A Thorold-born musician chose to not let the pandemic become just 'down-time,' and is determined to keep working on original material, even as more gigs begin opening up.
Thorold native Richard McCarthy has been playing in various cover bands, under the moniker Filthy Rich, for almost two decades now. When Covid-19 first hit and everything locked down McCarthy and his partner Sarah Dishart decided they should try their hand at recording some original songs together.
“All our gigs dried up,” says McCarthy.
“We finally had all this time on our hands, and we wanted to keep our music going so the idea was to let me try to record us from home and work on her originals.”
The resulting four songs, available on all streaming platforms, are reminiscent of the work of Stevie Nicks or Joni Mitchell, female singer-songwriters who use their melancholic voices to highlight social and personal issues, says McCarthy.
“It’s been her original lyrics. They tend to come from a feminist and environmentalist perspective.”
In their daily lives, McCarthy is a 911 dispatcher and Dishart works in the health-field so the couple has always been focused on helping people, whether it’s through their work or their music.
Said McCarthy: “We both have jobs where it’s not just about the pay. If you do a good job you can save someone’s life or make their day better, and with music it’s totally about connecting people, touching them. There’s nothing better than someone coming up after a show and saying a song has moved them.”
McCarthy and Dishart met at an open-mic night almost 9 years ago and because they have been in several cover bands together, they already had a working relationship they could build on.
“It’s been great. To have a partner where you can also work together on a creative project has only strengthened our personal relationship. That said, there are two different hats and there might be disagreements when you’re working together. You got to feel a little bit more tender than if you’re just talking to the bass player in your band.”
McCarthy currently lives in Toronto but he says his experience growing up in the middle of the Niagara music scene has shaped him into the artist he is today.
“The scene in Niagara has always been alive. There’s a lot of hard-working musicians. I’ve certainly played most of the bar scene, like Mansion House, Front 54 and the old Chili Pepper. I’m not even sure some of these bars are still there.”
Now that things are opening up again McCarthy and Dishart are booking more gigs with their cover bands but this is not the end of the road for their personal project.
Says McCarthy, “We are going to make a concerted effort to keep it going because there’s a certain fulfillment in having your own material out there.”
Follow this link to purchase McCarthy and Dishart's music.
Listen to McCarthy's latest song 'Farewell' here:
