Category: Art & Entertainment

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‘The Nutcracker’ returns to Boca Ballet

This is the 34th year that the Boca Ballet Theatre presented the classical production of “The Nutcracker” for the holiday season. This spectacular occasion encompasses refreshing imagination and sound, pantomiming magic under the artistic vision of executive director and co-artistic director Dan Guin.

Founded in 1990, the Boca Ballet Theatre’s initial performance of “The Nutcracker” was presented in 1992, while its current version has been ongoing every holiday season since 1997. This year’s principal dancers from the New York City Ballet Company who join the performance are Emma Von Enck as Clara and Anthony Huxley as her Nutcracker Prince. This classical tradition has been the cornerstone of all holiday productions lasting centuries.

The Classical Story of “The Nutcracker”

The story of “The Nutcracker” is based on E.T.A. Hoffman’s 1816 fairy tale, “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.” It was later adapted by Alexandre Dumas in 1844 and, by December 1892, was composed by the renowned Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky; it was first performed at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

The ballet tells the story of Clara, who receives a nutcracker toy from her godfather, Drosselmeyer, on Christmas Eve. The toy breaks and transforms into a prince, who takes Clara on her magical journey in a battle against the Mouse King. The second part of the story is into the Land of Sweets, where its whimsical realm greets her and her prince through the Sugar Plum Fairy and her fairy court. Celebrating their victorious battle leads to a series of dances representing all the candy treats from around the world. According to the Boca Ballet Theatre, these cultural themes have been updated based on the latest trends, and predominantly since last year, by loosening up the choreography to blend in more with the contemporary times within the dance world.

The Trepak, a traditional Ukrainian dance that is often included as one of the Divertissements in Act II of “The Nutcracker,” remains one of the favorite parts among some of the Boca Ballet Theatre’s dancers. Its highly energetic, acrobatic leaps in the presence of spirited music are about as adaptable to the colors of Clara’s dream as it is in prevailing the complementary sound of Tchaikovsky’s theme.

Some versions of “The Nutcracker” differ significantly across choreography, casting, and culture, such as the English version, which remains vast among various parallels, in versions of the ballet performed across the U.S.

The first complete performance in this country was by the San Francisco Ballet on Christmas Eve in 1944. However, Tchaikovsky’s music was already highly familiar to Americans by the international popularity of his “Nutcracker Suite.” The ballet truly took wind in the U.S. in the 1950s by Russian-American choreographer George Balanchine, whose version premiered with the New York City Ballet in 1954. Since foundationalized in Europe and then into the U.S., “The Nutcracker” in America has been the gateway to ballet for aspiring dancers and remains the staple in performance classics.

What It Takes

The Boca Ballet Theatre’s “The Nutcracker” cast is made of 100 dancers, with eight to 10 professionals from all over the country, and sometimes from around the world. The theatre receives audition videos from the National Ballet of Canada, Los Angeles, New York, and the San Francisco Ballet Company, to name a few, and mostly for the male parts, as male professionals are usually lacking in these areas of the ballet community. This year’s guests, along with the principal dancers, are Samuel Huberty from the AUER Academy; Nathaniel Otto, a returning dancer dancing the Spanish Divertissement; Kayke Carvalho and Vince Pelegrin from the ABT Studio Company; and Jhostin Jimenez from the United Ballet Theatre.

Meanwhile, all students must audition for every show. Their season runs from mid-August to May, starting work promptly around the end of August and no later than Labor Day every year for the “Nutcracker” production.

With five staffers at the Boca Ballet Theatre, the production is truly a family affair. Whether it is the fathers behind the set putting things together, or the volunteers handling the costumes and makeup, it takes a community to make Clara’s dream come alive.

Handmade costumes and painted scenes are all stored in the back rooms of the Boca Ballet Theatre. It is like a magnificent library of past and present, organized by category per set, and of each unique production.

Levels

The youngest performers in the Boca Ballet Theatre’s “Nutcracker” are aged 6 to 7 from Level 1. Level 7 consists of skilled 13- and 14-year-olds, and Level 8 performers are the most experienced dancers, ages 16 and 17, who dedicate their time practicing, and up to five days a week during the school year. It takes rigorous dedication, valor, and love to ignite such a powerful production.

The theatre holds kids camps in June, while there is a six-week summer extensive for the serious, aspiring dancers, with the objective of networking for opportunities in the professional world of ballet.

“Coppélia”

The Boca Ballet Theatre holds three shows every year, and “The Nutcracker” is their staple performance. Following that is a production held in the spring, and then one in the summer, which is their repertoire show. “Summer Breezes” is this year’s repertoire, and the spring production is “Coppélia.”

The Boca Ballet Theatre will bring its spring performance of “Coppélia” on April 5–6, 2025, to the Countess de Hoernle Theatre at Spanish River. “Coppélia” is a French-originated comedic ballet about a life-like doll named Coppélia; its dollmaker, Dr. Coppélius; and the much-dismayed Swanilda, whose fiancé, Franz, is infatuated by the doll, unknowing that it is not real. Swanilda instead disguises herself as Coppélia, leading to many humorous and heartwarming events.

The Boca Ballet Theatre has performed many traditional classics over the years, including the romantic era’s “Giselle,” well worth mentioning. While “The Nutcracker” poses its original onset of romantic fantasy, the threshold is held within the dancers’ dreams similar to one of Clara’s—the imagination—an exciting context of spirit from across all cultural landscapes.

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Third annual music for a cause Musicians raise money to fight Parkinson’s disease

Singer Jade Ciel T of the band Sippin Fire, singer-songwriter Cheryl Arena of the Good Bread band, and guitarist Roderick Kohn are just a few of the musicians volunteering their time and joining forces to raise funds for the 3rd Annual DOB Parkinson’s Charity event on Dec. 8 at Sharkey’s Bar and Grille.

The local nonprofit was founded in 2012 by musician and Oakland Park resident Dan O’Brien, 70, along with his friend Wayne Belfer, 67, a retired senior executive of an auto insurance company who’s now living in Boca Raton.

The charity receives 100% of the proceeds and provides support and resources to individuals and families affected by Parkinson’s disease.

“It’s a big honor to be part of this fundraiser and to help find a cure for Parkinson’s disease,” says Arena, lead singer for the high-energy rock and blues band.

Arena, whose brother John also suffers from Parkinson’s, is grateful to O’Brien, who helped start her career in South Florida. “It’s personal,” says Arena, who is performing for the second year at the event.

“It hits home,” she says. “We’re thankful to all these musicians who come out on their own time and own dime and give of themselves to support this cause.

“Dan is a great guy and great musician, and we all want to do what we can,” says Arena.

The ’70s-themed night features a lineup of six duo acts, including blues and soul singer Dottie Kelly and Darrell Raines, Shannon Battle and Tom Piano, Dean Summers and Liz Sharp, Jade Ciel T and Giaco Pop Rock, and Cheryl Arena and Roderick Kohn, and five solo acts, including blues legend J. P. Soars, Ericson Holt, Billy Livesay, Sara Ann, and Jose Almonte from Havoc 305.

“Moving here from New Jersey, where we had similar charities, I noticed there wasn’t anything like it down here,” says Belfer. “Dan and I decided to put something together, and he was all for it as long as I could do most of the work.”

