. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Last night's gig at Pat's Peak - The Sled Pub was another return to form for Cheese Merge. We had to shake some rust off but after a few songs the vibes were flowing as usual.

We'll be back on March 4th! And like last night, I will try to Periscope the gig so people can tune in and check it out.
3/27/15Pats Peak - The Sled PubFlyer for 3/27/15original setlist
Flyer for 3/27/15
    Set 1:
  1. God Bless America*
  2. Drifting (Trey Anastasio) →
  3. Sweet Dreams Melinda (Trey Anastasio)
  4. Mrs. Robinson (Simon and Garfunkel) →
  5. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
  6. Mrs. Robinson (Simon and Garfunkel)
  7. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson) →
  8. Stir It Up (Bob Marley) →
  9. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson) →
  10. The Tide Is High (Blondie) →
  11. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson)
  12. Happy Birthday# (to Jan)
  13. Suzy Greenberg (Phish)
  14. Ya Mar (Cyril Ferguson)
  15. Steal My Kisses (Ben Harper)

    Set 2:
  16. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  17. Land Down Under (Men At Work)
  18. Running To Stand Still (U2) →
  19. Ambient Jam #1
  20. Heavy Things (Phish)
  21. Pink Moon (Nick Drake)
  22. Mr. Jones (Counting Crows) →
  23. Stairway To Heaven (Led Zeppelin) (ending section)
  24. Porch (Pearl Jam) →
  25. Dear Prudence (The Beatles) →
  26. Corduroy (Pearl Jam) →
  27. Porch (Pearl Jam)
  28. Wagon Wheel (Old Crow Medicine Show) →
  29. Let It Go (Idina Menzel) →
  30. Fluffhead (Phish) →
  31. Crazy Mary (Victoria Williams)

    Set 3:
  32. Creep (Radiohead) →
  33. Coventry (Original)
  34. My Girl (The Temptations) →
  35. Wild Side (Lou Reed) →
  36. I Touch Myself (The Divinyls) →
  37. My Girl (The Temptations)
  38. Loving Cup (Rolling Stones) →
  39. Ambient Jam #2 →
  40. U (Pearl Jam) →
  41. Midnight Rider (Allman Brothers) →
  42. Let It Be (The Beatles) →
  43. Loving Cup (Rolling Stones)
  44. Late In The Evening (Paul Simon) →
  45. Legs (ZZ Top)
  46. Wish You Were Here^ (Pink Floyd)

    * Featuring Zoe on vocals - she was amazing!
    # by request
    ^ encore by request

Original Setlist

Another piece of the night survived.

An actual working setlist from this show, preserved with its original notes and changes.

View Original Setlist
Original Setlist for 3/27/15

Photos

Photo from 3/27/15Photo from 3/27/15Photo from 3/27/15
View all 8 photos
Photo from 3/27/15Photo from 3/27/15Photo from 3/27/15Photo from 3/27/15Photo from 3/27/15

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

Peaking Again!

Originally posted March 14, 2015. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

CM's next gig is this Friday up at Pat's Peak - The Sled Pub, on Friday, March 27th, 2015!

After the Show

Goodbye to Pats Peak for the season

Originally posted March 28, 2015. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Last night was yet another gem at Pat's Peak - The Sled Pub. 3 solid sets with a great turnout. HUGE props to Zoe (I think she said she was 8?) for kicking off our set with "God Bless America". She absolutely nailed it!

Much thanks to a bunch of Marc's friends for making the trek out to our gig. We know it's a venue that is out of the way for everyone, even New Hampshirites, so we really appreciate it!

Can't wait to get back to the Peak next season!
2/6/15Pats Peak - The Sled PubFlyer for 2/6/15original setlist
Flyer for 2/6/15
    Set 1:
  1. Heavy Things (Phish)
  2. Mrs. Robinson (Simon and Garfunkel) →
  3. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
  4. Mrs. Robinson (Simon and Garfunkel)
  5. Suzy Greenberg (Phish) →
  6. Rearview Mirror (Pearl Jam) →
  7. Suzy Greenberg (Phish)
  8. Running To Stand Still (U2) →
  9. Ants Marching (Dave Matthews Band) →
  10. No Sugar Tonight (Guess Who)
  11. Ya Mar (Cyril Ferguson)
  12. Remedy (Black Crowes)

    Set 2:
  13. Wolfman's Brother (Phish) →
  14. El Venir Pronto* (Original)
  15. Fire On The Mountain^ (Grateful Dead) →
  16. Jane Says (Jane's Addiction) →
  17. AC/DC Bag (Phish) →
  18. Eye Of The Tiger (Survivor) →
  19. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  20. Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead)
  21. Ambient Jazz Jam (Original) →
  22. Southern Cross (Crosby, Stills and Nash)
  23. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  24. Land Down Under (Men At Work) →
  25. All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan)
  26. Add It Up (Violent Femmes)
  27. Ambient Jam 2 (Original) →
  28. All Night Long (Lionel Richie)
  29. Coventry (Original)

    Set 3:
  30. Pink Moon (Nick Drake)
  31. Drifting (Trey Anastasio) →
  32. Sweet Dreams Melinda (Trey Anastasio)
  33. Loving Cup (Rolling Stones) →
  34. Melissa (Allman Brothers)
  35. Old Man (Neil Young)
  36. Wagon Wheel (Old Crow Medicine Show) →
  37. Let It Go (Idina Menzel) →
  38. Wagon Wheel (Old Crow Medicine Show) →
  39. Steal My Kisses (Ben Harper) →
  40. Stir It Up (Bob Marley)
  41. Porch (Pearl Jam) →
  42. Dear Prudence (The Beatles) →
  43. Porch (Pearl Jam)

    * Set interrupted by fire alarm
    ^ by request

Original Setlist

The paper version survived.

This is one of the actual setlists from the night, preserved with the scribbles, formatting and changes intact.

View Original Setlist
Original setlist scan for 2/6/15

Alternate Original Setlist

Another piece of the night survived.

An actual working setlist from this show, preserved with its original notes and changes.

View Alternate Original Setlist
Alternate Original Setlist for 2/6/15

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

After the Show

Peak Performance

Originally posted February 7, 2015. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Last night's gig at Pat's Peak - The Sled Pub was a great one. 3 solid sets, with Marc holding down the fort for 15 mins while Brian was caught in hellacious traffic coming from Boston. Props to the great crowd and always awesome staff.

Set 2 opened with a funky "Wolfman's Brother" which was rudely interrupted by a fire alarm. After evacuating the building, CM returned with a segue-fest for the ages...kicking off with a very appropriate "Fire On The Mountain".

Hope to see some friendly faces at our next Peak gig on March 27th!
1/2/15Pats Peak - The Sled PubFlyer for 1/2/15original setlist
Flyer for 1/2/15
    Set 1:
  1. Drifting (Trey Anastasio) →
  2. Sweet Dreams Melinda (Trey Anastasio)
  3. Mrs. Robinson (Simon and Garfunkel) →
  4. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
  5. Mrs. Robinson (Simon and Garfunkel)
  6. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  7. Land Down Under (Men At Work)
  8. AC/DC Bag (Phish) →
  9. Eye Of The Tiger (Survivor) →
  10. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  11. Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead) →
  12. All Night Long (Lionel Richie) →
  13. El Venir Pronto (Original)
  14. 4am (Original)
  15. Is There Anybody Out There? (Pink Floyd) →
  16. Breakdown (Tom Petty) →
  17. Mr. Jones (Counting Crows) →
  18. Stairway To Heaven (Led Zeppelin) (ending section)

    Set 2:
  19. Heavy Things (Phish) →
  20. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson) →
  21. Stir It Up (Bob Marley)
  22. Southern Cross (Crosby, Stills and Nash)
  23. Deep Elem Blues* (The Georgia Black Bottom/Johnny Cash)
  24. Remedy (Black Crowes)
  25. Melissa (Allman Brothers)
  26. Suzy Greenberg (Phish) →
  27. Rearview Mirror (Pearl Jam)
  28. I Remember You* (Skid Row)
  29. Steal My Kisses (Ben Harper) →
  30. The Tide Is High (Blondie)
  31. Ya Mar (Cyril Ferguson)
  32. Late In The Evening (Paul Simon) →
  33. Legs (ZZ Top)
  34. Wasted Years (Iron Maiden)

    Set 3:
  35. Billie Jean (Michael Jackson)
  36. Coventry (Original)
  37. No Excuses* (Alice In Chains)
  38. Wagon Wheel (Old Crow Medicine Show) →
  39. Let It Go (Idina Menzel) →
  40. Wagon Wheel (Old Crow Medicine Show)
  41. Porch (Pearl Jam) →
  42. Empty Spaces (Pink Floyd) →
  43. Porch (Pearl Jam)
  44. Creep (Radiohead)
  45. Wolfman's Brother (Phish) →
  46. Santeria (Sublime)
    * By request

Original Setlist

The paper version survived.

This is one of the actual setlists from the night, preserved with the scribbles, formatting and changes intact.

View Original Setlist
Original setlist scan for 1/2/15

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

Kicking Off 2015 In Style!

Originally posted December 1, 2014. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

CM's next gig has been scheduled: Pat's Peak - The Sled Pub, on Friday, January 2nd, 2015!



That's right...we'll be kicking off 2015 up at the Peak. It's a GREAT venue for live music and we love playing there. The pub food is great, the beer selection is spot on, and behind us while we play is a lit up ski mountain - you can't beat it!
After the Show

Peak Domination Again!

Originally posted January 3, 2015. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Last night at Pat's Peak was a solid outing by all accounts! We played 3 sets and got a great reaction from the folks in attendance. Can't wait to get back on Feb 6th!
7/4/14House Party - Franklin, MA
    Set 1:
  1. The Star Spangled Banner (Francis Scott Key)
  2. AC/DC Bag (Phish) →
  3. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  4. All Night Long (Lionel Richie)
  5. Heavy Things (Phish) →
  6. Steal My Kisses (Ben Harper)
  7. Waste (Phish)
  8. Loving Cup (Rolling Stones) →
  9. Fire On The Mountain (Grateful Dead) →
  10. 4am (Original)
  11. Mrs. Robinson (Simon and Garfunkel) →
  12. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
  13. Mrs. Robinson (Simon and Garfunkel)
  14. Mouthful of Cavities* (Blind Melon)
  15. Billie Jean (Michael Jackson)
  16. Ya Mar (Cyril Ferguson)

    Set 2:
  17. Let It Go (Idina Menzel)
  18. Drifting (Trey Anastasio) →
  19. Sweet Dreams Melinda (Trey Anastasio)
  20. Is There Anybody Out There? (Pink Floyd) →
  21. Breakdown (Tom Petty) →
  22. Coventry (Original)
  23. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson) →
  24. Stir It Up (Bob Marley) →
  25. The Tide Is High (Blondie) →
  26. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson)
  27. Black (Pearl Jam)
  28. Running To Stand Still (U2) →
  29. Ants Marching (Dave Matthews Band) →
  30. What I Got (Sublime)
  31. Pink Moon (Nick Drake)
  32. Wagon Wheel (Old Crow Medicine Show) →
  33. Let It Go (reprise) (Idina Menzel)
  34. Southern Cross (Crosby, Stills and Nash) →
  35. Mmm Bop (Hanson) →
  36. Sheep Go To Heaven (Cake)
  37. Porch (Pearl Jam)
  38. Remedy (Black Crowes)
  39. Corduroy (tease) (Pearl Jam) →
  40. Yellow Ledbetter (Pearl Jam)
    * By request

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

Happy Mergependence Day!

Originally posted June 12, 2014. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Although our gig on July 4th in Franklin, MA is a private gig, the flyer is too epic to not share:



Don't forget about our Agostino's gig next week!
After the Show

Hell yeah!

Originally posted July 5, 2014. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

What else can we say? Last night's house party was off the charts! 2 great sets and a super receptive and fun crowd. Our man Ken P., who used to come see us way back in the day, asked us to play a house party and we brought our A-game. The weather was lousy, but that didn't matter at all. The turnout was great, food even better, and the vibe was chill all night. Lots of dancing and crowd participation. What more could you possibly want out of a gig?
2/21/14Pats Peak - The Sled PubFlyer for 2/21/14
Flyer for 2/21/14
    Set 1:
  1. Wolfman's Brother (Phish) →
  2. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  3. Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead) →
  4. All Night Long (Lionel Richie) →
  5. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  6. Wolfman's Brother (Phish)
  7. Heavy Things (Phish) →
  8. 4am (Original)
  9. Mrs. Robinson (Simon and Garfunkel) →
  10. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
  11. Mrs. Robinson (Simon and Garfunkel)
  12. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  13. Land Down Under (Men At Work) →
  14. Soul To Soul (Original)
  15. Southern Cross (Crosby, Stills and Nash)

    Set 2:
  16. Is There Anybody Out There? (Pink Floyd) →
  17. Breakdown (Tom Petty)
  18. Metallica Riffs Jam
  19. Drifting (Trey Anastasio)
  20. Ya Mar (Cyril Ferguson)
  21. Wagon Wheel (Old Crow Medicine Show) →
  22. Uncle John's Band (Grateful Dead) →
  23. Creep (Radiohead)
  24. Coventry (Original)
  25. Moving On (Original) →
  26. Fluffhead (Phish) →
  27. Wild Side (Lou Reed) →
  28. I Touch Myself (The Divinyls) →
  29. My Girl (The Temptations)
  30. Porch* (Pearl Jam)
  31. Closer To The Heart (Rush) →
  32. Space Jam →
  33. Rape Me/Jessica (Allman Brothers/Nirvana) →
  34. War Pigs (Black Sabbath) →
  35. Space Jam 2 →
  36. Run Like An Antelope (Phish)
    * By request

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

Back to The Peak!

Originally posted January 13, 2014. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Next up: Pat's Peak - The Sled Pub, on Friday, February 21st, 2014!



After a great gig the other night, we're lined up for another gig in a few weeks. This really is a great venue to play. If you're up for the trek to NH, come check it out. Great pub food, good beer selection, and a real chill apres-ski environment to hang out in.
After the Show

A Unique One!

Originally posted February 22, 2014. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Last night at Pat's Peak was a great time! Due to the downpours all day, the crowd had thinned out in the middle of our 2nd set, so we ended up just experimenting and trying all sorts of things. We played some new songs, busted out a few CM rarities...and just had a good time.

Check out set 2: as unique as any in our entire history.
1/10/14Pats Peak - The Sled PubFlyer for 1/10/14original setlist
Flyer for 1/10/14
    Set 1:
  1. Drifting (Trey Anastasio)
  2. Happy Birthday*
  3. My Girl (The Temptations) →
  4. Wild Side (Lou Reed) →
  5. I Touch Myself (The Divinyls) →
  6. My Girl (The Temptations)
  7. Wolfman's Brother (Phish) →
  8. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  9. All Night Long (Lionel Richie) →
  10. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  11. Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead)
  12. Moving On (Original) →
  13. Fluffhead (Phish)
  14. Mrs. Robinson (Simon and Garfunkel) →
  15. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
  16. Mrs. Robinson (Simon and Garfunkel)
  17. Mr. Jones (Counting Crows) →
  18. Stairway To Heaven (Led Zeppelin) (ending section)

    Set 2:
  19. Loving Cup (Rolling Stones) →
  20. Franklin's Tower (Grateful Dead) →
  21. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson) →
  22. Stir It Up (Bob Marley) →
  23. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson)
  24. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  25. Land Down Under (Men At Work)
  26. Suzy Greenberg (Phish) →
  27. Rearview Mirror (Pearl Jam)
  28. Southern Cross (Crosby, Stills and Nash)
  29. 4am (Original)
  30. AC/DC Bag (Phish)
  31. Steal My Kisses (Ben Harper)
  32. Remedy (Black Crowes)

    Set 3:
  33. Heavy Things (Phish)
  34. Late In The Evening (Paul Simon) →
  35. Legs (ZZ Top)
  36. Ya Mar (Cyril Ferguson)
  37. Billie Jean (Michael Jackson) →
  38. War Pigs (Black Sabbath)
  39. It's A Shame About Ray (The Lemonheads)
  40. Coventry (Original)
  41. Ants Marching (Dave Matthews Band) →
  42. Running To Stand Still (U2)
  43. Wagon Wheel (Old Crow Medicine Show)
  44. Creep (Radiohead)
  45. Porch (Pearl Jam) →
  46. Empty Spaces (Pink Floyd) →
  47. Porch (Pearl Jam)
    * By request

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

Back to The Peak!

Originally posted December 19, 2013. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Cheese Merge has been called up to kick off 2014 in style, hitting up one of our favorite joints: Pat's Peak - The Sled Pub, on Friday, January 10th, 2014!



Come hang out for our first gig in 2014. We know it's a hike for some of you...but those who actually live in NH within an hour radius have no excuse. Let's do this!

There is another gig scheduled in Feburary...details to come.
After the Show

Gig #1 of 2014 in the Books!

Originally posted January 11, 2014. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Cheese Merge hit up Pat's Peak last night with 3 solid sets. The Sled Pub is quickly becoming one of our favorite venues to play. Check out some of the tunes from the gig on our sounds page.

