Bird Mancini

Bird Mancini’s latest CD Dreams And Illusions not only continues the fine lyrical, harmony, and instrumental work of Ruby Bird and Billy Carl Mancini, it finds the husband and wife team taking things to a higher level. Their finely tailored work of lead vocals, harmony vocals, and perfectly placed instrumentation is stronger than ever. They have more loveliness in their mellower tunes and more swing and swagger in their more assertive numbers.

Bird Mancini have done it again. They’ve come up with another fine document of their particular flairs for voice and instrumentation. Only this time they’ve done it even better than before with this Dreams And Illusions album that is loaded with fantastic shine, color, and panache. - Bill Copeland Music News

"...their albums (are) laboratories of divergent songs, loaded with melodies, raw performances, wit and a unique drift towards a hybrid blues pop invention. Their new album stretches within this conceit and explores their considerable fascination with melody and form." -Edward Morneau -The Noise - The Noise

Galloping out of the gate with thoroughbred pedigree, Bird Mancini a.k.a. Billy Carl Mancini and Ruby Bird serve up a charming collection of original rock numbers on their new 14 track album offering, Dreams and Illusions. Opening the album with the powerful, radio friendly "Congratulations" (co-penned with Sal Baglio of The Stompers), the tip of the aural iceberg is just beginning to rise on this well crafted disc.

Sharing vocal duties (and singing duets) from cut to cut, Ruby and Billy Carl keep things musically intriguing for sure. As each song is meticulously unveiled, it's evident there's loads of ear candy to comprehend. That makes it near to impossible to fully experience in just one listening. This is an album that demands the listener's careful attention.

Dreams and Illusions is rounded out by top shelf players: bassists Brad Hallen & Joel White and drummers Mark Teixeira, Joe Jaworski, Vic Sloan & Larry Harvey. Favored songs include the jangly "Congratulations," the urgent messaging of "Don't Blink," the Elvis Costello infused "One Mistake," the trippy affection of "Recluse," the low-end snap of "Wake Me Up When It's Over," and the power-snap of "Wishing Well."

There are magnificent musical dreamscapes here but you won't find any "illusions," just one of the best collections of songs your'll hear all year. Bravo!
Brian M. Owens
August 01, 2018 - Metronome Magazine

"Dreams and Illusions'...variety of styles means that it really does have something for everyone. Check it out." -Aaron Kupferberg - PowerPopAholic

Bird Mancini has found a new focus on bossa nova and other music from Brazil. The pair have always had an interest, but this time around they’ve gathered everything they’ve worked in on that genre and dedicated an album to it. Hence, Bird Mancini Lounge, a collection of jazzy, breezy songs with a distinctly South American flavor. Each song has a hypnotic charm that soon works its magic, beckoning the listener to follow along with each note. It’s easy to picture people in coffee shops turning their heads toward the speakers as this plays and asking the owner or manager where they can get a copy.

Ruby Bird composed the album’s opening number “If You Wanna Get to Know Me.” A Brazilian laced accordion melody sweeps through with a charm as Latin as the ever present percussion pieces swishing in the backdrop. Spanish guitar notes waltz around the accordion and percussion with a self-contained machismo. Over all that, Mrs. Bird unfurls her gentle vocal sustains and sweet exhortations.

The rest of the album is written by Ruby Bird’s husband Billy Carl Mancini. His songwriter styles differs slightly from Mrs. Bird, but he too is wading through Spanish American waters. “The Listener” remains fairly typically Mancini territory, his vocal assertions gliding over a lot of melodic textures. Yet, he has injected Bird’s flavorful accordion, Cliff Tetle’s tenor saxophone and Eric Michael Kelley’s conga and other exotic percussion instruments to conjure the feel, if not the exact sound, of Brazil. This one is a swirl of musical ear candy.

“Bridge 51” features both members of Bird Mancini in a lovely vocal harmony. Yet, this is Ruby Bird’s lead vocal song, and she finely applies her lovely lilt to this peaceful, gently swaying number. Her accordion is still working its magic after three tracks, and it sounds great.

Mancini get more assertive at the microphone on “You Don’t Know What I’m Saying,” singing in a an even handed flow that might remind some of Steely Dan. The piano line Ruby Bird taps out underneath his voice is delightfully peppy, infusing the number with a playful bounce that makes it as alluring as Mancini’s handsome vocal. Bob McCloskey’s cuica tugs the ear with a see-sawing, gritty, exotic rhythmic swing that compels one to listen closely and to try to imagine what that instrument is.

“What Gets Me This Way?” finds Mancini picking the sweetest, most roots electric guitar lines on the album. Listeners will want to listen to him play in this style all day. Ruby Bird presses out a constant, pleasant accordion hum. This one gets by on share talent and charismatic instrumentation.

“Midway Dream Café” floats by like a warm gentle summer breeze. The Spanish guitar notes play out brittle and enticing as Bird and Mancini caress their vocal notes with subtle emotive injections, especially in their sweet coos and sustains. Another plus: Mauro Tortolero slaps out an interesting allure in his conga patterns and saxophonist Bob McCloskey plays a stirring melodic horn line.

Mancini’s Spanish guitar influences impact his picking style on “Jet Setting In Morocco.” He has a way of letting one note drift into the one he’s about to pick. It’s pure beauty.  The Latin flavor from bass player Sven Larson and drummer David Roy Kulik couldn’t be better in its mildly pushy accents on the beat. Bird charmingly croons her way through this one with easeful grace, her naturally tender vocal timbre fits the mood here like a glove. And, again, it’s Bird’s subtle application of her accordion sustains that take it to an even higher level, making it exotic and fetching.

“Pond Life” has a lot going on during its mellow down tempo glide. Bird and Mancini trade lead vocal lines to give the piece a lilting female-male conversational tone. His well picked south of the border acoustic guitar notes dart around the beat tenderly, and her harmonica blows forlorn melody lines that make you feel yourself moving through time to the scene they set.  Curt Naihersey does something special with his frame drum and ebow, injecting exotic tones and unusual punctuations with his odd meters.

Another instrumental “Patagonia” is a multi-statement of musical bliss. Nimble, high-pitched acoustic guitar notes ring out with feeling within their sophisticated pattern. Intervals of exotic notes swirl out of the accordion. The playing techniques get more intense as the emotion of the piece becomes more passionate. One is forced to picture Mancini picking away and fingering his fret board as he pays out more sophisticated intervals of sharp, nappy notes.

A gently swaying electric guitar chord progression sweeps the listener into “Somedays,” a mellow waltz studded with Larson’s knobby bass knolls and Eric Michael Kelly’s myriad of percussion instruments. The two vocalists skate over the musical surface like they’re powered by a summer breeze, moving slowly, but surely, with purpose, a leisurely pace that these players fill in well. - Bill Copeland Music News

BIRD MANCINI
In A Pig’s Eye, Salem MA
5/11/13

The Pig is full of Bird Mancini fans—and I’m starting to get to know them all, since I’m a fan myself. Ruby Bird (vocals/accordion/harmonica/ melodica/ various percussion) and Billy Carl Mancini (vocals/guitar/sound engineer) make up this duet that has the feel of a light yet full, eclectic ’60s pop band. Both are excellent vocalists with precision timing. Tonight they’re playing a mix of songs from their new CD, Bird Mancini Lounge, the relatively new CD Tuning In/Tuning Out, old CDFunny Day, and fan-favorite covers “Crimson & Clover,” “Sunny Afternoon,” “Nature’s Way,” and “You Can’t Do That.” I realize how loved this band is. Half their attending fans are made up of media people—radio DJs, fanzine publishers, writers, and photographers. That pretty much insures that the word will get out about this talented musical pair. Ruby is being extra expressive tonight, kinda dancin’ in her seat, dressed in a red top, black pants, and American flag socks sticking up from her boots! Billy’s the real time machine master, in both rhythm and choice of old cover tunes. He sports a tie-dyed T-shirt and his signature black derby. But the biggest little secret about Billy is his use of a DBX 120A sub harmonic synthesizer effect on his guitar. No, it’s not a typical synth—it boosts the bass on the bottom strings of his guitar, subtly adding what sounds like a bass player to the mix. Between that and Ruby’s boot-bells to create the snare effect, you essentially have a full band. Bravo Bird Mancini! (T Max) - THE NOISE

February 2013 Issue
BIRD MANCINI?Cat in the Cradle, Byfield MA?11/17/12?Finz, Salem MA?12/21/12
As a publisher/editor of the Noise, I actually avoid seeing too much of the same act. One reason is so I see as many different acts as possible, but the other is that I usually don’t enjoy hearing the same songs or watching the same performance too often. This is just not the case with Bird Mancini, the husband (Billy Carl Mancini) and wife (Ruby Bird) powerhouse duet (they do play with a full band sometimes, too). I could see them twice a week and be happy. They are two well-balanced talented artists who totally entertain me. At the Cat in the Cradle show, they play two 45-minute sets on a large four-foot-tall stage and only add one cover to each set. It shows off their sophisticated pop- rock style songwriting skills. They are well-lit with spotlights and everyone in the audience has a perfect view of them. At Fins they fill three hours with music, while set up on the floor in a corner with a column partially blocking the view for some. Although they play many more covers, their originals really stand out. I love “Green Walls,” a song with a beautiful build to an almost dissonant crescendo. They don’t play the song very often, so I’m happy to hear it. A lot of their fans from all over New England show up at Finz and it’s good to see them too.
Ruby Bird is a multi-instrumentalist with accordion and percussion (bells on her feet) her main tools, but she’ll pick up a melodica, harmonica, or glockenspiel to add the right flavor to any song. Her biggest asset is her phenomenal vocal ability. She’ll take it soft and sweet with one song and be belting the next one out like Tina Turner invaded her spirit. Billy Carl Mancini could be Eric Clapton’s younger brother—he’s an excellent guitarist, rhythmically perfect, and he posseses a set of vocal cords that surprise you when you don’t expect it. Their skill at songwriting sets the stage for their musical talents,  proving the one plus one equals more than two. And I’ll keep coming back for more as long as they keep performing.    (T Max) - THE NOISE

CD REVIEWS Dec. 2010
Silver Circle Reviews CD OF THE MONTH!

BIRD MANCINI
Tuning In/Tuning Out 12-song CD
Ruby Bird and Billy Carl Mancini’s latest release is also their coolest one to date. Twelve lush Beatles-influenced original tunes tinged with a bit of blues and a bit of flower power; and always Ruby’s soulful vocals and Billy’s first-rate musicianship. Ruby also contributes harmonica, accordion, melodica, and glockenspiel. Billy brings the guitars, keys, bass, and percussion. The tunes have very personal lyrics and after listening to the project as a whole, one gets the romantic idea that the metaphorical words in the many love songs were written for each other: and there is a comfort in the familiarity of the idea as well. Steve Gilligan and Sal Baglio from the Stompers, blues siren Madeleine Hall, and Low Budget’s Tim Casey also appear on the melodies. Songs like “Truth,” “Because It’s December,” and “Didn’t Last Long Did It?” are radio friendly, while “(I Want My Own) Brian Epstein” and “Tuning In/Tuning Out” best illustrate their likable style. (A.J. Wachtel) - THE NOISE

LIVE REVIEWS DECEMBER 2010 BIRD MANCINI

In A Pig’s Eye, Salem, NH 11/13/10
When I arrive at the Pig’s Eye, Billy and Ruby of Bird Mancini are just starting to load in. The “stage” area is occupied by patrons still eating their dinner—but tonight the sound of chewing will not substitute for entertainment. Bird Mancini sets up and launches into the quirky “I Want My Own Brian Epstein” from their new CD, Tuning In/Tuning Out. They’re playing two and a half hours tonight so even though they have four full-length CDs of their own material, they like to dip into the world of covers. They include songs by the Beatles, the Who, Three Dog Night, Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, George Harrison, and Tommy James. “Crimson & Clover” gets the entire bar singing along. One youthful good-looking couple playfully dances in the open space in front of the band. They look like a young Jimmy Fallon and Amy Poehler as they smile away and take over the visual part of the show.

I’ve been listening to Tuning In/Tuning Out all this week and it’s fun to see how the duet translates the full production of the recorded songs. “Green Walls” and “Because It’s December” hold up fine, while I personally have to fill in the choir on “Truth” and can almost hear the clarinet solo in “Didn’t Last Long.” Ruby is a wonderful singer who frequently belts it out while playing accordion and percussion, but it’s Billy who holds the fort down with his mastery of the guitar and his own set of pipes. (T Max) - THE NOISE

I can honestly tell you without a trace of shame that I had to look up who Brian Epstein was. His name, being the subject matter of the new Bird Mancini song “(I Want My Own) Brian Epstein”, was vaguely familiar but something inside wasn’t clicking. So, while listening to the brilliant song off Bird Mancini’s new album Tuning In/ Tuning Out, I was reminded, through the help of a simple internet search, that the man in question was the manager of some British band called The Beatles. I’m not familiar with these “Beatle” fellows but Mr. Epstein also managed the sensational Gerry & the Pacemakers. If Bird Mancini had their own Brian Epstein perhaps they could be as big as Gerry & the Pacemakers as well; maybe even bigger! Mr. Epstein would alert the public to this amazingly talented and creative force from Boston. 
 
Bird Mancini is comprised of the husband and wife team of Ruby Bird and Billy Carl Mancini. Ruby handles some vocals and the keyboards while Billy takes care of the guitar work and the other vocals. Most of the time when husbands and wives team up the results are the police being called or divorce but here the outcome is a beautiful album of very diverse rock music that has more layers than baklava. “Because it’s December” has a great steady pace that draws you in like a warm fire on a winter’s night. What gets me involved is the ease of which the melody flows not only here but on all of their songs. They clearly listened to the Beatles enough to learn about how to write a brilliant melody without listening too much as to accidently steal some. These songs are all 100% original without a trace of too much influence from any one source. “Green Walls” is a wonderful acoustic song featuring Billy on vocals. The melody is easy and relaxing even at the end with his electric guitar comes in to close the song out. “Didn’t Last Long Did It” feels like I have transported into the roaring 1920’s. The song, clocking in at a quick 1:42, is highlighted by a skillfully played clarinet handled by Cliff Tetle. Ruby’s voice fits this song like a glove and if I have one wish it’s for more of this.   This is easily a glorious highlight on a great album. Ruby’s unique voice has a wonderful quiver in it that makes it slightly flawed in a beautiful way. “Truth” though finds Ruby flexing her vocals pipes with a great upbeat song accompanied by a heavenly choir. Her voice is easily capable of leading the choir and the hints of organ and accordion in the background give the song a great down home feel. “Green Jam” though is an instrumental featuring the guitar work of Billy. Man alive can he put together a great jam! His sound is clean and just righteous! It’s an absolute classic of an instrumental even though it’s an annoying 1:31 long. I say annoying because it’s like getting a one spoonful of the greatest chocolate mousse ever made and then watching the waiter take the bowl away. 
 
This is a solid release that Bird Mancini should be proud to have in their catalog as it raises the bar for “local” bands everywhere. On Tuning In/ Tuning Out they take a step closer to they’re destiny of well deserved national recognition. The album is well done and way above expectations. If they keep releasing albums like this they might end up as big as that great band Brian Epstein managed who went by the simple name of…Gerry & the Pacemakers.
 
Key Tracks: Didn’t Last Long Did It, Because it’s December, Written in The Stars
 
Doug Morrissey- MuzikReviews.com Staff - Muzikreviews.com

Another release from Bird Mancini, the husband and wife team of Billy Carl Mancini and Ruby Bird, finds the duo again in top form and again stretching their own boundaries. Tuning In/Tuning Out maintains the usual qualities of their CDs. This time around, though, they show more of their Beatles influence, get a little bit edgier, and their lyrics get a little bit quirkier.
There’s a tune here called “(I Want My Own) Brian Epstein” and yes, the song is about The Beatles’ manager who committed suicide in the mid-1960s. Written by Mancini, the song is about an artist crying out for a manager to take care of his business interests as well as Epstein took care of The Beatles. It is a fun song in which Bird Mancini get away with wearing their Beatles’ influence on their sleeve. They have a Ringo Starr style drumbeat from Larry Harvey, and, Bird’s accordion sustains reminds of the Fab Four’s experimental 60s material. Mancini even stretches his timbre to sound Lennonesque. The couple are actually clever enough to pull this off, sounding more like homage than copycats.
Bird contributes the beautiful “Didn’t Last Long, Did It” and it is masterpiece pastiche of 1920s jazz elements. It makes you picture the jazz era and The Great Gatsby years. Clarinet and bass clarinet, alto and tenor sax, all from one player, Cliff Tetle brings the melody lines home with his tasteful, elegant playing. Bird also recruited for this one song upright bass player Ken Steiner, ukulele player Glenn Williams, and they all work wonders around Bird’s accordion progressions. This song makes one long for a simpler decade, when musicians had time to work with multitudes of beautiful melody lines over jaunty rhythms.
Opening title track “Tuning In/Tuning Out” explodes with sound at the beginning. Bird sings in her girlish timbre, sustaining vocal notes sweetly, appealingly, and Mancini’s guitar and harmonica rock right out. There’s a lot of snap, crackle, and pop going on, and the couple load this one up with plenty of sounds and they’re all good. Mancini’s guitar phrases are heavy duty, coming out of nowhere and suddenly building up strong. Each song on the whole Tuning In/Tuning Out CD has its own unique architecture. Bird Mancini create more atmospheres and soundscapes with the use of the instruments they’ve always used. They just stretch those uses here.
“Green Walls” features solid acoustic guitar and Mancini’s voice sounding a bit Lennonesque again in his pop music drawl. He does a fine job layering this one. It is also interesting how he uses different instruments and dynamics to build a song up. Acoustic guitar and accordion usher this one in gently and firmly, but the tune eventually gets taken over by electric guitar and edgy accordion. “Northridge” truly has ethereal beauty in Bird’s voice, which is a little bit silkier here and Mancini’s background coos are dreamy and washy. His voicing does much to augment, in contrast, what Bird can do vocally. Between the contrast of vocals, that soundscape atmosphere comes into play again. Mancini creates many nice atmospheres with his electric picking style, single notes, brittle, resonate with tone. He also bends and sustains notes in a way that creates something greater than the individual notes. Sven Larson’s electric upright provides this song’s smooth, eloquent flow of low end, which blends in with while also supporting the atmosphere.
Bird and Mancini do some vocal magic on “Because It’s December.” Mancini’s voice rides it range on this one in a sensitive tone on some verses moments before getting edgier on his hooky chorus. Drama comes from his shifting dynamics and timbres and he just grabs your ear when he belts “because it’s December. The couple’s tune “Truth” rocks things up a bit. The guitar and organ have a distinctive 60s R&B influence yet the beat is pure rock and roll fun and the chorus has that glory feel of a gospel choir.
Bird Mancini offer a lot to the ear. On “Bridge 51” Bird’s svelte voice paves the way for a gentle push of understated accordion. Mancini’s easy going drawl fills out the love song lyrics of “Written In The Stars” and he powers a Peter Green influenced instrumental called “Green Jam” with his guitar darting around John Bridge’s bass and Larry Harvey’s drums. The CD closes out with “Raindrops” in which Mancini plays lovely bass notes and his manipulation of a glockenspiel puts this CD a cut above what most local bands are doing these days. - Bill Copeland Music News

BIRD MANCINI
TUNING IN/TUNING OUT

TOP 5 For JAN. 2011

12 SONG CD

TUNING IN/TUNING OUT
GREEN WALLS
(I Want My Own) BRIAN EPSTEIN
DIDN'T LAST LONG DID IT?
NORTHRIDGE
BECAUSE IT'S DECEMBER
TRUTH
BRIDGE 51
WRITTEN IN THE STARS
GREEN JAM
RAINDROPS
TUNING IN/TUNING OUT (Radio Edit)

In case you were wondering where the name Bird Mancini comes from, founding members Bill & Ruby Mason went back in their ancestry and tool their respective grandfathers' let names, Bird and Mancini and combined them to create Bird Mancini. A smart idea, especially if you consider you'll probably never hear of another band with that same name.
Billy & Ruby have been playing the Boston music scene longer than I care to admit ('cause I've been around just as long too). On their latest album, Tuning In/Tuning Out, the couple delivers the best work of their career. Whether penning pop perfection as with the album's title track, "Tuning In/Tuning Out;" grindin'out a clever psychedelic groove on "(I Want My Own) Brian Epstein," be-boppin' a honky tonk vibe with "Didn't Last Long Did It?," or busting out with six strings blazing on "Green Jam," Bird Mancini have undoubtedly hit their stride. Good stuff! - METRONOME MAGAZINE

METRONOME REVIEW OF DVD-by Doug Sloan February 2005

BIRD MANCINI
BIRDS IN THE ATTIC
15 TRACK DVD

Bird Mancini is one of the few Boston acts that have had the opportunity to record a DVD of one of their live shows. Shot at the famed Attic in Newton in March of 2004 it features the lineup of Ruby Bird (Mason) on vocals, keyboards, accordion, harmonica and melodica, Billy Carl Mancini (Mason) on vocals and guitar, Kevin Mahoney on vocals and bass guitar and Nancy Delaney on vocals and drums, Bird Mancini took full advantage of cameras rolling and delivered a high quality musical performance.
Outstanding footage of songs from the band’s latest release Year of Change includes the tracks “Wrong People” with excellent vocal harmonies, Bill’s tasteful guitar work on “Year of Change,” the contemporary cool of “Long Gone Blues,” the anthemic swoon of “Love Holds On,” “Just Wait and See” punctuated by Ruby’s fine accordion work and the super-slick “You’re My Obsession.”
Expertly filmed by Mr. Curt, Diane Andronica, Chuck Rosina, Ms Donna and Tim Casey and produced and edited by Casey for his Lowbudget Records company, Bird Mancini’s Birds In The Attic is a soaring masterpiece of sight and sound!

Contact--www.birdmancini.com
www.lowbudgetrecords.com
- Metronome Magazine

IndieMusicStop.com

CD Review: Bird Mancini - Funny Day

Artist: Bird Mancini
Title: Funny Day
Website: http://www.birdmancini.com
Style: Psychedelic Rock / Pop
Rating: 8.40 out of 10
By Senior Staff Writer C.W. Ross

At the heart of Bird Mancini are Ruby Bird (vocals, keyboards, harmonica, accordion) and Billy Carl Mancini (vocals, electric and acoustic guitars). You'll also find several other musicians providing additional instrumentation on individual songs on Funny Day.

As soon as Funny Day starts to play, you realize that you're in for a real treat. The 13 tracks found on Funny Day have a rock n' roll base with many elements added on top. Every style from pop and psychedelic rock to
a capella and even a dash of an alt-country sound can be found on the song "Long Road Home."

Bird Mancini fans have been waiting almost three years for this new release. I think that they'll find the wait was well worth it. Funny Day features rich harmonies, lush vocal arrangements and enough interesting nuance to fill up the famed California Rose Bowl.

Ruby and Billy share lead vocals on the songs, but the other one is always there to provide those rich harmonies. The interplay between Billy's ever-changing guitar riffs and Ruby's accordion really clicks. I've never heard the accordion used so well in a rock n' roll release.

As for those nuance sounds, they come by way of a massive list of instruments, some of which I've never have heard of before. Here are just a few of them: e-bow, glockenspiel, avocado shaker, cabasa, claves, kalimba, guiro, washboard, egg shaker, cowbell, ocean drum, triangle and monk bell.

Funny Day ends with the poignant song "Red Geraniums." It's poetry set to music. Ruby's grandmother liked to write poems and Red Geraniums was one of them that had a special meaning and was recited at her funeral. After hearing the poem many times, a song snapped into Ruby's mind for it and she dedicated this song to her grandmother.

With Funny Day Bird Mancini manages to pull from music's past and mix it with modern musical elements to create a sound that, while sounding familiar, is still fresh and innovative. - IndieMusicStop.com

THE BOSTON BLUES NEWS

Bird Mancini - Funny Day
Second Story Records
by Bill Copeland
August 2007

A singer-songwriter duo with a classic rock and blues influence, Bird Mancini incorporates many instruments and stylistic flavorings. Offering a salad bar of sound to the ear with every individual savory piece, Ruby Bird and Billy Carl Mancini have a breezy fresh approach on their new CD, Funny Day.

Opening with "Holly," Mancini’s reflection on a lonely girl from his school days, the duo make the most of their harmonies and breezy lead vocal interplay. Each gives strength to the song, instead of one singer merely backing the other. Its breezy vocal work makes it a pleasant listen. Meanwhile, a bristling lead guitar line gives it an edge, and this comes alive with such contrast.

"A Funny Day To Be Alive" offers more of the duos’ trade offs. Yet, they and their backing musicians show their new maturity here. This reflection on the meaning of life, inspired by their experience with a terminally ill man in hospice care, floats by with confidence and compassion, and this can be heard in their warm vocal inflections.

"Better Man" has a chorus that makes me think this track will soon find its way to radio. Catchy without contrivance, it latches onto to the ear and refuses to let go. The song is also infused with confident twists and turns.

"The Other Side" gets the full attention of Bird’s lead vocal for half the song. Her voice pulls this mellow tune along a casual path, until she gets to stretch out a little bit in the chorus. She really came into her own as a vocalist on the first Bird Mancini album. Now she’s a force to be reckoned with.

Bird gets even more aggressive on the up-tempo "Through Your Eyes," where she comes tastefully just short of belting - showing control of her tone.

Bird Mancini have a sound that is easy to follow. But they are by no mean simplistic. There are lots of subtle things going on underneath the surface. I like what Bird does here with her synthesized vibes, creating melodic notes that dart in and out.

"Rest Of My Life" offers more of the vocal interplay and accordion work that preceded it. Mancini’s guitar eventually takes the reins, and makes the sound ride out with distinction.

Reminding me of John Lennon and The Beatles, "So Cool" is clearly a sarcastic attack on people who live the music lifestyle for the wrong reasons. Bill’s guitar solo here reminds me of "She’s So Heavy" from Abbey Road. There is a lot of fun meanness in this piece, with Bird’s menacing tone taking someone down a verbal dark alley.

A nice break after "So Cool," "No Saints Can Say" features their combined vocal prowess, cooing in harmony for several seconds.

"Somedays" gets a ska beat from percussionist Eric Michael Kelly on congas, while "Heart Of The City" receives a fine electric guitar atmospheric from Mancini. Meanwhile, Ruby’s accordion fills in the spaces in this aggressive piece, and this texture makes it an even more palpable rocker.

Ruby further displays her ability with accordion texture on "Long Road Home," a shuffling country two-step with drummer Jim Clements giving it something people could groove to at their local honky-tonks. "Not This Time" showcases more of Mancini’s tasty guitar licks in this classic rock inspired ballad with many twists and turns in the songs direction.

Ruby even wrote washy accordion melodies to her grandmother’s poem "Red Geraniums," a piece that challenged her ability to set herself to someone else’s words, and she met the challenge admirably. Her voice sounds dreamy, other-worldly, and contemplative, bringing a new texture of emotion to the words.

This third studio album by the couple under their Bird Mancini moniker - and their fourth if you count their disc as The Sky Blues - plays out in part like a Ruby Bird lecture-demonstration of the accordion. Without pretension, Ms Bird can use her accordion to great effect in many kinds of song structures. Although "Not This Time" is primarily a slow guitar burn ballad, Ruby holds her own on the squeeze box before she eventually shifts gears and turns the piece into an accordion ballad.