The two hope to eventually grow and expand the charity to help many people who need it and to create a worldwide network of communities, so that no one has to face the challenge of Parkinson’s disease alone.

O’Brien, a married father of two grown sons, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in August 2012. “This disease is horrible,” he says. “It really sucks.”

Signs of Parkinson’s disease include motor symptoms such as slowness of movement (bradykinesia), stiffness (rigidity), and resting tremors.

According to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, approximately 1 million people in the U.S. and more than 6 million people worldwide are affected by the disease.

To mitigate symptoms, experts suggest eating a healthy diet, exercising, educating yourself about the disease, finding a movement disorder specialist and determining the right treatment plan, building a support system, staying socially active, and getting involved in the Parkinson’s community.

Many patients are treated with the medications carbidopa and levodopa, a combination medicine used to treat the stiffness or tremors associated with the disease.

O’Brien had an “amazing career” in music. He knows and played with many big-name musicians—including the Lovin’ Spoonful, Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits, and locally with the band Shakey T and with recently deceased bass player Chuck Fiori, who played with John Denver.

He now has a stringent exercise routine: He walks, goes on the bike, has a gym in his home, does balance and strength training, and goes to physical therapy twice a week.

He still works in his home studio and continues to play guitar and write songs. “I’m hoping to be a 70-year overnight success,” he jokes.

Suffering from a “tremor-dominant” form of Parkinson’s, in 2020, O’Brien underwent a surgical procedure known as deep brain stimulation to mitigate the movement disorders associated with the disease.

He had great success with the procedure and says for him, it is a “game-changer.” He went from taking 12 pills a day to taking none and is now able to brush his teeth, shave, button his shirts, and play his guitar (to prove his point, he performed a short riff on the guitar).

“Parkinson’s disease is not a death sentence,” O’Brien says. “You don’t die from the disease; you die with it.”

Keeping a positive attitude is key.

“You have two choices: adapt or give up,” O’Brien says. “And I’ve got way too many things to do, including working to find a cure for the disease.”

The 3rd Annual DOB Parkinson’s Charity event will be held Sunday, Dec. 8, from 5:15 to 9:15 p.m., at Sharkey’s Bar & Grill, 10365 Royal Palm Blvd., Coral Springs. Advance tickets are recommended and can be purchased for $35 at dobparkinsonscharity.com. For more information, visit sharkeysfl.com or call (954) 341-9990. To learn more about the charity, visit it on Facebook or at dobparkinsonscharity.com.

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Going Baroque? ‘Splendor and Passion’ coming to Boca art museum

The Boca Raton Museum of Art will hold the world premiere of the historic Spanish Baroque art exhibition, “Splendor and Passion: Baroque Spain and Its Empire,” beginning Nov. 7 and going through March 30. The exhibition is organized in partnership with the Hispanic Society Museum & Library in New York City, which features a timeless collection of 57 Baroque masterpieces, evolving around 17th-century Europe.

What Is the Baroque Period and Why Did It Start?

Times were looking a bit gloomy after the High Renaissance period that lasted into the mid-16th century. The Mannerism style, between 1520 and 1600, was a reaction to the Renaissance’s idealized naturalism. People didn’t like it and wanted change. However, times grew turbulent, marked by significant political and religious upheaval after the Protestant Reformation and the Catholic Counter-Reformation. Baroque art originated in Rome and spread throughout Italy and other European countries, including France, Spain, Portugal, Austria, south Germany, and Poland. 

 Melchor Pérez Holguín, “Saint Peter of Alcántara and Saint Teresa”

Although the prior period was composed of harmonious, idealized, and balanced compositions, the new focus took to emotion in a dramatical sequence of exaggerated motion. It consisted of fine detail easily interpreted as a response to the Mannerist distortions and the idealizations that preceded it. 

A lot of political instability existed during the emergence of the Baroque period. Europe was rife with wars, revolutions, and power struggles. With these chaotic conditions, the artists of the time wanted the freedom to express themselves without the High Renaissance perfection constraints. Consequentially, much of Baroque art mirrored the dramatically dark themes. The gloominess of the times acted as an overture to the darkness compounding into the compositions of this new wave.

In Spain, the Baroque period was a time of great artistic achievement that reflected the country’s landscape, politically, socially, and religiously. The Catholic Church and the Spanish Inquisition held significant influence on the arts, intending to inspire devotion from the dismounted upheaval of rebellion. Many religious themes held to the period as the Catholic Church aimed to reassert its dominance.

Another factor moving the Baroque period was the advances into new scientific discoveries of the time, and in astronomy, that challenged existing worldviews. Artists expressed not only awe, but also the existential dread that these new discoveries provoked. 

Style, Depiction, and Symbols

The Baroque style’s dramaticism used intense light and shadow to express such strong emotions. Many works were elaborated with ostentatious decorations incorporated into the compositions. Spanish Baroque art, specifically, exercised visual realism with its realistic depictions of subjects often accommodated with somber or melancholic tones. 

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, “The Prodigal Son Among the Swine”

Similar to other preceding and proceeding art periods, symbolism is used to display the adequate tones of work, much like reading a story. Bartolomé Esteban Murillo’s “The Prodigal Son Among the Swine” shifted concepts but stayed within the message. Instead, Murillo captures the biblical tale of the Prodigal Son in a destitute manner and repenting nature, where the swine serve as a reminder of the consequences of his actions that hang over him.  

Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo, “Don Martin de Leyva”

Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo’s portrait of Don Martin de Leyva, or the Count of Monza, is a flat emptiness with the exception of an elegant decoration oddly hanging in the background. It is a unique, yet ghostly minor detail with symbolic significance when accenting Mazo’s subject’s notable characteristics. The true focal point is the light on Leyva’s face and skin that contrasts with the dark attire of one’s military and noble background.

Earlier Works with High Vibrancy of Skill in Light of Characteristics

Style, depiction, and symbols continued: Anthonis Mor van Dashorst was a Netherlandish portrait painter in the 16th century. His “Portrait of a Man” defined the dignified presence of a man with high social standing through rigorous rendering of detail. The use of dramatic light contrasts to categorize the Baroque style. 

Anthonis Mor van Dashorst, “Portrait of a Man” 

The traditional Baroque landscape in technical detail creates the high visual realism that is captured in the artist’s skill of likeness and personality of his subject. Rather than the traditionally natural landscapes of preceded movements, Mor van Dashorst decorates the background by highlighting social symbolism, such as the woman in the portrait who was likely his wife. This helps to shape the power of social status by adding position through the use of emphasis, while drawing the eye of the viewer is also aiding in establishing the emotion brought forth to the focal point.

Sebastián Muñoz, “Maria Luisa of Orléans, Queen of Spain, lying in state”

Here’ye, Queen: The Queen of Spain’s funeral around 1689 brings the resilience of contrast for viewers to indulge in the darkness of emotional Baroque. Sebastián Muñoz, a Spanish painter of the time, splits timelessness into a paradox through the use of darkness and light between the symbolism of good and evil. The story of the composition surrounds the queen in her lying state as emotion pours from the good in light of its poignant context. The grandeur and solemnity of the event in an extracted demonstration of the Catholic Church is a timeless masterpiece with the care of detail. The detail is right down to the hierarchy of the queen’s earlier portrait hung high, as a time of honoring and remembrance. 