We'll be back to the Peak on February 21st. Details to come.
9/27/13Marlborough Country Club
    Set 1:
  1. D jam →
  2. Loving Cup (Rolling Stones) →
  3. G/C Jam
  4. Billie Jean (Michael Jackson) →
  5. Suzy Greenberg (Phish) →
  6. Rearview Mirror (Pearl Jam)
  7. 4am (Original) →
  8. Coventry (Original)
  9. Steal My Kisses (Ben Harper) →
  10. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson) →
  11. Stir It Up (Bob Marley) →
  12. The Tide Is High (Blondie)
  13. Drifting (Trey Anastasio)
  14. Southern Cross (Crosby, Stills and Nash)

    Set 2:
  15. Is There Anybody Out There? (Pink Floyd) →
  16. Breakdown (Tom Petty)
  17. Am jam →
  18. Fluffhead (Phish)
  19. All Night Long (Lionel Richie) →
  20. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  21. Wolfman's Brother (Phish) →
  22. Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead)
  23. Sweet Home Alabama^ (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
  24. Pink Moon* (Nick Drake)
  25. Remedy (Black Crowes)
  26. Melissa (Allman Brothers)
  27. Porch (Pearl Jam)
    * - Dedicated to Roger M.
    ^ - by request

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

After the Show

Goodbye Summer!

Originally posted September 30, 2013. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Friday's gig at the MCC was a great time. After a long week, a much needed jammy setlist was in order, and CM rose to the occasion. The vibe was chill and everyone seemed to be enjoying the tunes.

Keep on the lookout for more dates to be posted over the next few weeks. We may be back to the MCC one more time this year, and we'll be posting some 2014 Pat's Peak dates soon!
8/24/13Rob & Adrienne's Wedding, Asa Whiting Barn, Holliston, MAoriginal setlist
    Set 1:
  1. Drifting (Trey Anastasio)
  2. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  3. Land Down Under (Men At Work)
  4. Mrs. Robinson (Simon and Garfunkel) →
  5. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
  6. Mrs. Robinson (Simon and Garfunkel)
  7. I'm Yours (Jason Mraz)
  8. Ball and Chain (Social Distortion) →
  9. Loving Cup (Rolling Stones)
  10. Sheep Go To Heaven (Cake) →
  11. MMMBop (Hanson) →
  12. Sheep Go To Heaven (Cake)
  13. Coventry (Original)

    Encore:
  14. Heavy Things (Phish)

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

After the Show

Great time last night!

Originally posted August 25, 2013. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Cheese re-merged last night to play a special event: Rob and Adrienne's wedding! Though the set was only an hour long, CM brought out their best effort in support of 2 very close friends.

Thankfully we were the first artistic venture of the night, preceeding dinner. Because there is no way we could even come close to competing with what followed dinner: Rob Surette and his Amazing Hero Art. Simply amazing stuff.
5/24/13Marlborough Country ClubFlyer for 5/24/13
Flyer for 5/24/13
    Set 1:
  1. Drifting (Trey Anastasio) →
  2. Sweet Dreams Melinda (Trey Anastasio)
  3. All Night Long (Lionel Richie) →
  4. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  5. Wolfman's Brother (Phish) →
  6. Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead)
  7. Mrs. Robinson (Simon and Garfunkel) →
  8. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
  9. Mrs. Robinson (Simon and Garfunkel)
  10. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson) →
  11. Stir It Up (Bob Marley) →
  12. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson)
  13. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  14. Land Down Under (Men At Work) →
  15. All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan)
  16. Southern Cross (Crosby, Stills and Nash)

    Set 2:
  17. Ball and Chain (Social Distortion) →
  18. Freebird (tease) (Lynard Skynard) →
  19. Ball and Chain (Social Distortion)
  20. Mr. Jones (Counting Crows) →
  21. Stairway To Heaven (Led Zeppelin) (ending section)
  22. Heavy Things (Phish) →
  23. Coventry (Original)
  24. Pink Moon (Nick Drake)
  25. Suzy Greenberg (Phish)
  26. Billie Jean (Michael Jackson)
  27. Send Me On My Way (Rusted Root)
  28. Remedy (Black Crowes)
  29. Porch (Pearl Jam)

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

MCC and CM - Together Again

Originally posted April 30, 2013. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

CM will be back at the MCC on Friday, May 24th, 2013!



Cheese Merge greets Summer with a bang. Come hang out, grab some great pub food and a few beers, and (if the weather is nice) chill out on the 2nd floor deck overlooking the 18th hole! And bad weather just means an intimate indoor gig...you can't lose!
3/29/13Pats Peak - The Sled PubFlyer for 3/29/13
Flyer for 3/29/13
    Set 1:
  1. Heavy Things (Phish) →
  2. 4am (Original)
  3. Wolfman's Brother (Phish) →
  4. All Night Long (Lionel Richie) →
  5. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  6. Spill The Wine (War) →
  7. Steal My Kisses (Ben Harper)
  8. Late In The Evening (Paul Simon) →
  9. Legs (ZZ Top)
  10. Moving On (Original) →
  11. Fluffhead (Phish)
  12. Wagon Wheel (Old Crow Medicine Show)

    Set 2:
  13. Is There Anybody Out There? (Pink Floyd) →
  14. Breakdown (Tom Petty)
  15. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  16. Land Down Under (Men At Work) →
  17. Jam
  18. Drifting (Trey Anastasio) →
  19. Sweet Dreams Melinda (Trey Anastasio)
  20. Mrs. Robinson (Simon and Garfunkel) →
  21. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
  22. Mrs. Robinson (Simon and Garfunkel)
  23. Blister In The Sun* (Violent Femmes)
  24. For What It's Worth (Buffalo Springfield) →
  25. Black (Pearl Jam)
  26. Suzy Greenberg (Phish) →
  27. Also Sprach Zarathustra (in A-Maj) (Strauss) →
  28. Suzy Greenberg (Phish) →
  29. AC/DC Bag (Phish)

    Set 3:
  30. Billie Jean (Michael Jackson) →
  31. Jam in A7 →
  32. Southern Cross (Crosby, Stills and Nash) →
  33. Fire On The Mountain (Grateful Dead)
  34. Tara (Wishbone) →
  35. War Pigs (Black Sabbath) →
  36. Wasted Years (Iron Maiden)
  37. My Girl (The Temptations) →
  38. Wild Side (Lou Reed) →
  39. I Touch Myself (The Divinyls) →
  40. My Girl (The Temptations)
  41. Remedy (Black Crowes)
  42. Melissa (Allman Brothers)
    * By request

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

Back to the Peak!

Originally posted March 26, 2013. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Pat's Peak - The Sled Pub: Friday, March 29, 2013!



Pat's Peak wanted us back, and who are we to say no? Last time we had an absolute blast. Let's head up and class up the joint again!
After the Show

Out with a bang!

Originally posted March 30, 2013. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Last night's show at Pat's Peak was yet again a success. We closed out their winter Friday night acoustic series in style. The place was full and the vibes were great. The highlight of the night was a really tight second set which unfortunately was not recorded due to Brian forgetting to hit the record button. Whoops! Oh well. We got one of our greatest crowd responses ever after the Soul/Land jam. Top notch CM moment.

We'll be back at the Marlborough Country Club within the next month or two. Stay tuned!
1/18/13Pats Peak - The Sled PubFlyer for 1/18/13original setlist
Flyer for 1/18/13
    Set 1:
  1. Drifting (Trey Anastasio) →
  2. Sweet Dreams Melinda (Trey Anastasio)
  3. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  4. Land Down Under (Men At Work) →
  5. All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan) →
  6. Soul To Soul (Original)
  7. Wolfman's Brother (Phish) →
  8. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  9. All Night Long (Lionel Richie) →
  10. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  11. Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead)
  12. Remedy (Black Crowes)
  13. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson) →
  14. Stir It Up (Bob Marley) →
  15. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson) →
  16. Fire On The Mountain (Grateful Dead) →
  17. Coventry (Original)

    Set 2:
  18. Heavy Things (Phish)
  19. 4am (Original) →
  20. Steal My Kisses (Ben Harper)
  21. Is There Anybody Out There? (Pink Floyd) →
  22. Breakdown (Tom Petty) →
  23. Mr. Jones (Counting Crows) →
  24. Stairway To Heaven (Led Zeppelin) (ending section)
  25. My Girl (The Temptations) →
  26. Wild Side (Lou Reed) →
  27. I Touch Myself (The Divinyls) →
  28. My Girl (The Temptations)
  29. Mrs. Robinson (Simon and Garfunkel) →
  30. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
  31. Mrs. Robinson (Simon and Garfunkel)

    Set 3:
  32. Moving On (Original) →
  33. Fluffhead (Phish)
  34. Suzy Greenberg (Phish) →
  35. AC/DC Bag (Phish) →
  36. Creep (Radiohead)
  37. Tara (Wishbone) →
  38. War Pigs (Black Sabbath) →
  39. Wasted Years (Iron Maiden)
  40. Pink Moon (Nick Drake)
  41. For What It's Worth (Buffalo Springfield) →
  42. Black (Pearl Jam) →
  43. Porch (Pearl Jam) →
  44. Empty Spaces (Pink Floyd) →
  45. Porch (Pearl Jam)
  46. Melissa (Allman Brothers)

Original Setlist

The paper version survived.

This is one of the actual setlists from the night, preserved with the scribbles, formatting and changes intact.

View Original Setlist
Original setlist scan for 1/18/13

Photos

Photo from 1/18/13Photo from 1/18/13Photo from 1/18/13
View all 17 photos
Photo from 1/18/13Photo from 1/18/13Photo from 1/18/13Photo from 1/18/13Photo from 1/18/13Photo from 1/18/13Photo from 1/18/13Photo from 1/18/13Photo from 1/18/13Photo from 1/18/13Photo from 1/18/13Photo from 1/18/13Photo from 1/18/13Photo from 1/18/13

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

First gig of the year!

Originally posted January 15, 2013. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Pat's Peak - The Sled Pub: Friday, January 18th, 2013!



Winter is here. And so is Cheese Merge. New venue, same vibe. Let's greet 2013 with a bang!
After the Show

HELL of a show last night!!!!

Originally posted January 19, 2013. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Last night's show at Pat's Peak was incredible. The place was packed and we played with a lit up ski mountain as our backdrop. You can't beat that!
8/17/12Marlborough Country ClubFlyer for 8/17/12original setlist
Flyer for 8/17/12
    Set 1 (Outside):
  1. Loving Cup (Rolling Stones)
  2. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  3. Land Down Under (Men At Work) →
  4. Don't Fear The Reaper (Blue Oyster Cult) →
  5. Soul To Soul (Original)
  6. Inside Job (tease) (Pearl Jam)
  7. Wolfman's Brother (Phish) →
  8. Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead) →
  9. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  10. Wolfman's Brother (Phish)
  11. Release (tease) (Pearl Jam)
  12. It's A Shame About Ray (The Lemonheads)
  13. Wagon Wheel (Old Crow Medicine Show)
  14. Pink Moon (Nick Drake)
  15. Drifting (Trey Anastasio) →
  16. Sweet Dreams Melinda (Trey Anastasio)
  17. Coventry (Original)
  18. Is There Anybody Out There? (Pink Floyd) →
  19. Breakdown (Tom Petty)
  20. Suzy Greenberg (Phish) →
  21. AC/DC Bag (Phish)
  22. Melissa (Allman Brothers Band)
  23. Mrs. Robinson (Simon and Garfunkel) →
  24. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
  25. Mrs. Robinson (Simon and Garfunkel) →
  26. For What It's Worth (Buffalo Springfield) →
  27. Black (tease) (Pearl Jam)
  28. Southern Cross* (Crosby, Stills and Nash)

    Set 2 (Inside):
  29. Southern Cross (Crosby, Stills and Nash) →
  30. Fire On The Mountain (Grateful Dead)
  31. Babylon (David Gray)
  32. Remedy (Black Crowes)
  33. Rocking In The Free World (Neil Young) →
  34. WMA (Pearl Jam) →
  35. Rocking In The Free World (Neil Young)
  36. Happy Birthday^
    * - Before mother nature rudely interrupted us
    ^ - By request (though they did not hear it)

Original Setlist

The paper version survived.

This is one of the actual setlists from the night, preserved with the scribbles, formatting and changes intact.

View Original Setlist
Original setlist scan for 8/17/12

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

After the Show

Good times last night!

Originally posted August 18, 2012. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Great turnout last night at the MCC. Much thank to all the people who showed up to check out our set: Jim and his wife, Jim's buddy Mike, Marc's brothers and families and also thanks to all of the MCC patrons who were there....the patio was quite full! Also, much thanks to mother nature who decided it would be nice to soak us and have us scramble to bring all of our gear inside. To everyone who helped us keep our gear dry by grabbing what they could and hauling it inside: you all rock and saved us BIG time! Thanks a ton for your help!

Check out some of the tunes on our sounds page
7/27/12Pizza Mia
    Set 1:
  1. Heavy Things (Phish)
  2. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  3. All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan) →
  4. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  5. Jane Says (Jane's Addiction)
  6. 4am (Original)
  7. Is There Anybody Out There? (Pink Floyd) →
  8. Breakdown (Tom Petty) →
  9. Land Down Under (Men At Work)
  10. Suzy Greenberg (Phish) →
  11. AC/DC Bag (Phish)
  12. Drifting (Trey Anastasio)

    Set 2:
  13. Pink Moon^ (Nick Drake)
  14. Tara (Wishbone) →
  15. War Pigs (Black Sabbath) →
  16. Mrs. Robinson (Simon and Garfunkel)
  17. Porch (Pearl Jam) →
  18. Empty Spaces (Pink Floyd) →
  19. Porch (Pearl Jam)
  20. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star* (tease)
  21. We Are The Dinosaurs*^ (Laurie Berkner)
  22. Eat Your Peas (Original)
  23. Waste (Phish)
  24. All Night Long (Lionel Richie) →
  25. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  26. Wolfman's Brother (Phish) →
  27. Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead)
  28. Old MacDonald Had A Farm* (tease)
  29. Wagon Wheel (Old Crow Medicine Show)
    * - by request
    ^Brian on lead vocals

Photos

Photo from 7/27/12Photo from 7/27/12Photo from 7/27/12
View all 14 photos
Photo from 7/27/12Photo from 7/27/12Photo from 7/27/12Photo from 7/27/12Photo from 7/27/12Photo from 7/27/12Photo from 7/27/12Photo from 7/27/12Photo from 7/27/12Photo from 7/27/12Photo from 7/27/12

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

After the Show

NH Ain't Ever Gonna Be The Same

Originally posted July 28, 2012. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Last night's impromptu show at Pizza Mia was out of this world! Brian joined Marc for his normally-solo Friday night gig, and CM played 2 solid, very experimental sets (including some kids songs). What a blast!

Check out some of the tunes on our sounds page
7/21/12Marlborough Country ClubFlyer for 7/21/12original setlist
Flyer for 7/21/12
    Set 1:
  1. Drifting (Trey Anastasio)
  2. Ants Marching (Dave Matthews Band)
  3. Mrs. Robinson (Simon and Garfunkel) →
  4. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
  5. Mrs. Robinson (Simon and Garfunkel) →
  6. For What It's Worth (Buffalo Springfield)
  7. Coventry (Original)
  8. Billie Jean (Michael Jackson)
  9. Suzy Greenberg (Phish) →
  10. AC/DC Bag (Phish)
  11. Southern Cross (Crosby, Stills and Nash)
  12. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  13. Land Down Under (Met At Work) →
  14. Soul To Soul (Original)
  15. Melissa* (Allman Brothers)
  16. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson) →
  17. Stir It Up (Bob Marley) →
  18. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson)
  19. Is There Anybody Out There? (Pink Floyd) →
  20. Breakdown (Tom Petty)
  21. Moving On (Original) →
  22. Fluffhead (Phish) →
  23. Moving On (Original) →
  24. Fluffhead (Phish)
  25. Remedy (Black Crowes)
  26. Porch (Pearl Jam) →
  27. Empty Spaces (Pink Floyd) →
  28. Porch (Pearl Jam)
    * - by request

Original Setlist

The paper version survived.

This is one of the actual setlists from the night, preserved with the scribbles, formatting and changes intact.

View Original Setlist
Original setlist scan for 7/21/12

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

After the Show

Great Show!

Originally posted July 22, 2012. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Last night's show at the MCC was a great time! 3 bands and local wines, beers and cigars on showcase...what more could you ask for?

Check out the sounds page for a handful of new mp3s!

