The Familiars of Cape Cod ~ 2023 September 1 ~ Shiverick Cafe & Bar, Falmouth, MA
Linda Dias, fiddle, mandolin, harmonica, guitar, Irish low whistle, vocals; Manny Dias, guitar, vocals; Frank Carotenuto, guitar, vocals.
Review
The Familiars of Cape Cod played the Shiverick Cafe on Main Street in Falmouth, MA, starting at 6:30 pm. They are a husband-and-wife duo (Linda Dias and Manny Dias) and were joined by Frank Carotenuto on guitar and vocals. Linda sings and plays fiddle, mandolin, harmonica, guitar, and Irish low whistle. Manny sings and plays guitar. As their name implies, they play familiar songs from the 1960s through 1980s, but they always change up the arrangements to make the songs fresh and interesting. I had no idea the song they were starting was "Honky Tonk Women" until the lyrics started. They played some country (Hank Williams) and lots of top 40 from the likes of the Animals, Chris Isaak, Tom Petty, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, and Jimmy Buffett (RIP - I don't think his passing was known yet when they played "Son of a Son of a Sailor"). They also played "Apeman" by The Kinks in response to an audience mention of that band. I highly recommend this band!
The Shiverick Cafe turned out to be a good place to see a show. When Concert Going Partner and I walked in just a few minutes before the show was going to start, we were invited to sit anywhere, so we took a seat near the front of the room so we could watch the band. As patrons trickled in, Linda helped out the busy waitstaff by telling them to sit anywhere. The room was reasonably quiet for most of the first set, by which time the numbers of patrons had increased to make it more of a pub atmosphere, not so much a concert experience. The food was good (decent pub food -- we had fish and chips and a BLT, both recommended). A fun way to spend a late summer evening.