Fray Alonso López de Herrera, “Virgin of the Immaculate Conception”

Although Fray Alonso López de Herrara’s “Virgin of the Immaculate Conception” does not necessarily seem as dark and cohesive to the Baroque style as others, the sense of depth and volume combined with the interplay of light and shadow builds the emotional intensity that reflects the Counter-Reformation’s influence to reinforce Catholic doctrine. The swirling movement around the Virgin intensifies emotion with her as the focal point, evoking deep emotional responses through the flowing use of line of her garment. There is a sense of urgency within the realm of tranquility, contradictorily giving light to religion’s portions of belief.

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Friday At Five Brings the Party Any Day of the Week

“We’re not just a band, we’re a state of mind,” says Carey Peak, 55, guitarist and lead singer for the band Friday At Five.

And, the good news is, you don’t have to wait until Friday at 5:00 p.m. to hear the band.

They play at all hours around town at THRōW Social and Johnnie Brown’s in Delray Beach, Packy’s Sports Pub in Lighthouse Point, Lefty’s Tavern & Grille in Coral Springs and will appear at Sharkey’s Bar and Grille in Coral Springs on Wednesday, Nov. 6.

“We’re a high energy party rock cover band,” says Peak. “There’s no song we don’t do.”

They take their name from country music singer Eric Church’s  lyrics in his 2011 song, “Drink In My Hand” (“Early Monday morning, ’til Friday at five; Man I work, work, work but I don’t climb, climb, climb.”)

In addition to Peak, the band, founded in 2017, includes drummer Jordan Welch, Gonzalo Gallarza on bass and their newest member, lead vocalist, Carrie Wicks Johnson, 28, who joined the band in March.  All the members sing lead vocals as well.

Peak was born into a musical family – his dad played guitar with Buddy Holly and as a child, Peak would fool around with his dad’s guitar and figured, “I could do that,” and became a child prodigy by the age of 12.

In his twenties, he formed the alternative rock band, Dore Soul and later, his second band, The C60s, an indy rock band was signed to Dreamworks Records. They charted number six on the college music charts, and received critical acclaim.

In 2006 Peak started The Free Radicals, a corporate cover band.

His most recent venture, Friday At Five, plays a selection of eclectic music from the 70s to today, including rock, pop, country, alternative rock, metal and reggae.

“One of the things our fans like is that we cover everyone from Lady Gaga to ACDC to Zack Brown to Bob Marley,” Peak says.

Peak says the band likes to put a rock edge on every song, putting big, hard rock guitars into a Whitney Houston song.  Two of his favorite songs to perform are “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses and AC/DCs  “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll).”

“Our fans love that we cover this song,” says Peak, adding, “and with Carrie singing, it’s even better.  She’s both beautiful and an amazing singer.”

Among his musical Influences he counts Eddie Van Halen (“Unchained” is his favorite song), Buddy Holly (“That’ll Be the Day”) and, as evidence of his own eclectic tastes, Metallica and Barbra Streisand.

“Good music is good music,” he says.

Lead singer, Johnson, (she got married in October to Mike Johnson, a Coast Guard reservist) came to Florida from Long Island during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She was part of a top cover band there called, “Jessie’s Girl,” and also wrote original music and sang with the soul/rock band, “Carrie and the Cats.”  In 2018 the band won the Long Island Blues Challenge  and went to finals in Nashville, TN.

She met Peak when she made a guest appearance on stage at Mulligan‘s Beach House Bar & Grill in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea and a friend of was in the audience.

He recommended her for the lead singer in Friday At Five and Peak hired her instantly.

Peak recalls her rendition of Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” as making the hair on his arms stand up.

“Carrie is the real deal,” he says.

Johnson found her calling in life at an early age and knew that she wanted to sing.

“Ever since I started talking, I was singing,” she says, noting that she considers her ability to be versatile and be comfortable in multiple genres as her best musical quality.

Her parents never pushed her to pursue other careers, although she did earn a cosmetology degree as a back-up plan.

Her musical Influences include Aretha Franklin, Amy Winehouse, John Mayer, The Allman Brothers, Led Zeppelin, James Brown, Etta James and The Beatles.

Her love for the profession and for performing keeps her motivated.

“Singing makes me happy,” she says.  “It’s the only job I’ve ever loved.”

“The best thing you can do for yourself is to only compete with yourself,” Johnson said in a 2018 interview with the blog, LongIslandSound. “Don’t try to be better than somebody else, strive to be better than you were yesterday.”

On stage she sports fun outfits and with a nod to her cosmetology background – big, platinum blonde hair.
“There’s no better feeling than being on stage,” says Johnson.

In addition to bars, Friday At Five plays at city events, the Parkland Amphitheater, Wellington’s Food Truck & Music Series and Pompano Beach’s Music Under the Stars.  Peak says it’s a “feather in their cap” to be requested for many private parties, weddings and corporate events.

Future goals include cultivating their fan base and playing in new events and venues.

“We’re happy doing what we do,” says Peak.  “We’re grateful and blessed to play in such a vibrant music scene and get support from Richard Kushner at Sharkey’s Bar & Grill as well as other bar owners.”

“South Florida is a great area for music,” he says.  “We all support each other and we’re happy to be part of this larger community of bands and do our part to contribute to this vibrant music scene.”

Friday At Five will perform live at Sharkey’s Bar & Grill, 10365 Royal Palm Blvd., Coral Springs on Wed., Nov. 6. For more information visit sharkeysfl.com or call (954) 341-9990.  Visit sharkeysfl.com and fridayatfiveband.com.

 

 

 

 

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Refuge of strength, fragility at the Norton

The Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach is exhibiting Donna Conlon, an American-Panamanian artist active in Panama, born in 1966. Her still of “From the Ashes (De las cenizas),” a 2019 video, endorses the hummingbird as her current statement toward invasive climate change.

Conlon’s exhibit is as silent as it is real. The exhibition is a two-minute, 57-second soliloquy of the smallest things as a big reminder for nature conservation. Hummingbirds, typically measuring 3–5 inches in length, include the smallest species of the bee hummingbird, just about 2 inches long and weighing less than 2 grams.

That’s small.

But don’t underestimate their size. They have the highest mass-specific metabolic rate of any homeothermic animal. Hummingbirds play a crucial role in maintaining the health and balance of ecosystems. Their co-evolvement with specific plant species makes them highly efficient pollinators, and their ability to travel long distances helps in the cross-pollination of plants promoting genetic diversity. However, habitat loss and range shifts are causing hummingbirds to lose a significant portion of their current range. Reduced nectar secretion due to climate change can reduce the volume and sugar content of nectar. This leads to a decrease in nectar production and means less food for pollinators, which also affects the hummingbirds’ survival and reproduction. Extreme heat can reduce their food intake and energy levels.

While there are around 366 species of hummingbird found in their native lands of the Americas, currently 21 of them are listed as endangered or critically endangered. Although many hummingbirds live from 3 to 5 years, some can live up to a decade or more in the wild. This further emphasizes the need for natural habitat conservation and pollution reduction.

Note that Conlon’s message is likely most relevant when attempting to solve the big problems by focusing on the little things.

