By KATIE NELSON
Some of the best songwriters and musicians strive to write love letters to their favorite places, encapsulating meaningful scenes from their treasured homes. Dolly Parton’s “Tennessee Mountain Home,” Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York,” Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama”—the list goes on.
The scenic beauty of the Cape has inspired several musicians to mention it in their songs. Rupert Holmes made piña coladas synonymous with “making love at midnight on the dunes of the Cape” in his 1979 yacht rock hit “Escape.” Jimmy Buffett makes mention of Buzzards Bay when naming the locations he “don’t want to land,” in his calypso- and reggae-infused soft rock favorite “Volcano.”
New York-based band Vampire Weekend’s song “Walcott,” from their 2008 self-titled album, speaks directly to the local, teenage, claustrophobic experience. The chorus repeats the question, “Don’t you want to get out of Cape Cod, out of Cape Cod tonight?” Most teens, oblivious to the beauty they live in, want to cross the bridge and never look back.
No song is more definitively the anthem of the Cape than Patti Page’s 1957 accidental B-side hit, “Old Cape Cod.”
The melody was made for the open air. Violins swell and descend to simulate the Cape Cod summer sensation of gracefully tumbling downward onto a soft bed for an afternoon nap after a day in the sun. A simple rhythm guitar pushes the song forward like a slow churn of rinse-cycle waves, and all the while, Patti’s voice guides the listener with a smile. Jazz-infused seventh chords and key changes prevent “Old Cape Cod” from becoming a lullaby. With a cheeky bit of mystery, the music fades out in an unresolved chord to end the story. It’s the best commercial I’ve ever heard.
The Cape is a place where music mingles down Main Streets, pours out of every food establishment and thumps from portable speakers on the beach. The musicians who perform live to entertain locals and tourists alike bring an invaluable gift to the community: their voice, their character and their talents.
Where To Find The Music Today
There is live music by local artists to be enjoyed nearly every night of the week on Cape Cod, from the tip of Provincetown down to Buzzards Bay. Here, we’ll focus on the music of the Upper Cape— Bourne, Sandwich, Mashpee and Falmouth.
Mondays
Every summer season, an assembly of the country’s most elite a cappella singers forms a supergroup right here on Cape Cod. Despite the location-specific name, Hyannis Sound puts on concerts around the Cape. On Mondays until mid-August, the group of 10 young men sings at the First Congregational Church in Falmouth, starting at 7 PM.
The group rehearses new material all summer and boasts on their website that audiences “will never hear the same show twice.” Hearing Hyannis Sound sing familiar favorites rearranged in emotional and complex interpretations injects new life into the music, which echoes off the stained-glass windows of the First Congregational Church adjacent to Falmouth’s Village Green on Main Street.
Tickets for Hyannis Sound concerts cost $15 for adults and $10 for students, military personnel and children.
For more than 20 years, an open mic night at Pie in the Sky on Water Street in Woods Hole on Monday evenings has tempted musicians from every walk of life to sign up to step up to the mic and share their acoustic skills. The result is a true potpourri of unexpected talent and fun every Monday from 6 to 9 PM.
Wednesdays
Mashpee Commons Bandstand, located in the heart of the Commons at 45 Steeple Street, has a packed schedule of musical performers. MVYRadio’s Summer Concert Series will run every Wednesday until August 26 from 6 to 7 PM. Solo acts, duos and small bands including Hawk in the Nest, BL Paterson and Small Motor Music, Crys Matthews, Peter Halperin, Reed Foehl, Anna Yukevich, Kara McKee and Sol Y Canto founders Rosi and Brian Amador are all scheduled to play..
At the Pilot House in Sandwich, duo Silent Trees has a weekly booking on Wednesdays at 5 PM. Silent Trees are influenced by reggae, 1990s hip hop and rap, and classic rock. John Redden and Mary Lindberg are seasoned performers ready to respond to the crowd and take requests.
Thursdays
Town Bands
Imagine an instrumental evening under the stars, music composed for wide-open spaces floating in the air and a family-friendly atmosphere perfect for making happy summer memories. That sounds like the dreamy place Patti Page was singing about.
