Happy New Year everybody! In case you missed it, I’ve released quite a bit of music the past month as part of my Song-A-Week project. Before we get to that, however, I want to clarify the dates of my shows this week, as there were some typos in the previous post. Here are the correct dates: Wednesday 1/15: Sean solo at Newes from America, Edgartown, MA. 5-8pm. Classical guitar, folk, chill. Every Wednesday! Friday 1/17: Sean solo at Pathways Arts, Chilmark Tavern, Chilmark, MA. 7-9pm. With sets from Rose Guerin & Buck Shank, Rick Padilla + Phil McAndrews + Jonah Miller Saturday 1/18: Sean solo at Black Dog Cafe, Vineyard Haven, MA. 5-7pm. Acoustic, original songs, covers. Sunday 7/19: Sean provides music ministry at Chilmark Community Church, Chilmark, MA. 9-10am. Hymns, gospel, acoustic || (Note! No Holy Rock & Roll Revival Sundays as The Ritz is currently closed on Sunday til Spring). Ok — without further ado, in case you missed it, here’s the last several Friday’s worth of songs — going all the way back to Christmastide!Fixing Up The WagonThis past Friday’s release is a hilarious one. It’s a song about that wagon that most of us have owned at some point or another. For many of us, it was our first one. But alas, at some point, it was on its last legs — and it became a fixer-upper. This song goes out to our beloved, broke-down wagons!  PocketsThis song is very special to me. It is one of my first electronic productions. The poetry is dear to my heart — it is very much in the line of the Book of Job, where the singer is questioning God’s justice, particularly the economic type. I suppose that might be part of what resonated so much with people, as this song has been one of the most immediately popular of all my Friday songs, with over 2,000 streams in the first week. The mantra of the song, “let the sea split left from right / thousand lamps but there’s no light,” cries out for change — and by God, we know it is coming.  Christmas DayThis is Katie and I singing a wonderful Christmas song written by our friend TJ Dobel. He was worried I’d find it too irreverent because I’m a preacherman. Nah man, I get it! It’s all about wanting to go to Church on Christmas, not so much to hear a sermon, but to hear the music — to feel the nostalgia of ye ole Christmas hymns, and the magic that comes with it. “So deck the halls, sing ‘Hallelujah’ / and I will be the drummer boy / and sing you songs of hope and glory on this day of peace and joy / and I’ll believe if for a moment / that it’s all true and I am saved / by the Child born in a manger long ago on Christmas Day.”  It’s Not Actually ChristmasThis is a song I wrote back in 2013. While I’ve since come to align with the Church Fathers on their classical winter dating for the Nativity of Our Lord, back in ‘13 I was only starting to delve into this subject and I wrote this schmalzy, jazzy Christmas tune about whether or not Dec. 25 is actually the right date or not. Lol. Personally I think it’s a classic and I would love to hear Dean Martin sing it — if anyone’s got an AI module that can help me out with that.  Covid Christmas at the VFWTed MacInnes (of 2BOYS) and I wrote this song in 2021, in retrospect of Christmas 2020 — Covid Christmas. At the time, our local VFW was pretty much the only place willing to host a few of us musicians for some clandestine sessions while the totalitarian Covid regime was breathing down our necks. The song is half-true — that is, half-untrue — insofar as we never actually spent Christmas at the VFW, nor was there a superspreader event as the song suggests. However, the song sure gave us the warm and fuzzies as we sang it there throughout the holiday season, and the gift keeps on giving.  The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on and Open Fire)‘Nuff said.  You're currently a free subscriber to Sean McMahon. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription.
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Wednesday, January 15, 2025
New Music Roundup
Music This Week
Hello all. It’s an unusually busy off-season week! Hope to see you out there! Wednesday 1/15: Sean solo at Newes from America, Edgartown, MA. 5-8pm. Classical guitar, folk, chill. Every Wednesday! Friday 1/27: Sean solo at Pathways Arts, Chilmark Tavern, Chilmark, MA. 7-9pm. With sets from Rose Guerin & Buck Shank, Rick Padilla + Phil McAndrews & Jonah Miller Saturday 1/18: Sean solo at Black Dog Cafe, Vineyard Haven, MA. 5-7pm. Acoustic, ariginal songs, covers. Sunday 7/28: Sean provides music ministry at Chilmark Community Church, Chilmark, MA. 9-10am. Hymns, gospel, acoustic || (Note! No Holy Rock & Roll Revival Sundays as The Ritz is currently closed on Sunday til Spring). You're currently a free subscriber to Sean McMahon. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription.
