Ready for prime time
Holbrook native Brian Scully was living a hockey fan's dream. For two years the Boston University journalism grad worked for the Boston Bruins, writing game stories and program notes for the club's website and program.
But an owners' lockout knocked the National Hockey League out of commission for the 2004-2005 season. And Scully with it.
Enter music, a lifelong passion for Scully, who now lives in Scituate. He is lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter in Carmen's Condition, a band on the verge of perhaps being the next big thing in local music or beyond. On Wednesday at 8:20 a.m., the band will play live on Fox 25 Morning News -- a sort of ''Good Morning America" moment, said Scully.
''We highlight new up-and-coming bands, local acts that are booking into the hottest local venues," said Dot Joyce, segment producer for Fox 25 Morning News.
Scully, a 1998 graduate of Archbishop Williams High School in Braintree, called the appearance ''huge."
''It really is. And it's just been a great year for us," he said.
Scully, 25, and fellow band founder Chris Petrillo of Connecticut wrote the music for the band's first CD, ''Spaces Long Unknown." ''This is after we just did a five-week residency on Tuesday nights at Harpers Ferry in Boston and started getting airplay on WBCN," said Scully.
Also part of the band are drummer Gus Lawlor of Braintree, a former English teacher at Archbishop Williams, and his wife, Susan Picillo, a drama teacher at the school, who does backup vocals on the album. Bassist Dan ''Doc" Giulotti of East Boston played on the CD; the current live bass player is Scotland native Dave Nicol of Boston.
The CD is being sold in Newbury Comics, said Scully. ''We're hard pressed to come up with a name for our style, but it's original radio rock," he said. ''We're mainstream rock, we're not reinventing the wheel; we're just taking our acoustic-driven rock songs and giving it our own spin."
He still misses the Bruins, he said, but loves music more.
''There's a lot of good things happening at once," he said. Music ''is something I'll always do the rest of my life, but if things don't work out now, it's a hobby. But for now, it's my focus. To have this stuff happening to us is pretty rewarding."
Carmen's Condition is scheduled to play at The Middle East nightclub in Boston Dec. 1, and at T.T. the Bear's Place in Cambridge Dec. 21. The band's website is carmenscondition.com.
LEAD ROLE Nicole Brathwaite, 17, of Dedham, a student at Boston Arts Academy, has one of the two title roles in a Brandeis Theater Company premier, ''The Two Orphans," which plays at Brandeis University Dec. 1-11. The play is written by Theresa Rebeck.
The acting company performing the work is largely made up of professional actors and Brandeis students, and ''such prominence speaks well of Nicole's talents," said David E. Nathan, a university spokesman.
''The Two Orphans" traces the story of two African-American sisters in New Orleans who struggle with survival in the aftermath of the Civil War and their liberation from slavery.
TURKEY GIVEAWAY Tens of thousands of people dining on turkey today have the brother and sister team of Dan and Betsy Nally of Westwood to thank for it. The Greater Boston Food Bank was scheduled to deliver 30,000 turkeys this year, thanks in large part to the Nallys' efforts.
The brother and sister began ''Turkeys 4 America" in 1996, a program that quickly went national and to date has provided more than 1 million servings of turkey for the needy, food bank officials said. The food bank disseminates turkeys through its network of more than 600 member hunger-relief agencies throughout Eastern Massachusetts. For more information, visit www.turkeys4america.org.
BUSINESS BRIEFS Michael Schlow of Westwood, a partner in Boston restaurants Radius, Via Matta, and Great Bay, was honored by the Big Sister Association at its 25th anniversary gala held Nov. 19 at Boston's Copley Plaza Hotel. Schlow along with partners Christopher Myers and Esti Parsons were honored for their support of the agency's annual celebrity chef fund-raising event, which has raised more than $250,000 in six years. The partners received the Big Sister Achievement Award.
Home Systems Design Associates has completed expansion of its Norwell headquarters at 70 Accord Park Drive. The company also has a newly redesigned showroom at its 76 Accord Park Drive address, said company president and CEO Richard A. King.
Chiara, a 96-seat Mediterranean-style bistro, is scheduled to open in December at 569 High St. in Westwood. It is owned by Steven LaCount of Norwood and Joseph Rocco of Watertown. LaCount is an executive chef who worked for 22 years in that capacity at The Country Club in Brookline. Rocco worked with him for 15 years at the club. The restaurant is named after LaCount's grandmother, he said.
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