Live Recordings

2010

LEGEND IN YOUR OWN MIND 

1. Under The Milky Way 
2. Spirit of '76 
3. Electric City 
4. Long Cold Life 
5. Redemption Song 
6. Wind Blows Away My Words 
7. Inside The Oyster 
8. Should I Stay or Should I Go? 
9. Wonder Why 
10. English Civil War

   

2009

ONE NIGHT STAND AT AJ's 

1.Heaven's Wall 

2. Sally Cinnamon

3. Brian Wilson

4. Inside The Oyster

5. These Are The Things I Want To Share With You 

6. How To Save A Life 

7. Cecelia 

8. Let It Be 

9. Good Riddance 

10. Where Were You Hiding... 

11. Let It Go 

12. No Surrender 

13. Livin' On A Prayer

2008

THE SHOW MUST GO ON EP 

1. How To Save A Life 
2. Lend An Ear 
3. (What A) Wonderful World 
4. Into The Fire 
5. Heaven's Wall 

2007

STAGE FRIGHT

1. Drift Away 

2. Snowbirds 

3. Between Something and Nothing 

4. Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)

5. Love Goes On!

6. Long Cold Life 

7. Man At The Top

8. Quiet Heart 

9. Maktub (Soul of The World)

10. Where Were You Hiding...

11. Unhappy Song

12. Half Life 

13. I Could Not Ask For More

    

2006

BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD

LP1
1. Hey Jealousy
2. Kings Highway
3. American Girl 
4. Crazy Little Thing Called Love 
5. You Got Lucky 
6. Cynical Girl 
7. As You Are 
8. Hungry Heart 
LP2
9. Livin' On A Prayer 

10. The Promised Land 
11. Atlantic City 
12. Yesterday 
13. Under My Bed 
14. Wanted Dead Or Alive 
15. The Joker 
16. Gone To Pablo 
17. Folk Rockin' 
18. Strength

2005

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY 

1. Brian Wilson
2. Folk Rockin'
4. Bye Bye Love
5. The Boys Of Summer
6. 500 Miles
7. No Surrender
8. Skyway
9. All That Heaven Will Allow
10. Inside The Oyster
11. Hey Julie

2004

   

 

AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION

LP1
1. If I Should Fall Behind 
2. We Walk the Same Line 
3. Let It Be 
4. Folk Rockin' 
5. Wanna Be Me 
6. Hey Julie 
7. Drunken Chorus 
8. Wonder Why 
LP2   

9. Inside The Oyster
10. American Pie 
11. And A Bang On The Ear 
12. If Only You Were Lonely 
13. Beyond The Horizon 
14. SM 
15. Take It Easy 
16. Slide

2003

BLUEWATER

LP1
1. I Wish I Were Blind
2. Wonder Why
3. These are The Things I Want To Share With You
4. Drunken Chorus
5. Cecilia
6. Absolute Reality
7. There is So Much To Live For
8. Suspicious Minds

LP2
9. Love Goes On!
10. Daydreaming
11. End of the Innocence
12. Knockin' on Heaven's Door
13. You Couldn't Have Come At A Better Time
14. Inside The Oyster
15. Under The Milky Way
16. If I Had A Million Dollars

   

The Story of the Abominable Showmen Part V

2013-now: New Name, New Venue

The pair did not perform in the calendar year 2012, the first since 2003.  AJ's Cafe had closed. No suitable location was found.  Most importantly, life took priority over music.  Nick married his long-time love and began a new life together.  

However, like wanderlust, the musical itch returned in 2013 and Matt searched for a new place to play. As fortune would have it, he located a new venue in Ferndale, the halfway point that is essential for any meaningful mid-week meet-up point.  Dino's Lounge turned out to be just what the group needed to inspire them to play together once more.  An inviting home with a good sound system, gracious hosts and an organized event coordinator; music to their veteran ears.

The Story of the Abominable Showmen Part IV

2008-09: Headliners

The band were invited to play The Oasis a up-and-coming restaurant in Lexington. The night featured a flamingo guitarist and belly dancer as well as some folk musicians. By far the wildest gig they had played to date.

It was also a productive time for songwriting. Matt finished Belief, Maktub [Soul Of The World], Between The Lies and The Faith I Need all by August, 2008. 

