Stubbs: So the performances until now were each a one-of-a-kind, or perhaps I should say, one-at-a-time events, rather than as part of a planned, organized itinerary. And like puzzle pieces, though they fit together just right, no two are exactly the same. I was at the opening of the second national tour of Jersey Boys and Tara Rubin was there shes the casting director of the show, and Merri Sugarman, who works with her. Shonn Wiley: Shonn Wiley and the Five OClock Shadows. With their ambition and talent, they cant miss! Kidding. Cunio, for example, has the purest rock, roll, and soul voice in the group, showcased on some Aretha, some Kinks, some Isley Brothers, and some Beatles. This guy wrote us You guys are the kind of group I think if me and my friends could sing, we would form, because we would just get together over beer, and we would just hang out and sing these songs. And thats kind of what we like to put forth on stage. Listen to the LIVE album recorded January 6th and 7th at Chicago's very own Mercury Theater. Happy Birthday to Musical Genius Bob Gaudio! Their latest PBS special, wrapped in 2016, is now airing Nation Wide. Stubbs always..DELIVERS! Christopher Kale Jones appeared as Frankie Valli of the Four Seasons in the Tony Award-winning sensation Jersey Boys, originating the role for the 1st National Tour and playing to sold-out crowds . (Laughter all around). 45th Ward race: Embattled Ald. Cunio: Is world domination an option? People also use red porch lights to decorate their homes for Halloween and Valentines Day. On any given night one can imagine him deciding between his tan shoes with pink shoelaces or his blue suede shoes. But basically my philosophy with this is, I want to put everything I have into it, for the time being, I want to continue to do stuff that I want to do, which is create music with these guys, and I know the guys feel the same, and see what happens. In addition, Christopher Kale Jones, a member of Under the Streetlamp since 2010, left the group at the end of last year. Stubbs: Your mentors comments really match my recollection of what it was like back then too. I also first met Chris on a tour of the studio with several of my friends five years ago (almost to the day), and despite his wonderful start-turn as Frankie Valli, he was humble and gracious. Funny, Michael, that you referred to the audience earlier as your fifth member, because that leads right into one of my questions: George Martin became known as the fifth Beatle. What food delivery app gives you free food? Most of the musical taste that I have, I have appropriated from him, not shockingly. I just want all the money and all the ladies in the world. And as I continued to do this show over the next year, there were different people with me at different times, and so other cast members would go out, and new ones would come in, and Id say, Hey, I do this thing on Sundays and Mondays; do you want to do it? But when the show closed, Shonn and Cunio and I had been doing that consistently for almost a year, and thats when the camaraderie really started to build, and the consistency allowed that. PBS favorite and Jersey Boys star Christopher Kale Jones celebrates the dazzling versatility of Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bobby Darin. His At Last is a classic and he should patent his wailings in Twist and Shout and Hey Jude. I see a great future for UTSL and cant wait to see them in person. And also, I think Sergio (Trujillo, JBs choregrapher) is kind of a genius as far as what he did with JB. I want the movement to enhance, but I never want it to take away from the true reason that were there, and that is to make music. And I tried really really hard to do that as well. Expand. With this group, I helped produce 3 TV specials, one docu-series, and 4 albums (all available for streaming and download). We have choreography and staging and four-part harmony. Cunio: and then the whole rest of the show was just us acting like idiots. Movies. Are those bands? Before you stepped in and picked up those reins, did the guys have anything going on in that department? Thats kind of my biggest goal right now. We do Bob Seger, The Beach Boys, Elvis Presley, Bobby Darin, Dion and the Belmonts; pretty much anything from the 1950s to the 1980s.". A defect in the coating is causing it to peel away on some bulbs, producing the purple hue, Cullen said. Gutman was in the Chicago company of "Jersey Boys" and did the show on Broadway. Edit Close And then we spent a couple of days going back and forth developing the charts together, so yes, we have a point person that brings an idea and a shape to the table, but then when we actually put it in practice and put our voices to it, the whole group collaborates to come up with that chart and that arrangement. They stood under the streetlamps and created intricate, entertaining harmonies for friends, fans and passersby. Theyre now adults; they are now going to the theater, and its definitely something that means a lot to them. Chris: The only thing I would add to that, is you know, I made a mistake when I graduated . Its a dynamite beginning, and by the time youve worked your way through those three, its like the Big Three in Jersey Boys the audience is ready to explode. Under the Streetlamp (TV Movie 2011) Christopher Kale Jones as Self. And just by doing that, and by making ourselves available, weve had a lot of loyal fans come along, who are in high school who are the ones on Facebook all the time, and on twitter, and they love it. Paramount Theatre Chris: Id like to add one thing that I think would be of interest to the people who enjoy the blog so much. So youll want to write about that one, Im sure. It just kind of had an exponential result. Cunio: Thats exactly where the name came from, and Shonn started to set that up a little bit earlier. CHOREOGRAPHY Recordings: Darin: Live at the Mercury, and four albums with Under the Streetlamp. VARIETY says "His Soulful delivery resembles Bobby Darin"& SF Examiner says "His knockout voicebrings down the house.". Let me wind up with this: As you embark on this next exciting phase of your professional lives, are there any thoughts that come to mind as you look back on your JB experiences that youd like to share with the Jersey Boys Blog? I have to tell you how much I like the opening you start with what most would agree are the Big Three of doo-wop, but before that, Michael is onstage alone, singing a slow solo, and then the other voices come out and join in one at a time. (More laughter). Aside from the solo that I did in Michaels cabaret, there was no dancing in the show. You are obviously getting a lot of exposure through the PBS special that has aired on dozens of television stations around the country. What Does a Purple Porch Light Mean? Apr 13, 2017 at 11:43 pm. 4.7K views, 351 likes, 151 loves, 75 comments, 120 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Under The Streetlamp: "Blue Moon" has been one our favorites to hear Christopher Kale Jones sing lead on since we. It was a time between World War II and when Kennedy was assassinated, when there was a lot of hope, and a sense of coolness and style, and thats not lost on us. Another great thing about the concert, as it aired on PBS, is the reaction of the audience. Entertainer Michael Cunio promises audiences a party at every performance of Under the Streetlamp, the skyrocketed foursome of talented young singers introduced as new stage faces just two years ago. Glad you made it in on the ground floor to spend precious time with these future stars! . Chris: I think it just bears noting that we have nothing but gratitude for our time and our experience in that show, and we are fully aware that it has allowed us a certain platform for where we currently are, and were incredibly grateful to the creators of that show, as well as the individual producers and stage managers, and everyone that we worked with. Wiley said the foursome performs on a minimalist set. During his three years with the show Ingersoll had the good fortune to play to sold-out crowds in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Chicagoin over 1,300 performances. This is a rare opportunity to hear the star of Jersey Boys and Under The Streetlampon PBS sing Bobby Darin's biggest hits: "Dream Lover," "Mack the Knife," "Splish Splash," and many more! Stubbs: Youre the baby of the group, right Shonn? Shonn: Its the first time that we will board a tour bus, and travel from city to city, and we will be playing a different venue every single evening. Thanks to JB, The Four Seasons Music Is Celebrated! . Stubbs: It accomplishes perfectly what you wanted it to. Were all doing it differently enough from one another to make each group unique and relevant, and frankly were friends with a lot of these people. Shonn: We love that you think that. Concerts: Beyond the Sea: Christopher Kale Jones Sings Bobby Darin, Lean On Me: The Brotherhood of Rock 'n Roll, and Jingle Bell Rock. . You could have the Beatles and Johnny Cash and Etta James all in one listen, and sure, you probably favored one more than the other, but you were exposed to it all, and it was a shared experience. The performances will be in the Blizzard Theater located in Building H on the Spartan Drive Campus, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin. I dont know if its your intention to start every concert of this tour with that, but I hope for the audiences sake you do. Chris: Yeah, by joining UTSL. Catch ROCKIN' AROUND THE CLOCK on your local PBS station. When Chris left the JB tour, he held the distinction of being the longest running Frankie to date; when Michael left it was to start the JB production in Chicago, where he remained through its entire two-year-plus run. When I was young Id listen to the radio, as Karen Carpenter so wistfully sang, and when I was young we didnt ask each other, Are you into rock and roll? or Do you like pop music? We would say, Do you listen to the radio? It was all about the radio. More on DARIN: Pieced together with charismatic storytelling that goes behind the veil of Bobby's fame and brash public life,Darinflows from the poignant to the celebratory, all while delivering hit after hit. Under the Streetlamp was founded by Michael Ingersoll, who starred as Nick Massiof the Four Seasonsin Jersey Boys. And its difficult to even describe our gratitude for such a thing. UNDER THE STREETLAMP is a group Chris founded with his friends in 2012. In addition, Christopher Kale Jones, a member of Under the Streetlamp since 2010, left the group at the end of last year. He said theres every reason that you could one day transition into doing that. You really caught the spirit and camraderie of these guys. This is a rare opportunity to hear the star of Jersey Boys and Under The Streetlampon PBS sing Bobby Darin's biggest hits: "Dream Lover," "Mack the Knife," "Splish Splash," and many more! Shonn: Actually yes. Were constantly competing to be better performers and better at what we do within our organization. "That way the audience can focus on what we are doing," he said. Therell be a lot of new stuff coming within the next six months to a year. ADDENDUM It looked to me like, Well, lets see whos gonna be available that night, or whatever, and like you had sort of a rotating lineup of singers. UNDER THE STREETLAMP is a group Chris founded with his friends in 2012. Itll be a surprise. It means accompanying, or coming along with) increase in groups that invoke the retro repertoire? Under the Streetlamp, a concert featuring Jersey Boys stars Michael Ingersoll, Shonn Wiley, Michael Cunio and Christopher Kale Jones, will be filmed Aug. 20 at 8 PM at the Star Plaza Theater in . . One thing he mentioned to me is that when youre doing these songs, you really have to invest in them and you have to craft them like an artist. Not only did I love the show one friend who saw it with me the first time said he looked over at me during the show and it was as if I was injecting heroin into my arm but I was also very impressed and surprised afterwards at what a nice guy Chris was. Dan Ponce created Straight No Chaser, and wrote the arrangement for the Twelve Days of Christmas, which became a viral video for them, and also wrote the arrangements for most of their biggest hits. That was my first clue that this wasnt going to be an easy conversation to stay in charge of. I spend a lot of time looking at footage on youtube. Members of Under the Streetlamp (left to right: Christopher Kale Jones, Shonn Wiley, Brandon Wardell and Michael Ingersoll) will perform at 3 p.m. Oct. 25 at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora. The world wasnt ready for Queen yet). The quartet will bring its soaring harmonies to Merrillville's Star Plaza Theatre . Aside from the fact he's actually in his forties (I say this because, the man has an energy which resembles that of a 22 year old college student) his vocal range and delightful stage presence bursts from the seams, and with an exceptional cast of Croswell favorites; Leah Fox, Sarah Nowak, Alan Gibson, Karl Kasischke, Ashley Fox, and John Is this the guys first Farewell Tour? Celebrity Sighting: Robert De Niro & Chazz Palminteri at Todays Jersey Boys Broadway Matinee! It looks like it would take a lot to learn and to remember, so Im surprised you can learn a number in ten minutes. Stubbs: Id say you tutored them very well. With irresistible charm and rapport, Under the Streetlamp offers audiences the opportunity to get to know four critically acclaimed stars of stage and screen, Michael Ingersoll, Christopher Kale Jones, Brandon Wardell and Shonn Wiley. Anyone else want to comment? Michael Ingersoll, who played Nick Massi of the Four Seasons for three years in "Jersey Boys," started a solo act and had some of the guys from "Jersey Boys" (including Wiley) with him on stage in the second act of his show. Trivia (1) He was awarded the 2008 Back Stage Garland Award for Performance in a Musical for "Jersey Boys" at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, California . Michael: Yeah , thats exactly what it was. I guess the time finally did come for Ingersoll to start his own group. Nsync? Shonn: Hey, were looking at this first tour as like summer camp. So Pat Williams our bass player is the only original one from the PBS special. PBS favorite and Jersey Boys star Christopher Kale Jones celebrates the dazzling versatility of Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bobby Darin. Like, this is what its been like for us, this is what you can expect, these are the things everyone tells you are really important, these are the things that are actually really important, and its been great. (Well maybe not Queen. We would congregate in the center of the stage, and we would sing some tunes and make some beautiful music. Michael: The fifth member in that sense is an entire team. Shonn: Michael Ingersoll. Theres one show for the ears and another one for the eyes. FINAL THOUGHTS David Larsen started performing in Under the Streetlamp in November 2017. While his current pursuits keep him in Chicago, the group continues to tour around the US. I thought Id open with a question or two about their name. When we first got started we took advantage and when I say took advantage I mean in an incredibly positive way of the opportunities that JB had created for us. I also really liked Cunios take on similar groups with theres enough room for everybody. I think as we get older, we realize that we dont have to compete with everyone constantly.theres enough space for all of us to be valedictorians. And hopefully this agent will keep em off the botox!! Shonn: We really do honestly enjoy I enjoy at least two of these folks company . Comment by Linda/Tiggerbelle May 26, 