Having a Grand Piano adds such class to the Show !!

We’ve been drawing sizable crowds for our Sunday Soiree at Sapphire Grill. Now we have a fan base, and the word is getting out.  The next step is to get some live recordings and put them up !!  It’s heartwarming to see the effect that good live music in an intimate club setting can have on a room. The folks get more sociable and convivial, and yes, more spirited.

We’ve been getting some “prestige gigs”, lately and hope that trend will continue – feel that we could do it all –Event Band, Wedding Band, Show Band — as well as Bar Band !! As we expand our repertoire, it will give us more flexibility. Am presently looking to fill out our week for the upcoming busy season – got any gigs ??

This (and every) Sat. night from 7-10pm – it’s Jason Jones on vocals and guitar. I’ll be sitting in on Grand Piano !   Jason can sing a wide variety of genres with good inherent sense of the stylistic markers, that make them sound authentic, plus sings with passion and empathy. It’s nice to have live music back at Sapphire – it’s depressing down at Sapphire Beach.  Down there, it’s all boarded up and in disrepair !!                                                         Last night I played for a youth theater workshop show at Pistarckle Theater. The show went well and was well received by the audience (which, okay was primarily family and friends – a friendly crowd), but hey, a standing ovation is still a standing ovation !!  The kids were great !!

We have started a new band, comprised of the following personnel : Denise Hummer on vocals, Rhett Simmonds on upright bass, Abu on percussion,  and myself on keys. This project is exciting on several levels.  It will allow us the opportunity to explore  Funk, R&B,Jazz, and Caribbean rhythms -  as well as our own originals !!  The  presence of a percussionist as well as a trap set drummer makes for some interesting textural and rhythmical  hues.  Rhett has gotten into some interesting grooves with the percussion section and that adds interest – as well as a different texture !  I’m unsure as to what category (if any), we fit into. Bar Band ?  Show Band ? Event Band ??   I guess if we could do it all – we would be busy !!

Presently, we are appearing at Sapphire Bar and Grill on Sundays 6-9pm, and at Latitude 18 on Wednesdays  7:30-10:30pm.

The island has been hopping with Live music lately- and we’re all loving it!!  These photos by Mady Jenkins, were taken during a magical and enthralling night at Tillett Gardens.  David  Bromberg,an iconic musician whose career spans  50 plus years, and his lovely wife Nancy, captivated the sold out house. It was a night of authentic “roots music”, delivered tastefully with deep feeling and the spark of  spontaneity ! (by “roots”, I mean Blues, Bluegrass, Folk , Jug Band, etc.   At the end of the 2nd half,  Dave graciously invited local musicians to join him for a rendition of Over the Rainbow, and a couple of blues tunes !! The crowd went wild, and called him and Nancy back for an encore – Yea !!!

This is the final weekend for the smash hit Musical Revue,”All Night Strut”. It’s been receiving long standing ovations every performance –and this weekend should be no exception !!

Sunday, I’ll be at Sapphire Grill from 5-8pm with Denise Hummer and Rhett Simmonds. Am calling it the Danny Silber Trio, although the star of the show is Denise ! It’s kind of a chill gig -  some folks dance, and the turnout has been great- (a lot of musicians), which is always heartwarming !!

Monday- it’s The Becca Darling Band at Latitude 18 for our regular weekly gig – starting at 7:30pm. Boy, last Monday after not having rehearsed or even performed as a full band much lately -  we were meshing and grooving incredibly well – go figure – Becca said she would give the performance an A- !!!

Wednesday-It’s David Bromberg performing at Tillett Gardens. He has a storied career, full of working with many iconic figures and fantastic collaborations. He’s going to include some local musicians (me included), to play a couple of blues tunes together – Yea !!

Hope to see you out and about – there’s lots of choices — I’m loving it !!!

This video was shot by the hermit on a July night in 2010.  Minus the feedback problem at the beginning (which I know how to fix), it’s not half – bad. I can hear Becca’s piano playing and she’s having some fun with it.  Hull Bay is one of those venues where the band feels at home, and the crowd is right there with us.  We have our new stage lights as you can see  and something about having stage lighting makes it feel more like a show !  We have a whole contingent of dancing ladies who come out to share the joy – we’ll try to include shots of them in the next video !!

The Rocky Horror Show is barreling full speed ahead to St. Thomas – like a tropical storm !!!

Opening night is October 14th, 8 days from now. Pieces are falling into place and the show is   getting fine-tuned during this final week of rehearsal.

As long as the cast and band have fun -really have fun with the show–it will be a success. That fun factor is contagious! It will be fun to see how the show evolves, from performance to performance– because in a community theater such as this, each show will evolve and expand upon the previous one.

The band is in place and will coalesce into a rock solid and rocking 6 piece ensemble.

So  “Let the Journey Begin”…

Some new photos of the rehearsals taking place at the theater. This one is of Frank -n -Furter dressing down Brad during the second act. Lots of sardonic and comic possibilities here. The music in the play runs from straight ahead rock to latin rock, as well as some sweet ballads, with some doo-wop thrown in. There’s some jazzy elements as well. It will be interesting to see how the characters develop, as they get more comfortable with each other and with the music. Will keep you posted as things progress with the costumes and the set design, which will in turn affect the overall production

The adventure is now well underway. This promises to be a hilarious show, with a cast that is game, and a crew that is competent. Now comes the hard work period which is necessary before we can relax and truly get “loose” !!

early sex scene - coming along

I’ll be playing on the grand piano at Northside Bistro for the first time on a Friday night ! It should be a livelier crowd, which will affect my tune calling. This is such a fine room to play in – the food , the microbrewery, the wine list, and the staff are all excellent. couple that with live music on a grand piano – and this place should be packed every night. Once the word gets out, that’s what I think will happen !!

Look Ma, I don't need to look at the keys anymore.

a frontal view