The Sandwich Town Band puts on free concerts every Thursday from 7:30 to 9 PM from June until August. Music wafts over the crowd seated on beach chairs on a lush green lawn behind the Henry T. Wing Residences at 33 Water Street.
The Lin Whitehead Band Shell at 180 Scranton Avenue in Falmouth hosts the Falmouth Town Band, also on Thursdays from 7:30 to 9 PM. Audience members for both shows are encouraged to bring their own chairs, blankets and food.
Admission to town band concerts is free. Don’t forget to pack some bug spray and an extra blanket for the cooler summer nights.
Concerts
Concerts by the Canal kicks off in July and runs through the end of August every Thursday from 6 to 9 PM. Local favorites, including Thee Midnight Society and other rock-centric cover bands, play everything from chart-topping top-40 hits to classics from the 1950s through the ‘90s.
There is no cover charge for Concerts by the Canal. The concerts are hosted by the Cape Cod Canal Region Chamber of Commerce in Buzzards Bay Park on Main Street.
Original Music
Somewhere in the middle of the country, while driving on a long, flat road, the lyrics to “Cape Cod,” a song he wrote as a member of popular Falmouth-based band Crooked Coast, came into John Malcolm’s head. Malcolm (also known as John McNamara) is now a solo artist and a third-generation Cape Codder who makes his living as a full-time musician. The song John started writing in a landlocked Middle America state represents the new Cape, one that Patti Page didn’t know very well, but John knows intimately.
Every Thursday for years, John has created a welcoming and energetic ambiance on the outdoor patio at Landfall in Woods Hole while he plays his acoustic set of cover songs as well as his original music. A recent release from his new solo effort called “Radio Goodbye” took some inspiration from the sea shanty tone of Billy Joel’s “The Downeaster Alexa.”
Although the mention is brief, “The Downeaster Alexa” evokes the image of a sailor screaming at the oceanic gods as if to ask, “ Is that all you got? Joel sings, “I have charted a course to the Vineyard, but tonight I am Nantucket bound.”
“Alexa” hearkens back to the maritime shanty songs of old, such as “Cape Cod Girls,” which was sung around the world. The 1850s call-and-response song poked fun at the salty, rugged conditions of Cape Codders. “Cape Cod girls, they have no combs […] they comb their hair with codfish bones,” New England mariners called out as they heaved, pulled and navigated the route from America to Australia.
The intention behind John’s songwriting is to create songs that people enjoy singing along to, like the shanty songs of old. His acoustic sets around Falmouth are infused with local identity and should not be missed.
Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays
A sound to satisfy any musical appetite can be found on the weekends. In the spirit of communal song, an open musical session of Irish music hosted by Rose Clancy at Naukabout Brewery in Mashpee offers a chance for non-musicians to join in on the fun.
Favorite bands including Flydown, led by Bourne-born Brian Kerins, have a loyal local fanbase that follows the band to each venue they play. Flydown covers rock classics and current hits. Kerins is also an expert on all things Beatles, and his talent shouldn’t be skipped.
Another band, The Moonlighters, is a classic rock cover band that is guaranteed to keep the dance floor active all night. Both Flydown and The Moonlighters are scheduled to play this summer at Dino’s Sports Bar on its outdoor covered deck on Route 51 in Mashpee.
If a late-night crowd, DJs and dance floors are preferred to outdoor jam sessions, The Raw Bar and The Boathouse on Scranton Avenue next to Falmouth Harbor are recommended. Mashpee-based DJ Michael Landers, also known as DJ Milk, brings the beats to The Boathouse and The Raw Bar from 9:30 PM to 1 AM on Fridays and Saturdays.
For a different mood on slow Sunday mornings, the historic Dan’l Webster Inn on Main Street in Sandwich offers live jazz piano performances during brunch that provide a relaxing and elegant ambiance.
Local musician Dan Byrnes has a regular gig at Liam Maguire’s Irish Pub on Main Street in Falmouth every Sunday from noon to 3 PM. Byrnes plays his own original music as well as deep-cut covers and pub-favorite sing-alongs.
Whether the music enthusiast is seeking energetic or elegant, rowdy or reserved, or an evening of classical compositions, the Upper Cape has enough options to satisfy every ear.