WINCHENDON, Mass.  — The Terryrifics returned to the local gig scene on Friday, performing at Winchendon’s annual Summer Concert Series.

“I am really excited,” said Terry Parker II, the lead singer and keyboardist of the eponymous band. “This is our first time back out. We haven’t played in forever.”

The Terryrifics are a jazz-infused cover band, with Parker singing and playing the keyboard; Chris “The Captain” Coombs on lead guitar; Terry Parker I on bass; and Brian Mulroy on drums. The band formed around 2015 after Parker II met Coombs while they were both working as instrumentalists for Athol High School’s musical rendition of The Wedding Singer. 

Practicing during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic wasn’t easy for The Terryrifics. The band has only practiced a handful of times since March 2020.

“We’ve hardly been able to get together and practice,” said Parker. “It is hard to fit all of us in one stop at one time, and now with COVID, we like to practice outside.”

The band generally practices in Parker’s basement in Orange, Massachusetts, but Parker has kept practices outside because he’s concerned about his young children who are unable to be vaccinated.

And so, the band performed at an outdoor gazebo inn GAZ Park in front of 30 people.

“It’s been a challenge for sure, so it’s really nice to get back out here,” said Brian Mulroy, drummer for The Terryrifics. “I love being on the gazebo at the town common. It’s nice, it’s old school.”

“I love cover bands,” said Parker II. “I think that cover bands are very important because people want to hear music they know. But what we do is that we make it our own style, after these many hours and gigs and practices, we let it flow and we like to turn the songs into our own versions.”

Parker II added that the band is versatile, never sticking to one style or genre, so as to appeal to a wider audience. 

“The Terry’s, we kind of pride ourselves on being able to play so many styles, we are versatile and change from genre to genre,” said Parker II. “We have done cocktail hours doing jazz music, Christmas gigs playing Christmas songs, rock gigs that are Allman Brothers Band-based and blues gigs — we like to do a little bit of everything.”

Parker II put his eclectic tastes to the test on Friday, drumming up a song list that ran the gamut from: “West L.A. Fadeaway” by The Grateful Dead, “Thinking About Forever” by P.O.D., “Big Boss Man” by Jimmy Reed and “The Thrill is Gone” by B.B. King. 

“Sixties, 70s, 80s music, it can’t get any better than that,” said Maureen Ward, a Winchendon resident who came out to the event, not really knowing who The Terryrifics were beforehand. “But it doesn’t even matter if it’s hard rock — which I am not into. I would still come out. It’s a community event and that’s what community does, we support.”

Terry Parker II, 37, resident of Orange, father of two  

Terry Parker I, the father plays bass father used to play in a rock group 

This is a great event. This is a family friendly event. The hours are great it’s right at sunset and a bunch of people show up, set up their lawn chairs [and we] just jam out.

Practicing during this pandemic and post-pandemic era has not been easy. For The Terryrifics, we’ve hardly been able to get together and practice. It is hard to fit all of us in one stop at one time and now with COVID we like to practice outside. 

I am more fearful for my children who are unable to unable to vaccinated at this time. I want to make sure that I am an asympomatic carrier is that exists. He has a 10 and 3 year old. 

I am really excited. This is our first time back out. We haven’t played in forever. I am really looking forward to it.

My sister and I grew up playing and studying classical piano, sister went off to major in college for that and had continues a career and I broke off, I saw some inspiration from kids playing guitar on the side of the street and that’s like I want to do something like that. I don’t want to just be doing a concert hall and playing these prim and proper classical shows. I want to break away. 

Formed as a no name band in around 2015, practiced for a while 

Terry and Coombs were hired to play a high school musical at Athol High School playing the wedding singer at Athol High School 

And they went out to the parking lot to sneak a cigarette and they had the same 

“The Terry’s we kind of pride ourselves on being able to play so many styles, we are versatile change from genre to genre. We have done cocktail hours doing jazz music, Christmas gigs playing Christmas songs, rock gigs that are Allman Brothers Band-based and blues gigs and what we like to do is a little bit of everything.”

I love cover bands, I think that cover bands are very important because people want to hear music they know. But what we do is that we make it our own style, after these many hours and gigs and practices, we let it flow and we like to turn the songs into our own versions. 

Maureen Ward, Winchendon resident, “It’s a community event, it’s a lovely evening, it’s a beautiful park that’s been reconstituted and I love the music. 

Been to the music series every year 

Haven’t heard of The Terryrifics before but 

60s, 70s, 80s music, it can’t get any better than that. but it doesn’t even matter if it’s hard rock, which I am not into, I would still come out. it’s a community event and that’s what community does, we support. 

Brian Mulroy, Ashburnham, 58, drummer 

I love being on the gazebo at the town common. It’s nice, it’s old school and I like it.

We try to be friendly to all generations. We go with songs that are good songs that we know people are going to like, kids like them and older people like them, so we try to play stuff that everybody is going to like. 

In a place like this we are going to play songs that people know through the generations and it’s got a little bit of rock, a little bit of jazz, a little bit of blues, we mix things up a bit so everybody hears something they like.   

When you think of a New England, concert on the common, Friday summer night, it does not get any better than this.