Retro Review: ‘Billy as Billy’ is Simply Effective

Come take a walk with me down the hall of time.  The year is 2006.  I was merely a Chris Elston as opposed to THE Chris Elston (as one my friends jokingly calls me) as the Corner wasn’t even a thought.  And a local musician & actor who had rocketed to fame as Buddy Holly was now releasing his debut album.  Join me as I retro review Billy as Billy, the first album from Omaha singer/songwriter Billy McGuigan.

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of reviewing McGuigan’s latest album, billymcguiganTOGETHER.  I then realized I had never heard his original album and decided to see if I could hunt it up.  A little research managed to help me lay my hands on a copy and I gave it a listen.  Quite frankly, I was blown away by the quality of the work as McGuigan demonstrated a depth and maturity with his songwriting that experienced and legendary performers would envy.

I found myself liking this album every bit as much as his most recent work and in some ways, even a little bit more.  What I liked most about Billy as Billy is that it was just that. . . purely Billy.  He had a sound that just reached right out and grabbed you and it was wholly his own.  Only at a few moments did I detect the influence of another artist.  Even then, it was only for a brief riff or chord.  And, again, the stories McGuigan shares obviously come straight from the heart from which the best work always comes.

What surprised me the most about the album was that it was, for McGuigan, considerably lower key and reflective as opposed to the stratospheric energy of his live performances.  But that reflection is what gives the album its strength.

The album opened with “That Wonder In Your Eyes (My Little Girl)” which is a moderate love rocker, but that love could be different depending on one’s point of view.  The wonder in her eyes could be the wonder of a lover or the wonder of a newborn child which makes it a truly compelling song.

The album follows with the sad, yet darkly humorous “She Never. . .” which is told from the voice of a someone consoling a friend who’d been dumped by a faithless woman.  “(And Everything’s Fine Down On) Mission Street” is a fun, reflective rocker on a neighborhood’s history.  “Separate” is a tearjerker about a crumbled marriage.  “Trying to Write This Song” is a touching number about a man trying to say how much he loves a woman.  “Eyes Wide Open” is the album’s most haunting number.  Driven by a tragic piano, it tells the story of a broken man who can’t escape his past even though he tries to honor his late father’s final words to “keep (his) eyes wide open”, but he doesn’t know what he’s “supposed to see”.  The album closes in fine fashion with “All This Time Has Passed” which is an effectively simple tune featuring McGuigan on acoustic guitar backed with synchronized strings as he tells a story about a man still in love and trying to love even better.

If you’re able to find a copy of this album I highly recommend it.  It’ll unleash a cornucopia of emotions within you and it’s a poignant piece of musical storytelling.  All I can say is that I hope it isn’t too long before McGuigan gets the itch to share another album with the public.

A Christmas Kind of Town: Phipps Inn & Hudson, WI

Phipps Inn

Today the road has brought me to Hudson, WI.

December has arrived which means it’s time for the annual Christmas review here at the Corner.  This year’s selection was Hudson, WI which is located right across the St Croix River from the Twin Cities and is home to Phipps Inn, owned and operated by Maryellen and Rich Cox.

Weather wise, I had a considerable amount of good fortune as no snow had fallen in the region so I had a clear and safe drive over to Hudson.  I arrived in town about 4:30 and was blown away by the activity in the downtown area.  I mean the joint was jumping!!  Very surprising for a small town.  Later I was to learn that Hudson is considered part of the Twin Cities metro area and receives a lot of visitors in the downtown area due to its plethora of restaurants and shops.

As my car slowly creeped through the heavy traffic, I could already tell that Hudson was a Christmas kind of town with the beautiful Christmas decorations hanging over the main drag as well as the colorful displays in the shop windows.  Once past the main drag, I was able to turn off into the historic district where I found Phipps Inn.

Phipps Inn is an 1884 Queen Anne Victorian mansion that had once been owned by, you guessed it, the Phipps.  They were a wealthy and philanthropic family which, regrettably, has died out though smatterings of their history still exist, both in the form of the inn and in at least one local museum.