Naturalism and Contemporary Conveyance of Reality

While Naturalism emerged in the 19th century as an attempt to resolve the idealized and stylized art between Neoclassicalism (also found at the Norton Museum) and Romanticism’s errors in realistic portrayals of the real world, the conveyance of reality cannot be more employed within a naturalist aspect to address the conservatory issues in contemporary lifestyles today.

Conlon’s statement is blatantly honest. While her work is a socio-archaeological investigation into her immediate environment and daily life, the intersection between these two fields offers valuable correlations between habitat and reality. Social archaeology explores how the social dimensions of human life are reflected in settlement patterns, for example, as Conlon’s artistic focus is on identifying and revealing their idiosyncrasies. Her conveyance is connected and contradicted by human nature inherited from today’s contemporary lifestyles. Settlement patterns, especially under climate change, are as revealing in nature as wildlife, and how their existence thereof underlines the contextual aspect of health stemming from the environment.

Idiosyncrasies: Behavioral Peculiarities, Distinctive Features, and Physical Reactions

In native tribes, the hummingbird represents life, love, beauty, joy, and freedom. This is likely due to its procession of autonomic compliance to these qualities and by adjacency to contemporary dynamic consistencies. Hummingbirds are sensitive to change, making them important indicators of environmental health.

Again, back to the little things, it is not to underestimate them by their size. Watching the muscle power and strength of the bird in Conlon’s slow-motion graphic stimulates the same power of structure and endurance that the strongest swimmer swimming the 800-meter butterfly encompasses. In real time, its wings are flapping as rapidly as up to 80 beats per second.

That’s fast.

Conlon captures this distinctive and peculiar feature in which its idiosyncrasy is a common-sense way of seeing it from a formal point of view about the resilience such small creatures possess. Their power to bestow is entangled with human nature: Different species of hummingbirds prefer different types of flowers, which helps maintain plant diversity of plant species in their habitats. For humans, this means nutrition and food security, medicinal resources, and ecosystem services—and helping climate regulation by plants alone.

Perhaps the hummingbirds’ vibrant colors construct the symbolic joy embodied in human nature. One cannot undermine the beauty of fragility and, in life, as a connotation of peace.

The Little Things—Ways to Conserve at Home

Planting native flowering plants that are as resilient to climate change as the bird’s unique qualities can help ensure a steady food supply for these pollinators. From a natural standpoint, you can attract these lovely neighbors to come and say hello during the day! Planting native flowering plants can also help to house a nest for the female, who is responsible for caring for her young. Lastly, the hummingbird can help in insect control to those pests that may, unwelcomingly, like to hang around.

Donna Conlon resides and works in Panamá City, Panamá. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Kansas (1991). She also has a master’s in fine arts from the Rinehart School of Sculpture, Maryland Institute College of Art (2002). Her work is represented by Diablo Rosso in Panamá and by Espacio Minimo in Madrid. For more information about Conlon and her work, go to www.donnaconlon.com.

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Hot Mess offers cool vibes

Putting the “hot” in the Hot Mess band, lead female vocalist Stacey Isaacs, 51—an attorney by day and a pop singer by night—rocks out with the classic rock and pop cover band she formed three years ago with five other local musicians. A partner, along with William Haro and her husband, David Benn, in the WorkInjuryRights law firm, a firm specializing in worker’s compensation, Isaacs, the mother of two teenage girls—Reese, 15, and Jules, 13—morphs into a rock star at night.

“The name of the band, ‘Hot Mess,’ is a great description of my life,” jokes Isaacs. “Multitasking and being pulled in all directions resonate for myself and many women.”

Along with Glen Friedman on bass guitar, Nick Montgomery on acoustic guitar, Adam Gutman on lead guitar, Russ Meadows on drums, and Leo Perez (aka the Keytar God) on keyboards, the group plays at local venues including THRōW Social in Delray Beach, the Biergarten in Boca Raton, and Sharkey’s Bar and Grill in Coral Springs, where they will perform live on Oct. 5.

“I love being a part of the band. It’s an outlet for me. As a busy attorney, business owner, and busy mom, life can be stressful,” Isaacs says on her Instagram page. “This gives me something, whether we’re practicing or performing, where I do not think about anything else but the music.”

Growing up in musical theater, Isaacs always loved performing but suffered from stage fright, which took years to overcome. She was inspired and mentored by her aunt, Hela Young, Miss New Jersey of 1971, who had a talent for singing. As a child, she remembers her aunt performing at Lincoln Center in New York City. She was encouraged by Young, who took her to voice lessons in New York, something she enjoyed doing, and she would come home every night and practice in her bedroom.

Her aunt, who later went on to become the host for the New Jersey Lottery on TV each night and was president of the New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education, helped Isaacs prepare to sing at her law school graduation from Seton Hall Law School in 1997.

Isaacs practiced and sang Simon and Garfunkel’s 1970 hit, “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” in front of 1,000 attendees, an event that helped her overcome her stage fright. “That was a pivotal moment,” she remembers. “Now I love being on stage and performing.”

With a voice that has been compared to that of Alanis Morissette, Isaacs is inspired by singers and musicians Pat Benatar, Joan Jett, and the rock band Heart.

Signature songs include Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” and “What’s Up?” by 4 Non Blondes. She has also been known to perform a mean rendition of Morissette’s 1991 hit, “You Oughta Know.”

Bass guitarist, Freidman, 50, owner of the G-Clef Music Academy in Parkland, is a professional guitar, piano, and trumpet player. He has played with the likes of jazz greats Arturo Sandoval, David Sandborn, and Tito Puente as well as for Walt Disney World, Clyde Beatty Cole Bros. Circus, a number of cruise lines, and on recordings for Emilio Estefan’s Miami Sound Machine.

“Music gets in your blood and soul,” says Friedman, who knew from a young age he wanted to make a career in music. Inspired by Canadian jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson (“my idol”), Friedman also admires Journey, the Beatles, and ’80s Hair Metal bands such as Whitesnake.

Drummer Meadows, a “true Floridian,” lives in his grandparents’ and parents’ former home in Coral Springs. He also plays guitar and sings and was the catalyst for forming the band. In addition, Meadows is the tennis pro at Heron Bay in Parkland.

He forged many connections on the tennis court, including those of Friedman and Perez, and says the concept began as a hobby. Seeing a connection between the rhythm of tennis and the rhythm of music, he says, “we were surprised when it took off so well.”

Meadows continues, “We’ve become one of South Florida’s most popular cover bands. We assembled the right musicians, the right sounds—a mix of pop and rock—and make a good presentation on stage.”

The drummer, who has been drumming for 30 years, admires Led Zeppelin and the Police, especially the Police’s drummer, Stewart Copeland. He loves performing Journey’s 1980 hit, “Any Way You Want It,” and its 1981 hit, “Stone in Love.”

Noting that the band boasts both a female and a male lead vocalist, Meadows believes that this sets them apart from other bands. “We’re the quintessential cover band with a twist,” he says.

For Isaacs, who also hosts the “Success of a Hot Mess” podcast, one of the highlights of being part of a cover band is the camaraderie and the fact that her teenage daughters are proud to bring their friends to see her perform.

Future goals for the band include playing larger venues, such as the Parkland Amphitheatre and the Coral Springs Center for the Arts.

