Biography

Everybody sings, everybody plays, everybody writes. In 1996 we gathered in Dale's basement to play some music and eat some nachos and things have progressed very nicely from there. As Sam Pfeilfle of the Portland Phoenix put it "The McCarthys' name is particularly apt because they really do seem like a band of brothers.” The product of the union is greater than the sum of it's parts.

All veterans of the New England music circuits, we've individually backed up some of the big guys and gals like Kathy Mattea, Kix Brooks, and Freddy Fender. We've opened for Willie Nelson, Poco, and The Austin Lounge Lizards, and spent a few years as Big Al Downing's (Hee Haw regular) northeast touring band. We released our first CD "The McCarthys" in 2000. It received airplay on over 50 radio stations in the world. In the US that included WEVL in Memphis, WFMV in Jersey City, and KNBA in Anchorage, Alaska. Internationally we received airplay all over, including Radio Galtee in Ireland, Hillbilly Rockhouse in Germany, and Honky Tonks and Heartaches in Melbourne, Australia.

The disc made the BEST of 2000 list in Casco Bay Weekly's "Short Takes" and was featured on Tufts University's WMFO "Living in America" program. The track "Quaker Gun" was included on WCLZ's "Homegrown IV" compilation disc.

Our sophomore effort "And Then Some" was unveiled at our gala CD release party at The Big Easy in Portland on January 29, 2005. Five years between discs is a long time but according to The Portland Phoenix "'...And Then Some' is evidence of that old axiom that patience is a virtue". Three of the twelve songs have been included on WCLZ's "Greetings from Area Code 207" annual Best of Maine music compilation disc.

This past year saw the release of our third CD, “The Way Life Is”, a loose concept based on life in Maine, to which both the Bollard and the Portland Phoenix proclaimed that the title song, “The Way Life Is”, should be the new state anthem. 2012 saw airplay on WBLM, WCLZ, WMPG, MPBN, WCSHs’ 207 TV show, and runner up for BEST ROOTS BAND in the Portland Phoenix.