Bruce Maclean, Legendary Local Rocker, Brought Music And Joy To Many

ORLEANS – It can be hard sometimes to figure out what’s true or not on social media. So when Chandler Travis started seeing ominous posts about his longtime friend Bruce Maclean pop up in his Facebook feed, he didn’t quite know what to think.
 
“We just saw things like ‘So sad about Bruce,’ and we didn’t know what the ‘sad’ part was about,” said The Incredible Casuals and Chandler Travis Philharmonic frontman, who knew Maclean for decades through playing music around the Lower and Outer Cape.
 
But a phone call to Travis’ longtime bandmate Johnny Spampinato confirmed the reports circulating online that Maclean, an Orleans resident and longtime staple of the local rock music scene, had died March 20 at his winter home in Naples, Fla.
 
According to his obituary, Maclean “died peacefully of natural causes.”
 
“As far as I know, he died while taking a nap in the afternoon before a gig,” Travis said.
 
Many knew Maclean through his long-running rock and roll band The Cyclones, while others by his stage name, Link Montana. But those who knew him say beneath the showmanship was a fun, gregarious figure who dedicated his life to playing music and supporting others in the local music community.
 
Following Maclean’s passing, local musician Tim Sweeney created a poster of his friend with the words “R.I.P” that he posted on the window outside of his business, the Sparrow Store on Main Street in Orleans. Sweeney called Maclean “a hub” of the local music scene, someone who had a knack for connecting fellow musicians. For Sweeney, that included Joey Spampinato of the band NRBQ, who performed on a 2007 record that he recorded with Maclean.
 
“I came here from D.C.,” Sweeney said. “I used to go see NRBQ all the time. I came up here and I meet Bruce and Joey, and all of a sudden [Joey’s] playing on my CD.”
 
Maclean’s heart was in rock and roll, Travis said, and his performances often tapped into that upbeat energy. But he said there was also an “understated” side to Maclean’s playing and songwriting that availed itself on select occasions.
 
“You didn’t usually get to see that much of it because he was usually playing rock and roll and trying to get people to dance, which means you’re trying to keep things lively. But I actually liked his quieter stuff,” Sweeney said.
 
A longtime fixture of local venues including the Harvest Wine Gallery and The Beachcomber, among others, Maclean in recent years established a Sunday residency at The Pearl in Wellfleet. The restaurant’s general manager, Alison Hesler, booked him regularly over the past 10 years.
 
“To me, Bruce was like an old rocker,” she said. “He was always happy, he was just so easy and nice to work with. He got to know the staff and gave little shout-outs from his sets that kind of involved everybody.”
 
In most cases, Hesler’s relationships with the bands and musicians she books are very businesslike. But Maclean transcended that to become part of the fabric of The Pearl, she said. On Sundays the restaurant is typically populated by locals, she said, many of whom work their day around stopping in to watch Maclean during Happy Hour.
 
“When Bruce rolled in, it was like your dad’s coming in,” Hesler said. “He was just so friendly and so fun. He always had fun stories. He was a good time.”
 
Maclean also had an active hand in promoting and booking bands himself. Cameron Hadfield, co-manager of the Barley Neck Inn, worked closely with Maclean since he and his brother took over operations of the restaurant two years ago.
 
“He booked all the music, took care of everything,” he said. “He never asked for any payment, just a beer and a burger or a pizza.”
 
For venue operators like Hesler and Hadfield, Maclean will also be remembered for his professionalism. When you booked him, he showed up without exception.
 
“In 10 years, in 10 solid years of all of the gigs that I booked with Bruce, he did not miss one,” Hesler said. “He was not late for one. He was...so perfect to work with. I knew that if I booked Bruce, regardless of who he showed up with, he was going to be there on time. Everything was going to be great, people would enjoy the music. It was seamless.”
 
Maclean’s support for local music extended into other mediums, Travis recalled. Years ago, he shot and produced his own public access show, “I’m Not Fishing,” which profiled the many interesting and unique things happening in and around the local music scene.
 
“There was a guy who claimed to be Dave Davies from the Kinks who showed up at the Land Ho,” Travis said. “He had him come over and he interviewed him, even though it was highly probable it was not Dave Davies. He looked for left field stuff.”
 
And when Maclean turned to his friends and collaborators for a favor in return, it was hard to say no, said Sweeney.
 
“In the last few years we’d help each other out,” he said. “He’d call and say, ‘I really need somebody on Saturday night. I’ll pay you double.’ And then you do it, you know, because it’s Bruce.”
 
Word of Maclean’s death came as a shock to many, and weeks later those who knew him best say they’re still processing the news. That includes Sweeney, who will be playing Saturday afternoon in Parish Park outside the Main Street community center in Orleans.
 
“I’m going to dedicate a lot of stuff to Bruce, because I can’t get over it yet,” he said.
 
“I never thought about losing Bruce,” Travis said. “He was just such a visible figure and such a friendly guy who was just around. You never thought about life without him.”

At the Barley Neck, meanwhile, Maclean’s name still remains on the venue’s calendar of events. Hadfield said the venue plans to hold those upcoming shows in Maclean’s memory.
 
“We’ll have those nights, and we’re giving rights of first refusal to his bands and people he knew really well for those dates,” he said. “Hopefully we can get a lot of people involved.”
 
Mclean is survived by his son, Sam Mclean; his daughter, Stephanie Mclean; their mother, Nicole Snow; his grandson, Snow Ying; and his partner, Ricky Peno, as well as many extended family members. A celebration of life is being planned on Cape Cod for May, according to his obituary.
 
“There’s only one Bruce Maclean, for sure,” Hesler said. “Hands down.”

 Email Ryan Bray at ryan@capecodchronicle.com