re: Recent and
Up-Coming Concerts ... From The Folks Who Were
There!:
Hey Kent ...
Just a note to
sum up our shows at Cousin Brucie's Palisades Park Reunion 2, where we shared
the stage with Chubby Checker, Neil Sedaka, Larry Chance And The Earls and The
1910 Fruitgum Company ... and our show in Streetsboro, Ohio,where we performed
for "Streetsboro Days" on a bill with Dennis Tufano.
Cousin Brucie's
show was held in The Meadowlands, outside of NYC, and it was a great day. The
show was re-broadcast on Sirius / XM "Sixties On 6" radio station a few times
after the show was over. It was a thrill for me to see Neil Sedaka perform and
get to talk with Chubby for a bit.
In Streetsboro,
Ohio,it was a rainy weekend, but we managed to get our show in on Sunday
afternoon with only a couple of rain delays. We played a rocking set that was
well received, including an encore jam with Dick Coughlin, Drummer for "The
Cherry Slush" and Ricky Biagiola, Drummer from "The Outsiders", who both played
Percussion ... and local guitar wiz, Michael Weber, trading guitar licks with
me. And then Dennis took the stage and was absolutely amazing, with his mix of
Buckinghams hits, Bobby Darin tunes, and a few American songbook classics.
Dennis is the best singer out there, in my opinion, and it's always inspiring
for me when I have a chance to watch him perform and spend time offstage with
him. His voice is better than ever! And man, can he play a mean Blues Harp!!!
The people of
Streetsboro, Ohio, are great, and really took good care of all of us. I've
attached a photo of me with Dennis and Ronn Scala, a great singer who sang
backup for Dennis on Sunday. The photo was taken in the lobby of the hotel we
stayed at, where there was a birthday celebration for Dennis' sister. I've also
attached a photo of me backstage with Chubby Checker and his Music Director /
Guitarist Gary Lefkowith before we hit the stage at The
Meadowlands.
Hope you are
having a great Summer! Next up for us ... The Cannery in Las Vegas in an "End Of
Summer" show with Gary Lewis, The Brooklyn Bridge Band, and the 1910 Fruitgum
Company. I('ve attached a photo of that concert poster, too.)
Talk
soon....
Mitch Schecter / The Rip
Chords
Meanwhile Al Jardine and Billy Hinsche were in town this past
weekend as part of something called Aquapalooza! (Great timing actually since
Lollapalooza wrapped up here the weekend
before!)
It was a first-time event and spectators watched the whole concert
from their boats!
Billy sent along a couple of photos to share with our readers.
(kk)
Had a great time in Chicago
last weekend with Al Jardine and The Endless Summer Band, performing at the 31st
St. Harbor that was the location for the first Aquapalooza event. There were
two other acts that performed during the day including a Reggae band called
Roots Rock Society, an Earth, Wind & Fire band called Shining Star, and a DJ
who kept the music going in between set changes. Boaters were invited to watch
the show from in front of the stage, on the water - what a concept! As Musical
Director, I clustered several songs together to keep the aquatic theme going:
"California Saga" (water, water, get yourself in the cool, clear water), "Sea
Cruise," "Sail On Sailor" and "Sloop John B." Though attendance was a bit light
due to rough waters on the lake (so I was told), we did a rockin' good 75 minute
show and hope to be invited back next year. Having an event such as this at the
Marina is a great idea and I hope this it continues to grow in size and
popularity.
Billy
Hinsche
AL JARDINE & THE ENDLESS SUMMER
BAND
Bobby Figueroa
(drums), Ed Carter (bass) and Billy Hinsche (keys / guitar)
at
soundcheck. Photo credit: Matt Jardine
Richie Cannata
(sax / keys) and Tom Jacob (Hammond B3 /
keys)
Photo
credit: Matt Jardine
Ed Carter and Al
Jardine share a laugh at soundcheck. Photo
credit: Matt Jardine
I guess Gary Lewis has missed a few more
Happy Together shows ... FH Reader Shelley Sweet-Tufano just sent us this
update:
Kent,
I held off on saying anything but now Howard Kaylan
answered someone's tweet question, "Where was Gary in Cleveland tonight?" with
"EITHER HOSPITAL OR HOME".
Shelley
Wow ... must be fairly serious then. I didn't see anything on the Internet
about his health condition ... hoping he's doing all-right and makes a full
recovery! Thanks, Shelley! (kk)