I could go on and on. There are many nice details in this new Bird Mancini release. Audiophiles, taste mongers, upscale night clubs, and the duo’s own loyal following will likely find themselves returning for repeated listening. Enjoy!
https://bostonblues.org/blog/bird-mancini-funny-day/ - THE BOSTON BLUES NEWS

BIRD MANCINI
FUNNY DAY
Reviewed by Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck
MuzikReviews.com

Genre: Rock-Psychedelic
Label: Second Story Records

After a three year wait Bird Mancini has returned with a follow up to Year of Change.  Funny Day is step away from the previous release in that it is more focused on one style and sound.

Funny Day is made up of 13 infectious and addictive rock-pop-psych gems. Once again, Billy Carl Mancini and Ruby Bird form the dynamic duo (sorry Batman fans, lack of other descriptive words don’t come to mind at the moment). Billy and Ruby provide a great vocal interplay and some beautiful harmonies on every track. Billy wails away on his guitar as Ruby’s accordion is a constant in the background-and after a fashion, it sounds like a soothing and underlying organ vibe to flesh out the tracks.

The two factors that are paramount to any successful recording are stellar musicianship and vocals that can live up to the musical output and blend with it effortlessly.  The couple manages this process very well and come out of it with 13 unyielding tracks. The title track is my spot on pick for airplay and the follow up to that would be “Rest Of My Life.”  If I were a DJ that is how I would spin them. Those are two favorites; the rest of the album is completely enjoyable as well. “Heart Of The City” is a unique tune, Billy starts it off with Lou Reed like intro and continues to interject the lyrics this way in between singing verses normally, it provides a break for reflection and puts an entirely different spin on it while emphasizing the importance of what the song means. The track offers some cynicism on life in corporate USA…the daily grind and teeth clenching drive into the city, then all the arriving suits looking like the clones they are walking the streets to their clone like destinations.

I think the message here is that although many have found success and money in big business they have become the robots of the corporations that created them-A modern day Stepford Wives ( a 70s flick that was remade in 2004) if you will. This is something I have referenced several times because it puts this kind of thought process into proper perspective, if you are familiar with the movie it will make sense.

The message comes across clearly and never gets lost in the music; the sounds provided actually act as a launching pad for the lyrics and allow them to enter your consciousness effectively as you rock out. This is a perfect combination and the CD booklet has all the lyrics to encourage this. I actually checked out all the lyrics after listening to this CD for the fourth or fifth time. Although I was paying attention with each listen, I found revisiting the words in silence allowed me to digest this project. My ears and mind became one (hopefully as the artist intended it) upon the next listen. That is how it worked for me and I loved every second of it.

Interesting enough I spoke to Billy and told him I thought it was quite different from the last release and his response was “You are the first person that said that,” and hopefully not the last otherwise, I will start wondering if I am really living on a different planet as my wife always tells me.

This is a triumphant return for this marvelous Boston based band. Anyone that enjoys rock and pop and has an affinity for 60s psychedelic tinged pop (Beatles, Stones etc.) will love this CD.

© MuzikReviews.com-Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

May 20, 2007 - MuzikReviews.com

Bird Mancini
(Tuesday at 8pm, Great Scott)
Any band that bills itself as a husband-wife/accordion-guitar rock duo is worth investigating. Even more so when the tandem enlists musical friends such as The Sterns and Bentmen. Great reviews for the outfit's third and latest album, "Funny Day," don't hurt either. Led by the core of singer-accordionist-keyboardist Ruby Bird and singer-guitarist Billy Carl Mancini, Bird Mancini mix up a cosmopolitan fusion of blues-tinged rock, Latin-flavored bossa nova, country-folk balladry, and woolly psychedelia. What it adds up to is pop music in the most adventurous inclusive sense of the term.
-Jonathan Perry, Boston Globe, 11/2/07 - BOSTON GLOBE

CD PICK OF THE MONTH July-Aug 2007

BIRD MANCINI
Funny Day
13-song CD
What Funny Day isn’t: punk, garage, or metal of any kind. What Funny Day is: ’60s pop, blues, and rock with a whole lot of other things thrown in there—did I hear some loungy bossa nova? This CD is a veritable goulash of musical ingredients mixed in just the right proportions—two cups of outstanding vocals, six or seven cups of amazing musicianship, a few tablespoons of electric guitar, bass, and drums, a dash of accordion, and a pinch of glockenspiel, piano, tambourine—that the ratio of ingredients creates a brand new dish. Every song is superb but here’s what stands out in my mind at the moment: “Holly”—lush layered vocals reminiscent of ’60s vocal groups (a recurring sound throughout the CD). “So Cool”—Lucinda Williams with less twang and even more grit. “Red Geraniums”—Annie Lennox meets Tom Waits. I hope Bird Mancini keeps the recipe for this concoction; I want many more servings of this stuff. (Robin Umbley)
- THE NOISE