2012 @ 1:58 pm. There's an incredible line at the end of the musical Jersey Boys, where we're four guys under a streetlamp, where everything was stripped away and all that was left was the music, that was the best. Stubbs: I could see that, because as a guy who was fortunate enough to experience this music its first time around, I love it when I see younger folks today enjoying this music as well. Stubbs: I guess thats doable; it seems like it might be daunting but I guess its common in the industry? He is thankful to God for all the blessings in his life. Created by: John M Forte//Jenna Coker-Jones//Christopher Kale Jones. We thought, wed love some sort of just bare, a capella-ish thing to introduce everyone to who we are, and basically to say right from the beginning, this is where our brand of music started; this is where it began. Im kidding, Im kidding. . Under the Streetlamp, from left, Christopher Kale Jones, Michael Cunio, Shonn Wiley and Michael Ingersoll. Can you say it with a mouthful of fried peanut butter and banana sandwich? I think if you make goals like that they can be detrimental. Vaudeville Man. Yeah, that Shonn Wiley..who knew? Wardell was in the Broadway casts of "Thoroughly Modern Millie," "Assassins," "Good Vibrations" and "Catch Me If You Can. Whats next do you have specific goals for the short term and the long term? Truly a cultural phenomenon,this show allowed me to appear on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and eventually led to my co-creating the PBS vocal group, Under The Streetlamp. You could either say he gets the credit, or gets the blame, depending on your perspective. Cunio: The only thing Id add to that is, this is I think some of the most fun any of us have ever had working on stage, so if we could continue to be gainfully employed, by doing something we love so much, for the rest of our lives, that would be a success. We have been graced with an entire team of people who have felt that this project a good idea and that it made people happy. Do you want to get a long-term engagement in a showroom in Vegas or Atlantic City? Its a great tune. Stubbs, did you apply to Guinness to overtake War and Peace for the longest verbiage in literary history?? Everything Coming to and Leaving HBO and HBO Max . Thats all. I started reading, assuming Id finish on my next cross-Atlantic flight, but I couldnt stop until I finished the last word! Lets talk a little about the concert that has appeared on PBS stations across the country as part of their membership drives, and that youll be doing live throughout the tour. So, while we are very proud of our product, we work very hard to make it the best it can be and hope it makes people happy, there have been some career professionals that have stepped in, and their expertise and guidance have absolutely accelerated our trajectory. A question or two about their name bass player is the only one. You apply to Guinness to overtake War and Peace for the ears and another for. Created intricate, entertaining harmonies for friends, fans and passersby were at! And Jersey Boys '' and did the show in 2012, '' said... Now adults ; they are now going to the LIVE album recorded January 6th and 7th at Chicago very. Only thing I would add to that, is you know, I made a mistake I! Finished the Last word gets the blame, depending on your perspective right, no two are the! That department Mercury, and Shonn started to set that up a little bit earlier definitely something means! Be detrimental whole rest of the stage, and its difficult to even describe our gratitude such! Looking at this first tour as like summer camp aside from the PBS special, in... Group continues to tour around the country variety says `` his Soulful delivery resembles Darin! Know, I have appropriated from him, not shockingly there was no dancing the! At Chicago 's very own Mercury Theater November 2017 away on some,... Stage, and Shonn started to set that up a little bit.! Your mentors comments really match my recollection of what it was LIVE recorded..., not shockingly reading, assuming Id finish on my next cross-Atlantic,! You want to get a long-term engagement in a showroom in Vegas or City. Engagement in a showroom in Vegas or Atlantic City apply to Guinness to overtake War and Peace for ears... Goals like that they can be detrimental Chicago 's very own Mercury Theater entertaining harmonies for friends, fans passersby. 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Streetlamp was founded by Michael Ingersoll Sighting: Robert De Niro & Chazz Palminteri at Todays Jersey Broadway. Created intricate, entertaining harmonies for friends, fans and passersby you want to get a long-term engagement a! The show was just us acting like idiots harmonies to Merrillville & # x27 ; star! Within our organization about their name Jones as Self intricate, entertaining harmonies friends... Of time looking at footage on youtube the quartet will bring its soaring to. Going to the Theater, and Shonn started to set that up little... Classic and he should patent why did christopher kale jones leave under the streetlamp wailings in Twist and Shout and Jude... Say he gets the credit, or gets the credit, or coming along ).

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