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Bronson Arroyo Rocks Out!
For those of you who dont know him, Bronson Arroyo was in the starting pitching rotation for the 2004 Championship Red Sox team. This sunday he showed Boston that he could do much more than pitch! The man totally rocked out on Sunday night as well as Boston Red Sox General Manager, Theo Epstien. I saw videos on Red Sox Inside Out (NESN TV Show) Arroyo was pretty damn good. Maybe I was just surprised that one of my favorite pitchers totally revealed this talent. Either way, its a cool story to read.
http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/ne..._mlb&fext=.jsp
Quote:
Red Sox rock out for a good cause
Arroyo, Epstein perform at benefit for cancer research
By Ian Browne / MLB.com
tickets for any Major League Baseball game
BOSTON -- Imagine Eddie Vedder stepping on the Fenway Park mound and firing seven innings of three-hit ball on a July evening against the Yankees. That's essentially the equivalent of what Red Sox right-hander Bronson Arroyo did on Sunday night, as he rocked out in front of a thrilled, packed house of roughly 850 patrons at the Paradise in Boston.
Arroyo stole the spotlight at the fifth annual Hot Stove, Cool Music concert, playing the guitar and handling lead vocals while belting out his best imitation of tunes by Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots and other grunge bands.
Hot Stove, Cool Music has become a can't-miss event for those Bostonians who have an equal passion for baseball and music. All proceeds go to the cancer-fighting Jimmy Fund. The event was the brainchild of Hall of Fame baseball journalist Peter Gammons and Boston Herald Red Sox scribe Jeff Horrigan, but neither of the creators ever fathomed how quickly it would take off.
"I'm not sure I totally understand it, except that it's Boston," Gammons said. "It crosses all lines, demographics, ages -- it's really become fun."
Particularly for Arroyo, who learned how to play the guitar roughly five years ago and never took the stage until his impromptu set with teammate Kevin Millar at last year's Hot Stove, Cool Music show.
"That was the first time I ever played the guitar standing up," said Arroyo.
This time, Arroyo didn't just stand up -- he stood out, playing with his own band and sounding like a man who performs concerts with the same regularity he pitches.
"Bronson Arroyo is tremendous," said Gammons. "He has a chance to be a really, really good singer. When Bronson is done with his day job, his day job will be music."
It's just that Arroyo has no current desire to be a professional musician.
"I don't think I ever will," Arroyo said. "I'd love to sit with friends in a little dirty bar with 40 people in there and play tunes, but I don't think I want to do the real deal. This is awesome to do every now and again, but I don't think I could handle the grind of the music world."
But Arroyo did prove that he is willing to grind it out. Following Saturday night's informal concert -- which was performed for corporate sponsors -- Arroyo woke up with a scratchy throat. You'd never know it by the way the lyrics sounded coming from his mouth during Sunday's show.
"It goes away when you get on stage," said Arroyo. "It was awesome. It's totally different than baseball. It's a totally different environment pitching in front of 50,000 people. This, to me, it's more energetic. Baseball is a little slower."
With Spring Training still more than a month away, Arroyo will continue to moonlight as a musician this week when he flies to Los Angeles to record his own CD.
"I'm going to do a lot of early '90s covers. I picked 11 out of the 12 songs on the album," said Arroyo.
"People will buy his albums," said Red Sox left-handed reliever Lenny DiNardo, who also performed at Sunday's show. "He's that good."
During baseball season, Arroyo often entertains teammates on the road by playing some of the hundreds of songs he knows.
What are his favorites?
"The stuff we played tonight," said Arroyo. "Early '90s grunge: Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Alice In Chains."
While Arroyo trained his whole life to be a pitcher, the music has come into his life fast and furious.
"Honestly, I never sang a note or did anything like this in my life until I played the guitar in '99," said Arroyo. "I'm just having fun with it, man. It's fun to get out there and play songs that I love. It's different [than pitching]. This is a little more nerve-wracking, especially the guitar part. The singing is no problem for me."
Arroyo was far from the only headliner. Red Sox general manager (and music junkie) Theo Epstein played guitar for the third straight year. However, for the first time, Epstein was without the members of his band, Trauser.
"A lot of work and family commitments kept us from getting together in December," said Epstein. "We're going to get together again later in the year."
This time, Epstein played with professionals, including Buffalo Tom and Bill Janovitz.
"Hopefully I'll be a little more comfortable each successive year," said Epstein. "I'm not even a rookie, I'm a Little Leaguer up there compared to these guys. I'll try not to screw up their sets."
The night had an electric feel to it. Kay Hanley also performed, as did the Dropkick Murphys, Juliana Hatfield, The Gentleman and Gammons, who is an accomplished guitarist and singer.
"It's one of the best nights of the year," said Epstein. "You get the best of baseball, the best of music, and you put it all together for a great cause, the Jimmy Fund."
Thanks in large part to a silent auction, event organizers expected this year's concert to raise more than $130,000 for the Jimmy Fund, shattering the record $75,000 raised a year ago.
One fan paid $22,000 to sit at a 2005 Sox game with Epstein. So impressed by how much people were willing to donate to the Jimmy Fund, Epstein also accepted a $21,000 bid from another fan for a different game.
The World Series trophy was also on hand, with fans paying $25 to have their picture taken with the most prized piece of sporting hardware in New England sports history.
In fact, the historic conquest of the 2004 Red Sox just might have been what put this year's Hot Stove, Cool Music concert over the top.
"Winning the World Series was the key," said Horrigan. "The first year, we didn't sell out, but we had a big crowd. The second year, we sold out the night of the show. The third year, it was like 10 days before. The fourth year, three days before. This year, we sold it out in 48 hours. There's been a massive demand for tickets. So many bands contact us about wanting to play. We've had to turn away bands, and that's painful."
Ian Browne is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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__________________
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.
---Aristotle
Deeds, not words, shall speak [for] me.
---John Fletcher
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01-12-2005, 05:16 AM