“We’re all good friends,” Isaacs says, “and enjoy performing and doing what we love. We appreciate all the support of our friends, family, and fans—and the best part is that my daughters think I’m cool.”

Hot Mess will perform live at Sharkey’s Bar & Grill, 10365 Royal Palm Blvd., Coral Springs, on Oct. 5. For more information, visit sharkeysfl.com or call (954) 341-9990. Find the Hot Mess band on Instagram at instagram.com/wearethehotmessband.

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Sharon Shevell: a message from nature

Surrealism is certainly potent in the delicate works of Sharon Shevell. When I went to view them at the Parkland Library while on display until the end of August, I could not help but want to dissect them all. Each of them tells its own story, taking us back to the prevalence of nature and in tune with the realities of today. The works are  dynamic and certainly opposed to the discrepancy-specific environments that each composition entails. Here I explore each of Shevell’s acrylic intricacies and attempt to anatomize the message that she finds and portrays from nature.

“Hope on the Horizon” is an acrylic painting on canvas, with overtones of connotation, and diversions like puzzle pieces that surrealism supplies. The bodiless configuration of the female suggests that the rest of the self is in the background. The emotions are revealing of the water, and the consciousness within the sands. Her roots in the forefront seem to be a bid to cover the mystery that interestingly and inadvertently tells all by the irony of only her right eye being exposed. It is the eye that is the focal point that’s applying the symmetry, and by its subvertical alignment before the integral of vision displaces at the horizon.

Quite possibly, the clouds off the horizon could be analogous to electrical configurations of the subject, and the thought processes, posing at the overall conjuncture of the composition. In the topic of  “hope,” the message could very well be a substance applying the importance of self-awareness.

“Oy Vey” (a Yiddish phrase expressing dismay or exasperation). Well, it is often said we should avoid talking about politics; however, politics seems to be screaming at the reciprocal of this platform, and is quite detailed. The mood changes considerably in this composition and, moreover, toward its undertones that are held of voicelessness and in the context of politics that surround the topic. Instead, Shevell seems to articulate the protection and safeguarding of the nurturement of nature, embracing it as a mother would her child. All the while, the feminine subject is emphasized as still attempting to save her head. The chosen animals involved add to the visual dynamics of this piece. The work speaks its message quite transparently, as Shevell takes the viewer through the storm of its exquisite composition.

“Another Day Another Dollar.” Acrylic, paper, coffee filters, and styrofoam quite clearly deliver what this artwork speaks about, and three-dimensionally. Paradoxically, it is quite fun to look at, while maybe not the evidence that extracted from it likely was. More so, the experience hits the message on the button, becoming a question at hand: Is it all worth it?

“Victoria’s Lament.” This painting in acrylic on canvas is another work that Shevell uses as background to the theme of emotion from off the composition. Here, what an emotionless Victoria lacks in the expression of her face is the emotional journey spread of the sea in which she dwells. And as she grasps what past is entangled with roots, the message is exposed as a question: Is it the effort to reach what washed up on the shore, or is she letting go?

Shevell exposes the hypothetical nature of mythical reasoning to converse about choices, provoking thoughts about which can be claimed, and what came first and why. Too often in life there’s a threshold that forces one to give up one thing for something else. Perhaps this message is about nature’s natural procedural of balance.

“Cry” is an emotional painting of mixed media and acrylic on canvas that seems to be a transcendence from “Hope on the Horizon.” Undoubtedly beautiful, clearly the message portrayed here is about conservation: a very important one at that.

“Eye of the Storm” is acrylic and fabric on canvas that appears as a metaphorical sense of what weather does.  It gives a sense of how time and place both create the environmental stress, and how it functions both as the action and effect.   While a psychological fraction of its pressure costs is left to be freely interpreted, the transcendence of color is interestingly viable from the skies of “Oy Vey.” This three-dimensional concept brings its extraordinary essence of interpretative vision right in front of viewers to investigate for themselves.

“Garden Nymph Contemplating the Effects of Climate Change.” Shevell’s acrylic on canvas has a surrounding seven-piece set of 8-inch-by-8-inch small canvas picked by the theme of its subjects’ motivation. This painting emphasizes the prose of the composition while its muse blends into the delicate magic of care along its landscape. The conjunction of sea life and botany coheres with the abstract thought behind her, riveting color as a tool to emphasize the need for survival. The intensity of this work is honest and provokes emotion, as is seemingly needless for any visual input by its cause. Instead, this painting’s subject is from a perspective at the other side of it. Interestingly, no matter how colorful the composition is, it still leaves the viewer with a sense of emptiness: the irony entangled with the subject at hand.

“Cosmic Winds I & II” is acrylic on canvas, both pieces integrate pebbles into galaxies, expressing the stepping-stones toward the bigger picture. What a lovely path Shevell makes of it, and within the discrepancy that time decomposes, as color fills any negative space rhythmically imposed by the contrast of suggested wavelengths. Its mundane choice of compositional trajectory keeps the subject communicating along with the connectivity of it all. Very powerful.

Sharon Shevell is a New York-raised, local Floridian residing in Parkland who studied painting at the Boca Raton Museum Art School in the 1990s. Her works have been displayed around South Florida quite fluently, and they’re held in private collections between Canada and the U.S. For more information, visit www.sharonshevellart.com.

 

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Sharon Shivel: a message from nature

Surrealism is certainly potent in the delicate works of Sharon Shivel. When I went to view them at the Parkland Library while on display until the end of August, I could not help but want to dissect them all. Each of them tells its own story, taking us back to the prevalence of nature and in tune with the realities of today. The works are  dynamic and certainly opposed to the discrepancy-specific environments that each composition entails. Here I explore each of Shivel’s acrylic intricacies and attempt to anatomize the message that she finds and portrays from nature.

“Hope on the Horizon” is an acrylic painting on canvas, with overtones of connotation, and diversions like puzzle pieces that surrealism supplies. The bodiless configuration of the female suggests that the rest of the self is in the background. The emotions are revealing of the water, and the consciousness within the sands. Her roots in the forefront seem to be a bid to cover the mystery that interestingly and inadvertently tells all by the irony of only her right eye being exposed. It is the eye that is the focal point that’s applying the symmetry, and by its subvertical alignment before the integral of vision displaces at the horizon.

Quite possibly, the clouds off the horizon could be analogous to electrical configurations of the subject, and the thought processes, posing at the overall conjuncture of the composition. In the topic of  “hope,” the message could very well be a substance applying the importance of self-awareness.

“Oy Vey” (a Yiddish phrase expressing dismay or exasperation). Well, it is often said we should avoid talking about politics; however, politics seems to be screaming at the reciprocal of this platform, and is quite detailed. The mood changes considerably in this composition and, moreover, toward its undertones that are held of voicelessness and in the context of politics that surround the topic. Instead, Shivel seems to articulate the protection and safeguarding of the nurturement of nature, embracing it as a mother would her child. All the while, the feminine subject is emphasized as still attempting to save her head. The chosen animals involved add to the visual dynamics of this piece. The work speaks its message quite transparently, as Shivel takes the viewer through the storm of its exquisite composition.

“Another Day Another Dollar.” Acrylic, paper, coffee filters, and styrofoam quite clearly deliver what this artwork speaks about, and three-dimensionally. Paradoxically, it is quite fun to look at, while maybe not the evidence that extracted from it likely was. More so, the experience hits the message on the button, becoming a question at hand: Is it all worth it?

