Garabian gets his friends together at Quinn’s
With music, there’s a community that accompanies it. Like-minded individuals who either partake in the craft through a particular instrument or just enjoy the sounds that come from them often gather where music is being made. At Quinn’s Irish Pub on 433 Benefit Street in Pawtucket, there’s a community like this that hangs out every Thursday night. Led by bassist Mark Garabian, a variety of musicians come through to play a wide assortment of tunes all night long. It takes place under the name “Mark G & Friends” and that’s exactly what it is while going from roughly 9pm until last call.
Garabian and I had a talk about how this weekly gig came to be, having a bunch of friends from different bands get involved, playing in the corner behind the pool table and what people can expect when they walk through the door.
Rob Duguay: How did this Thursday night gig at Quinn’s come together? Did the owners approach you about it or did you approach them about it?Mark Garabian: I always play on Thursday nights either in Pawtucket or at this other place in South Attleboro and everybody would end up going to Quinn’s at the end of the night. Myself and my drummer Mike Mello decided to look into playing there on Thursday nights because
they have live entertainment there on Fridays and Saturdays. I grew up in the neighborhood and I live across the street from the pub, so I decided to walk in there and ask them. The owner was all for it, we’ve been doing it ever since and it’s been going pretty good.
RD: How do you get other musicians involved? Do you have a set list of musicians that you reach out to ahead of each Thursday? Do you try to mix it up each week?
MG: I’m a local guy who plays with everybody and I invite musicians from different bands that I play with on the regular. Sometimes we’ll get Doug Woolverton who plays with Victor Wainwright, we’ll get Doug James who’s currently playing with Jimmie Vaughan and my father Mark Ray who was the original guy I started playing with when I was a kid. I’ll get other bands involved like the Rob Davis Band, Mark Gentile Band and Green-Eyed Soul. I’d like to refer to it as a free rehearsal night.
RD: What’s the set up like at Quinn’s for live music? Do you handle the sound or do you just plug into a wall and you play through the speakers?
MG: It’s a small bar and I bring my own PA system, which is what gets everyone to come there without bringing their equipment because it can be kind of a pain. It’s a good sounding room and people love hanging out, sometimes you’ll have a fivepiece horn section there. RD: Wow.
MG: Yeah, it’s crazy. Like I said, it’s a small joint and we play right next to the pool table in the corner. The owner and the employees love it, they say it’s their best night of the week.
RD: That’s awesome, that’s great. What makes this gig at Quinn’s different from any other gig you’ve done? What makes it stand out for you?
MG: There’s more intimacy and there’s a smaller crowd. When someone walks in the door they can literally fistbump you and it’s a neighborhood vibe.
RD: Say I’m in Pawtucket on a Thursday and someone comes up to me asking about what’s happening that night and I tell them about your gig. What can they expect when they show up to Quinn’s?
MG: They can expect blues, funk, rock & roll and a little bit of jazz. It’s a friendly atmosphere and there’s never any issues, we always have a good time and the staff there is excellent.