After some searching they kept returning to one place, AJ's Cafe in Ferndale. It was a sort of homecoming as Matt had lived there as a bachelor and it was directly across the street from where Sam's Jams, Nick and Matt's initial meeting place, had stood.

This venue became a fast favorite. With an excellent array of eclectic performers, proficient sound engineers and quality equipment, the duo expanded their repertoire and begun practicing more complex arrangements.

In March-April 2009, AJ's cafe received national attention when AJ created the automotive industry benefit concert. To bring attention to the area's economic hardships, he set out to achieve a Guinness Book of World Record for holding one continuous concert. Matt performed as part of this record-setting event. 

On June 20th, the Showmen played with special guest Rachael Grace in front of friends and family.

2009 also saw three new original songs join their arsenal with After School Special and Let Him Go from Matt and Truth Be Told, Nick's first newly-completed song in years. 

2010-11: Back To Beginning

WDVD FM 96.3 created a local music radio show and partnered with AJ's Cafe in Ferndale. The host, Christopher Ewing, showcased local talent on his radio program and on The Radio Cafe podcast.

Matt and Nick began to focus more on original material. Nick concentrated on finishing songs that he had begun years ago. The band fleshed out and arranging new melodies and harmonies for their best self-penned tunes and performed more original songs at shows. 

Nick finished Beyond The Horizon, a song he began over 12 years ago. It was worth the wait. This rock song demands an electric guitar and drum kit. 

The duo played the Assembly Line Concert 3 on March 20 at 2 p.m. It would be their last outing for a year and a half.

The Story of the Abominable Showmen Part III

2003: The Birth of the Abominable Showmen... 

After a few years off, playing only to a captive audience (the kids' bath time), the desire to perform resurfaced for Matt. He had written two new numbers in 2002, the children's song Under My Bed and a song for his wife called Wonder Why. The challenge to play them live became a driver. 

At the same time, Nick started dating Julie who had watched her local folk society play during the winter months in the boating town of Lexington, Michigan. Nick suggested going there to play. It sounded intriguing; an audience that came specifically to listen and cheer the performers on. Matt and Nick chose the new name, The Abominable Showmen, and started practicing and playing more songs together as a duo. 

The quality of the venue, sound system, and audience, which at first was intimidating, demanded that Matt and Nick improve their skills and performance. It challenged them to become better performers, musicians, and singers.

2004: The Next Best Thing 

Matt and Nick thrive on finding new songs, creating interesting arrangements, and other additions to enhance the performances. They also branched out to include other singers and musicians; adding Lisa and Tracie and calling themselves The Next Best Thing for a very memorable night.

Matt wrote the novelty Folk Rockin' as a tribute to the Showmen. He also completed In The Springtime which has yet to be played live. 

2005: The Best Yet To Come 

A great year for the band. Matt bought a Bass guitar and with regular rehearsals throughout the summer, the played an outdoor festival, Harbor Hoot in August. The practice paid off and some of these songs became part of their core sets. 

Matt completed As You Are, a song he began in 1996 and finished through the inspiration of his daughter. 

2006: Back To The Drawing Board 

After going back to school to change careers, Nick landed a teaching gig and spent the better part of the year working. As such, there was no time to practice. So the two played separately most nights. Matt also focused almost exclusively on learning new songs by other artists with no songwriting occurring over the next two years. 

2007: Tribute and Stepping Out 

The group went back to their roots upon hearing of the sudden death of one of their heroes. Grant McClennan of the Go-Betweens died at the age of 48. As a tribute to him, Matt asked his friend and violinist, Erika, to practice and perform some Go-Betweens songs. These gigs were special for the members and reminded them of the beautiful music that brought them together. 

After playing almost exclusively in Lexington it was time to venture out from their comfort zone. So the Showmen took to the road much like the early days. They played all sorts of places throughout southeastern Michigan together and apart. 

The Story of the Abominable Showmen Part II

1994: First Live Performance

Matt had heard about a local folk society that had something called an open mic night (uncommon at the time) where anyone could come and play songs to an audience. He convinced a reluctant Nick to play there. Their intention was to play a song together; The Alarm's Absolute Reality. But after practicing on the night of the show, they could not pull it together. They decided to go anyway and play some solo original songs. Nick managed one song. Matt somehow made it through three. They both caught the performance bug. 

However, it would be another year before they sought out other open mic nights. 

Matt wrote one new song this year based off the title of a poem written by a friend, Because You're The One.

