The Guinea Pigs

Family of Friends

2011-10-08T15:46:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful evening we had in Manchester at the Family of Friends benefit at Cheney Hall last evening! Eight amazing artists / bands; it was like a greatest hits concert of the local acoustic music scene! Playing on the big stage at Cheny Hall was a blast, the sound was great, the audience brought the love.

Thanks to Joyce and everyone at Cheney Hall for organizing the evening and doing such a great job pulling it off, thanks to all the wonderful musicians who brought the love and the music. We had a blast!

Now where are those photos Eric Paradine was taking all night from the wings?

A Family of Friends - October 7, 2011

2011-09-22T09:23:00.000-07:00

Sad News

2011-09-03T11:28:00.000-07:00

Sandy, Dan, and Jude were shocked and saddened to learn of the untimely death of our friend and drummer, Will Laramie. He was riding his bike on Thursday evening when he was struck and killed by a car. Details here.

We met Will last year; he stopped by our gig at the Coventry Farmers' Market. We were looking for a drummer, and he played drums - a perfect fit!. In the past year, we've come to appreciate his perfect pitch, his depth of knowledge when it comes to chords and harmonies, and have relied upon his rock steady time keeping. Not just a drummer, there were few instruments he could not pick up or sit behind and coax music out of. He made us better as individual musicians and as a group; we have been so fortunate to have him at our backs these past months.

We sat for some band photos a few weeks back; and looking at these is bittersweet now. Will was in a whimsical space all afternoon, and so many of the photos find him making a face or mugging for the camera. Here are a couple of shots we liked.

Will was a gentle soul with a kind heart. Our thoughts and condolences go out to his partner Linda, his family, and all who have known him and played with him throughout the years. He will be truly and sorely missed.

Godspeed, friend.

Short Video Clip from Coventry Farmer's Market

2011-07-04T06:25:00.000-07:00

Awww.... Just a cute little girl grooving and getting down with the Pigs!

Guinea Pig Guitar Picks!!!

2011-05-27T17:58:00.000-07:00

The Guitar Picks have arrived!
Blue Delrin 1.00mm!

Audubon Nature Center - Videos

2011-05-15T06:16:00.000-07:00

"Just for You" - a Guinea Pigs original

Ingrid Michaelson's "The Way I Am" - Guinea Pigs style

"The Old Way" - Guinea Pigs original, rock it out! Dan added a new solo that Sandy and Jude can't stop humming!

2011 Summer Debut at Glastonbury Audubon

2011-05-14T20:28:00.000-07:00

What a fun, fun band!

The videos...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTHWF5C9fo0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE1M1HrSpoQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMwhnR0aNBU

Odd Ball 2011

2011-04-13T07:04:00.000-07:00

Slow time of year for the Farmer's Market circuit, but we're keeping busy learning new songs and integrating our new drummer, Will.

Meanwhile, Sandy and Jude were trying to stay out of trouble at Real Art Ways Odd Ball...

Photo by Steve Laschever, a most amazing photographer.

Looking Forward to Spring

2011-02-25T03:49:00.000-08:00

Are you tired of snow? We are too!

Since we tend to play more in the spring and summer (fairs, festivals, and farmer's markets) we're looking forward to the warmer weather. Look for us this year back in downtown New Britain, the Coventry Farmer's Market, and some new venues as well. And if you know of a local fair or festival looking for music, let us know!

In the meantime, we're working on new covers, practicing with our percussionist Wil Laramie, and trying to stay warm!

Guinea Pigs sing "Boots"

2010-11-22T05:02:00.000-08:00

The New CDs are here!

2010-11-19T10:06:00.000-08:00

The new Guinea Pig CDs have just arrived, and just in time for the holidays! They are beautiful, filled with delicious tunes from your favorite Hartford area band. Contact us at guineapigsmusic@gmail.com to get your copy!

Passaflora Tea Room - New Hartford

2010-09-26T08:03:00.001-07:00

We'll be playing three Sunday afternoon gigs at Passaflora Tea Room in the coming months: Oct 17, Nov 14, and Dec 12. It's a cute little community-oriented tea room featuring organic vegetarian and vegan food. Yum! We'll be playing from 3:00 - 4:30 pm or thereabouts. Come on down!

Meanwhile, we've been hard at work finishing up our debut CD, "What We Did on Our Summer Vacation". Seven original songs, featuring Stephen Dauphinais on drums, and available soon!

Folk on Fridays - Cheney Hall

2010-07-02T07:40:00.001-07:00

We're planning to sign up for a spot this evening at the Folk On Friday event at the Little Theater of Manchester at Cheney Hall. Music starts at 7:00 pm.

Come on down, bring your own drink or food, or buy some light refreshments there!

Recording Live Gigs

2010-06-30T16:34:00.000-07:00

Dan picked up a Tascam DR-07 digital recorder and a little adapter that fits it to a standard microphone stand and is now planning on capturing some of our upcoming gigs live!

Manchester Journal Inquirer, June 22, 2010

2010-06-27T16:25:00.000-07:00

Nice Photo and coverage in the JI.

Coventry Regional Farmers Market

2010-06-21T05:31:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful time at the Coventry Regional Farmers Market, playing for 3 hours to a very appreciative crowd. It was great to see old friends and make some new ones; the market has a great vibe, amazing vendors, and a surplus of cute dogs and adorable children.

A brief shower slowed us down a little, but after breaking down our sound system, the sun came back out and we decided to soldier on with just an amplifier. We finished out the day with a stripped down (but very fun) mini-set.

Thanks to everyone who came out - look forward to playing this great market again. See you at the next one!

Music in the Park - Downtown New Britain

2010-06-17T09:18:00.001-07:00

We played a two hour lunchtime concert in downtown New Britain yesterday; much to our surprise, we found our smiling faces on the front page of the New Britain Herald this morning!

Northfield Music Recording Session

2010-06-13T18:00:00.000-07:00

We've spent some time at Northfield Music recording studio (with special guest drummer Steve Dauphinais) recording some of our originals. We've started work on the following:

* I'm Learning
* Miracles
* Old Way
* Secrets
* Just For You
* Talk About the Weather
* 40,000 Games of Solitaire

What we got sounds great, looking forward to polishing and adding some tracks. Look for a release some time this summer!