Name: Jonathan McGarry. Nickname; Shemp...a nickname given to him by Bosstones frontman (and all-round good guy) Dicky Barrett. "I woke up one morning and my hair was all tossled up. I came to the front lounge and Dicky was sitting there, he looks at me and says "What's up Shemp?" From then on he never called me Jon again. It's also the sign that you've fully entered the Bosstones camp. And hey, at least my name wasn't "Jackass" like a...a-hem, former guitar tech!" So there you go...this story works even better when Jon is explaining it in person, complete with an accurate impression of Dicky!

Born: October 14th 1975 in Buffalo, NY. Jon is one of seven kids (and I thought I had enough siblings)!

Random stuff about Jon.

In order to start this thing, just to have any kind of real substance to Jon's biography, I asked the man himself to supply some interesting facts about his life and times...it's pretty random stuff but I think you'll agree, it's really funny too...so read and enjoy;

Jon has excellent taste in pets, he has a black labrador named Jelly (awww...sweet. Labradors are definitely the best). "Last spring my black lab named Jelly decided it was a good idea to impale herself on a stick she was chasing. I cannot believe she's still alive after driving the stick into her chest cavity. Three layers of stitches and 600 bucks later she is still the best dog ever. Don't even get me started on my first dog, Duffy. That's the dog my dad and I put to sleep ourselves. Although its final moments is one of my better impressions!" Awwwwww...

When mentioning his availability, he simply states; "Happily married (sorry ladies)" ha-ha...and I don't want to burst anyone's bubble but his wife is a very lovely lady too...though I have to admit that I did reveal to her where Jon hides his chocolate...I'm so sorry Jon! Speaking of chocolate, (English chocolate to be exact) Jon is also a big fan...just like the rest of The Kickovers. "I also want you to know that the chocolate was heavenly last week at practice when we were freezing our collective asses off. My favorite was the big fat slab of dark chocolate that Johnny and I pretty much devoured" read a little e-mail Jon sent me after another of my trips to Boston...and yes, I did supply them with chocolate again!!!

Bands Jon has played in prior to joining The Kickovers; Woody, Hopak's Appetizers, Schmeg. "Nothing anyone has ever heard of!"

His favourite bands are; Propagandhi ("They rule the world for me!"), Dag Nasty, Smashing Pumpkins, Kindergarten, Foo Fighters, NOFX, The Clash (excellent choice Jon), ZZ Top ("God I love that band"), Rush ("it's a Buffalo thing"), Fugazi, Faith No More/Mr. Bungle, Tom Waits, Ani Difranco.

Jon has played bass since 4th grade, he was the tallest kid so "I got stuck on the big string bass." He is also super-tall...I get a ache in my neck just talking to him!

Like John Rioux, Jon is also another ex-Bosstones' roadie; "They're such a great band and a great bunch of guys. I can't say enough about them that hasn't been said already. They did a surprise set at the Minneapolis Warped Tour and 10 minutes before they went on it began to rain like I've never seen it before. So I got up there to set up, all the Bosstones are huddled around a tent, slung on Joe's bass and just started playing "Singing In The Rain" to the 40 loyal fans waiting for what turned out to be a whopping 3 1/2 song set. It was a blast to stand there hooked up to who knows how much power and say screw it so everyone could have a quick laugh."

Now for a list of Jon's favourite things...

Favorite Kickovers song; The Good Life.

Favorite President; Calvin Coolidge.

Favorite album cover of all time; Pantera's "Vulgar Display of Power".

Favorite food; Nachos. Least favorite food; Olives.

Favorite drink in favorite bar; "A Guiness at Barker Brew Co. where my wife and I met."

Favorite Simpson; Groundskeeper Willy; "Willy tickles the twine for two!"

Favorite authors; Sherman Alexie and Hunter S. Thompson.

Favorite movie; Strange Brew.

I asked Jon what the most embarrassing experience was for him; "Flashback to high school. Me, a long haired rocker type who was in chorus. Now one of the things I learned at an early age was that all the hot girls in school were in chorus. Another way to get extra time to hang out with them was signing up for the musical. I got the lead in "Oklahoma!", a character named Curly. Make a long story short, all hopes of having a little off stage romance were dashed when the director told me I had to get a perm for the weekend of the show. I looked like a scared mushroom!" Eeeeew!

This I found super-funny...and typically Jon; "A brief list of people I would like to punch square in the nose; Michael Stipe, Justin Timberlake, the "Dude you're gettin a Dell" guy!" That is so cool!

What else did Jon have to add? "Secret shame of a favorite song; "Come On Eileen" by Dexy's Midnight Runners." And his biggest fear is "Falling off ladders" weird, he's so tall that he doesn't actually need to use ladders!!! Like Johnny, he's also a very good juggler!

...AND he really doesn't teach yoga!