THE
COME ONS with special guest ESQUIRE
wsgs THE NEW ALCINDORS, GEORGE PAPANIKOS (accompanied by Dr. Fulvio Lonardo)
Lager House, Detroit
February 27, 2004
by Jacquie Trost
“Frank
Sinatra after a gallon of
French liquor.” That’s how George Papanikos described his new
musical venture. George crooned like no other, while Dr. Fulvio
Lonardo tickled the ivories of the keyboard. Dressed dapperly in
black ties and pants, the duo hit the stage for a 20 minute set at the
Lager House this past Friday night. Reminiscent of the lounge
acts of yesteryear, and piano bars of today, George and the Good Doctor
gave a performance that one person described as “heart melting”. The
mellow sound put you at ease, and George’s stage presence kept your
eyes glued to the stage. Although the music was not what one
might expect to hear at the Lager House, it was truly a treat to hear a
smooth voice backed by the softness of a piano.
Although Mr. Papanikos is known for singing with French pop group Bisou Bisou, “Ne me Quitte pas” was the only French song sung this evening. The set ended in true Sinatra-style – a wonderful rendition of Fly Me to The Moon. As George so eloquently put it, “Viva la doctor.”
Up next were the New Alcindors (named after Lew “Kareem Abdul-Jabbar” Alcindor), an
outfit from
Pittsburgh. The band was an eclectic
mix of musicians, playing a 60’s soul, sometimes funk, sound.
Christopher, our photographer extraordinaire, described them as “the
Archies meets the Ventures”. The group commonly consists of a
bassist (Bill Julin), guitarist (Kurt Edwards), drummer (Shaun Gilmour)
and organist (Jennifer Baron). At this show, a trumpet and a
trombone joined the New Alcindors, providing a heavy brass sound to a
number of the songs. The group let the music speak for itself, as
few songs included vocals. During the song ‘Black Jesus’, the
horns sat out, and the quartet picked up the tempo and encouraged the
audience to clap along. Although the band was not my cup of tea,
they definitely knew how to entertain the crowd.
Next up were the Come Ons. Deanne’s
heavenly voice provided a mellow, ethereal start, as she sang
‘Blushing’, the first song of the set. Throughout the
performance, Deanne’s voice mixed well to the strong drum and guitar
beats. During the second song, “Higher”, the group, with a
special guest guitarist from Olympia, Washington, picked up the
tempo. The entire Come Ons set was
stellar – great sound and superb vocals. But, the highlight of
the night, were the special guests appearances. First, Kate
O’Hara - who, along with Deanne makes up Sunshine Doray - joined the Come Ons for a rendition of Donna Summer’s “I Feel
Love”. The song
and performance were AMAZING! It was done with an 80’s synth
vibe, and Deanne and Kate’s voices blended together perfectly - very
polished performance.
The song had the entire crowd dancing and was one of the best
surprises of the evening. Next, ‘The Boy Who Invented Rap' - the always
entertaining esQuire - joined the stage -
with his baby sister, Erika in tow. The duo joined the Come Ons for two songs – finishing with a rousing
rendition of Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love”. The song was performed
mostly
by Deanne and Erika, but in true esQuire style, “Q” chimed in with a
signature rap only he could pull off.
--Jacquie Trost
wsgs THE NEW ALCINDORS, GEORGE PAPANIKOS (accompanied by Dr. Fulvio Lonardo)
Lager House, Detroit
February 27, 2004
by Jacquie Trost
“Frank
Sinatra after a gallon of
French liquor.” That’s how George Papanikos described his new
musical venture. George crooned like no other, while Dr. Fulvio
Lonardo tickled the ivories of the keyboard. Dressed dapperly in
black ties and pants, the duo hit the stage for a 20 minute set at the
Lager House this past Friday night. Reminiscent of the lounge
acts of yesteryear, and piano bars of today, George and the Good Doctor
gave a performance that one person described as “heart melting”. The
mellow sound put you at ease, and George’s stage presence kept your
eyes glued to the stage. Although the music was not what one
might expect to hear at the Lager House, it was truly a treat to hear a
smooth voice backed by the softness of a piano.Although Mr. Papanikos is known for singing with French pop group Bisou Bisou, “Ne me Quitte pas” was the only French song sung this evening. The set ended in true Sinatra-style – a wonderful rendition of Fly Me to The Moon. As George so eloquently put it, “Viva la doctor.”
Up next were the New Alcindors (named after Lew “Kareem Abdul-Jabbar” Alcindor), an
outfit from
Pittsburgh. The band was an eclectic
mix of musicians, playing a 60’s soul, sometimes funk, sound.
Christopher, our photographer extraordinaire, described them as “the
Archies meets the Ventures”. The group commonly consists of a
bassist (Bill Julin), guitarist (Kurt Edwards), drummer (Shaun Gilmour)
and organist (Jennifer Baron). At this show, a trumpet and a
trombone joined the New Alcindors, providing a heavy brass sound to a
number of the songs. The group let the music speak for itself, as
few songs included vocals. During the song ‘Black Jesus’, the
horns sat out, and the quartet picked up the tempo and encouraged the
audience to clap along. Although the band was not my cup of tea,
they definitely knew how to entertain the crowd.Next up were the Come Ons. Deanne’s
heavenly voice provided a mellow, ethereal start, as she sang
‘Blushing’, the first song of the set. Throughout the
performance, Deanne’s voice mixed well to the strong drum and guitar
beats. During the second song, “Higher”, the group, with a
special guest guitarist from Olympia, Washington, picked up the
tempo. The entire Come Ons set was
stellar – great sound and superb vocals. But, the highlight of
the night, were the special guests appearances. First, Kate
O’Hara - who, along with Deanne makes up Sunshine Doray - joined the Come Ons for a rendition of Donna Summer’s “I Feel
Love”. The song
and performance were AMAZING! It was done with an 80’s synth
vibe, and Deanne and Kate’s voices blended together perfectly - very
polished performance.
The song had the entire crowd dancing and was one of the best
surprises of the evening. Next, ‘The Boy Who Invented Rap' - the always
entertaining esQuire - joined the stage -
with his baby sister, Erika in tow. The duo joined the Come Ons for two songs – finishing with a rousing
rendition of Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love”. The song was performed
mostly
by Deanne and Erika, but in true esQuire style, “Q” chimed in with a
signature rap only he could pull off.--Jacquie Trost
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