Eddie Mugavero: press

Downtown diners have frequented Bob Wolf's establishment for years, but now that the Nashville Arena has been completed, this is the spot to visit after a hockey game or rock concert. The food is fair and the service is good, but the real hit is the bar that features 18 different types of beer on tap. Live bands, mostly country, mostly local, perform nightly, but weekends are a real treat, as BadaBing BadaBoom strikes up their swing band and performs original music you can dance to. Never charging a cover, this great hangout attracts both business suit types and the blue collar crowd.

While it also wasn’t totally “Nashville country” the melding of country and rock produced many prolific songwriters in the 70’s and to some extent, the 80’s into the 90’s. Bands like the Eagles and the Outlaws and singer songwriters like Jackson Brown, Linda Ronstadt, Dan Fogelberg, Emmylou Harris, Bruce Hornsby all sold a ton of records without compromising the integrity of a great lyric and urbane melody. Then there are the lesser known greats such as Chicago’s Michael McDermott, Nashville’s Eddie Mugavero and Detroit’s Stewart Francke who have yet to push a million units through Soundscan, but have been lauded with high critical praise from some of the top music critics anywhere. All of the afore mentioned were and still are embraced because they wrote and delivered music much like Keith Urban. The music is well written, smart, and popular and reaches us in a non-puerile way.

Very good original numbers. Great fun.
Reviewer: Jorge
True swing style. Playful and original songs. It's hard not to keep humming them to yourself all day long.

THAT's what I like about LynnMarie
author: Pete
I bought LynnMarie's "One Look" specifically for "That's What I Like About the North." CD Baby was one of the few places where it could be found for a reasonable price. Cudos to CD Baby. Besides "That's What I Like . . . " the rest of the CD was fine, although not as much rollicking accordion music as I'd hoped. I've purchased another LynnMarie CD and enjoyed that, too. If you like a zydeco/polka fusion, she's an artist to buy.

It rocks!
author: Danielle
The song That's What I Like About the North is fantastic! True Clevelanders have to buy LynnMarie's cd One Look. Also, CD Baby is a great company to buy from. They follow up on the merchandise you've bought from them.

Love the North Song!
author: John and Linda
We received 2 LynnMarie CD's last week. Took them on a trip with us this weekend, they are great! We love the North Song! Heard it recently on our "Northern" country radio station and needed to hear more by LynnMarie. We were not disappointed - Great, Fun, Music (it doesn't hurt to be proud and Polish)!!!

We Are Enjoying This CD Very Much
author: Marty Nelson
We purchased the CD especially for the song That's What I Like About The North. It's fun sharing with our southern friends!! Turns out all the songs are really very good. It is fun music with good lyrics.

Can't live without it!
Reviewer: Monica
This CD is absolutely incredible. I listen to it for HOURS every day. I loved how quickly CDBaby got my CD to me. Flawless!

Mugavero writes songs that captivate emotions that we all feel, but do not have the ability to say in such succinct terms. His melodies capture us, but his words tear us apart. See, "Cause I Once Loved You"..or, "Such Is Love"..

Want to cry? See, "One More Time For Me"..Eddie's tribute to his mom..

Just when we think Eddie is a big mush, he'll kill us with his sense of humor..using internal rhyme and wit..he has that uncanny knack of mixing profundity with humor..See.."Leave Your Baggage Off My Train".."Can You Commit?"..."Ain't Afraid To Mess Up My Hair"..etc

His band, his demo singers...they all get it..and deliver his songs with style.

Why is this writer not a household name? He is in this household.

Cheers Eddie

One of my all time favorite Nashville bands was Badabing Badaboom. They were a kinda of a strange bird... a swing band with a definite Nashville flavor, but led by a hardcore Jersey guy. They had the typical swing band rhythm section (guitar, bass and drums), but in addition to trumpet they also had a viola player. And having three vocalists allowed them to do amazing harmonies. But the most unique thing about them was that they only did original songs. And great ones too.

I think it was December of 1998 when they were doing a residency at a lounge called Manhattan's. They had half a dozen original Christmas tunes that they would pepper in throughout their sets, so it made for a fun holiday outing. I was there with a couple of friends, just chilling and enjoying a few cocktails, when Rebecca Sayre took her turn at the mic and starting singing "I'm Your Present." Immediately we all froze. As the song went on, we slowly sank lower and lower into our chairs. It was hands down one of the sultriest performances I've ever heard. You practically felt dirty just listening to it. When it was over, we turned to each other and all we could say was "Wow."

Badabing Badaboom - "I'm Your Present" (mp3) from A Hip Little Christmas

The recording is great, but hearing it live was an absolutely transcendent experience. A couple of years later, one of my friends who was there that night and I saw them at another bar in August. During their last set they asked if their were any requests. My friend drunkenly shouted "I'M YOUR PRESENT!!!" To our surprise, Eddie Mugavero counted off the song, and they played it. Even though it was probably 80 degrees outside, if you closed your eyes you could see snow falling.