“Victoria’s Lament.” This painting in acrylic on canvas is another work that Shivel uses as background to the theme of emotion from off the composition. Here, what an emotionless Victoria lacks in the expression of her face is the emotional journey spread of the sea in which she dwells. And as she grasps what past is entangled with roots, the message is exposed as a question: Is it the effort to reach what washed up on the shore, or is she letting go?

Shivel exposes the hypothetical nature of mythical reasoning to converse about choices, provoking thoughts about which can be claimed, and what came first and why. Too often in life there’s a threshold that forces one to give up one thing for something else. Perhaps this message is about nature’s natural procedural of balance.

“Cry” is an emotional painting of mixed media and acrylic on canvas that seems to be a transcendence from “Hope on the Horizon.” Undoubtedly beautiful, clearly the message portrayed here is about conservation: a very important one at that.

“Eye of the Storm” is acrylic and fabric on canvas that appears as a metaphorical sense of what weather does.  It gives a sense of how time and place both create the environmental stress, and how it functions both as the action and effect.   While a psychological fraction of its pressure costs is left to be freely interpreted, the transcendence of color is interestingly viable from the skies of “Oy Vey.” This three-dimensional concept brings its extraordinary essence of interpretative vision right in front of viewers to investigate for themselves.

“Garden Nymph Contemplating the Effects of Climate Change.” Shivel’s acrylic on canvas has a surrounding seven-piece set of 8-inch-by-8-inch small canvas picked by the theme of its subjects’ motivation. This painting emphasizes the prose of the composition while its muse blends into the delicate magic of care along its landscape. The conjunction of sea life and botany coheres with the abstract thought behind her, riveting color as a tool to emphasize the need for survival. The intensity of this work is honest and provokes emotion, as is seemingly needless for any visual input by its cause. Instead, this painting’s subject is from a perspective at the other side of it. Interestingly, no matter how colorful the composition is, it still leaves the viewer with a sense of emptiness: the irony entangled with the subject at hand.

“Cosmic Winds I & II” is acrylic on canvas, both pieces integrate pebbles into galaxies, expressing the stepping-stones toward the bigger picture. What a lovely path Shivel makes of it, and within the discrepancy that time decomposes, as color fills any negative space rhythmically imposed by the contrast of suggested wavelengths. Its mundane choice of compositional trajectory keeps the subject communicating along with the connectivity of it all. Very powerful.

Sharon Shivel is a New York-raised, local Floridian residing in Parkland who studied painting at the Boca Raton Museum Art School in the 1990s. Her works have been displayed around South Florida quite fluently, and they’re held in private collections between Canada and the U.S. For more information, visit www.sharonshevellart.com.

 

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Rubixx brings the ’80s to life

Just like the iconic symbol of the 1980s, the Rubik’s Cube, the local tribute band Rubixx takes its name from that symbol of purity, stability, and endless possibilities.

Founded in 2018 by Coconut Creek resident Rob Lankenau, 60, the tribute band specializes in ’80s music, including New Wave, Top 40, and pop.

“I’m part of the MTV generation,” says Lankenau. “I graduated high school in 1983, and I’m fascinated by ’80s music.”

The six-member group consists of Thomas Pisani on keyboards/rhythm guitar, Rory Hickey on bass guitar, Francis Cast on lead guitar and backing vocals, Dominick J. Daniel on drums and percussion, and female lead vocalist Lisa Maciolek (also of the rock band Fifth Wheel’d). Both Daniel and Cast were members of the ’90s punk-rock band Livid Kittens, and Pisani was a leader in the rock-and-roll band Happy Daze.

Rubixx was founded as a five-piece band. Lankenau, a New York native, knew he needed to add a woman to the mix. “You cannot call yourself an ’80s tribute band without the ‘ladies of the ’80s,’” he jokes. “What would the ’80s be without Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Whitney Houston, or Olivia Newton John?”

“I wanted to do it right,” he says. “And with Maciolek, we hit pay dirt. Lisa is one of the hardest-working people in the business and takes the bull by the horns.”

Trying to think of a good ’80s name for the band, Lankenau experimented with “The Breakfast Club” and “Members Only,” but when he hit on “Rubixx,” he knew he had a winner.

“What’s more ’80s than a Rubik’s Cube?” he comments.

Lankenau’s interest in singing began in high school, where he sang in chorus and in the “select chorus,” which competed throughout New York state. He credits his choral teacher, Ellen Levine, for her instruction and still keeps in touch on Facebook. “She was a big influence,” he remembers. “I loved to sing, and she taught me harmony and gave me purpose.”

Known for their breadth of ’80s music, the band plays locally at THROW Social in Delray Beach, Café 27 in Weston, Gigi’s Bar & Café in Pompano Beach, Crazy Uncle Mike’s in Boca Raton, and Sharkey’s Bar & Grill in Coral Springs, where they will be playing on Sept. 21.

Lankenau, the owner of Rad Pest Services in Coconut Creek, gives a shout-out to Richard Kushner, owner of Sharkey’s Bar & Grill. “We love Richard,” he says. “Sharkey’s is one of our favorite places to play, and we always get a huge turnout.”

Lankenau does his due diligence listening to ’80s music to rediscover new songs for the band’s repertoire. “It never gets old,” he says.

And while he can appreciate the energy of hard rock, metal, and dance music, it’s Freddie Mercury and Queen that hold a special place in his heart.

Queen’s 1991 hit, “These Are the Days of Our Lives”—which recounts a story about looking back with pleasure on your life and seeing it through the eyes of your kids—resonates most for Lankenau

“It always brings a tear to my eye,” he says.

Other bands that Lankenau likes include Van Halen, Long Island’s Blue Oyster Cult, U2, and his favorite, the Australian rock band INXS.

For his wedding, he danced to Elton John’s “Your Song” and serenaded his wife with Eric Clapton’s ballad, “Wonderful Tonight.”

“It was a satisfying moment,” Lankenau says. And while he says, “I killed it,” the actual proof is on a long-forgotten VHS tape.

Lead vocalist Maciolek, 48, whose singing style has been compared to that of soul singers Chaka Khan and Aretha Franklin and vocal abilities to Celine Dion, says she is blessed to make her living doing what she loves.

In addition to performing with Rubixx, the Boca Raton resident has performed on the cruise-ship circuit and has her own business, Songbird Sessions, along with Fifth Wheel’d.

Growing up in New Jersey listening to Motown, Doo-wop, the blues, Jackie Wilson, Smokey Robinson, and Aretha Franklin, Maciolek entered a talent competition at the age of 11. With no formal training (“I came out whaling”) other than singing along to the radio in her basement, she prepared and sang “The Rose” by Bette Midler.

“It was the most exciting, frightening, and exhilarating moment of my life,” Maciolek remembers. “It sparked passion and changed my life.”

She spent six years in the program at a local performing arts high school where her career goals as a singer and entertainer were cemented. Later, she worked with many of her childhood heroes such as Benny King, Leslie Gore, and Frankie Lyman on the Doo-wop circuit and at oldies radio WCBS-FM in New York.

