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"TIM "EASY" CONNOLLY Candid Thoughts Right After Munchaba’s Closing & Again After Birth Of Vintage Lounge - A Club That Plans To Continue Carrying The Original Music Torch" By Vinny DiMarco  Tim “Easy” Connolly has played a major role in forming, developing, and performing in the bands Pottymouth & Friends, plus Suck It Easy. Tim has also been in the following capacities over the years in local music: promoter & event organizer / planner; an MC; writer for Aural Fix, Inside CX, and editor for LongIslandMusicScene.com. He remains a big advocate and major contributor to the local music scene and probably one of the absolute best sources out there on Munchaba Lounge’s rich source of history. “But for the most part, the last year or so that I was into it, what I always looked forward to was those freestyle / chill out jazz, Monday nights at Munchaba where we (Suck It Easy) ruled the roost. There was nothing like it. We would go on at 9 P.M. and we’d be done at 10-10:30 P.M. and then bands would go on after us. We would sit down, relax and have some buffalo wings. It was a great time. There was never any pressure. If people came down to check us out…that was great. If there was a low draw…that was great too. It didn’t make a difference to us. Suck It Easy could do no wrong at Munchaba. If I had ever asked Bobby, Taryn or John to give us a date and book us for something, they would find a way to make it happen. They were very accommodating towards us and that was a great place for us to hang our hat for a long time.” – Tim Connolly in early September, 2005…literally 2 days after we were able to connect the dots together and make necessary phone calls to verify that Munchaba Lounge had suddenly closed and sold to a “first” buyer named Ron. af: Describe the origins of Suck It Easy and the core lineup of the band? tim: Well back in 2001, for the most part we had what was known as the Magnificent Seven. Seven players that started the band, two of which that “really” started it- Chris Kling, he plays drums for Theo and Skyscrapers now, and was formally in the band Heart Machine. Chris and myself decided one night that we were gonna go up on stage and just do Shamalama Ding Dong from the Animal House movie with just Chris on drums and myself on vocals. We figured, what the hell, let’s give it a shot. This was an Open Mic night at Munchaba back when Ed Ryan was doing his thing. Chris and I started it off, we didn’t know what to call it, so Chris came up with the idea for the name and it came out of left field and it was so perfect that we haven’t changed it ever since. But then beyond Chris and myself, we soon began to take on more and more regulars, people that would play with us on a frequent basis. There were always those who always kind of came in and out of the band a little bit. Even Rick Eberle and Rob Viccari from Iridesense were key players of our early days. But the real core of the magnificent seven were Chris Kling and myself, Rick Birmingham, John Middleman (of Greyscale), Ricky Woods, Paul Weiss, and Becca Weiss. It was those seven that really made it a special thing for me. And even when there were nights when Chris Kling couldn’t make it, we would have plenty of other drummers willing to sit in like Johnny Black from Johnny B.Hive & The Buzz. We also had Johnny B.Hive himself play drums for us sometimes. Tom Senior from Grayscale was another. Just a big rotating cast that began to spin wildly out of control. It was fun. It was great sharing the stage with different players all the time (for the most part)……When Kenny Horgan came aboard with us on a regular basis, I think we really felt like we had to elevate our dreams and that was when the birthday tribute concert series began. It kind of went on for a long time, from John Lennon to Elvis to George Harrison to Willie Nelson to John Fogarty. Just giving props to all giants. af: Why is Ed Ryan a hero to you and why does he remain one? tim: Ed Ryan will always be my hero because he is a positive soul who writes powerful music. Ed Ryan is also the only entertainer I have ever met who can performs superhero songs, like "Thor" and "Iron Man" and "Captain America". Now if that's not great, what is? af: What did Ed bring to Munchaba Open Mic that was totally unique? Tim: Ed Ryan is the perfect mix of talent, charisma, and moxie. He's also handsome. af: What factors made Munchaba Open Mic so magical when Ed & Harlan hosted it on Tuesdays? tim: Ed & Harlan have a magic chemistry on stage, like Harvey Korman and Tim Conway, it must be seen to be believed. af: How do you feel about Bobby buying Munchaba Lounge again (now Vintage Lounge) returning to ownership role? tim: The birth of the Vintage Lounge in Levittown is the best thing to happen to our Long Island music scene all year. I really missed Bob Newman while he was away, and I have high hopes for our music scene now that he's back. af: What has been your favorite role- working with, performing with & growing bands, promoting shows, working with club owners, MC'ing? tim: My favorite role was definitely performing on stage before a live audience. There's nothing else like it. And the sex is great. I never thought I'd be a "trophy lay", and it's a sweet situation for a single guy like me. I often wonder if other performers get as much tail as I do. af: Second favorite role? tim: My second favorite role is definitely MC'ing, because of that connection that you feel with the crowd, the pay is decent, ...and the sex is great. It's not always the musicians who take the chicks home, you know. af: Provide some insight into why you say you are retired even though you continue to do so much within the music scene (examples- promote shows and maybe conceptualize themes, you MC, you help with the new Vintage Lounge). Is it because you wish for people to request and expect less from you? tim: That is a great question. On one hand, I think that I am a prankster at heart, and I love the art of the hoax. It's kind of a lost art. On the other hand, I do have a very real love/hate relationship with nightlife because of my day job and because of my hearing loss which is pretty severe. The day job and the hearing loss won't stop me from being who I really am though. After all, someone's got to be the godfather of the Long Island music scene, and it might as well be me, right? I don't believe that people will ever stop requesting or expecting things from me, because I've been a generous man all my life and that's who I am. I will always be fine with people expecting and requesting things from me, but it works both ways you know. af: Why have you stepped away from the scene to some extent in recent months? Will Vintage Lounge in Levittown opening change this? And if it will, how so? tim: The scene has meant so many things to me. I've enjoyed my time here in so many different ways, and I will always treasure the great friendships that I made along the way. The Vintage Lounge is like a dream come true for me, and I believe you'll see me there from time to time. But I also believe my time as a catalyst has come and gone. If I may paraphrase John Lennon, "I was the walrus but now I'm just Tim". af: Will you write for any of the magazines again? What would it take for you to join another writer team? tim: I loved writing for Aural Fix, Inside Connection, and Longislandmusicscene.com, but I don't know if I would ever return to the world of music journalism again. It just feels like I've had my fill of it. But writing is something that I always enjoyed, and so is music, so who knows? If the right offer came along, I'd probably jump on it. I'll know it when I see it. So, we'll see. When I think of all the wonderful publishers and editors who ever believed in me enough to give me a chance, I smile. And when I think of all the reader mail (and hate mail) that I got over the years, I smile too. So maybe if I can just keep on smiling, it'll be enough. (TOP OF PAGE TABLE OF CONTENTS |
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