Remember: we'll be back at the MCC on August 17th!
3/28/12Corporate Function: 281 Summer St, Boston
    Set 1:
  1. Heavy Things (Phish) →
  2. Coventry (Original) →
  3. Steal My Kisses (Ben Harper) →
  4. Fire On The Mountain (Grateful Dead)
  5. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  6. Land Down Under (Men At Work) →
  7. Southern Cross (Crosby, Stills & Nash)
  8. Moving On (Original →
  9. Fluffhead (Phish)
  10. Is There Anybody Out There? (Pink Floyd) →
  11. Breakdown (Tom Petty)
  12. Running To Stand Still (U2) →
  13. Ants Marching (Dave Matthews Band)

    Set 2:
  14. Billie Jean (Michael Jackson)
  15. Loving Cup (Rolling Stones)
  16. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel) →
  17. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
  18. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel)
  19. Remedy (Black Crowes)
  20. Porch (Pearl Jam) →
  21. Empty Spaces (Pink Floyd) →
  22. Porch (Pearl Jam)
  23. Drifting (Trey Anastasio) →
  24. Sweet Dreams Melinda (Trey Anastasio)

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

First Gig of the Season

Originally posted March 26, 2012. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

CM breaks through the winter slumber with a private gig on Wednesday, March 28th in the heart of Boston! Unfortunately for our friends and fans, it is a private shindig. However, stay tunes for more gigs as the Springtime unfolds. there will be more. Oh yes, there will be more.
After the Show

CM is back

Originally posted March 29, 2012. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Last night's private gig at a company function was a great return for CM. After taking the winter off, and really only getting one good practice session in a couple of weeks ago, it was as if we never left. The tunes flowed, the vibe was great, and everyone had a good time. Hopefully this kicks us back into gear as Spring unfolds. Stay tuned for more gigs, hopefully coming in the next couple of months. We can't wait to get out there again!
8/6/11SummerStockFlyer for 8/6/11original setlist
Flyer for 8/6/11
    Set 1:
  1. Message In A Bottle (The Police)
  2. Mr. Jones (Counting Crows) →
  3. Stairway To Heaven (Led Zeppelin) (ending section)
  4. Moving On (Original →
  5. Fluffhead (Phish)
  6. Add It Up (Violent Femmes)
  7. Tara (Wishbone) →
  8. War Pigs (Black Sabbath)
  9. Indifference (Pearl Jam)
  10. Heavy Things (Phish)
  11. Late In The Evening (Paul Simon) →
  12. Legs (ZZ Top)
  13. Loving Cup (Rolling Stones) →
  14. My Girl (The Temptations) →
  15. Wild Side (Lou Reed) →
  16. I Touch Myself (The Divinyls) →
  17. My Girl (The Temptations)
  18. Remedy (Black Crowes)

    Set 2:
  19. Possum (Phish)
  20. AC/DC Bag (Phish) →
  21. Eye Of The Tiger (Survivor)
  22. Melissa (Allman Brothers)
  23. Brown Eyed Girl (Van Morrison) (instrumental jam)
  24. Wolfman's Brother (Phish) →
  25. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  26. Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead)
  27. Santeria (Sublime)

Original Setlist

The paper version survived.

This is one of the actual setlists from the night, preserved with the scribbles, formatting and changes intact.

View Original Setlist
Original setlist scan for 8/6/11

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

SummerStock News

Originally posted July 11, 2011. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

After taking last year's SummerStock off, Cheese Merge will be bringing the heat to SS 2011.



Hell yeah.
Before the Show

It's The Final Countdown!

Originally posted August 3, 2011. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

SS 2011: 2 Days and Counting!
SS 2011: 2 Days and Counting!


Let's do this.
After the Show

SummerStock - Yet Another Success

Originally posted August 7, 2011. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Once again, SummerStock was a great time. Cheese Merge played a spontaneous random set on Friday night, and 2 full sets on Saturday. Friday's set was an adventure to say the least. We winged the whole thing and just got up there and goofed around for an hour or so.

Saturday's main sets were the real attraction and both sets turned into real jammed out explorations. Looking at the setlists you wouldn't think we played very long, but total time was somewhere around the 3 hour mark. Big thanks to Kevin who joined us for a few songs on hand drums and mandolin. He also played rhythm guitar and sang "Possum" and "AC/DC Bag". Good stuff! Also, the real spacey "Add It Up" delay jam was a definite highlite.

Unfortunately the recordings won't be of much use: apparently I chose a pretty high foot traffic area to put up the microphone: crowd noise is as loud as the music! Also, the random dog barkings don't help much. Oh well.
7/8/11Marlborough Country ClubFlyer for 7/8/11
Flyer for 7/8/11
    Set 1:
  1. Heavy Things (Phish) →
  2. Loving Cup (Rolling Stones)
  3. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  4. Land Down Under (Men At Work) →
  5. Jane Says (Jane's Addiction) (Tease)
  6. It's A Shame About Ray (Lemonheads)
  7. AC/DC Bag (Phish) →
  8. Eye Of The Tiger (Survivor) →
  9. El Venir Pronto (Original)
  10. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson) →
  11. Stir It Up (Bob Marley) →
  12. Fire On The Mountain (Grateful Dead) →
  13. Southern Cross (Crosby, Stills & Nash)
  14. Babylon (David Gray) →
  15. Ants Marching (Dave Matthews Band)
  16. Remedy (Black Crowes)

    Set 2:
  17. Billie Jean (Michael Jackson)
  18. Is There Anybody Out There? (Pink Floyd) →
  19. Breakdown (Tom Petty)
  20. Wasted Years (Iron Maiden)
  21. Drifting (Trey Anastasio)
  22. Coventry (Original) →
  23. 4am (Original) (Tease)
  24. Mr. Jones (Counting Crows) →
  25. Stairway To Heaven (Led Zeppelin) (ending section)

    Encore:
  26. Porch (Pearl Jam)

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

Summer gig, makes me feel fine

Originally posted May 10, 2011. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

We've been asked to come back to the MCC on Friday, July 8th! Summer should be in full swing. So should Cheese Merge!



Let's do this!
After the Show

MCC, done right.

Originally posted July 11, 2011. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Friday's gig at the MCC was a great return show for the Merge. Good turn out, and good tunes. What more can you ask for from a mid-summer gig?
4/22/11Marlborough Country Club
    Set 1:
  1. Drifting (Trey Anastasio)
  2. Loving Cup (Rolling Stones) →
  3. Fluffhead (Phish) →
  4. Loving Cup (Rolling Stones)
  5. Moving On (Original) →
  6. Fluffhead (Phish)
  7. Is There Anybody Out There? (Pink Floyd) →
  8. Breakdown (Tom Petty)
  9. Ants Marching (Dave Matthews Band) →
  10. What I Got (Sublime) →
  11. No Sugar Tonight (Guess Who)
  12. Heavy Things (Phish)
  13. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel) →
  14. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
  15. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel)
  16. Ya Mar (Cyril Ferguson)

    Set 2:
  17. Billie Jean (Michael Jackson)
  18. It's A Shame About Ray (Lemonheads)
  19. Steal My Kisses (Ben Harper) →
  20. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson) →
  21. Stir It Up (Bob Marley)
  22. Southern Cross (Crosby, Stills & Nash)
  23. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  24. Land Down Under (Men At Work) →
  25. Mother (Pink Floyd) (extended jam)
  26. Remedy (Black Crowes)
  27. Mr. Jones (Counting Crows)
  28. Melissa (Allman Brothers)

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

BAM!

Originally posted April 22, 2011. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Cheese Merge live @ The Marlborough Country Club

Friday, April 22nd
Marlborough Country Club
200 Concord Road
Marlborough, MA

6:30 start time. No cover. Eh, and no flyers either: a very last minute gig!

We know this is very late in the game to spring on you, but if you are free tonight come check us out!
After the Show

CM kicks off 2011

Originally posted April 23, 2011. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

We had a great show last night at the Marlborough Country Club for our first show of 2011! Marc got a call on Wednesday asking if we were up for playing, and somehow we made it work. CM had not played or even practiced together since our last gig in November, but just like riding a bike we were up there doing our thing. It was a very loose and spontaneous show, which included 2 songs that we had not only never played out before...but we had never even practiced before ("Ya Mar", "It's A Shame About Ray"). "Ya Mar" even included Marc on harmonica...another CM first!

We recorded last night's show with a new handheld recorder. For set 1 we had to put it on the ground in front of the monitor so that guests could use the table in front of us, but for set 2 we were able to place it right on the table. Thus set 2 sounds a lot crisper, but overall it all sounds pretty good considering it was essentially a trial run w/ a new recorder. Check out the sounds page for lots of new mp3s!

The MCC wants us to have a recurring gig this year, so look for more dates to be added in the near future!
11/13/10Marley's On The BeachFlyer for 11/13/10
Flyer for 11/13/10
    Set 1:
  1. Heavy Things (Phish)
  2. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  3. Land Down Under (Men At Work) →
  4. All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan) →
  5. Soul To Soul (Original)
  6. Indifference (Pearl Jam)
  7. Moving On (Original) →
  8. Fluffhead (Phish) →
  9. Moving On (Original)
  10. Late In The Evening (Paul Simon) →
  11. Legs (ZZ Top)
  12. AC/DC Bag (Phish) →
  13. Eye Of The Tiger (Survivor) →
  14. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  15. Wolfman's Brother (Phish)
  16. Drifting (Trey Anastasio)
  17. Sheep Go To Heaven (Cake) →
  18. MMMBop (Hanson) →
  19. Sheep Go To Heaven (Cake)
  20. Remedy (Black Crowes)

    Set 2:
  21. Billie Jean (Michael Jackson)
  22. Loving Cup (Rolling Stones) →
  23. Coventry (Original)
  24. Running To Stand Still (U2) →
  25. Ants Marching (Dave Matthews Band) →
  26. What I Got (Sublime) →
  27. No Sugar Tonight (Guess Who)
  28. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel) →
  29. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
  30. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel)
  31. Is There Anybody Out There? (Pink Floyd) →
  32. Breakdown (Tom Petty)
  33. Steal My Kisses (Ben Harper) →
  34. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson) →
  35. Stir It Up (Bob Marley) →
  36. Blister In The Sun (Violent Femmes)
  37. Southern Cross (Crosby, Stills & Nash)
  38. Porch (Pearl Jam) →
  39. Empty Spaces (Pink Floyd) →
  40. Porch (Pearl Jam)
  41. Wasted Years* (Iron Maiden) →
  42. Twilight Zone (Golden Earring)
    * - by request

Photos

Photo from 11/13/10Photo from 11/13/10Photo from 11/13/10
View all 20 photos
Photo from 11/13/10Photo from 11/13/10Photo from 11/13/10Photo from 11/13/10Photo from 11/13/10Photo from 11/13/10Photo from 11/13/10Photo from 11/13/10Photo from 11/13/10Photo from 11/13/10Photo from 11/13/10Photo from 11/13/10Photo from 11/13/10Photo from 11/13/10Photo from 11/13/10Photo from 11/13/10Photo from 11/13/10

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

New gig, new venue!

Originally posted October 8, 2010. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

We've got a gig scheduled at a brand new venue! On November 13th, we will be playing in Warwick, RI at Marley's On The Beach. A buddy of ours bought the bar, renovated it, and it recently opened a few weeks ago. Business has been a little slow, and they are really hoping things pick up. We know this is a bit of a haul for our Boston area friends, but if there is any chance you'd be up for a little road trip we would REALLY appreciate it. A good turnout would do wonders for them, and with a little word of mouth we are hoping to help support our friend in his endeavor.

After the Show

GREAT show!!

Originally posted November 14, 2010. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Last night's gig at Marley's On The Beach was by all accounts a great success! Great vibes, solid sets, and one of the best turnouts we've ever had (especially for a location a little farther away than usual). Thank you to EVERYONE who came out!
9/17/10Marlborough Country ClubFlyer for 9/17/10
Flyer for 9/17/10
    Set 1:
  1. Remedy (Black Crowes)
  2. Billie Jean (Michael Jackson) →
  3. Suzy Greenberg (Phish) →
  4. AC/DC Bag (Phish) →
  5. Eye Of The Tiger (Survivor) →
  6. El Venir Pronto (Original)
  7. Creep (Radiohead)
  8. Tara (Wishbone)
  9. Late In The Evening (Paul Simon) →
  10. Legs (ZZ Top)
  11. Running To Stand Still (U2) →
  12. Ants Marching (Dave Matthews Band) →
  13. What I Got (Sublime) →
  14. No Sugar Tonight (Guess Who)

    Set 2:
  15. Drifting (Trey Anastasio)
  16. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel) →
  17. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
  18. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel)
  19. Happy Birthday Singalong (Everyone in attendance)*
  20. Steal My Kisses (Ben Harper) →
  21. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson) →
  22. Stir It Up (Bob Marley) →
  23. The Tide Is High (Blondie)
  24. Loving Cup (Rolling Stones) →
  25. Fluffhead (Phish) →
  26. Loving Cup (Rolling Stones)
  27. Breakdown (Tom Petty) →
  28. Spill The Wine (War) →
  29. Breakdown (Tom Petty)
  30. 4am (Original) →
  31. Runaround (Blues Traveler) →
  32. Good Lovin' (Young Rascals) →
  33. Coventry (Original)
  34. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  35. Land Down Under (Men At Work) →
  36. All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan) →
  37. Soul To Soul (Original)
    * - For 3 separate birthdays (including a 70th!), by request

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

MCC in 3 weeks!

Originally posted August 30, 2010. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

8/27/10Marlborough Country ClubFlyer for 8/27/10
Flyer for 8/27/10
    Set 1:
  1. Heavy Things (Phish)
  2. Babylon (David Gray) →
  3. What I Got (Sublime) →
  4. No Sugar Tonight (Guess Who)
  5. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  6. Land Down Under (Men At Work) →
  7. All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan) →
  8. Soul To Soul (Original)
  9. Is There Anybody Out There? (Pink Floyd) →
  10. Breakdown (Tom Petty)
  11. Drifting (Trey Anastasio)
  12. Billie Jean (Michael Jackson)
  13. Late In The Evening (Paul Simon) →
  14. Legs (ZZ Top)
  15. Running To Stand Still (U2) →
  16. Ants Marching (Dave Matthews Band)

    Set 2:
  17. Creep (Radiohead)
  18. Southern Cross (Crosby, Stills & Nash)
  19. My Girl (The Temptations) →
  20. Wild Side (Lou Reed)
  21. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson) →
  22. Steal My Kisses (Ben Harper) →
  23. Coventry (Original) →
  24. 4am (Original) (tease)
  25. Loving Cup (Rolling Stones) →
  26. Fluffhead (Phish)
  27. Wolfman's Brother (Phish) →
  28. Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead) →
  29. Spill The Wine (War) →
  30. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  31. Wolfman's Brother (Phish)
  32. AC/DC Bag (Phish) →
  33. Eye Of The Tiger (Survivor) →
  34. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  35. All Night Long (Lionel Richie) →
  36. Wolfman's Brother (Phish) (tease)
  37. Rocking In The Free World (Neil Young)

Photos

Photo from 8/27/10Photo from 8/27/10Photo from 8/27/10
View all 12 photos
Photo from 8/27/10Photo from 8/27/10Photo from 8/27/10Photo from 8/27/10Photo from 8/27/10Photo from 8/27/10Photo from 8/27/10Photo from 8/27/10Photo from 8/27/10

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

After the Show

Great show last night!

Originally posted August 28, 2010. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Last night's gig at the MCC was a great return for us! The weather was absolutely beautiful (check out the pictures page) and there were great vibes around all night. Much thanks to everyone who showed up, as well as the tournament folk who were recovering from playing 27 holes during the day.

We were asked to come back on September 17th. See you in 3 weeks!
7/9/10Nabnassett Lake CC
    Set 1:
  1. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel) →
  2. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
  3. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel)
  4. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  5. Land Down Under (Men At Work) →
  6. All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan) →
  7. Soul To Soul (Original)
  8. Wolfman's Brother (Phish) →
  9. Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead) →
  10. All Night Long (Lionel Richie) →
  11. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  12. Wolfman's Brother (Phish)
  13. Late In The Evening (Paul Simon)

    Set 2:
  14. Remedy (Black Crowes)
  15. Southern Cross (Crosby, Stills & Nash)
  16. Drifting (Trey Anastasio) →
  17. Coventry (Original)
  18. Billie Jean (Michael Jackson) →
  19. Fluffhead (Phish) →
  20. Moving On (Original) →
  21. Fluffhead (Phish)
  22. Breakdown (Tom Petty)
  23. Suzy Greenberg (Phish)
  24. Plastic Jesus (Chromarty/Ruch)
  25. Running To Stand Still (U2) →
  26. Ants Marching (Dave Matthews Band) →
  27. What I Got (Sublime) →
  28. No Sugar Tonight (Guess Who)
  29. AC/DC Bag (Phish) →
  30. Eye Of The Tiger (Survivor) →
  31. El Venir Pronto (Original)
  32. Margaritaville (Jimmy Buffett)
  33. Porch (Pearl Jam) →
  34. Spill The Wine (War) →
  35. Empty Spaces (Pink Floyd) →
  36. Porch (Pearl Jam)

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

Bam!

Originally posted July 6, 2010. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

2 upcoming gigs have been scheduled!

July 9th at Nabnassett Lake CC, and August 27th at the MCC.



