Cara Brindisi & The Shoe Shine Boys

A spinoff project that strays from her original songwriting and strumming of the guitar, Cara Brindisi & The Shoe Shine Boys is Cara’s new music group that dives into the standards of the Great American Songbook…and so much more!

The name pays homage to Cara’s late grandfather, Joe Brindisi, an original shoe shine boy of the 1940s in Worcester, Massachusetts. His hard earned pennies led him to the purchase of his first drum set and ultimately a career as a jazz drummer in New England.
Joe’s last phase of his music life became a series of happily shared performances within the first years of Cara’s career as a professional singer. Joe led his quartet well into his 80’s and invited his 20-something year old granddaughter to sing a range of torch-singer standards from ‘Cry Me A River’ and ‘My Funny Valentine’ to upbeat tunes such a ‘Route 66’ and ‘What A Difference A Day Made’.

Cara said goodbye to her grandfather in 2023.

Within weeks, she happened upon two Berklee College of Music alumni for hire, initially for developing her original songs. The core of the group, Dan Drohan (drumset) and Joey Whelan (bass), soon discovered their shared passion for eclecticism and diversity of music genres while maintaining the love of jazz at their foundation.

Audiences around New England have already been praising the group for bringing a sense of nostalgia, fun, and top tier talent to each performance. Check out their classic set list and contact Cara Brindisi & The Shoe Shine Boys for your next event!