I was greeted at the door by Maryellen Cox who gave me a quick, socially distanced check-in and led me to the Peacock Chamber which would serve as my headquarters for a few days.  The inn was lovingly decorated for the holidays and Maryellen told me normally they have even more decorations out, but kept things a little simpler this year due to the pandemic.  Personally, I thought it was just right.

The Peacock Chamber is located on the third floor of the mansion and the floor was once the ballroom before renovations.  The chamber itself is just perfect for a writer.  A half canopy queen sized bed is at the center of the room.  The room contains lush wood paneling, a gas fireplace and a massive two person jacuzzi tub with waterfall faucets.  A small table is located in the corner for breakfast in the morning or, in my case, a place to get some writing done.

After leaving me to my own devices, I did a quick exploration of the house, getting photos of all the Christmas goodness before donning my coat and hat and walking around the neighborhood to get photos of Christmas lights.

After a brisk walk, I decided to get some dinner and ordered some takeout from a popular local bar/restaurant called Paddy Ryan’s and ordered one of their house specialties, Irish Stew.  The stew was right on the money with a lightly spiced broth filled with lamb, bacon, and vegetables.  After dining, it was time to give my Christmas itch a serious scratch so I visited the nearby town of Somerset to take in Sam’s Christmas Village.

Sam’s Christmas Village is located on a 40 acre piece of property by the Apple River in Somerset and boasts a series of displays with a total of over 6 million lights.  Two of the hallmarks of the Village are its 500 foot light tunnel and 50 foot animated Christmas tree.  The property also boasts an onsite restaurant, gift shop and S’mores cabins (cabins that contain fixings and means of making s’mores).  The lights are all outside so social distancing is a snap.  A series of firepits along the path will help ward the chill out of your bones and a mask also makes for a dandy face warmer.  Sometimes Santa Claus can be found wandering the property spreading Christmas cheer.

This place truly awoke the kid in me as I marveled at the intricate light displays.  I honestly could have spent hours there, but, man, it was a frigid night.

I returned to the inn where I reviewed a new album by Omaha musician, Billy McGuigan.  You can read that review here.  At that point, I curled up under the triple sheets of my oh, so soft bed and put out the room lights shortly before my own went out.

The next morning, I rolled out of bed, turned on the fire to warm the room and proceeded to fill my tub.

Now this jacuzzi is a bathing tub, but you have to have the jets turned off when you want to scrub.  The tub has a very interesting effect when the jets are on.  A second waterfall faucet cascades water while the jets are going, but, somehow, doesn’t seem to add any extra water to the tub.  I’m not sure what the trick is, but it’s a neat effect.  After a good long soak, a knock at the door let me know breakfast was ready.

Normally you can have breakfast either in the dining room, your room or the front porch.  For social distancing, breakfast is currently only served in the room.  I found a basket with food and cutlery waiting for me and I enjoyed orange juice, milk, a Pecan French Toast cake or souffle for lack of a better word, raisin scone, sausage, fruit and a couple of chocolate chocolate chip nuggets.

Raisin scone, fruit, OJ, milk, Pecan French Toast Souffle, Sausage, and some dessert is hidden behind the fruit.

With breakfast put away, I took another walk around the neighborhood for some exercise as well as to get photos of houses with Christmas decorations that can only be viewed in daylight.

At noon, I stopped at the Octagon House Museum for a private Christmas tour.  The house had once been home to the Moffatt family and for Christmas the theme is the Christmas of the late 1800s.  The tour guide, Linnae, admitted that they embellish the theme a bit.  The Moffatts were from Scotland and Wales during the Victorian period and Victorian Christmases are very flashy.  However, the Moffatts were devout Baptists and lived very austerely and so would not have had the flash and sizzle of a traditional Victorian Christmas.

Octagon House Museum

It was a pleasant way to see how life was lived in yesteryear.  Photos were not permitted inside the house, but I did buy and photograph some postcards showing the home’s interior so you can get an idea of what the interior looked like.

Upper Left: Living Room Upper Right: Music Room Lower Left: Kitchen Lower Right: Dining Room. The china had been owned by the Phipps family.

When my tour was done, I listened to the Iowa Hawkeyes put a beating on Illinois in football.  Admittedly, it took a couple of quarters for Iowa to kick it into gear, but it’s how you finish that counts.