Come help us kick off and subsequently say farewell to Summer in style!
5/28/10Marlborough Country ClubFlyer for 5/28/10
Flyer for 5/28/10
    Set 1:
  1. Drifting (Trey Anastasio) →
  2. Fluffhead (Phish) →
  3. Moving On (Original →
  4. Fluffhead (Phish)
  5. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel) →
  6. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
  7. For What It's Worth (Buffalo Springfield) →
  8. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel)
  9. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  10. Land Down Under (Men At Work) →
  11. All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan) →
  12. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  13. Suzy Greenberg (Phish) →
  14. Sheep Go To Heaven (Cake) →
  15. MMMBop (Hanson) →
  16. Sheep Go To Heaven (Cake)
  17. Eat Your Peas (Original)
  18. Remedy (Black Crowes)

    Set 2:
  19. Heavy Things (Phish)
  20. Billie Jean (Michael Jackson)
  21. Diff'rent Strokes Theme* (Thicke/Loring/Burton)
  22. Porch (Pearl Jam) →
  23. Empty Spaces (Pink Floyd) →
  24. Porch (Pearl Jam)
  25. Loving Cup (Rolling Stones) →
  26. Coventry (Original)
  27. Breakdown (Tom Petty)
    * - R.I.P. Gary Coleman

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

Upcoming gig: Back to the MCC!

Originally posted May 4, 2010. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Due to some busy schedules and lots going on, Marc has had to play a few solos shows recently. BUT: CM hits up the MCC once again in a few weeks on 5/28! That is, of course, unless Brian becomes a daddy 2 weeks early.


This is hopefully the first of many shows this summer. CM is ready to gig again!
After the Show

Triumphant return!

Originally posted May 29, 2010. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Last night's gig at the MCC was a great gig for us to get back into the swing of things. Loose and jammy, and good vibes all around. Thanks to C, C's mom, Rob, Josh, Ben, Kristen, Tay and all of the patrons who hung around to watch our outside patio sets. As always, you guys are awesome!

Props to Rob for requesting the Diff'rent Strokes theme...10 minutes after we played it.

Summer is here and the Merge is back. Let's get it on!
2/6/10Applebees, Milford, MA
    Set 1:
  1. Drifting (Trey Anastasio) →
  2. Sweet Dreams Melinda (Trey Anastasio)
  3. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  4. Land Down Under (Men At Work) →
  5. All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan) →
  6. Soul To Soul (Original)
  7. Late In The Evening (Paul Simon) →
  8. Legs (ZZ Top)
  9. 4am (Original) →
  10. Coventry (Original)
  11. Is There Anybody Out There? (Pink Floyd) →
  12. Mr. Jones (Counting Crows) →
  13. Breakdown (Tom Petty)
  14. Pink Moon (Nick Drake)
  15. Heavy Things (Phish) →
  16. Southern Cross (Crosby, Stills & Nash)
  17. F.U. Lisa (Original) →
  18. Babylon (David Gray) →
  19. What I Got (Sublime) →
  20. No Sugar Tonight (Guess Who)

    Set 2:
  21. Sheep Go To Heaven (Cake) →
  22. MMMBop (Hanson) →
  23. Sheep Go To Heaven (Cake)
  24. AC/DC Bag (Phish) →
  25. Eye Of The Tiger (Survivor) →
  26. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  27. Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead) →
  28. Wolfman's Brother (Phish) →
  29. All Night Long (Lionel Richie) →
  30. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  31. Steal My Kisses (Ben Harper) →
  32. The Tide Is High (Blondie)
  33. Moving On (Original) →
  34. Fluffhead (Phish) →
  35. Loving Cup (Rolling Stones) →
  36. Suzy Greenberg (Phish) →
  37. Porch (Pearl Jam) →
  38. Empty Spaces (Pink Floyd) →
  39. Porch (Pearl Jam)
  40. Billie Jean (Michael Jackson) →
  41. Spill The Wine (War) →
  42. Billie Jean (Michael Jackson)
  43. Tara (Wishbone) →
  44. War Pigs (Black Sabbath) →
  45. Wasted Years (Iron Maiden)

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

A couple more gigs!

Originally posted January 21, 2010. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

The gig on Feb 27th may end up being a solo Marc gig due to a scheduling issue, but the dates are all set.

After the Show

Good stuff

Originally posted February 7, 2010. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

CM had another great gig that wrapped up about, oh, 30 mins ago. Much thanks to C, Damian, Jeff & Sara, and Marc's buddies for coming out and supporting us. We're both dealing with head colds but trudged through and gave it our all. Hopefully everyone dug it, nasal singing and all. Thanks again for a great time!
1/23/10Applebees, Milford, MA
    Set 1:
  1. Beat It (Michael Jackson) →
  2. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel) →
  3. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
  4. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel) →
  5. Kiss Off (Violent Femmes)
  6. Ball and Chain (Social Distortion) →
  7. Freebird (tease) (Lynard Skynard) →
  8. Ball and Chain (Social Distortion)
  9. 4am (Original) →
  10. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson) →
  11. Please Don't Go (Violent Femmes) →
  12. Stir It Up (Bob Marley) →
  13. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson)
  14. AC/DC Bag (Phish) →
  15. Eye Of The Tiger (Survivor) →
  16. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  17. Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead)
  18. Steal My Kisses (Ben Harper) →
  19. Sexual Healing (Marvin Gaye)
  20. Drifting (Trey Anastasio)
  21. Moving On (Original) →
  22. Fluffhead (Phish) →
  23. Moving On (Original) →
  24. Loving Cup (Rolling Stones)

    Set 2:
  25. Heavy Things (Phish) →
  26. Coventry (Original)
  27. Billie Jean (Michael Jackson)
  28. Eat Your Peas (Original)
  29. Sheep Go To Heaven (Cake) →
  30. MMMBop (Hanson) →
  31. Sheep Go To Heaven (Cake)
  32. My Girl (The Temptations) →
  33. Wild Side (Lou Reed) →
  34. I Touch Myself (The Divinyls) →
  35. My Girl (The Temptations)
  36. Late In The Evening (Paul Simon) →
  37. Legs (ZZ Top)
  38. Creep (Radiohead)
  39. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  40. Land Down Under (Men At Work) →
  41. Soul To Soul (Original)
  42. Santeria* (Sublime)
  43. The Humpty Dance* (The Digital Underground)
  44. Pants On The Ground (General Platt) →
  45. Porch (Pearl Jam) →
  46. Spill The Wine (War) →
  47. Porch (Pearl Jam)
  48. Margaritaville^ (Jimmy Buffett)
  49. Rocking In The Free World (Neil Young)
    * - w/ Mike Warenda on vocals
    ^ - by request

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

January 2010: Return of The Merge.

Originally posted December 22, 2009. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Flyer says it all.

After the Show

What a GREAT show!

Originally posted January 24, 2010. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Last night's show was a success all around. It was EASILY our best turnout ever...there had to have been around 25 people there to watch The Merge do their thing. I usually like to thank everyone by name but I don't think I can do it this time! Well, let's try: Corina, Ben, Dan, Kevin, Josh, Rob & Adrienne, Amish, Mike, Alex & Nancy, Squid, Porter, Mike W. aka Humpty, Jenny & Eric, Adrienne's handful of friends, John & Jaime, and if I forgot anyone I fully apologize. What a great show and turnout. Thank you so much to everyone!

Oh, and the van ride home so as to avoid any drunk driving issues = priceless.
1/9/10Applebees, Milford, MA
    Set 1:
  1. Loving Cup (Rolling Stones) →
  2. Fluffhead (Phish)
  3. What Would You Say? (Dave Matthews Band)
  4. Steal My Kisses (Ben Harper) →
  5. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson) →
  6. Blue Moon (Rodgers & Hart) →
  7. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson) →
  8. Stir It Up (Bob Marley)
  9. Eat Your Peas (tease) (Original)
  10. Heavy Things (Phish) →
  11. All Night Long (Lionel Richie) →
  12. Coventry (Original)
  13. Billie Jean (Michael Jackson)
  14. Babylon (David Gray) →
  15. Running To Stand Still (U2) →
  16. Ants Marching (Dave Matthews Band)
  17. Suzy Greenberg (Phish)
  18. Remedy (Black Crowes)
  19. Porch (Pearl Jam)

    Set 2:
  20. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  21. Land Down Under (Men At Work) →
  22. All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan) →
  23. Soul To Soul (Original)
  24. Late In The Evening (Paul Simon) →
  25. Legs (ZZ Top)
  26. Santeria* (Sublime)
  27. Margaritaville* (Jimmy Buffett)
  28. AC/DC Bag (Phish) →
  29. Eye Of The Tiger (Survivor) →
  30. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  31. Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead)
  32. Sheep Go To Heaven (Cake) →
  33. MMMBop (Hanson) →
  34. Sheep Go To Heaven (Cake)
  35. Moving On (Original) →
  36. Spill The Wine (War) →
  37. Moving On (Original) →
  38. Fluffhead (reprise) (Phish)
  39. Drifting (Trey Anastasio)
  40. 4am (Original)
  41. Eat Your Peas (reprise/tease) (Original)
  42. Wasted Years (Iron Maiden)
    * - by request

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

January 2010: Return of The Merge.

Originally posted December 22, 2009. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Flyer says it all.

Before the Show

It all starts tonight

Originally posted January 9, 2010. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Headlining on the sign this time!

After the Show

2010 - A Year Doesn't Start Much Better Than That

Originally posted January 10, 2010. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

(B:) To everyone to who showed up: Corina, Rob & Adrienne, Jason, Brian, Damian & Kim, Kat & Ken, Ben, Kristen and everyone else (ugh, if I missed anyone I apologize): THANK YOU SO, SO MUCH! The shows keep getting better and better, and seeing familiar faces as well as some new ones every time is just awesome.

See you, hopefully, again in two weeks!
12/17/09Applebees, Milford, MA
    Set 1:
  1. Billie Jean (Michael Jackson)
  2. Loving Cup (Rolling Stones) →
  3. Fluffhead (Phish) →
  4. Loving Cup (Rolling Stones)
  5. Wish You Were Here^ (Pink Floyd) →
  6. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel) →
  7. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
  8. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel)
  9. Drifting (Trey Anastasio)
  10. Suzy Greenberg (Phish) →
  11. Creep (Radiohead)
  12. 4am (Original)
  13. Porch (Pearl Jam)

    Set 2:
  14. My Girl (The Temptations) →
  15. Wild Side (Lou Reed) →
  16. I Touch Myself (The Divinyls) →
  17. My Girl (The Temptations)
  18. Wolfman's Brother (Phish) →
  19. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  20. Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead) →
  21. All Night Long (Lionel Richie)
  22. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  23. Wolfman's Brother (Phish)
  24. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  25. Land Down Under (Men At Work) →
  26. All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan) →
  27. Soul To Soul (Original)
  28. Black* (Pearl Jam)
  29. Coventry (Original) →
  30. 4am (reprise) (Original)
  31. Tara (Wishbone) →
  32. War Pigs (Black Sabbath) →
  33. Wasted Years (Iron Maiden)
  34. Remedy (Black Crowes)
  35. Rocking In The Free World (Neil Young)
  36. Indifference# (Pearl Jam)
    * - by request
    ^ - Dedicated to Chris Henry (RIP)
    # - w/ Random Guy on guest vocals

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

2. New. Gigs.

Originally posted November 23, 2009. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Marc's hard work paid off: We have 2 news gigs at a new venue! Saturday, December 12th and Thursday, December 17th 2009 we will be playing at Applebees in Milford, MA. We're trying to play some new venues, and this is great news for us!





C'mon out and lets show them how we do it!
Before the Show

One of the best.

Originally posted December 17, 2009. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

(B:) Applebee's was shown what's up tonight. We both feel that tonight's gig was one of our all-timers. Jammy, a little loose at times, and just good vibes all around. Thanks a TON to everyone who came out...we can't thank you enough: Ben, Stephen, Rob, Kat & Ken, Jodi (trooper...stayed the whole time!), and last but not least Kevin and his army of friends. All you guys (sorry I forgot your names) are AWESOME for coming out and supporting us. Thanks for the PJ requests, and it was awesome to see you rocking out to Sabbath/Maiden. Right on everyone. Great times!
12/12/09Applebees, Milford, MA
    Set 1:
  1. Heavy Things (Phish)
  2. Late In The Evening (Paul Simon) →
  3. Legs (ZZ Top)
  4. Babylon (David Gray)
  5. Suzy Greenberg (Phish) →
  6. Creep (Radiohead)
  7. Loving Cup (Rolling Stones) →
  8. Fluffhead (Phish)
  9. Steal My Kisses (Ben Harper) →
  10. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson) →
  11. Stir It Up (Bob Marley) →
  12. Steal My Kisses (Ben Harper)
  13. Moving On (Original)
  14. Drifting (Trey Anastasio)
  15. Mr. Jones (Counting Crows) →
  16. Stairway To Heaven (Led Zeppelin) (ending section)

    Set 2:
  17. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  18. Land Down Under (Men At Work) →
  19. All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan) →
  20. Soul To Soul (Original)
  21. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel) →
  22. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
  23. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel)
  24. Tara (Wishbone) →
  25. War Pigs (Black Sabbath) →
  26. Wasted Years (Iron Maiden)
  27. Running To Stand Still (U2) →
  28. Ants Marching (Dave Matthews Band) →
  29. What I Got (Sublime) →
  30. No Sugar Tonight (Guess Who)
  31. AC/DC Bag (Phish) →
  32. Eye Of The Tiger (Survivor) →
  33. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  34. All Night Long (Lionel Richie) →
  35. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  36. Wolfman's Brother (Phish) →
  37. Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead)
  38. Wish You Were Here* (Pink Floyd) →
  39. Coventry (Original)
  40. Southern Cross (Crosby, Stills & Nash)
  41. Sheep Go To Heaven (Cake) →
  42. MMMBop (Hanson) →
  43. Sheep Go To Heaven
  44. Is There Anybody Out There? (Pink Floyd) →
  45. Breakdown (Tom Petty)
  46. Remedy (Black Crowes)
  47. Porch (Pearl Jam)
    * - by request

Photos

Photo from 12/12/09Photo from 12/12/09Photo from 12/12/09
View all 12 photos
Photo from 12/12/09Photo from 12/12/09Photo from 12/12/09Photo from 12/12/09Photo from 12/12/09Photo from 12/12/09Photo from 12/12/09Photo from 12/12/09Photo from 12/12/09

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

2. New. Gigs.

Originally posted November 23, 2009. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Marc's hard work paid off: We have 2 news gigs at a new venue! Saturday, December 12th and Thursday, December 17th 2009 we will be playing at Applebees in Milford, MA. We're trying to play some new venues, and this is great news for us!





C'mon out and lets show them how we do it!
Before the Show

Hell yeah.

Originally posted December 6, 2009. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

After the Show

Great show!

Originally posted December 13, 2009. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Thank you so much to everyone who came out to support us last night! A great show at a new venue...what else can I say? Thank to B's parents & sister, UJ & AR, Damian, C, C's mom, and everyone else. Also, thanks to everyone's positive comments and support throughout the show. It seemed like everyone had a great time, and we can't wait to go back there this Thursday. Thanks to the guys playing beer pong who bought us a round of beers. Also, thanks to the guy who cheered on his way to the bathroom after the final E-minor chord in Porch to end the show. Epic dude, epic. And sorry to the guy who requested a bluegrass tune. We'll work on something, maybe.

Who knew Applebee's had beer pong tournaments?
10/16/09Marlborough Country ClubFlyer for 10/16/09
Flyer for 10/16/09
    Set 1:
  1. Drifting (Trey Anastasio)
  2. Into The Mystic (Van Morrison)
  3. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  4. Land Down Under (Men At Work) →
  5. Soul To Soul (Original)
  6. Tara (Wishbone)
  7. Running To Stand Still (U2) →
  8. Ants Marching (Dave Matthews Band)
  9. Late In The Evening (Paul Simon) →
  10. Legs (ZZ Top)
  11. Creep (Radiohead)
  12. Billie Jean (Michael Jackson)
  13. Steal My Kisses (Ben Harper)
  14. Heavy Things (Phish)
  15. Mr. Jones (Counting Crows) →
  16. Stairway To Heaven (Led Zeppelin) (ending section)
  17. Southern Cross (Crosby, Stills & Nash)
  18. Wolfman's Brother (Phish) →
  19. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  20. Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead) →
  21. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  22. Wolfman's Brother (Phish)
  23. Remedy (Black Crowes)
  24. Babylon (David Gray)
  25. Coventry (Original)

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

Hook, line & sinker: we scored another gig!

Originally posted October 13, 2009. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

C.M. got the call from the MCC asking if we can head up this Friday (10/16) and play. The answer? Yes. Yes we can.

C'mon out and throw down a few apps & drinks while the soothing sounds of Cheese Merge lull you into a false sense of security and whisk you away to blissful paradise supreme.

After the Show

Giddy Up

Originally posted October 18, 2009. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Friday's show at the Marlborough Country Club was stellar all around. Considering there was a minimal amount of golf played during the day, there were fair amount of people eating and having a few drinks in the tavern. Those in attendance seemed to really be digging the Merge. We played a great, long set and were locked in the whole time.