Maciolek opened for Vito Picone & The Elegants and Johnny Maestro & The Brooklyn Bridge. “I sing with heart and power,” she says. “It makes people feel what you’re feeling.”

Maciolek says she is excited to work with Lankenau and Rubixx and that she and Lankenau hit it off vocally. “It’s the music of my time,” she says. “Even though we all come from different worlds, I feel at home.”

They are all on the same page musically, Maciolek says. “We want the same heartbeat. We are the most driven, passionate, and talented individuals and make magic happen out of nothing.

“It’s inspiring to find others filled with the same passion,” she says. “It’s great to be a part of something greater than yourself and share the fire.”

Rubixx will perform live at Sharkey’s Bar & Grill, 10365 Royal Palm Blvd., Coral Springs, on Saturday, Sept. 21. For more information, visit sharkeysfl.com, call (954) 341-9990, or

visit them on Facebook.

 

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Cooling off at S. Florida’s best water park

In the hot doldrum days of a Florida summer, there’s one place guaranteed to cool you off: Rapids Waterpark in Riviera Beach.

I went recently when family was visiting, which included my two 20-something sons, and they loved it. The place is big—probably the largest, most expansive water thrill park in South Florida—and has everything my sons love: more than 40 slides and attractions, including the new Mega Mayhem dueling water coasters, floating tube rides along the lazy river, a wave pool with music videos on a huge screen, the FlowRider surf simulator, and rows of elevated ropes to test your strength before dumping you in crystal-blue water. And there are souvenir booths, dining pavilions, and tiki bars for pina coladas and other tropical drinks. What’s not to love?

Rapids Waterpark is 35 acres of colorful, bustling, water-filled fun. There’s an attraction for everyone, of all ages and thrill levels. There are kiddie sections for the youngest splashers, as well as super-fast water slides for the most intrepid visitors. I recommend wearing water shoes or flip flops for the hot concrete around the park, and lots of applications of waterproof sunscreen if you’re spending the whole day under the bright sun. I also always had a hat and sunglasses on, though those going under water or down speed slides would have to put them aside.

We started our day in the 25,000-square-foot wave pool, which was refreshing and fun. The smooth waves begin rolling in timed increments, and when they stop, it’s just a nice, big pool to splash around in. We all enjoyed jumping in the waves when they were coming at us, with my sons going over to the deepest (6-foot) section at the back for extra fun. After we had enough of that, we headed to the lazy river, grabbing tubes and moving in one direction along the lagoon that circles around the park. We figured it was a good chance to see what the other attractions were, as the sky-high tube slides and platforms loomed over us while we floated on by. Eventually, my sons got out at one of the exit points and ran over to a large slide they had spotted. The rest of us continued drifting along—very relaxing and chill.

Eventually we walked around and toured the park. I’d never seen so many slides in one place—there were closed tube slides as well as wider, open slides, including ones where you sit on a mat and glide down—all ending with a splash in a small pool below. The high slides involved climbing steep staircases to reach the take-off spot. Not for the faint of heart. There were tamer slides for those who didn’t quite want the high-thrill experience.

Long lines were the norm for many of the slides. My sons spent a lot of time waiting. But they enjoyed the variety of rides and things to do there, and they are raring to go back. For one day, they turned into excitable little kids again. Like everyone at the park, they had a blast.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that a day at the Rapids is not cheap. We were throwing out money there left and right. Parking costs $15/vehicle for general parking ($20 for the “preferred” lot). Admission is a whopping $64.99/person ($5 off if purchased online, or coupons can be found). Once in the park, you invariably need to rent a locker to store valuables for your time spent in the water. A small locker costs $25 and a large one $35 (both with $10 refunded if you return the key at day’s end). Cabana rentals start at $249/day, which we did not do. Then there is the cost of food and drinks, which of course adds up quickly. You can’t bring your own food in, so we bought lunch there, which was a bit overpriced for what you get. Then of course everyone has to have ice cream.

So for a family, a day here is an expensive way to cool off. Some people buy the Gold Season Pass, which gets you discounts every time you go, throughout the year. This season was the 45th year for Rapids Waterpark. It’s a lot of money to spend at a park, but there’s a lot of fun to be had. Just watch out for sunburns!

 For more information, go to rapidswaterpark.com.

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Smokin Renegade The amazing world of playing in a rock cover band

Finding a niche in the South Florida cover band scene was not easy, but Frank Vestry, 62, lead vocalist of the Smokin Renegade classic rock tribute band, found a niche covering the music of rock bands Boston and Styx, both popular in the late 1970s–80s.

The band takes their name from the Boston song “Smokin’ ” on its 1976 debut album, the B-side to its first single, “More Than a Feeling,” and the 1979 Styx hit song “Renegade” from its “Pieces of Eight” album.

“When the band gathered together for the first practice, it was in a word—amazing,” Vestry writes on the band’s website. “Once the first run-through of the songs was complete, we knew we had something special.”

Vestry says, “Everything gelled together.”

He put the two song names together and “it seemed to work.” He notes that the band have been playing together in South Florida since 2018.

The band—which spotlights Boston’s “More than a Feeling” and Styx’s “Come Sail Away”—is known for their searing guitar licks, vintage synthesizers, pounding rhythms, and vocal harmonies, led by Vestry.

In addition to Vestry, the band comprises Dean Summers, lead guitarist and vocals; Ken Urquhart, keyboards, vocals, and musical director; Rob Darmanin, drums, percussion, and vocals; and Howi Hughes, bass guitar and vocals (who changed his name from Patrick to Howi because the real Howard Hughes wasn’t using it, he says).

The musicians have toured with national acts and played in some of the biggest tribute bands.

Vestry, a Long Island native, came to his vocal abilities naturally, as both parents were musical. His mother, Marie Elena, was a singer before marrying his father, Frank Vestry, a professional tenor. His dad played at renowned nightclubs in New York City, including the Copacabana and the Latin Quarter, and filled in for Tony Bennett.

A shy kid, Vestry started a garage band at age 15, and by 18 he decided that singing was what he wanted to pursue as a career. His band, Devias, played iconic venues in and around New York City and Long Island—including the Cat Club, the Limelight, the China Club, L’Amour, the Stage Door, Industry Steel, and My Father’s Place. Its members later went on to play with Alice Cooper, Dokken, and Ted Nugent.

Among his top musical Influences, he counts vocalist Brad Delp from Boston (“love his voice”), Stevie Wonder, Elton John, and the Beatles.

Driven by the love of music, the desire to be the best he can be, and the joy of seeing people loving the music is what gets Vestry up and going in the morning.

Now married and the father of two daughters, Vestry says he’s thrilled to be making music all these years later. “It’s amazing to be doing something I love and earning a living doing it,” he reflects. “It’s a blessing.”

Highlights of his career including writing original songs in the melodic rock genre and releasing an album with Rob Marcello, a Swedish guitar player, which garnered 100,000 views on YouTube, as well as playing with Bon Jovi, Van Halen, and White Snake, among others, at the National Association of Music Merchants trade show in California in 1998.

Urquhart, 53, a Florida native who now lives in Delray Beach, met Vestry when the two played together in a bar band called the Evil Monkeys.