Doug's Top 5 for August 2007 in Metronome Magazine:

BIRD MANCINI
Funny Day
13-song CD

The husband and wife team of Ruby and Bill are the heart and soul behind the band Bird Mancini. On their latest album, Funny Day, the duo employs a host of side musicians that include bassists John Bridge, Rick Calcagni & Sven Larson, drummers Larry Harvey, Jim Clements & Mike Ahrens, percussionist Eric Michael Kelley, violinist Clara Kebabian and guitarist Mr. Curt to bring their well-penned compositions to fruition. The album opens with a song called "Holly" that finds Ruby and Bill sharing lead vocal chores. This song is a real masterpiece both lyrically and musically and should be a big seller on iTunes.
There's no escaping the Beatles influences on Funny Day or the psychedelic feel to this album, and whether intentional or not, Ruby and Bill create some of the coolest vocal harmonies and melodies since the heydays of the sixties. Songs of particular note to Beatles fans include "Rest of My Life," and the Sgt. Pepper's era influenced "So Cool." But that's not all Bird Mancini offers up from their extensive bag of tricks. There's a beautiful Celtic number that was originally written by Ruby's grandmother called "Red Geraniums," a gorgeously recorded and produced vocal track entitled "No Saints Can Say," and a Pink Floyd inspired song called "Heart of The City" that will give you an idea of the depth of this talented act.
With a mounting catalog of recorded music, Bird Mancini's new CD, Funny Day, is another colorful feather in their cap.
-Doug Sloan, Metronome Magazine, August 2007 - METRONOME MAGAZINE

Over two years ago, I was fascinated with the band called Bird Mancini. Their self-titled album captured my imagination and kept me interested from start to finish. Today their music came knockin' on my door again. Two years and hundreds of reviews later, I could not remember exactly what they sounded like, but I knew I liked them! Well, it did not take long...after putting on their new disc Year of Change I shook out those cobwebs and reintroduced myself to their great sound.



There is one problem here; they gave me 14 tracks of eclectic mesmerizing music to sink my teeth into, again, so where do I start? Well, there are four people in this band, two men and two women. Ruby Bird and Billy Carl Mancini share the lead vocal duties while Kevin Mahoney thumps away on the bass (and sings lead vocals on two songs "Oh, Babe" and "You're Not Alone") and Nancy Delaney provides the rhythm for him to keep in step with on the drums, in between all of that action they both provide steadfast backup vocals. Bird is a multi-instrumentalist on keys, accordion, melodica (and backup vocals), while Mancini plays one mean ass guitar and provides some percussion (and backup vocals).



Two blues soaked rockers are what caught my ear the most. "Just Wait And See" and "Long Gone Blues." The spirit of these two songs is what makes them so convincing, and the character of the entire album keeps the ball-rollin' non-stop throughout the run of this impressive recording. At first when you hear their name, curiosity gets the best of you and you have to check them out, then you hear their music...it's all she wrote, you are sold, it is the knockout punch floors you. When you hear the hook filled "Someone Like You" or the opening swamp boogie licks from the closing track "The Future's Begun," I guarantee you will be coming back for more on a regular basis. This band is fresh, different, and very progressive, now that is my cup of tea, how about you?



*Evoultion Scale: 9/10 - Evolvingartist.com -Keith "Muzikman" Hannaleck

Fronted by the husband and wife team of Billy Carl Mancini and Ruby Mason, Bird Mancini is one of Boston's finest blues-rock acts. With the addition of two new band members, Kevin Mahoney on bass guitar & vocals, and Nancy Delaney on drums & vocals, Bill and Ruby seem to have found their musical counterparts as is evident on their latest offering Year Of Change.
This is by far the best recording (Bird Mancini) have ever released either under the Bird Mancini moniker or by their old group, The Sky Blues. Solid compositions bolstered by lush arrangements, layered instrumentation and great vocal performances by both Ruby and Bill, set this disc in a category of it's own.
Whether the band's pumpin' out a power groove like the album opener "Wrong People," complete with great harmonica playing and a slick guitar solo outro, laying down a tremolo laden spy/surf riff like "Don't You Fall" punctuated by Ruby's fine vocals or dealing up the power anthem "Love Holds On," with its mesmerizing guitar hook & tone and Ruby's stellar singing, Bird Mancini is clearly on to something special.
Other album highlights include the country tinged "Just Wait And See," complete with the addition of some slippery accordion work by Ruby, and the Three Dog Night influenced "Someone Like You." If you haven't had the pleasure of hearing Bird Mancini before, I highly suggest you seek out this album at CDbaby.com or on the band's website. You'll be in for a real treat.
- Metronome Magazine -Doug Sloan