1995-1998: On Tape and Open Mic

For three years, Matt was borrowing Nick's four track recorder trying to record and refine his self-penned songs. In May, he finally produced a five song cassette aptly titled, Learning To Crawl. 

In the fall, Nick and Matt started playing regularly at various coffeehouses on open 'mic' nights. They travelled throughout Metro Detroit looking for new and interesting places to play. Some venues were better than others. It was challenging to play to patrons who were not necessarily there to listen to amateur musicians of varying quality. Mostly, they performed separately, Matt playing original material and Nick focusing mainly on covering his favorite artists. 

1995 was a productive songwriting year as Matt wrote Acceptance, Clockwork, Lend an Ear, Grave, and happenstance. He also wrote the initial version of There Is So Much To Live For and song that inspired Nick to write These Are The Things I Want To Share With You that October.

1996 saw Matt create Relativity, Inside The Oyster, the initial version of As You Are, and the lost song You Are My Friend.

In 1997 he wrote SM and the definitive version of There Is So Much To Live For

1999: Residency and Exile 

Nick and Matt became regulars at one particular venue, B.C. Beans. They became friendly with the owner who asked Matt if he was interested in hosting the night. Matt and Nick agreed to a monthly hosting gig. At the same time, Matt's wife was pregnant with their first child. As the winter became spring and the due date approached, Matt hung up his guitar. For the moment.

The Story of the Abominable Showmen Part I

1989: Found a Record in a Record Store...

It all started in a record store called Sam's Jams in Ferndale, Michigan. Matt and his friend, Joe, were browsing the used record bins and scored a rare single by their favorite band, The Alarm. 

Before they made it to the check-out counter, a stranger approached and asked to purchase the single Joe was holding and intended to buy. Always amiable, Joe was ready to hand it over. However, like the Sphinx guarding Thebes, Matt riddled the stranger to prove his worth. After a High Fidelity-style interview of the who's who of new wave music they learned this stranger's name was Nick. A kindred spirit and hoping to score more copies of rare records, Nick exchanged contact information with Matt. By the way, he got the record at no additional charge.

1990-1993: Forming a Band 

Four months later when Nick visited Matt at his parent's home. They copied some albums to tape and Nick, who had brought along his electric guitar, played some original songs. Among the music recordings that exchanged hands were the Go-Betweens' 16 Lovers Lane and the Railway Children's Recurrence.

Nick wrote The Storm in the fall of 1990, and When The Darkness Falls and Alyssa in the spring of '91.

Matt wrote his first song, Dusty, in 1990. Three more: Never Can Tell, Voyage to Brobdingnag, Daydreaming came the following spring. 

That summer, Matt, Joe, and Nick formed a group called 2nd Generation, the name lifted from a favorite Alarm song. The trio consisted of Matt on acoustic guitar, Nick on Electric and Joe on bass. They got together in Joe's basement and hoped inspiration would strike. It didn't take long to realize no one knew any cover songs. So they tried writing their own. Eventually, Nick developed an infectious riff to which Matt supplied the lyrics and named it Old Man and The Sea. Nick had another guitar lick and wrote the song Awhile Away with Joe. 

Living in three separate cities while attending university made practice impossible. To help move things forward, Nick, who owned a four track tape recorder, cut nine original songs one afternoon as a demo so that Matt and Joe could learn them and the group would have something to play together. 

At the same time, Nick continued to write and produced This Heaven in January. 

Spending most of their time apart, Joe joined another band and played a few college parties. Matt continued to write poetry and songs. 

Nick, a recent college grad poured his job search frustration into his music and created the exquisite 4 song EP aptly entitled, The Heart of Darkness in September 1992. Nick finished the year with yet another new song, Never Far From You, in November.

Matt was inspired by Nick's recording and convinced Nick to borrow his recording equipment so he could create something original as well. 

In October, Matt, Nick, Joe and his girlfriend, Amy, got together and had a jam session. This was to be the last practice for 2nd Generation.

Matt spent most of his spare time going to concerts, writing songs and recording demos. During this period he wrote extensively; the highlights were: Prayers, Bread of Life, and You.

Nick and Matt chose a new name for a two-man band, Somewhere South taken from a song by The Railway Children. They recorded one song together, Prayers, a scathing rebuke of Madonna and her celebrity. 

Matt completed one new song in 1993, Blind I, which was inspired by the disappearance of Amelia Earhart.