(B:) Much thanks to Ben and Uncle Joe for coming out! Ben, I think this officially means you went on fall tour w/ Cheese Merge! In 10 years, people will look back on these shows and be jealous you were there. Bragging rights!
9/25/09Marlborough Country ClubFlyer for 9/25/09
Flyer for 9/25/09
    Set 1:
  1. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel) →
  2. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
  3. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel)
  4. Steal My Kisses (Ben Harper)
  5. Is There Anybody Out There? (Pink Floyd) →
  6. Breakdown (Tom Petty)
  7. Babylon (David Gray)
  8. Tara (Wishbone)
  9. Billie Jean (Michael Jackson)
  10. Suzy Greenberg (Phish)
  11. Blue Sky (Allman Brothers)
  12. Moving On (Original) →
  13. Fluffhead (Phish)
  14. Southern Cross (Crosby, Stills & Nash)

    Set 2:
  15. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  16. Land Down Under (Men At Work) →
  17. Soul To Soul (Original)
  18. Running To Stand Still (U2) →
  19. Ants Marching (Dave Matthews Band)
  20. Wolfman's Brother (Phish) →
  21. Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead) →
  22. All Night Long (Lionel Richie) →
  23. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  24. Wolfman's Brother (Phish)
  25. My Girl (The Temptations) →
  26. Wild Side (Lou Reed) →
  27. I Touch Myself (The Divinyls) →
  28. My Girl (The Temptations)
  29. Late In The Evening (Paul Simon) →
  30. Legs (ZZ Top)
  31. Coventry (Original)
  32. Porch (Pearl Jam)

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

New gig!

Originally posted August 28, 2009. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

We're back, and we're hitting up the Marlborough Country Club on September 25th, at 7:30pm. Come early and grab some food and a drink (or 3). It's always a great time!



Flyer #1
Flyer #2
Flyer #3
After the Show

Great time!

Originally posted September 28, 2009. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Friday's gig at the Marlborough Country Club was a solid show by all accounts. We played 2 good sets and the vibes were great all around.

Much thanks to: Rob & Friends, Damian & Kim, C, Erin, J.B., Marc's friends and of course: Frankie-Boy. It's always great when we have a good turnout. Hopefully we can get another gig soon because Friday was too fun!
7/24/09Marlborough Country Club
  1. Late In The Evening (Paul Simon) →
  2. Legs (ZZ Top)
  3. Heavy Things (Phish) →
  4. Fluffhead (Phish)
  5. Billie Jean (Michael Jackson)
  6. Wolfman's Brother (Phish) →
  7. Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead) →
  8. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  9. All Night Long (Lionel Richie) →
  10. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson) →
  11. Stir It Up (Bob Marley) →
  12. Steal My Kisses (Ben Harper) →
  13. Coventry (Original)
  14. Sheep Go To Heaven (Cake) →
  15. MMMBop (Hanson) →
  16. For What It's Worth (Buffalo Springfield)
  17. In to The Mystic (Van Morrison)
  18. Running To Stand Still (U2) →
  19. Ants Marching (Dave Matthews Band) →
  20. What I Got (Sublime)
  21. Margaritaville (Jimmy Buffett)
  22. My Girl (The Temptations) →
  23. Wild Side (Lou Reed) →
  24. I Touch Myself (The Divinyls) →
  25. My Girl (The Temptations)
  26. Brown Eyed Girl (Van Morrison)
  27. Remedy (Black Crowes)
  28. Southern Cross (Crosby, Stills & Nash)
  29. Melissa (Allman Brothers)

Photos

Photo from 7/24/09Photo from 7/24/09Photo from 7/24/09
View all 6 photos
Photo from 7/24/09Photo from 7/24/09Photo from 7/24/09

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

After the Show

Stepping Up And Delivering

Originally posted July 27, 2009. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Cheese Merge was called up for duty on Friday night at the Marlborough Country Club, as a golf tournament was delayed due to weather and they needed a band to start later than anticipated, which meant the scheduled band had to bail. We stepped up and played a 2+ hour set out on the deck to a steadily rotating audience who seemed to be digging our stuff. Special thanks to B's parents and wife who came along for the ride, as well as the "PLAY VAN THE MAN!" woman, and the "Play something else, how about some Allman Brothers" woman who called out her request (as 1 of the final 2 people in attendance) as we were about to close with "Wish You Were Here" and then proceeded played some Allmans as our final song instead.
7/18/09SummerStock
    Set 1:
  1. Billie Jean (Michael Jackson)
  2. Suzy Greenberg (Phish)
  3. Blue Sky (Allman Brothers) →
  4. Black (Pearl Jam)
  5. Running To Stand Still (U2) →
  6. Ants Marching (Dave Matthews Band)
  7. AC/DC Bag (Phish) →
  8. Eye Of The Tiger (Survivor) →
  9. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  10. All Night Long (Lionel Richie) →
  11. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  12. Wolfman's Brother (Phish) →
  13. Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead)
  14. Coventry (Original)
  15. Sheep Go To Heaven (Cake) →
  16. MMMBop (Hanson)
  17. Is There Anybody Out There? (Pink Floyd) →
  18. Breakdown (Tom Petty)

    Set 2:
  19. Heavy Things (Phish)
  20. Late In The Evening (Paul Simon) →
  21. Legs (ZZ Top)
  22. Remedy (Black Crowes)
  23. Porch (Pearl Jam)
  24. Southern Cross (Crosby, Stills & Nash)
  25. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  26. Land Down Under (Men At Work) →
  27. All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan)
  28. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson) →
  29. Stir It Up (Bob Marley)
  30. Rocking In The Free World (Neil Young)

Photos

Photo from 7/18/09Photo from 7/18/09Photo from 7/18/09
View all 9 photos
Photo from 7/18/09Photo from 7/18/09Photo from 7/18/09Photo from 7/18/09Photo from 7/18/09Photo from 7/18/09

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

*Ahem*

Originally posted May 27, 2009. Preserved here as it was written at the time.


After the Show

Cheese Merge Destroys SummerStock

Originally posted July 19, 2009. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

This weekend's gig up in NH was a complete success. Special thanks to Alex Miranda for coming and joining us on drums. It was great to have a backbeat behind us, and Alex filled in, with no practice, perfectly. Up on the deck, jamming and having a great time all while staring down at people playing horseshoes and sitting on the hillside and next to the campfire...that is what life should be about. No B.S., just good times. We played what seemed to be 2 well received sets, and then the night transpired into random jam sessions in the kitchen and garage.

Thanks a TON to Melanie & Wayne for allowing a few dozen of us to set up tents on their grounds, and to Melanie for having a connection in the promotions business who got the banner made up just for us. That was beyond cool!

CM SS 2010? Who knows?
6/26/09Marlborough Country ClubFlyer for 6/26/09
Flyer for 6/26/09
    Set 1:
  1. Billie Jean (Michael Jackson)
  2. Mr. Jones (Counting Crows) →
  3. Stairway To Heaven (Led Zeppelin) (ending section)
  4. Southern Cross (Crosby, Stills & Nash)
  5. Wolfman's Brother (Phish) →
  6. Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead) →
  7. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  8. Wolfman's Brother (Phish)
  9. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel) →
  10. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
  11. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel)
  12. Running To Stand Still (U2) →
  13. Ants Marching (Dave Matthews Band) →
  14. What I Got (Sublime)
  15. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  16. Land Down Under (Men At Work) →
  17. All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan)
  18. Stir It Up (Bob Marley) →
  19. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson) →
  20. The Tide Is High (Blondie)
  21. My Girl (The Temptations) →
  22. Wild Side (Lou Reed) →
  23. I Touch Myself (The Divinyls) →
  24. My Girl (The Temptations)
  25. Fire On The Mountain (Grateful Dead) →
  26. Jane Says (Jane's Addiction)
  27. Drifting (Trey Anastasio)
  28. Suzy Greenberg (Phish)
  29. Margaritaville (by request) (Jimmy Buffett)
  30. Beat It (Michael Jackson) →
  31. Indifference (Pearl Jam)
  32. Brown Eyed Girl (Van Morrison)
  33. Legs (ZZ Top)
  34. Steal My Kisses (Ben Harper) →
  35. Coventry (Original)
  36. Remedy (Black Crowes)
  37. Heavy Things (Phish)
  38. Is There Anybody Out There? (Pink Floyd) →
  39. Breakdown (Tom Petty)
  40. Moving On (Original) →
  41. Fluffhead (Phish) →
  42. Moving On (Original)

    Encore:
  43. Beat It (reprise) (Michael Jackson)
  44. Plastic Jesus (Chromarty/Ruch) →
  45. Fall Line (Jack Johnson)
  46. Loving Cup (Rolling Stones)
  47. Plush (Stone Temple Pilots)
  48. Creep (Radiohead)
  49. Santeria (Sublime)

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

BAM!

Originally posted June 11, 2009. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Cheese Merge live @ The Marlborough Country Club

Friday, June 26th
Marlborough Country Club
200 Concord Road
Marlborough, MA

At the Roof Deck. 7:30 start time. No cover charge.

Flyer #1
Flyer #2
Flyer #3
Flyer #4

Cheese Merge also has 2 private gigs lined up over the next few weeks. Unfortunately these are not open to the public, but we'll do our fans proud.
After the Show

Great gig

Originally posted June 30, 2009. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Friday's show at the Marlborough Country Club was a complete success. The vibes were good, the tunes were good, and the crowd was digging it. We played for close to 2 1/2 hours and stayed true to form, while throwing in a few well placed country club-esque selections. Thank you to EVERYONE who showed up to support us, and we're not just saying that. We know we sometimes play places that are not close to our fans & friends, and to see such a good turnout at our most important shows really means a lot to us. It's hard to hang out and mingle with everyone because we are playing the whole time, but it's great to look out and see everyone there having a good time. You know what they say about Cheese Merge fans? Eh, clue us in because we don't...

Also, the manager seemed to dig our music and was excited by the turnout. It sounds promising that we'll be invited back again!

Once again: YOU ALL ROCK!

-Cheese Merge
6/19/09House Party in Bedford, NH
    Set 1:
  1. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel) →
  2. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
  3. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel)
  4. My Girl (The Temptations) →
  5. Wild Side (Lou Reed) →
  6. I Touch Myself (The Divinyls) →
  7. My Girl (The Temptations)
  8. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  9. Land Down Under (Men At Work) →
  10. All Along the Watchtower (Bob Dylan)
  11. AC/DC Bag (Phish) →
  12. Eye Of The Tiger (Survivor) →
  13. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  14. Wolfman's Brother (Phish) →
  15. Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead)
  16. Is There Anybody Out There? (Pink Floyd) →
  17. Breakdown (Tom Petty) →
  18. Coventry (Original)
  19. Rocking In The Free World (Neil Young)

    Set 2:
  20. Heavy Things (Phish)
  21. Drifting (Trey Anastasio)
  22. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson) →
  23. Stir It Up (Bob Marley) →
  24. The Tide Is High (Blondie)
  25. Suzy Greenberg (Phish) →
  26. Jane Says (Jane's Addiction) →
  27. Creep (Radiohead)
  28. Plastic Jesus (Chromarty/Ruch)→
  29. Fall Line (Jack Johnson)
  30. Ants Marching (Dave Matthews Band)
  31. Rape Me/Jessica (Allman Brothers/Nirvana) →
  32. All Night Long (Lionel Richie)
  33. Moving On (Original) →
  34. Fluffhead (Phish) →
  35. Spill The Wine (War) →
  36. Moving On (Original)
  37. Southern Cross (Crosby, Stills & Nash) →
  38. Legs (ZZ Top)
  39. Santeria (Sublime)
  40. Sheep Go To Heaven (Cake)
  41. Porch (Pearl Jam)

    Encore:
  42. The Humpty Dance* (The Digital Underground)
    * - w/ Mike Warenda on vocals

Photos

Photo from 6/19/09Photo from 6/19/09Photo from 6/19/09
View all 14 photos
Photo from 6/19/09Photo from 6/19/09Photo from 6/19/09Photo from 6/19/09Photo from 6/19/09Photo from 6/19/09Photo from 6/19/09Photo from 6/19/09Photo from 6/19/09Photo from 6/19/09Photo from 6/19/09
5/2/09Brian & Corina's Wedding
  1. Drifting (Trey Anastasio)
  2. Coventry (Original)
  3. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel) →
  4. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
  5. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel)
  6. Wolfman's Brother* (Phish) →
  7. Scarlet Begonias* (Grateful Dead) →
  8. Wolfman's Brother* (Phish)
    * - Joined by the wedding band "Wiki 3"

Photos

Photo from 5/2/09Photo from 5/2/09Photo from 5/2/09
View all 9 photos
Photo from 5/2/09Photo from 5/2/09Photo from 5/2/09Photo from 5/2/09Photo from 5/2/09Photo from 5/2/09

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

After the Show

A few days late...

Originally posted May 14, 2009. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

(B:) Back from the honeymoon. Check out the setlists page. The Merge rocked the wedding reception. Epic rockingness. Marc looking at me, mid jam, and saying "Happy wedding, man!" with a big old grin on his face will forever be etched in my brain. Also, much love to Wiki 3 for letting us use their PA system to jam out during a set break, and then for joining us during our last tune.

E P I C
3/12/09The Rose Garden
  1. Soul To Soul (Original)
  2. Breakdown (Tom Petty)
  3. Running To Stand Still (U2)
  4. AC/DC Bag (Phish)

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

Roses are Red, Violets are Blue. Ummm, Rose Garden.

Originally posted March 11, 2009. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

We'll be back at The Rose Garden tomorrow, 3/12, sometime between 8 and 10. If it ends up being our best show ever, but you were too complacent at home watching reruns of Hee Haw, you'll kick yourself. Or maybe we'll do the deed for you.

Cheese Merge: A little lithium in a world gone crazy with a lack of thought out segues.
After the Show

Triumphant. Short, but triumphant.

Originally posted March 13, 2009. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Last night at The Rose Garden was a good time. We only got to play 4 songs, and possibly our only segue-free set ever, but we both agreed it was a solid set. Lots of energy and tight jams. Dave, the open mic host, seemed a little anxious to close shop a bit early, as the whole night was over by 10:20, but it's all good. Much thanks to the other artists, including Francine the Queen of Obscene, and the featured act Tom Smith, who minutes before hitting the stage was in the bathroom with a nice case of the stomach flu. That's guts right there! Also, the Three Amigos (apparently a previous featured act) were a welcome change of pace from the norm: a 3-piece bluegrass/country/folk band complete with a bassist, dobro/slide player and guitarist/harmonica player/lead singer.

Line of the night provided by Dan, the host: "Hey, I have your Cheese Merge magnet prominently displayed right on my gun case!"

Also, thanks a ton to Rob & Damian for showing up to support us!
2/26/09The Rose Garden
    Set 1:
  1. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  2. Land Down Under (Men At Work)
  3. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel) →
  4. Legs (ZZ Top) →
  5. No Rain (Blind Melon)
  6. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel)

    Set 2:
  7. Drifting (Trey Anastasio)
  8. Waste (Phish)
  9. Moving On (Original) →
  10. Fluffhead (Phish) →
  11. Jane Says (tease) (Jane's Addiction) →
  12. Fluffhead (Phish)
  13. Coventry (Original)

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

Back to The Rose Garden tonight

Originally posted February 26, 2009. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

We'll be hitting up The Rose Garden tonight, sometime between 8 and 10. We won't know the exact time until we get there.

Who's in? You? Nice.
After the Show

Open Mic or The Circus of Dr. Lao?

Originally posted February 27, 2009. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

The Guitar Hero photo referenced in the original write-up
The picture referenced in the original write-up.
(Brian:) We hit up The Rose Garden last night. I don't even know where to begin. Our sets were typical for an open mic after not playing out for a while. I thought we sounded pretty good and it was nice to bust out some new material.

However...

That was by far the weirdest open mic, if not one of the weirdest nights out I have ever seen. To say we were the most normal act of the night would be an understatement. When we walked in the door and put our names on the list, the guy who runs the open mic was doing a mini set which for all intents and purposes was your run of the mill open mic set. He sounded fine. Next up was Miguel. We've seen Miguel at open mics before. He’s a very unassuming, Spanish speaking guy who plays a MEAN classical/flamenco/finger-picking guitar. An awesome talent, that seems so out of place at a New England open mic that he's a perfect fit. Always a treat!

Then I don't know what happened. There was something in the water, or someone was pumping the place full of nitrous or something. Good lord. The next act was a young kid who looked to be around 16-17. He gets up there with his guitar, borrows my tuner because he was nowhere near in tune, and then noodles around for a few minutes asking his friends what songs he should play. He finally gets around to playing and although he knew some chords, he did not know patience on the guitar. He was just hammering every chord as hard as he could (maybe he was just nervous, who knows). Then the battery in his pickup started dying, and 2 songs later that was all she wrote. The kid had potential but he needs to learn how to play a lot smoother.

Then Cheese Merge headed up for set #1. The usual. (I'll skip over the lady who left right after our set who was wearing a very thin skirt that was hiked up her legs a bit too far.)

Then some kid, also very young, got up on stage. No guitar. No instrument. What does he do? He ends up doing George Carlin's "7 Words You Can't Say On TV" bit. In it's entirety. WTF? When he finished he proceeded to ask me if I would give him a guitar lesson at some point. I guess he wanted to be like Stephen Lynch. But when Marc told him he should learn some basic chords, he asked "What's a chord?" Dude, I have 2 suggestions for you: 1) Guitar lessons. 2) Original material. Oh, and he was also impressed when I said I knew who Bill Hicks was. I was 17 when Bill Hicks died in 1994. You're 17 (or so) now. I actually remember when Bill was alive. Still, not to rip on the kid...he was nice enough and seemed to dig what he was doing. Gotta give him kudos for doing something like that on his own. I wouldn't have had the balls to hit up an open mic on my own at his age.

