Magic Dick, the legendary harmonica player for Boston’s renowned J. Geils Band has joined forces with Shun Ng, a young vocal and acoustic guitar sensation. They return to The Mainstay in Rock Hall, MD on Saturday, June 3, 2017, at 8:00 p.m. Admission is $20 if purchased in advance and $23 at the door. Information and advance ticket sales are available at the Mainstay’s website . Reservations to pay at the door can be made by calling 410-639-9133.

Magic Dick and Shun Ng
This is Magic Dick and Shun Ng’s third appearance at The Mainstay, the second year in a row they have been invited. Both of their earlier shows thrilled the Mainstay audiences and earned them enthusiastic standing ovations. Their music is a soulful, nearly acoustic blues that rocks out and yet is thoughtful, emotional and it is performed by world-class virtuosos on their respective instruments.
Since 1969, Magic Dick has toured the world playing and blowing away clubs and stadiums with the J. Geils Band. The duo happened because Dick heard one of Shun’s recordings and was so taken by it that he called Shun’s manager. He explains, “From the moment I first heard Shun Ng’s CD “Funky Thumb Stuff” I knew that a manifest musical collaboration was about to happen. Shun’s sound simply made me feel very alive and induced in me a synchronous alignment of musical DNA as if it was his intention as well as mine all along. I helped it along by asking his manager, Ralph Jaccodine, to introduce us at his office. A long and enlightening conversation happened on that day of our first meeting and now we are a duo and I couldn’t be more delighted.”
Shun Ng was born in Chicago, raised in Singapore and is now based out of Boston. At 25, he is already an international star, a soulful, world-class guitarist, vocalist, and electric performer who, in a short period of time, has caught the attention of the top players in the music world including the Grammy-winning producer, Quincy Jones who said: “When you see Shun Ng, you won’t believe your eyes nor your ears – he belies all stereotypes, all premonitions. I was simply blown away by both his soul and his science – his creativity and his uniqueness is astounding.”
“In this collaboration with Magic Dick,” Shun says, “we wanted to make music in a way that no one had quite done before while remaining grounded in our roots. Magic Dick brings a powerhouse attack with ferocious precision and a killer groove to this duo. I have great respect for him, he has seemingly done it all, but is still constantly trying to push the boundaries of music and chase the best in himself, a true artist. To be working with a true Boston legend is a real privilege.”
Magic Dick played trumpet when he was young and has his own hybrid approach to making music. “The sonic thing I’m after is a horn-type sound,” he says. “I’m not an accomplished sax or trumpet player — I have dabbled in both of them — but conceptually, the sound I’m after is halfway between a trumpet and sax.”
While Magic Dick has toured with blues harmonica greats like James Cotton, and also performed with rockers from Patty Smith and Debbie Harry to The Del Fuegos he has never played in a duo, or with a fingerstyle guitarist, and his partnership with Ng has been a unique experience.
“Typically, in a band, my role is punctuation phrases, complementary phrases to a vocal as part of an arrangement,” he says. “But in a duo, there’s so much more I’m responsible for, and nothing to hide behind.”
He has been performing with Ng for three years now and working on their sound even longer. “We’re both interested in being in the moment, but to get to that point takes rehearsal,” he says.
And in spite of the difference in their ages, they share many of the same influences. Shun Ng says, “We both have a spirit to innovate, but we come from similar musical roots. At our show, we do a wide range of blues, funk, soul, classic jazz. “We do some Miles Davis — we do that in our way, in this minimalistic format.”
Ng handles the vocals, channeling the spirits of Michael Jackson and James Brown and plays an extraordinarily expressive, percussive guitar. Magic Dick plays harmonica like the innovative legend he is.
The Mainstay (Home of Musical Magic) is the friendly informal storefront performing arts center on Rock Hall’s old time Main Street. It is a 501(c)(3), nonprofit dedicated to the arts, serving Rock Hall, MD, and the surrounding region. It is committed to presenting local, regional and national level talent, at a reasonable price, in an almost perfect acoustic setting. Wine, beer, sodas, and snacks are available at the bar.
The Mainstay is supported by ticket sales, fundraising including donations from friends and audience members and an operating grant from the Maryland State Arts Council.
The Mainstay sells advance tickets online through Instant Seats. Information and advance ticket sales are available on the Mainstay’s website . Follow the Buy Tickets link to buy tickets at the advance price. If you would rather pay at the door, you can make a reservation by calling 410-639-9133 and pay by cash or check at the door.
Upcoming Mainstay performances include:
June 5 Mainstay Monday: Joe Holt welcomes Fred Hughes
June 9 Viktorija Gecyte with Go Trio
June 12 Mainstay Monday: Joe Holt welcomes Celine Mogielnicki
June 16 The Ken & Brad Kolodner Quartet
June 19 Mainstay Monday: Joe Holt welcomes Cody Leavel
June 24 The Chuck Redd Quartet
The Mainstay – On Main Street in Rock Hall
P.O. Box 238, Rock Hall, MD 21661 A 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Corporation
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