Tom Merrigan’s Hot Raccoons Are A Raucous Party On Wheels

WUNC | By Frank Stasio,

Published February 15, 2019 at 12:39 PM EST

Tom Merrigan's Hot Raccoons display their onstage musical antics.

Raccoons. For many, they are scheming trash denizens and a neighborhood scourge. But musician Tom Merrigan has a deep and mildly obsessive relationship with the creatures and shares their propensity for night roams and mischief. His band name, Tom Merrigan’s Hot Raccoons, is a tribute to that bond.

Host Frank Stasio speaks with the band Hot Raccoons and they play live in the studio.

The group plays boogie-woogie, rock and more. Merrigan wheels his piano on stage followed closely by bandmate Kevin Magill and his handmade mobile drum kit. Stephen Cowles joins on piccolo and saxophone; Danny Grewen is on trombone and Dana Marks is on vocals and percussion.

Host Frank Stasio speaks with the band about its new album “Let's Get Lost.” The group performs at The Kraken in Chapel Hill on April, 20 at 8 p.m.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HO8-iXJjow

Frank Stasio

Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.

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Laura Pellicer

Laura Pellicer is a producer with The State of Things (hyperlink), a show that explores North Carolina through conversation. Laura was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, a city she considers arrestingly beautiful, if not a little dysfunctional. She worked as a researcher for CBC Montreal and also contributed to their programming as an investigative journalist, social media reporter, and special projects planner. Her work has been nominated for two Canadian RTDNA Awards. Laura loves looking into how cities work, pursuing stories about indigenous rights, and finding fresh voices to share with listeners. Laura is enamored with her new home in North Carolina—notably the lush forests, and the waves where she plans on moonlighting as a mediocre surfer.

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