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Wednesday, January 8, 2025
It's Time To Wake Up- Life is Short (How to Spend It Wisely)
It's Time To Wake Up- Life is Short (How to Spend It Wisely)What I Discovered About Life After Losing Someone Too Soon
Life is short. We know this in theory, but rarely does it hit us with the force it deserves—until life decides to remind us. Sometimes that reminder comes gently, like a whisper. Other times, it strikes like thunder, leaving your heart racing and your mind questioning everything. For me, the official moment came one ordinary Friday night. I was scrolling through emails when a fresh notification appeared on the screen. It was from an old friend, with whom I had not spoken in years. It was an invitation to her funeral. She died only a week ago at 35. I was paralyzed staring at the screen. We always talked of getting together "someday," to have a cup of coffee or to enjoy laughter over memories of the past. All of those "somedays" had evaporated and slipped from underneath my feet, and all that was left now were regrets—a large crater where time should have been. The Wake-Up CallThat night, I came across a visual display made by Tim Urban, the mind behind the depiction of a 90-year life in weeks. The chart was made of black squares, which by themselves illustrate a week of existence. A life of 90 years is spent in an estimated 4,680 weeks! I counted mine: having reached 27 years, I already consumed over 1,400 weeks. Time felt concrete now; I could see it flowing through an hourglass and could count its grains, moment after moment, heading towards an end, moments that stand never to come back. This was not a mere reminder—it was a warning. We live as though indeed immortal, but we aren't. Spending the days chasing the irrelevant, fighting battles that leave us empty, always waiting—for the right time. But what if that time actually never comes? What if, like my friend, your clock stops ticking before you are prepared? Once Confucius said, "We have two lives, and the second one begins when we realize we have only one." And on that night, I began my second life—and I don’t want you to wait for a funeral or a tragedy to start yours. The Truth About RelationshipsOne of the biggest lies we tell ourselves is that the people we love will always be there. My friend and I thought we had decades left. But life doesn't go by our plans. How many more dinners do you have with your parents? How many more holidays with your siblings? Such moments are fleeting, yet we brush them off to have another time. A few years ago, I left my hometown in pursuit of a career. I told myself I would visit my parents "soon". But "soon" turned to months, turned into a few years. If only I could see the look on my father's face when I returned. The look was as if he had been vaporized in the agony of lost time and separation. Here’s what I’ve learned:
What Will Success Mean on Your Deathbed?"Her obituary mentioned neither her bank balance nor her LinkedIn profile, but talked of her kindness, her laughter, and how she made everyone feel valued." Yet the painful truth is that so many of us live as though success is measured distinctly by the things we own rather than the lives we touch. We work hard to reach for the promotion, the status, and that validation we have so longed for, believing that in this way they would be our key to happiness. Ironically, when at last we attain them, the feeling of joy within fades away in a jiffy. The words of Steve Jobs during his last days were, “You can’t take it with you” While it is as true, what will count in the end is not how much you have but how much you have given to others, to the people you care about, to the world, and to yourself. Success for me defines in two ways:
Ask Yourself: If today was your last day on earth how would you be spending it the way you are spending today? Well, if not, what is preventing you from altering that? Starting today, not matter how small is the step, it means it is a step toward victory. The Thrill of GrowthHello Buddy! Life is thrilling when you face the uncertain. Development is much more than learning; it's about becoming the person you've always yearned for. Pretty scary, but so exciting at the same time. I walked away from my good, secure job to pursue my passion at 22 years old. Everyone thinks I am crazy. But that risk completely changed my life. It taught me that growth happens not in the comfort zone but on the other side, in a place with discomfort and deep, daring dreams. You do not have to throw yourself blindly into the unknown. Take small steps. Read one book that challenges your thinking. Take a class that piques your curiosity. Hold a conversation that makes you apprehensive. With every step, you're one step closer to becoming the person you're destined to be. A Final Story...Continue reading this post for free in the Substack app
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