Then. Umm. I don't even know what to say. The open mic guy announced the next act. I wish I could remember his name but it was something like "Old Delaware" or something. This really old guy (85?) with a big hunchback goes up and sits on a little chair. We'd seen him and his companion (could have been his son or just a friend) eating dinner throughout the sets and figured they were just watchers. Nope. The companion helps him to his chair, and then holds up a "Guitar Hero" guitar carry case and shows it to the crowd. Ummm, ok? But inside was not a "Guitar Hero" guitar, but rather a kid's toy guitar with little backlit buttons all over the neck. He turns it on and the old man hits a button to play one of the pre-recorded songs. It was a Sabbath or Zep song (I wish I could remember). Then, as the music is playing, he just starts hitting random buttons on the neck to play along with it. Picture it: A really old guy, hunched over and sitting in a small chair, people surrounding him to watch, and he just sits there hitting random notes to a pre-programmed guitar. I got a picture of him with my cell phone that you have to see to believe. My (almost) 4 year old nephew does the same thing with his toy guitar. When he does it, it's adorable. This guy was just...ummm...amusing? Weird? Bizarre? I had no idea what to think. Did I mention he was wearing a shirt that said "You can never have too many guitars"?

Then, as is the format at The Rose Garden, there was a featured act. It was a guy we'd seen play before. He goes by the name of Clayton Willoughby, and it was only fitting that he was the featured act that night. What an absolute treat. He's a Leon Redbone-esque vaudevillian character, complete with made up stories of having met famous characters and famous songs that he wrote but others took from him, etc. He plays a mean finger-picking, vaudeville/20's style guitar (check out the link above and watch some of his videos), and does the mouth trumpet & clarinet with the best of them. He sits on a chair while he plays, in a full white suit and sunglasses, with props that include "On Air" and "Applause" signs, an old fashioned microphone, and a suitcase he places in front of him that has stickers from all over the world. Each song is preceded by some partially made-up story and the crowd is completely engaged. As Marc said, he and I jam, but Clayton is an showman. I agree. It was only fitting that Clayton was the main act on this bizarre night. Anyone else would have had their work cut out for them. Clayton just took the circus' reigns. Right on my man, right on.

Cheese Merge followed with a brief second set which helped wind down the night. As we launched into Phish's "Waste", the open mic guy said "Hey, is that a Phish song?" When we responded yes, he said he knows Mike Gordon and they went to high school together. So later on when we went into the intro to Coventry, right before Marc said the name of the song the guy said "Did you go to Coventry?" as if on queue. Marc was like "Uhhh, yeah, I went and this next song is about that weekend." and told the guy how his car was the last one to be allowed into the event by state troopers before they closed the highway down. The guy then told the story about how he got into the festival with Mike's mother. Jeeze. Marc then said the name of the next song was Coventry and we launched into it to end the night.

That's the most I've ever typed before 9am. I actually couldn't go to sleep for a little while because I was going over this post in my head.
1/8/09The Rose Garden
    Set 1:
  1. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  2. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  3. Coventry (Original)
  4. AC/DC Bag (Phish) →
  5. El Venir Pronto (Original)

    Set 2:
  6. Mrs. Robinson* (Simon & Garfunkel) →
  7. No Rain* (Blind Melon)
  8. My Girl* (The Temptations) →
  9. Wild Side (Lou Reed)
  10. All Night Long (Lionel Richie)
  11. Message In A Bottle (The Police)
    * - With special guest Tiffany Gassett from Rising Tribe (What an amazing voice!)

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

Happy New Year!

Originally posted January 5, 2009. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

All is quiet on the Cheese Merge front. After a little break from gigging and practicing, Marc returned from his road trip and The Merge hit up B's basement on Saturday night to ramp up practicing again. T'was a chill night, but the vibe was good and the tunes were flowing. We'll be making a push to play a few more real gigs in the coming months, and we're looking for some new open mic spots. The Rose Garden is on our list (we played there once last year), and we know of a few other spots. If anyone knows of any other good Metro-West open mic spots, Drop us a line!
12/17/08Fat Boy Bill's
  1. Jessica (Allman Brothers)
  2. Suzy Greenberg (Phish) →
  3. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  4. Wolfman's Brother (Phish)
  5. Is There Anybody Out There? (Pink Floyd) →
  6. Mr. Jones (Counting Crows) →
  7. Breakdown (Tom Petty) →
  8. Coventry (Original)
  9. All Night Long (Lionel Richie) →
  10. War Pigs (Black Sabbath)
  11. Wasted Years (Iron Maiden)
  12. El Venir Pronto (original, speed version)
  13. Indifference*^ (Pearl Jam)
  14. When I Paint My Masterpiece# (Bob Dylan)
  15. I Scare Myself# (Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks) →
  16. White Rabbit# (Jefferson Airplane)
    setlist scan
    * - With Dave's brother and additional guests
    ^ - Featuring Brian on vocals
    # - With Dave Cournoyer and guests

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

Tonight: back to Fat Boy Bill's

Originally posted December 17, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

We'll be heading down to Fat Boy Bill's tonight around 8:00. There's nothing good on TV, and we're better than bad. How's that for incentive?
After the Show

Good time last night

Originally posted December 18, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

We were back at Fat Boy Bill's last night for a loose and fun jam session. After a chill warm up with "Jessica", we settled into our groove and played a mixed up setlist. Then Dave Cournoyer and guests joined us for a 20 minute jam session to close the night.

(Brian:) I suppose the big news of the night is the fact that not only did I sing a liiiiitle bit of backup, but I also, ahem, sang lead for "Indifference". Yup. The place was empty and the only people in the bar at the time who were not up on stage (which included Dave's brother, as well as another guitar player and a keyboardist) was the bartender and Dave himself. Marc looked at me and said "Why don't you take this one?", and, well, I did. Marc sat on the stage's steps happily strumming away and I stepped up to the microphone. Happy, Marc? :)
12/3/08Fat Boy Bill's
  1. 4am (Original) →
  2. Coventry (Original)
  3. AC/DC Bag (Phish) →
  4. Eye Of The Tiger (Survivor) →
  5. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  6. Wolfman's Brother (Phish) →
  7. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  8. All Night Long (Lionel Richie) →
  9. El Venir Pronto (Original) →
  10. Creep (Radiohead)
  11. Porch (Pearl Jam)
  12. My Girl (The Temptations) →
  13. Wild Side (Lou Reed) →
  14. I Touch Myself (The Divinyls) →
  15. My Girl (The Temptations)
    setlist scan

Photos

Photo from 12/3/08Photo from 12/3/08

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

After the Show

Oh boy

Originally posted December 4, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

We're back.

Dave Cournoyer's open mic at Fat Boy Bill's last night was the perfect venue for us to return to the stage. The crowd was a bit sparse, and Cheese Merge collectively said "Well, let's bust out some stuff we've been working on but haven't perfected yet". It worked. Plus the debut of the new, original, Spanish-tinged segue "El Venir Pronto" was total money. We both agreed that was some of them most fun we've had playing out in a long time.

MAJOR NEWS!
Cheese Merge just missed the cut for the Grammy's this year, but word on the street is that next year they will be nominated for 2 awards:

BEST RANDOM PERFORMANCE OF UNEXPECTED COVERS: Cheese Merge
SICKEST SEGUES IN THE FACE OF MINIMAL CROWDS: Cheese Merge

All this hard work is paying off.

(Brian:) Much thanks to Damian for coming to check out our set. When he texted me at 8:00 saying "Dude, there's only 6 people here", I should have responded "Ooh, 3 more than usual!". He also commented that he kept thinking "Wait, weren't they just playing another song?" as we threw in the new segues. He also knew something was up when I started laughing in anticipation right when Marc was about to bust out The Divinyls. Yup.

Oh, and Cheese Merge has now played as many gigs as Brian has seen Pearl Jam shows: 34. Sweeeeeeet.
After the Show

New videos

Originally posted December 5, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Check out the sounds page for a few new videos from Wednesday night's gig.
10/29/08Fat Boy Bill's
  1. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel) →
  2. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
  3. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel)
  4. Mr. Jones (Counting Crows) →
  5. Stairway To Heaven (Led Zeppelin) (ending section)
  6. Coventry (Original)
  7. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  8. Land Down Under (Men At Work) →
  9. All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan) →
  10. Soul To Soul (Original)
  11. Message In A Bottle (The Police)

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

Fat Boy Bill's tonight

Originally posted October 29, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

We're returning to Fat Boy Bill's tonight at 8:00.

If it was a switch, it would so be on.
10/22/08Tennessee's BBQ (Milford location, now closed)
  1. Suzy Greenberg (Phish)
  2. Moving On (Original) →
  3. Fluffhead (Phish) →
  4. Moving On (Original) →
  5. Indifference (Pearl Jam) →
  6. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  7. Coventry (Original)
  8. My Girl (The Temptations) →
  9. Wild Side (Lou Reed) →
  10. My Girl (The Temptations)
  11. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel) →
  12. Late in the Evening (Paul Simon) →
  13. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
  14. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel)
  15. AC/DC Bag (Phish)

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

Tennessee's: One last time, tomorrow night

Originally posted October 21, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

We just got an email from Bill who runs the open mics at Tennessee's. Apparently the owner is pulling the plug on all entertainment until Spring 2009 to save costs. Tomorrow is his, and thus our, last night at Tennessee's for a while. There are other open mics in the area (we'll be at Fat Boy Bill's in Milford next Wednesday the 29th, probably around 8:30), but tomorrow at 9:30 will be our last Tennessee's set for a while.

C'mon down if 9:30 is not too late...CM promises to bring the heat!
10/15/08Tennessee's BBQ (Milford location, now closed)
  1. Wolfman's Brother (Phish) →
  2. Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead) →
  3. Wolfman's Brother (Phish)
  4. Ball and Chain (Social Distortion) →
  5. Freebird (tease) (Lynard Skynard) →
  6. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  7. Land Down Under (Men At Work) →
  8. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  9. All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan)
  10. Porch (Pearl Jam)

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

Back To Tennessee's

Originally posted October 15, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Coming down from the buzz of our first headlining gig last weekend, we'll be back at our old stomping grounds, hitting up Tennessee's at 9:00 tonight.

Show up or I release the hounds.
10/4/08Sully's First Edition PubFlyer for 10/4/08
Flyer for 10/4/08
    Soundcheck:
    Indifference (Pearl Jam)

    Set 1:
  1. Message In A Bottle (The Police)
  2. Plastic Jesus^ (Chromarty/Ruch) →
  3. Fall Line (Jack Johnson)
  4. Mr. Jones (Counting Crows) →
  5. Stairway To Heaven (Led Zeppelin) (ending section)
  6. Ball and Chain (Social Distortion) →
  7. Freebird (tease) (Lynard Skynard)
  8. What I Got (Sublime) →
  9. Ants Marching (Dave Matthews Band)
  10. Moving On (Original) →
  11. Fluffhead (Phish) →
  12. Moving On (Original)
  13. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel) →
  14. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
  15. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel)
  16. Southern Cross (Crosby, Stills & Nash)

    Set 2:
  17. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  18. Land Down Under (Men At Work) →
  19. Soul To Soul (Original)
  20. Wolfman's Brother (Phish) →
  21. Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead) →
  22. Wolfman's Brother (Phish)
  23. AC/DC Bag (Phish)
  24. Black (Pearl Jam)
  25. My Girl (The Temptations) →
  26. Wild Side (Lou Reed)
  27. Kiss Off (Violent Femmes)
  28. Creep (Radiohead)
  29. Suzy Greenberg (Phish)
  30. Porch (Pearl Jam)
  31. Santeria* (Sublime)
  32. Add It Up (Violent Femmes)
  33. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson) →
  34. Please Don't Go (Violent Femmes) →
  35. Stir It Up (Bob Marley)
  36. Wasted Years (Iron Maiden) →
  37. All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan)
  38. Coventry (Original) →
  39. 4am (Original) →
  40. Coventry (Original)
  41. Wish You Were Here# (Pink Floyd)
  42. Runaround (Blues Traveler)
  43. Rocking In The Free World (Neil Young)
    * - by request
    ^ - Dedicated to Paul Newman
    # - Dedicated to Rick Wright

Photos

Photo from 10/4/08Photo from 10/4/08Photo from 10/4/08
View all 19 photos
Photo from 10/4/08Photo from 10/4/08Photo from 10/4/08Photo from 10/4/08Photo from 10/4/08Photo from 10/4/08Photo from 10/4/08Photo from 10/4/08Photo from 10/4/08Photo from 10/4/08Photo from 10/4/08Photo from 10/4/08Photo from 10/4/08Photo from 10/4/08Photo from 10/4/08Photo from 10/4/08

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

FIRST FULL GIG SCHEDULED!

Originally posted September 11, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Cheese Merge officially has it's first headlining gig.

Saturday, October 4th
Sully's First Edition Pub
11 Florence St, Ste B (Right off of Weed St)
Marlborough, MA

9:00 start time. No cover charge.

Check out the flyers:
Flyer #1
Flyer #2
Flyer #3

Print them out, put them up, or just look at them. Whatever.

We would be beyond thrilled if some of you came out to see us play.
Before the Show

4 days and counting

Originally posted September 30, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Can the Merge fans contain themselves?

Saturday, October 4th
Sully's First Edition Pub
11 Florence St, Ste B (Right off of Weed St)
Marlborough, MA
Mapquest it

9:00 start time. No cover charge.

Flyer #1
Flyer #2
Flyer #3
Before the Show

Twenty, twenty, twenty-four hours to go

Originally posted October 3, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Here's hoping for a great turnout. Let's freaking rock the hell out of Sully's!
After the Show

Great show last night!

Originally posted October 5, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Thanks a ton for everyone who came out last night. It seemed like everyone had a great time, including not only our friends and family, but the bar patrons as well. We contemplated setting up in the dining room for a little more space, but people at the bar said "Hey, we want to hear you guys too!". So we setup in the bar and did our thing, and the response was great!

(Brian:) I think we played 95% of our repertoire in a 3 hour jamfest. Thanks a ton to Sully's for letting us play, and thanks to all our friends (and friends who brought multiple friends) and family (my parents, fiance, Marc's brothers and wife) for showing up to support us. Hopefully everyone had a great time and is enjoying their free Cheese Merge magnets! Also, thank you to the waitress who kept supplying me with a fresh glass of Guinness.

If you haven't already, make sure to sign up for our email list!

Official review!

Oh, and to everyone who said they were coming but didn't, and to everyone who continually said maybe while they waited for something better to come along: it's all good. There will be plenty of other "Cheese Merge's first headlining gig ever!" shows coming up.
After the Show

New (old) videos

Originally posted March 19, 2009. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Check out the sounds page for a few new videos from the Sully's gig. Yeah it's about 5 months late, but we sort of forgot that Damian had brought his camera and recorded some of the gig...on 3 mini-dvds! 1 of the discs converted to mpeg easily and "Moving On --> Fluffhead" has been posted to youtube. The other 2 discs do not appear to have been finalized, so as soon as we figure out the issue we will post more songs. For all those who attended the gig: watch for yourself in the videos!
9/24/08Tennessee's BBQ (Milford location, now closed)
  1. For What It's Worth (Buffalo Springfield)
  2. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  3. Land Down Under (tease) (Men At Work) →
  4. Soul To Soul (Original)
  5. My Girl (The Temptations) →
  6. Wild Side (Lou Reed)
  7. Mr. Jones (Counting Crows) →
  8. Stairway To Heaven (Led Zeppelin) (ending section)
  9. Wolfman's Brother (Phish) →
  10. Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead)
  11. Coventry (Original)

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

Tonight we ride.

Originally posted September 24, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Hi ho, hi ho, it's back to Tennessee's we go. Tonight. Showtime around 9:00.
9/17/08Tennessee's BBQ (Milford location, now closed)
  1. Message In A Bottle (The Police)
  2. 4am (Original) →
  3. Coventry (Original)
  4. Change (Blind Melon)
  5. Mr. Jones (Counting Crows) →
  6. Stairway To Heaven (Led Zeppelin) (ending section)
  7. Wish You Were Here* (Pink Floyd)
  8. Moving On (Original) →
  9. Fluffhead (Phish)
  10. Indifference (Pearl Jam)
  11. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  12. All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan) →
  13. Soul To Soul (Original)
    * - Dedicated to Rick Wright. RIP Rick.

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

Tenn's Tonight

Originally posted September 17, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

We'll be back at Tennessee's tonight with an extended set starting at 9:30. If we're up for it, we might also head to Fat Boy Bill's for an early pre-set around 8:00. Is there anything better than a Cheese Merge double billing? Not likely.
After the Show

Tenn's Tonight

Originally posted September 18, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Well, the double bill didn't go through as planned, but we played a solid 1 hour set at Tennessee's last night. "Wish You Were Here" was debuted and dedicated to Rick Wright (RIP Rick). "Change" was played for the first time in a while, and "Indifference" was a particular highlite.