My stomach started to rumble so I ordered some dinner from the Milwaukee Burger Company and picked up their Jalapeno and Smoked Cheddar Infused Burger with a side of Tailgater’s Chili that I enjoyed in my room.  The burger was just right.  Perfect kick.  Smoky.  And the chili really stuck to your ribs.

I did another walk around the neighborhood and visited the downtown area to get photos of their lights.  I thought about working on this article when I got back and decided I was taking the night off.  The instant I did, my body said, “You got it, boss” and I felt my adrenaline shut off and the toll of a long drive and the running around I’d be doing hit me all at once.  I drew a hot bath and let the jets massage my lower back for about 20 minutes before crawling into bed and reading myself to sleep.

I tell you there’s nothing like a full night of sleep.  I awoke ready to write and breakfast arrived about 9:15am.

Today’s repast included a sticky bun that had an apple cinnamon sauce and sliced pecans (I think), a baked apple with a cherry on top, a tiny square of mint cake, a casserole of eggs, sausage, cheese, potatoes that came with a brown, spicy salsa and my milk and OJ.

Mint cake, milk, OJ, Baked Apple, Breakfast Casserole, salsa, sticky bun and bread.

Another fine meal was tucked away and left me time to finish writing and begin the trip home.  But a stay at Phipps Inn in the quiet town of Hudson can be a restful retreat for you and if you like Christmas there’s always Sam’s Christmas Village and the Twin Cities are just a short drive away.

Until the next time. . .happy travels. . .and happy holidays!

McGuigan Puts it All Together with billymcguiganTOGETHER

When the pandemic brought a halt to his touring, Billy McGuigan had plenty of time to think “a lot about life, career, family, love and most importantly truth”.  These thoughts unleashed a wave of creativity which had him taking a page out of Paul McCartney’s playbook and create an album where he is virtually the sole creative force (writer, performer, instrumentalist and producer) and the end result is billymcguiganTOGETHER.

This album is a gem.  It draws inspiration from so many different sources that I wonder if McGuigan was aware of them all.  But a sampling of the sources include rock, country, the Beatles (as well as Paul and John in their solo years), Ben Folds, Buddy Holly, the Eagles and the Beach Boys just to name a few.  Add to this McGuigan’s own potent ability as a performer, songwriter, singer and storyteller and you have something that I consider to be genius.  And the key that holds it all together is that McGuigan speaks from the heart and that vulnerability is what gives this album its true power.

Each song is elegantly constructed and beautifully layered as McGuigan plays a minimum of 19 different instruments over the course of the album and even learned bass and drums to build his songs.  Listening to this album was like watching a fantastic play.  It’s serious where it should be.  Funny where it needs to be.  Hard hitting where it’s gotta be and just plain fun.  McGuigan’s songs will definitely evoke memories of your own life and help you make a real connection with these numbers.

Truthfully, there isn’t a weak number on the album, but some real standouts include the album’s emotional opener, “After All”, a tribute to McGuigan’s father, Bill; “Baby, Wont You Leave Me” which tells the true story of a man begging his girlfriend to leave because she keeps breaking his heart; the touching “For You, Too” which sounds like and may very well be a loving tribute to McGuigan’s children; the sweet “Little Metal Shed” which is a love song dedicated to McGuigan’s girlfriend; the humorous “This Trailer Park Was My Home” where McGuigan reflects on his own childhood and manages to turn the cliches of country music on their head at the same time; his Buddy Holly tribute “Me and Peggy Sue”; and his “throat scratcher”, “Wait A Bit Longer Now”.

But for me, the real showstopper was “Together”.  This song made me physically shudder and nearly pause it.  Surprising considering its upbeat nature, but it’s a beautiful song of hope and about sticking together after loved ones have passed on and its refrain of “with a hug and some love” caused me to tear up a bit as it sounds exactly like what a dearly departed friend of mine might have said in life.

billymcguiganTOGETHER is not only a great listen and an emotional roller coaster of an album, it is also, and this is not hyperbole, one of the best albums of which I have had the privilege of listening.  You will be doing yourself a true disservice if you don’t give it a chance.

billymcguiganTOGETHER is available now and can be purchased at www.billymcguigan.com.