Learning keyboards from his father as a child on an electric Lowrey organ, Urquhart sang in the church choir, where he learned to harmonize. He found his early musical influences in Billy Joel and Elton John and later with British keyboardists Howard Jones, Rick Wakeman, and Keith Emerson.

He jumped at the chance to join Vestry in the Smokin Renegade band and says, “It’s an incredible honor to play on stage in front of so many enthusiastic people.”

Urquhart jokes, “This is as close to rock-stardom as we get.”

When the band formed, they released a recording of their first live stage show on Facebook to determine fan reaction and were gratified that band promoters reached out and contacted them immediately.

They have performed as far away as Kansas and Georgia, but these days they prefer to stay within driving distance. In July, they returned to the Daytona Bandshell for the city’s Star-Spangled Summer Concert Series where they performed for a crowd of 3,000. Other highlights include playing the Plantation Seafood and Music Festival, Rock the Park in Abacoa, the Riley Center in Ocala to a sold-out audience, and the House of Blues in Orlando.

Although the band takes their music seriously, Urquhart says they don’t take themselves too seriously. He says they are all motivated to go on stage and indulge in a musical conversation.

“We’re genuinely having fun,” he says. “We’re all on the same page. What sets us apart is the focus and detail to the sound.”

Because the original Boston doesn’t tour anymore, Urquhart says, audiences are excited to hear their music live. “Music is memory,” he notes. “It’s so touching when people tell us the moments they remember when they first heard this music.”

This fall, the band plans to add the music of Foreigner, now on its farewell tour, to their repertoire.

Still on an upward trajectory, Vestry and Urquhart say the band has no plans to slow down, although Urquhart does admit to a fantasy of going out on tour. “Just once,” he says. “It’s on my bucket list.”

Whether or not that happens is yet to be determined, but doing what they love is the immediate priority.

“It’s special to participate in this magic,” Urquhart says. “We can’t ask for more.”

Smokin Renegade will perform live at Sharkey’s Bar & Grill, 10365 Royal Palm Blvd., Coral Springs, on Saturday, Aug. 24. For more information, go to sharkeysfl.com or call (954) 341-9990. Visit: SmokinRenegade.com.

 

 

 

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Rocking out with the Smokin’ Aces

“The ringleader of craziness” is how The Smokin’ Aces lead singer Lou Falco (who goes by “FALCO”) describes himself. “I’m the one with the bald head, goatee, and black nail polish.”

Originally from Valley Stream, N.Y., FALCO, 55, came to South Florida in 2000, moved away six years later, and returned in 2010 after sojourns to Texas and Georgia. He now lives in Deerfield Beach.

Singing since the age of 13, FALCO’s inspirations include Kiss, the original Van Halen with David Lee Roth, and Ronnie James Dio, a heavy metal singer who sang with a number of bands, including Black Sabbath.

The name “The Smokin’ Aces” was inspired by Joe Carnahan’s 2006 action film of the same name. “I thought it was cool,” FALCO says.

Additionally, the singer performs with the band Wicked Maraya. They toured Europe and the Americas, releasing five CDs including their latest one titled “Chapters,” released in 2023 by Massacre Records and characterized by moody, emotional layers, heavy grooves, and big, melodic vocals. Two months later, the CD hit No. 2 on the U.S. metal CD charts.

The band played their first live show in 25 years last March at Piper’s Pub in Pompano Beach and will be playing around South Florida this August.

The Smokin’ Aces—composed of Rafael Sa on bass, Johnny Ace on drums, Jose Pantoja on guitar, and Al Stone on keyboard—is known for putting on a good show and playing every party and fun genre of music, including rock, pop, punk, dance, disco, country, and funk.

Stone, 50, and FALCO have been making music together since 2000, meeting in the party and cover band Funkette at Murphy’s Law Irish Pub, a former landmark bar on Las Olas Boulevard. It was also a landmark time for Stone, who met his wife there while playing.

“Kismet,” Stone says, “An arrow and a beam of light hit me.”

A Plantation resident, Stone is 99.9% self-taught. He learned to play on his Casio keyboard by listening to Bruce Springsteen’s 1984 song, “Dancing in the Dark,” and Van Halen’s “Jump,” which he plays to this day.

“The current incarnation of The Smokin’ Aces is one of the best groups I’ve played with,” Stone says. “There’s nothing we won’t try and nothing we don’t excel at.”

He compares the band’s efforts to a snowplow, saying they clear the way for the audience to have a good time.

While he appreciates both Judas Priest and heavy metal, Stone likes to keep the band’s repertoire diverse and occasionally throws in something out of left field, such as a Harry Styles or Steely Dan tune.

“I’m the odd one out,” Stone confesses, admitting to a preference for melodic music, including the Beach Boys, Chicago, and Canadian singer-songwriter Gino Vannelli.

“Music allows us to navigate different emotions the crowd is feeling,” he says. “If they want to party and let loose and need a shot of adrenaline, we play louder, more rocking music. But, there’s a time to mellow out as well.”

With eclectic tastes, Stone listens to different musical genres. Feeling nostalgic, he’ll play some ’80s music; if he’s in a sentimental mood, he’ll put on Janes Taylor. He enjoys the Little River Band and the Eagles and gladly says he’s a huge Ambrosia fan.

“I’m the chameleon of the group,” he jokes. “I even listen to Miles Davis and Latin jazz.”

Among his musical influences, Stone says he’d most like to meet Michael McDonald, keyboardist for the Doobie Brothers, and his early inspiration, the Doors’ Ray Manzarek.

Stone is thankful to be part of the group and thankful to bring joy to his fans. “We genuinely have a good time on stage,” he says. “So as a result, the crowd has a good time.”

FALCO agrees. “If the audience is dancing and having fun, that’s what it’s all about,” he says.

Their 20-year career has been “amazing,” FALCO says.

Also a realtor with his partner, Lori Paolillo of Realty100, Rock And Roll Realtors, and a 911 emergency communications dispatcher at Coral Springs Police Department, FALCO got his start in Florida in 2000 by walking into Murphy’s Law, getting up on stage, and wowing the crowd.

“I had to learn 150 songs in three weeks,” he remembers. Twenty-five years later, he is still going strong.

“We know how to cater to the crowd; we’re practical, not pretentious,” FALCO says.

“We listen to our fans and fill our venues,” he says. “We throw everything against the wall and see what sticks.”

They cover a wide variety of bands such as Italian rock band Måneskin, Limp Bizkit, The Cure, Matchbox 20, and Kid Rock, as well as the Weekend, Marc Anthony, and Ricky Martin.

Locally, the band plays at Biergarten Boca Raton, Cagney’s House of Rock in Davie, Piper’s Pub in Pompano Beach, and Sharkey’s Bar and Grill in Coral Springs, where they will perform on July 26.

“We’re honored and thankful ‘our crowd’ follows us, comes out for us, supports us, and parties with us,” FALCO says. “We owe it all to our crowd.”

A fan writing on their Facebook page says, “The Smokin’ Aces play their a**es off—every set, every show.”

Find The Smokin’ Aces on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheSmokinAces. They will be at Sharkey’s Bar & Grill, 10365 Royal Palm Blvd., Coral Springs, on Friday, July 26. For more information, visit sharkeysfl.com or call (954) 341-9990. Wicked Maraya will perform around South Florida in mid-August. For more information, visit www.wickedmaraya.com.

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