I'd like to thank the loudest table in the history of open mics. Of all the tables in the joint, you just had to be at the one directly in front of the stage. Oh well. The louder you got, the louder we got. And the view? Talk about splitting your peaches before you serve them. Yeesh. Marc noted the situation and changed lyrics accordingly. Good stuff.
9/10/08Tennessee's BBQ (Milford location, now closed)
  1. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  2. All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan)
  3. For What It's Worth (Buffalo Springfield) →
  4. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
  5. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel)
  6. Creep (Radiohead) →
  7. Coventry (Original)
  8. Needle and the Damage Done (Neil Young)
  9. Wolfman's Brother (Phish) →
  10. Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead)
  11. Moving On (Original) →
  12. Spill The Wine (War) →
  13. Moving On (Original)
  14. Suzy Greenberg (Phish) →
  15. Fire On The Mountain (Grateful Dead)
  16. Wasted Years (Iron Maiden) →
  17. Fluffhead (Phish) →
  18. 4am (Original)
  19. Waste (Phish)
  20. Ball and Chain (Social Distortion) →
  21. Freebird (tease) (Lynard Skynard)

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

After the Show

Last night = 100% Cheese Merge

Originally posted September 11, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Cheese Merge returned to Tennessee's last night and ended up playing a solid hour and a half set. Both Marc and Brian agreed it was easily one of the best shows they have played. There was a lot of tight jamming, some interesting on the fly segues, and Cheese Merge really seemed on top of their game.

Official review!

(Brian:) Props to Marc for continually making me crack up as he spouted off nonsensical and downright odd lyrical oddities throughout the tunes to keep me on my toes. Also, the seque of "FWIW" into "No Rain" (which have never been played together) and then into "Mrs. Robinson" was a nice change of pace from our usual order of starting with "Mrs. Robinson" and then going into either song. "Wasted Years" --> "Fluffhead" --> "4am" was a completely spontaneous merging of tunes that really seemd to fit well. And, well, the new mellow version of "Creep" (which had never been practiced before) going right into "Coventry" was also quite slick if I do say so myself. Note to self: whatever I did during "Creep" I must remember for next time!
9/3/08Fat Boy Bill's
    Set 1:
  1. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel) →
  2. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
  3. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel)
  4. Coventry* (Original)
  5. Wolfman's Brother* (Phish) →
  6. Scarlet Begonias* (Grateful Dead)
  7. Porch* (Pearl Jam)
  8. Santeria# (Sublime)
  9. Suzy Greenberg (Phish)

    Set 2:
  10. Moving On^ (Original)
  11. Message In A Bottle^ (The Police)
  12. Needle and the Damage Done^# (Neil Young)
  13. I Scare Myself^ (Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks)
  14. Keep On Rocking In The Free World^ (Neil Young)
    * - w/ Alex Miranda on djembe
    ^ - w/ Dave Cournoyer on guitar
    # - by request

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

New venue tonight!

Originally posted September 3, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Bill McCarthy's open mic still remains king, but tonight Cheese Merge will be hitting a new venue just to spice things up a little bit. Brian's guitar instructor, David Cournoyer, is now running the new open mic at Fat Boy Bill's in Milford. Unlike Tennessee's open mics, this is first come first serve. The first scheduled slot is 8:00. We'll try to be there by 7:30 to help out. Since tonight is his first night there (it will be every first and third Wednesday of the month), it could be a little sparse with acts. Maybe we'll get another long set like last week!

(Brian:) Seriously, Dave is a beast on guitar. I hope he actually plays a few songs himself so he can wow the crowd. Check out him wailing: Friend Of The Devil. That's him on the left. And yes, that's where we'll be playing tonight.
After the Show

Hell #$%^& yes

Originally posted September 4, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

(Brian:) What more can I say about our sets at Fat Boy Bill's last night? I really hope it catches on and more people show up, because that was a blast! Set 1 saw Alex Miranda once again join us on the djembe, and set 2 saw none other than my guitar instructor, Dave Cournoyer, join us and fill in perfectly. That was about as much fun as I have ever had playing out.

Also: props to Richie and Tim who came down to check out the scene and play a few tunes after I told Richie about it earlier in the day. You guys sounded great!

AND: We also had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Fat Boy Bill himself. A slender fellow if I do say so myself. He seemed to dig our music and talked about trying to get us in for a weekend afternoon gig. Stay tuned!
8/27/08Tennessee's BBQ (Milford location, now closed)
    Set 1:
  1. Fire On The Mountain (Grateful Dead) →
  2. AC/DC Bag (Phish) →
  3. Creep (Radiohead)
  4. Fluffhead (Phish) →
  5. Coventry (Original)
  6. Wolfman's Brother (Phish) →
  7. Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead)

    Set 2:
  8. War Pigs (Black Sabbath) →
  9. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel) →
  10. War Pigs (Black Sabbath) →
  11. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel) →
  12. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
  13. War Pigs (Black Sabbath) →
  14. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel)
  15. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  16. Fluffhead (one refrain) (Phish)
  17. Wasted Years (Iron Maiden)
  18. Suzy Greenberg (Phish) →
  19. Porch (Pearl Jam)
  20. Indifference (Pearl Jam) →
  21. For What It's Worth (Buffalo Springfield)
  22. Moving On (Original)
  23. Is There Anybody Out There? (Pink Floyd) →
  24. Mr. Jones (Counting Crows) →
  25. Stairway To Heaven (Led Zeppelin) (ending section)

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

Give me a "T"! Give me a "omorrow"!

Originally posted August 26, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

C to the M will be at at Tennessee's again tomorrow. We may have a full hour set because it looks like Bill is unable to fill up every slot. Best guess is we go on at 9:00. Best bet: be there by 8:30.
After the Show

Epic.

Originally posted August 28, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

The Merge got to play an extended split-set last night at Tennessee's. Set 1 clocked in around a half hour, and set 2 easily passed the 45 minute mark and very well could have been an hour long. Much thanks to Bill for letting us fill in some empty space in the lineup.

Kudos to the duo, Richie and Tim (?), who performed before us. We have very similar styles and, apparently, tastes. Thanks for the back-up singing during "Wolfman's Brother"! You guys need to come to Tennessee's more often!

(Brian:) I know Marc will back me up: that was one of the best shows we've ever played.
8/20/08Tennessee's BBQ (Milford location, now closed)
  1. Message In A Bottle (The Police) →
  2. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson) →
  3. Stir It Up (Bob Marley)
  4. Indifference* (Pearl Jam)
  5. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  6. All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan) →
  7. Soul To Soul (Original)
  8. Wasted Years (Iron Maiden)
  9. Porch (Pearl Jam)
    * - by request via a penciled-in Keno card.

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

Milford are you ready to rock???

Originally posted August 19, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Tennessee's yet again, tomorrow, 8/20 at 9:30. We meet again. For the first time. For the last time. Again.

Stay tuned for other venues and dates hopefully being announced soon. Until then, you know where to find us every other Wednesday night.
After the Show

Not bad, not bad at all.

Originally posted August 21, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Cheese Merge jammed away at Tennessee's last night. There ain't no party like a Cheese Merge party cuz a Cheese Merge party don't stop.

Props to the couple sitting at the bar who wrote down "Pearl Jam" on a Keno card and placed it in front of us as a request. Apparently the woman heard us play "Indifference" last week and liked it. Without knowing that, that's exactly what we played for her request. We talked after the set and she suggested we learn a Mad Season song. That sounds like a challenge I'm up for, and I told her we'd learn one but that her and her (boyfriend?) needed to come back.
8/13/08Tennessee's BBQ (Milford location, now closed)
  1. Indifference (Pearl Jam) →
  2. Kiss Off (Violent Femmes)
  3. Suzy Greenberg (Phish) →
  4. Coventry (Original)
  5. Wolfman's Brother (Phish) →
  6. Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead) →
  7. Santeria (Sublime)
  8. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  9. Land Down Under (tease) (Men At Work) →
  10. Soul To Soul (Original)

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

Yup

Originally posted August 13, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Tennessee's tonight at 9:30. We meet again.

We haven't practiced in a while. This could be epic.
7/30/08Tennessee's BBQ (Milford location, now closed)
  1. Ball and Chain (Social Distortion) →
  2. Suzy Greenberg (Phish) →
  3. Fire On The Mountain (Grateful Dead) →
  4. Creep (Radiohead)
  5. Coventry (Original)
  6. Wolfman's Brother (Phish) →
  7. Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead)
  8. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  9. All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan) →
  10. Soul To Soul (Original)

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

C'mon down tonight

Originally posted July 30, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

We'll once again be at Tennessee's tonight at 9:30. We've got some cool stuff lined up.

B's annual BBQ set on Saturday turned into a free-for-all jam at 1:00 am, with Doug M. also joining the mix. It was fun, I think.
7/23/08Tennessee's BBQ (Milford location, now closed)
  1. Coventry (Original) →
  2. 4am (Original)
  3. Suzy Greenberg (Phish) →
  4. Fire On The Mountain (Grateful Dead)
  5. Wolfman's Brother (Phish)
  6. Indifference (Pearl Jam)
  7. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson) →
  8. Please Don't Go (Violent Femmes) →
  9. Stir It Up (Bob Marley) →
  10. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson)
  11. Mr. Jones (Counting Crows) →
  12. Stairway To Heaven (Led Zeppelin) (ending section)
  13. Damnit (Blink 182)

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

After the Show

Good times missed by all

Originally posted July 24, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Cheese Merge hit Tennessee's again last night with a solid set. Several new songs made their debut, mostly with success. Many thanks to none of our friends who showed up, but that's ok because we really didn't tell anyone about it. It's nice to play in front of mostly strangers from time to time.

Highlight of the night: Blackout mid-set for 5 seconds due to the intense thunderstorm that passed by. Don't worry, all of Bill's open mic gear made it through unscathed.

Is it monsoon season?
7/9/08Tennessee's BBQ (Milford location, now closed)
  1. Indifference (Pearl Jam)
  2. Message In A Bottle (The Police)
  3. Soul To Soul (Original) →
  4. Land Down Under (tease) (Men At Work)
  5. Coventry (Original)
  6. Wasted Years (Iron Maiden)
  7. *Rocket Man (Elton John)
  8. *Stuck In The Middle With You (Stealers Wheel)
  9. Creep (Radiohead)
  10. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel) →
  11. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
  12. Black (Pearl Jam)
  13. Porch (Pearl Jam)
    Special thanks to Alex Miranda for sitting in w/ a hand drum for the whole set,
    and to Bill McCarthy for letting us fill in for a vacant slot, giving us a full hour
    * - Alex Miranda on guitar, Marc on hand drum

FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

Before the Show

Missed a show, scheduled 4 more

Originally posted June 12, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

Well, because of scheduling conflicts, we had to bail on last night's show. Thankfully Marc felt bad enough for the ditch and scheduled 3 more sets. That makes Brian a happy monkey.

All of the following dates & times are at the usual: Tennessee's BBQ in Milford.
  • Wed, June 18th @ 9:00
  • Wed, June 25th @ 9:30 (Marc solo, as Brian will be seeing Pearl Jam at Madison Square Garden)
  • Wed, July 2nd @ 9:30
  • Wed, July 9th @ 9:30
    • After the Show

    Epic gig!

    Originally posted July 10, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

    Cheese Merge brought the heat to Tennessee's last night with a full hour set (thanks to someone who bailed). Marc's friend, Alex Miranda, joined us for the whole set on a hand drum, and even played 2 songs on guitar while Marc switched instruments with him. This gig was truly a classic Cheese Merge gig. New songs debuted, Brian busted out the Hot Hand Phaser for the first time, and with a full hour we were free to try some new stuff.

    Epic. Confirmed.

    Thanks to Damian who, well, showed up after we were done playing but still bought us drinks. What a guy. Heh.
    7/2/08Tennessee's BBQ (Milford location, now closed)
    1. Coventry (Original)
    2. Porch (Pearl Jam)
    3. 4am (Original) →
    4. AC/DC Bag (Phish)
    5. Kiss Off (Violent Femmes)
    6. Mr. Jones (Counting Crows) →
    7. Stairway To Heaven (Led Zeppelin) (ending section)

    FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

    Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

    Before the Show

    Missed a show, scheduled 4 more

    Originally posted June 12, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

    Well, because of scheduling conflicts, we had to bail on last night's show. Thankfully Marc felt bad enough for the ditch and scheduled 3 more sets. That makes Brian a happy monkey.

    All of the following dates & times are at the usual: Tennessee's BBQ in Milford.
  • Wed, June 18th @ 9:00
  • Wed, June 25th @ 9:30 (Marc solo, as Brian will be seeing Pearl Jam at Madison Square Garden)
  • Wed, July 2nd @ 9:30
  • Wed, July 9th @ 9:30
    • After the Show

    We're baaaaaack.

    Originally posted July 3, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

    Cheese Merge returned to Tennessee's last night with a fun half hour set. We hadn't practiced in a couple of weeks due to, well, summer, but we played a real energetic set! All in all it was a good set, and we'll be there again next Wednesday (the 9th) to do it all over again.

    Thanks a ton to Kevin and his friends, plus Rob for showing up to support us. We promise to practice a couple of times before the next gig!
    6/18/08Tennessee's BBQ (Milford location, now closed)
    1. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel) →
    2. For What It's Worth (Buffalo Springfield) →
    3. Black (last verse) (Pearl Jam) →
    4. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel)
    5. Mr. Jones (Counting Crows) →
    6. Stairway To Heaven (Led Zeppelin) (ending section)
    7. Ball and Chain (Social Distortion) →
    8. Freebird (tease) (Lynard Skynard) →
    9. AC/DC Bag (Phish) →
    10. Coventry (Original)
    11. Soul To Soul (Original) →
    12. Land Down Under (tease) (Men At Work)
    13. Moving On (Original)
      setlist scan

    FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

    Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

    Before the Show

    Missed a show, scheduled 4 more

    Originally posted June 12, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

    Well, because of scheduling conflicts, we had to bail on last night's show. Thankfully Marc felt bad enough for the ditch and scheduled 3 more sets. That makes Brian a happy monkey.

    All of the following dates & times are at the usual: Tennessee's BBQ in Milford.
  • Wed, June 18th @ 9:00
  • Wed, June 25th @ 9:30 (Marc solo, as Brian will be seeing Pearl Jam at Madison Square Garden)
  • Wed, July 2nd @ 9:30
  • Wed, July 9th @ 9:30
    • After the Show

    Solid show last night!

    Originally posted June 19, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

    Cheese Merge hit Tennessee's last night, and will return on July 2nd and 9th. We had a longer than usual set due to a cancellation, and had a few friends who drove all the way from Billerica to come see us play. Hopefully they enjoyed the food because, man, that's a bit of a drive for 45 mins of music! Seriously though, thanks a ton for coming out...hopefully everyone enjoyed themselves!

    Hey Venkat, see how fun America can be? You know it!

    Marc will be flying solo on the 25th at Tennessee's, as Brian will be at Madison Square Garden with 21,998 other crazed Pearl Jam fans. SWEET!!!!!!
    6/4/08Tennessee's BBQ (Milford location, now closed)
    1. Message In A Bottle (The Police)
    2. Is There Anybody Out There? (Pink Floyd) →
    3. Mr. Jones (Counting Crows) →
    4. Stairway To Heaven (Led Zeppelin) (ending section)
    5. Ball and Chain (Social Distortion) →
    6. Freebird (tease) (Lynard Skynard) →
    7. Soul To Soul (Original) →
    8. Land Down Under (tease) (Men At Work) →
    9. Indifference (Pearl Jam) →
    10. Rocking In The Free World (Neil Young)
    11. 4am (Original) →
    12. Coventry (ending only) (Original)
      setlist scan

    FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

    Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

    After the Show

    Another solid set!

    Originally posted June 5, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

    Cheese Merge brought the heat again last night at Tennessee's BBQ in Milford. We hit the groove pretty well and were reading each other perfectly the whole time.

    9:00, same place next Wednesday, the 11th. Who's there?

    Special thanks to the white trash chick who had to make it a point to
    1. Have her argument w/ her boyfriend be heard by everyone during the set of the guy who played 2 slots before us and then
    2. Scream at the top of her lungs "ARGH!!!!!" like a mental ward patient on meth as she stormed out of the placed during Len's set, the guy who played before us. She was quite the class act.
    5/28/08Tennessee's BBQ (Milford location, now closed)
      Soundcheck:
    1. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel) →
    2. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
    3. Mrs. Robinson

      Set:
    4. Indifference (Pearl Jam) →
    5. All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan)
    6. Creep (Radiohead)
    7. Coventry (Original)
    8. Porch (Pearl Jam)
    9. 4am (Original, sorry for the messups, folks!)
    10. AC/DC Bag (Phish)

    FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

    Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

    Before the Show

    Another May gig. Yup.

    Originally posted May 12, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

    Cheese Merge hits the open mic circuit yet again on May 28th at Tennessee's BBQ in Milford. We go on at 9:00, and you show up earlier. That's how this whole thing works. You show up, eat some BBQ, drink a beer or four, and then we go on at 9:00. Don't make it more complex than it has to be. Cheese Merge is all about keeping the flow simple. On a difficulty scale of 1-10, this is about a 2. That's how we roll in Milford.