Rating: - One of the greatest Secret Original SWING type bands around!
Badabing Badaboom is a fantastic swing band who play all original music. There is a great "Andrews Sisters" sound to the vocals. The lyrics are fun and clever, and the music is great! This is actually their FIRST album, so don't let the title fool you. If you have to get one, get this album first! Best songs on the album are hard to say since they are all terrific! A real gem is "That's What I Like About the North" which plays on the differences between southern and northen "culture"...i.e. "In the north we like our cousins but we don't marry 'em"...it's all in good jest as the band members are displaced Yankess living in Nashville TN.

Buy it and you will not be disapointed!

BadaBing BadaBoom - Volume II (1997)
Reviewed: 30 Oct.1999. Ratings: ****½, LL½ See CD at Amazon.com »
I'm really impressed with this CD and this Nashville swing band. I'm in love with both women lead singers' smooth golden voices, but the man's voice is great too! All original songs, all excellent and clever. Besides an excellent rhythm section, this band's sound features a trumpet and a viola! Great breaks in these songs. A slight country feel to this band, and some similarities to the Chazz Cats. This album was actually their first-released album, despite the name Volume II. Very well mixed stereo production. Everything about this album exudes quality and professionalism. The one big problem: the usual dearth of songs in the tempo from 110 to 170 BPM. Oh well. Let me rave about the lyrics for a while. In How Bad Do I Wanna Feel Better?, she sings "Should I have a drink with my girlfriend's brother's friend? He's gettin' out of jail tonight. She says he likes me--that's alright, I think I'll wait another day..." Or in Crisp White Shirt, they include "Wear flannel in the forest, plaid if you're a tourist, tank top if you're swimmin, and polyester if you don't like women.... can't go wrong with crisp white shirt!" And in a song poking fun at the South, "That's What I Like About the North" (245 BPM) lyrics include "We eat walnuts, not pralines, and my mama didn't have me at seventeen, and all my neighbors have different genes, that's what I like about the North!" Highly recommended CD.

BadaBing BadaBoom: Jonesin to Swing/Vol II. (B4 Records) A great Neo Swing band from Tennessee that puts a bit of a laid-back, country-boogie flair in their music, but still remains true to the lively, fun, traditional art form of Swing music. Good tightness and rhythm, plus sweet female-duet vocals. Great boogie-woogie songs, too. Plus, being a transplanted Yankee, myself, their first CD has a great explanation that explains "That's what I like about the North...." (Careful, Elmer.)

...A swing/bebop/pop ensemble called "Badabing Badaboom." I am hooked to these guys bad...There's a particular song I think is incredible. Southerners beware ; Most songs are written by the brilliant Eddie Mugavero.

Swinger's Delight, April 12, 2001- This CD is a treat from top to bottom. The songs are different, musically and lyrically from most contemporary swing offerings. There are songs to get a dancer's heart rate up and songs it's just plain fun to listen to. The lyrics are a joy. I took a chance on this CD and I'm glad I did. It doesn't disappoint!

Funny, Clever, Entertaining. I LOVE it!!
Reviewer: Kay Vinson
I think that BadaBing BadaBoom just might be my favourite band. I love the lyrics..they make you smile. Great music for driving, wonderful for calming stress. My fave on this album is Nothing Rhymes..the words are so clever the tune so infectious.

One of my favorites!
Reviewer: Cathy
I first bought this CD in 1998, and have bought about another 5 copies since then - I keep lending it to my friends and not getting it back! The best part about this album is the incredible songwriting - That's What I Like About the North is a great backhanded slam on the south (what would you expect from a bunch of Yankees playing swing in Nashville?), and How Bad Do I Wanna Feel Better is a really clever use of words. Hands down, though, nothing beats Nothing Rhymes for pure originality. This CD has been in my car and on my A-list for many years - one of my all-time favorites.
Review for swing dancing
Reviewer: Tony
I bought this CD for swing dancing ie. the lindy hop, balboa and collegiate shag. It certainly fits the bill. I rate this as 4 out of 4.

Terriffic CD!
Reviewer: Adreinne
This is a great CD. Full of energy. My favorite is track #5. Great to dance to. Feel-good, foot-tapping, clever lyrics, great tunes.

Reviewer: Kay Vinson -In the space of a week, I have listened to this CD so many times that I have memorised almost all of the words. My eight year old son loves it too. These songs are so witty and well written. I have so many favourites. Romance Is A Verb and Lonely in New York are the pick for me, my son loves Freddie The Frog. The musicians are brilliant, the singers wonderful, and every song is a gem. I have now purchased all of their albums and I wish there were more!