Music Scene: New album from the Dinallos is a family affair
By Jay N. Miller
Pre-pandemic, protean guitarist Mike Dinallo was busy planning another EP of his outstanding rock ‘n’ roots music, while his wife, Juliet Simmons Dinallo was well into the preparation and writing for a new album of her Americana music.
The various lockdowns threw all those plans into disarray and eventually put an end to Mike’s frequent trips to and from Nashville sessions. But it also forced the couple to learn how to do a lot of their recording work at their Shrewsbury home and after a while, it seemed to make much more sense to combine their efforts into one record.
Music fans and musicians have been going stir-crazy for a year. I last went to a concert March 6, 2020. And so last week’s announcement by the state that Phase Three, Step Two guidelines seemed to allow for live music performance at indoor venues, at half-capacity, and limited to 500 people or fewer, was greeted with jubilation.
There are some live music shows this weekend, including in Quincy where Pete’s Grille hosts FM Station on Friday night and Joe Fitz and the Dented Cans on Saturday.
“I’m so psyched to play again,” said Quincy’s Joe Fitzgerald, the singer/songwriter who fronts the Saturday night blues-rock band. “I think a lot of people didn’t realize how much they’d miss live music. I have a definite microphone addiction; my wife says if someone buries a microphone in an Iowa cornfield, I’ll go there, dig it up, and start singing.”