    See, if you show up after 9:00, you could miss us. That's what locals would call a "wicked pissah".
    After the Show

    Ripped it up last night

    Originally posted May 29, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

    Cheese Merge stepped up and played a tight set (eh, except for one slightly butchered out-of-practice song) last night at Tennessee's BBQ in Milford. We went back to a few staples we hadn't played in a while. As usual, Bill McCarthy is the open mic circuit man! And I gotta give props to the guy who played after us who also plays a Breedlove. The man has taste!

    We've got another gig at Tenn's on June 11th @ 9:00. It's the 11th longest day of the year. What better reason to go?

    Thanks a TON to Corina, Ben, and, ummm, Ben's friend (who will remain nameless because I suck at names) for showing up and supporting us.
    5/7/08Tennessee's BBQ (Milford location, now closed)
    1. Late in the Evening (Paul Simon) →
    2. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
    3. Indifference (Pearl Jam)
    4. Ball and Chain (Social Distortion) →
    5. Freebird (tease) (Lynard Skynard) →
    6. Ball and Chain (Social Distortion)
    7. 4am (Original) →
    8. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson) →
    9. Stir It Up (Bob Marley)
    10. Soul to Soul (Original)

    FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

    Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

    Before the Show

    Yet another gig

    Originally posted April 23, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

    Wednesday, May 7th at Tennessee's BBQ in Milford @ 9:00.

    We had a great showing at last night's show. Let's get even more people down there next time!

    Requests? We'll see what we can do!
    After the Show

    Good show last night

    Originally posted May 8, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

    Cheese Merge played for the 3rd week in a row at Tennessee's BBQ. There were a fair amount of people there and we busted out a few tunes we hadn't played in a while, and a few new merges as well. After all, that is what we do.

    There's another gig on the horizon. Stay tuned!

    (Do I hear rumors of a full gig or two sometime this summer?)
    4/30/08Tennessee's BBQ (Milford location, now closed)
    1. Message In A Bottle (The Police)
    2. Is There Anybody Out There? (Pink Floyd) →
    3. Mr. Jones (Counting Crows) →
    4. Stairway To Heaven (Led Zeppelin) (ending section)
    5. Kiss Off (Violent Femmes)
    6. Coventry (Original)
    7. Rape Me/Jessica (Nirvana/Allman Brothers songs played together) →
    8. Jane Says (Jane's Addiction) →
    9. Fire On The Mountain (Grateful Dead)
    10. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel) →
    11. For What It's Worth (Buffalo Springfield) →
    12. Black (last verse) (Pearl Jam) →
    13. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel)

    FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

    Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

    After the Show

    Surprise set last night

    Originally posted May 1, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

    On a whim, Cheese Merge decided to check out the Milford open mic scene last night. First we showed up at Doc's. Their "first come first serve" Wednesday open mics appear to be on hold. So we downed a Guinness and went over our game plan. Bill McCarthy's open mic at Tennessee's BBQ was 1/4 mile down the road, but we didn't have a slot. No worries, we decided to check it out anyway. Bill put us on after his last slot and we played for about 45 minutes. We busted out some new stuff in front of a crowd of strangers. All things considered it was a pretty fun set and got a good crowd reaction. When we were done one of the patrons told us, "Good job guys. You played good music for hitting on chicks to." We took that as a compliment.

    Who is coming next week? We've got the 9:00 slot on May 7th at Tennessee's BBQ in Milford.
    4/23/08Tennessee's BBQ (Milford location, now closed)
    1. AC/DC Bag (Phish)
    2. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel) →
    3. For What It's Worth (Buffalo Springfield) →
    4. Black (last verse) (Pearl Jam) →
    5. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel)
    6. Mr. Jones (Counting Crows) →
    7. Stairway To Heaven (Led Zeppelin) (ending section)
    8. Porch (Pearl Jam)
    9. Coventry (Original)

    FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

    Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

    Before the Show

    New show, New venue

    Originally posted April 9, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

    Cheese Merge returns to the open mic circuit on Wednesday, 4/23 at Tennessee's BBQ in Milford. We got on at 8:30.

    You will be there or the monkeys will have their vengeance. If you do not know what that entails, just play it safe and show up.
    Before the Show

    Tomorrow's gig

    Originally posted April 22, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

    Tomorrow's gig, Wednesday the 23rd, will be at 8:00, not 8:30 like we originally thought.

    Avoid the monkey vengeance: just show up!
    After the Show

    Hell yeah

    Originally posted April 23, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

    What a great time last night! Cheese Merge busted out some new covers (see the setlists page) and really changed up the setlist. The other acts were solid, the food and drinks were plentiful, and it was easily the most people we have played for, except maybe at the Uxbridge benefit.

    Much thanks to: Corina, Kristen, Mike & Jess, Damian & Kim, Kevin and his entourage, and everyone else who was there last night. Bill McCarthy once again proved that he runs the best open mic in the business. And to the guy, Len, who Hendrix'd it up after us and played a solo on his Strat with his teeth: we're not worthy.
    2/20/08Doc's Sports Bar & Grille
      Set 1:
    1. Coventry (Original) ::Video::
    2. Indifference (Pearl Jam)
    3. Soul To Soul (Original)
    4. Porch (Pearl Jam)

      Set 2:
    5. 4am (Original)
    6. AC/DC Bag (Phish) →
    7. Creep (Radiohead)
    8. Message In A Bottle (The Police) →
    9. War Pigs (Black Sabbath) →
    10. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson)
      setlist scan

    Photos

    Photo from 2/20/08Photo from 2/20/08Photo from 2/20/08
    View all 6 photos
    Photo from 2/20/08Photo from 2/20/08Photo from 2/20/08

    FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

    Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

    After the Show

    Impromptu open mic last night, pt 2

    Originally posted February 21, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

    Cheese Merge once again showed up at Doc's in Milford last night and played 2 solid sets. The stage was setup, and the acoustic-electrics sounded great yet again.

    Much thanks to Brian's parents and D&K for showing up and supporting us. Spread the word, Doc's is a good time.

    Also, props to Patmos Brothers Revival who played sets in between our sets. According to their site they have a drummer as well, but last night they were a 3-piece: mandolin, stand-up bass and guitar. I'd describe them as bluegrass meets country meets train songs with a thumping bass meets a damn good time, all wrapped up and jamming for your pleasure. I hope they play at Doc's again!
    2/6/08Doc's Sports Bar & Grille
      Set 1:
    1. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel) →
    2. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
    3. Mrs. Robinson
    4. Coventry (Original)
    5. Porch (Pearl Jam)

      Set 2:
    6. Soul To Soul (Original) →
    7. Land Down Under (tease) (Men At Work)
    8. 4am (Original)
    9. Creep (Radiohead)
    10. AC/DC Bag (Phish)

    FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

    Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

    After the Show

    Impromptu open mic last night

    Originally posted February 7, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

    Cheese Merge decided last minute to check out the new open mic at Doc's in Milford last night. What a great new place to play! Doc's is huge, and although the stage was not setup, it was a great place to jam. We ended up playing 2 sets, broken up by other performers in the middle. Set 1 was an absolute piledriver (possibly the tightest we've ever played), and set 2 was more exploratory and still really good. Kudos to the other people who performed last night. We'll definitely be playing there again!

    Don't forget, we'll be at Speaker's in Marlboro next Wednesday the 13th @ 8:00.
    1/16/08Speaker's Night Club
    1. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel) →
    2. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
    3. Mrs. Robinson
    4. Soul To Soul (Original)
    5. 4am (Original) →
    6. Coventry (Original)
    7. Porch (Pearl Jam)
    8. Creep (Radiohead)

    FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

    Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

    Before the Show

    First gig of the new year is scheduled!

    Originally posted January 3, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

    Wednesday, 1/16/08 @ 8:00 - Speaker's Night Club in Marlboro.

    Don't make me tell you twice.
    Before the Show

    Alright punks, who is going to be there tomorrow?

    Originally posted January 15, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

    They serve beer and there's not a bear to be seen for miles. What more could you blood-thirsty mosquitos possibly want?

    Ok, aside from that, what more could you possibly want?

    Oh. That's pretty good too.

    Well, if you can't get either of those, why not come watch us play?

    Wednesday, 1/16/08 @ 8:00 - Speaker's Night Club in Marlboro.

    Don't make me tell you thrice.
    After the Show

    Didn't we just play a show last night?

    Originally posted January 17, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

    2 Cheese Merge shows in less than a month? C'mon?!?!?! What are we, machines?

    Yes, actually we are machines. Machines of funk and roll for your soul. Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto? Damn straight.

    Wednesday, 2/13/08 @ 8:00 - Speaker's Night Club in Marlboro.

    If you don't go, you'll never know. What if it ends up being what could have been the greatest night of your life, and you miss it because you are home slurping chicken soup and watching re-runs of Sanford & Son? HUH?! WHAT THEN?!
    After the Show

    Everyone had better things to do on a Wednesday?

    Originally posted January 17, 2008. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

    Oh well. We played a good set, and all the other performers were top notch. Why more people don't go is beyond me. There was free music and fairly cheap beer, plus the club provides pizza at around 9:00, and if Brian's parents can come down all the way from VT to see the show, what's your excuse? Wednesday's open mic at Speaker's is a hidden gem in the Metro-West area and we'd love to see it catch on. Last night had styles ranging from folk to classical guitar to Spanish music to flat out rock. It's way too much fun and the place should get more business.

    (Brian speaking:) Thanks a ton to my parents for coming down. This is the first time they've seen us play and I'm glad they had a good time. "Mrs. Robinson" was played especially for you guys :)
    12/19/07Speaker's Night Club
    1. Late In The Evening (Paul Simon)
    2. Ball and Chain (Social Distortion) →
    3. Freebird (tease) (Lynard Skynard) →
    4. Ball and Chain (Social Distortion)
    5. 4am (Original) →
    6. Coventry (Original)
    7. Creep (Radiohead)
    8. Message In A Bottle (The Police)
    9. AC/DC Bag (Phish)

    FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

    Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

    Before the Show

    Open mic, new venue!

    Originally posted December 17, 2007. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

    The Lazy Dog is no more on Wednesdays. From now on we are playing at Speaker's Night Club in Marlboro. We'll be there this Wednesday, the 19th, at 8:30.
    After the Show

    Open mic, new venue!

    Originally posted December 19, 2007. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

    New venue. Good times. We played a decent set and then had free pizza. What sucks about that?
    11/28/07The Lazy Dog
    1. 4am (Original) →
    2. Coventry (Original) ::Video::
    3. Late In The Evening (Paul Simon)
    4. Ball and Chain (Social Distortion) →
    5. Freebird (tease) (Lynard Skynard) →
    6. Ball and Chain (Social Distortion) ::Video::
    7. AC/DC Bag (Phish)
    8. Porch (Pearl Jam)
    9. Keep On Rocking In The Free World (Neil Young)

    Photos

    Photo from 11/28/07Photo from 11/28/07Photo from 11/28/07
    View all 4 photos
    Photo from 11/28/07

    FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

    Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

    Before the Show

    Open mic gig in Marlborough this Wednesday!

    Originally posted November 26, 2007. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

    We play music. You order food and listen to music. Then, when it's done, you go home. Its a remarkably simple concept that has been shown to be 93% effective in clinical studies involving hampsters and marshmallows.

    We should hit the stage in the opening slot at 7:30 at The Lazy Dog on Wednesday, 11/28/07.
    From the Day Of

    I'm just saying: you should have been there

    Originally posted November 28, 2007. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

    Great set. You all missed it. Except one of you. The rest of you missed it. All the bar patrons enjoyed it. Where were you?
    10/19/07Uxbridge Fire Benefit (End Zone Sports Pub)original setlist
    1. Change (Blind Melon) (soundcheck)
    2. Ball and Chain (Social Distortion) →
    3. Freebird (tease) (Lynard Skynard) →
    4. Ball and Chain (Social Distortion)
    5. Coventry* (Original)
    6. Porch* (Pearl Jam)
    7. Message In A Bottle* (The Police)
    8. Mrs. Robinson* (Simon & Garfunkel) (with No Rain tease, not fully played)
    9. AC/DC Bag (Phish)

      * - Played w/ sit-in drummer met, oh, 10 minutes before the set

    Original Setlist

    The paper version survived.

    This is one of the actual setlists from the night, preserved with the scribbles, formatting and changes intact.

    View Original Setlist
    Original setlist scan for 10/19/07

    FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

    Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

    After the Show

    Uxbridge Fire Benefit Show

    Originally posted October 19, 2007. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

    Lots of bands. Lots of food. We opened the night with a half hour or so, complete with an impromptu sit-in drummer, that we met only a few minutes before hitting the stage, who joined us for a few songs. He actually filled in rather well considering he had never heard us, or some of the songs, before. The "No Rain" tease had to bail before it got to the actual song because we were playing at about 130% normal speed. So it remained as, well, a tease. Good times for a good cause!
    6/13/07The Lazy Dog
    1. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel) →
    2. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
    3. Mrs. Robinson
    4. Bubbletoes (Jack Johnson) →
    5. Stir It Up (Bob Marley) →
    6. odd jam →
    7. Black (Pearl Jam)
    8. Coventry (Original)

    FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

    Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

    Before the Show

    Open Mic Gig in Marlborough Tonight!

    Originally posted June 13, 2007. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

    We'll be playing at set @ 8:30pm tonight at The Lazy Dog in Marlborough. Food, booze, no shirt no shoes no service. You can't lose.
    After the Show

    Open Mic last night

    Originally posted June 14, 2007. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

    No planned setlist. Winged the whole thing. Tried some new stuff. Succeeded, eh, in parts.

    Good times.
    5/23/07The Lazy Dog
    1. Message In A Bottle (The Police)
    2. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel) →
    3. Stir It Up (Bob Marley) →
    4. Mrs. Robinson
    5. Coventry (Original)
    6. Porch (Pearl Jam)

    FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

    Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

    Before the Show

    Open Mic Gig in Marlborough This Wednesday!

    Originally posted May 21, 2007. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

    We'll be playing at set @ 8:00pm on 5/23/07 at The Lazy Dog in Marlborough. C'mon by! We'll be busting out some new tunes and enjoying good food and good beer!
    After the Show

    The Lazy Dog last night

    Originally posted May 24, 2007. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

    Cheese Merge returned to the open mic circuit last night and all things considered it was a pretty damn good set. "Stir It Up" was busted out for the first time, "Coventry" and "Message In A Bottle" were nailed. "Porch" was, umm, respectable. Thanks to our friends to came to watch, and everyone else who was in attendance. Oh, and the guy who opened up the night and played "Sweet Child O' Mine" on mandolin? Total money.
    6/9/06The Rose Garden
    1. Message In A Bottle (The Police)
    2. Coventry (Original)
    3. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel) →
    4. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
    5. Mrs. Robinson
    6. Porch (Pearl Jam) (funky version)
    7. AC/DC Bag (Phish)
    8. Creep (Radiohead)
    5/17/06The Lazy Dog
    1. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel) →
    2. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
    3. Mrs. Robinson
    4. Message In A Bottle (The Police)
    5. Coventry (Original)
    6. Porch (Pearl Jam)
      With special guest Oren Rosen on hand drums

    Photos

    Photo from 5/17/06Photo from 5/17/06Photo from 5/17/06
    View all 7 photos
    Photo from 5/17/06Photo from 5/17/06Photo from 5/17/06Photo from 5/17/06

    FROM THE ORIGINAL CHEESE MERGE ARCHIVES

    Updates & Pontifications preserved from the original site.

    After the Show

    It's about damn time: We have a web site!

    Originally posted May 19, 2006. Preserved here as it was written at the time.

    On May 17th we played an open mic at The Lazy Dog in Marlborough, MA. Joining us on percussion for the first time was Oren Rosen, and he fit like a glove. We played a 40 minute set and we all agree that it went pretty darn well! The new funky version of "Message In A Bottle" was a standout.

    We played a gig in February 2006 at Sayde's in Lebanon, NH, and by all accounts the show went really well.  Our good friends Doctor Malcolm let us open up for them and we had a great time.
    2/18/06Sayde's
    1. Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel) →
    2. No Rain (Blind Melon) →
    3. Mrs. Robinson
    4. AC/DC Bag (Phish)
    5. Moving On (Original)
    6. Coventry (Original)
    7. Porch (Pearl Jam)
    8. Creep (Radiohead)

    Photos

    Photo from 2/18/06Photo from 2/18/06Photo from 2/18/06

    Unnumbered side quest

    And then there was Marc solo.

    The original archive also included this dated set without assigning it a Cheese Merge setlist number, so we're preserving it without quietly turning 74 into 75.

    10/1/08Tennessee's BBQ (Milford location, now closed) (Marc solo)
    1. Plastic Jesus* (Cromarty/Ruch) →
    2. Fall Line (Jack Johnson)
    3. After the Gold Rush (Neil Young)
    4. The Pusher# (Steppenwolf)
    5. Walk# (Blind Melon)
    6. Brown Eyed Women (Grateful Dead)
    7. Coventry (Original)
    8. Basketcase (Green Day)
    9. Paper Scratcher# (Blind Melon)
    10. Mouthful of Cavities# (Blind Melon)
      * - Dedicated to Paul Newman (January 26, 1925 - September 26, 2008)
      # - Dedicated to Shannon Hoon (September 26, 1967 - October 21, 1995)