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 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”…

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

Got to begin putting in more practice time. Am feeling the need, on the rhythm side as well as on the melodic side. Heard about this cd metronome program that I can download. It’s got a live drummer playing different genres, which you can then set at any metronome marking.

Had a rough night on Monday – but I get a chance to “redeem” myself. Thursday the Becca Darling Band goes into the studio to begin work on our 5 song demo. Thursday night I’m back at the Northside Bistro, and Saturday night I’m at the “Full Moon Jazz on the Green” at Yachthaven Grande.

There was a heartwarming memorial for Nicky Russell held at Magen’s Bay on Sunday. He truly was one of those bigger than life figures – and will be missed. Janet made a touching testimonial that brought tears to my eyes, and I’m sure others !!

It’s been an exciting and productive week.

Sunday, the Danny Silber trio played at Frenchman’s Cove for a couple of hundred people at a 4th of July BBQ. The crowd was very appreciative.

On Monday, the Becca Darling Band played before a packed house at Latitude 18, and again the crowd was very appreciative as well as generous – they kept throwing money at the stage. It at first startled Becca, but she then realized that it’s a high compliment

and a Greek tradition ( there was a party of roughly 30 folks from Greece).

On Wednesday, the band met up at ISW Studios to begin work on our first “studio”

recording. It’s going to be all originals and Morgan is going to be the acting producer. Things are definitely looking up for the Becca Darling Band – Jim Tunick will be the Executive Producer.

On Thursday, I played solo Piano at the Northside Bistro and thought I played quite well ! I just love that place, and hope more folks find out about it – It’s got a wonderful ambiance, plus great food and great staff – and with a grand piano – well there’s nothing else like it on St. Thomas !!

Saturday night I’ll be at Hull Bay Hideaway with the Becca Darling Band and that’s usually a fun gig – a lot of our “northside” fans usually show up and It’s a laid back casual hang.

Sunday the Danny Silber Trio will be playing at Emerald Beach Resort for some good cause which I should know – I’ll find out. the trio consists of Denise Hummer, a fine jazz vocalist, and Paul Dirks on Bass.

This gig is one of those “free up yourself”, opportunities. Since there are no other musicians on the gig – I  have the freedom to play medleys, change keys on the fly, and try unusual intros and endings (among other things), without having to cue other musicians.  It is also more challenging, since I don’t have the stimulation and or inspiration that I receive from other musicians!  Of course, playing on a grand piano is inspiration in and of itself !!

I find myself  playing more jazz, bossa, blues, and latin during the first set. As the night goes on, I tend to branch out into more R&B, rock, and country (depending of course, on the crowd) !  And I get to sing a few tunes -  Yay !

The food is excellent, the ambiance is sophisticated, and the staff is great !!  So what’s not to like ?

((Mark thisMark this date because “open mike”  night is back in a big way at Latitude 18. Last night we had several fine vocalists – Joe Colpitt, Denise Hummer, Captain Bob White, Jason Jones, and Kim and Rich,  plus the “house band” which consisted of  Barefoot Davis (who did a great job of hosting and MC ing ), plus Ras Abijah on guitar, and Donald Birmingham on bass, and myself on keys!  I loved the spontaneity of the night – each performer brings something new to the table and to see  how the house band responds to each performer is fascinating!!

I'm singing a blues on open mike night

This is me singing and playing “The Piano Has Been Drinking” by Tom Waits. It’s usually a fun day right there on the beach at Ainsley’s with Barefoot Davis, Donald Birmingham, and sometimes Jason Jones and or Bob Ward. The crowds have been really appreciative and spirited lately, and the pizza is brick-oven baked!