Past members, special guests: ANDY BURTON, TONY CAMPO, ALAN ST JON, DAVE KEYES, CHARLIE GIORDANO, piano, organ, accordion; STAN MITCHELL, DAVE DRISCOLL, drums; WAYNE SCHUSTER, BRIAN SEARS, SAL SAMARTINO, sax; MIKE SACCOLITI, DAVE POST, VIN CASEY, bass; PHIL GIULIANO, guitar.
Influences
In addition to ripping off CHUCK BERRY, BO DIDDLEY, and anyone who recorded for SUN RECORDS the Lone Sharks gussy-up their joyful larceny with giddy attempts at swing jazz and pre-rock pop crooning.
Each member brings his musical obsession to the table: drummer Chris Ripley loves MAX ROACH, JO JONES and EARL PALMER.
Paul Scher adores the hot R&B soul sound of KING CURTIS, LEE ALLEN, and any number of horn greats.
Joe Lauro is a collector of pre-war jazz records and has produced several music-related film documentaries including "The Wildest: Louis Prima!"
Tony Palumbo's father was a NYC session guitarist in the 1950s and older brother Nick a major player in the swing revival in the 90s.
Still trying to write a good song, Gene Casey lists DON GIBSON, HANK COCHRAN, OTIS BLACKWELL, JOHNNY MERCER and FELICE & BOUDLEAUX BRYANT as inspirations.
Gene also makes use of the
blog feature at MySpace to write about some of his faves, meanwhile sparing his closest friends and innocent bystanders endless bits of self-absorbed indulgence.
You are hereby directed...
Sounds Like
It swings, rocks, rolls.
It croons like a lover's lullaby on a dreamy moonlit night. Likely, alcohol encourages said dreamy state so we urge you to tip your bartender before tipping over anyone else.
As only one member of the band was born below the Mason-Dixon line (and he plays the saxophone) this preoccupation with things southern is slightly perplexing to those who may have played Little League with the boys or shoplifted 45s at Valley Stream's Green Acres.
The minimal amount of chords to be found in most southern vernacular music may be the reason these men faithfully carry the torch for what one might call "roots music."
Of course, one might be referring to the popular TV '70s mini-series, "Roots" and be just as accurate, especially the part where Chuck Connors gets really nasty, although they actually prefer "Rich Man, Poor Man," particularly scenes involving Susan Blakely getting sloppy drunk and Nick Nolte knocking Ed Asner into a bunch of pastries.
Considering the irony that Gene was born in the shadow of the Gretsch building (ok, a really long shadow that reached Queens) and nowadays Gretsch products (such as the guitars and drums Gene and Chris play) are made in Japan, one might be tempted to envision a future wherein the Lone Sharks are honored as expatriate American music giants in the land of the rising sun.
This dreamy state is, too, helped by alcohol. Time to pay the tab!
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The highly acclaimed CD, "GENE CASEY & the LONE SHARKS: WHAT HAPPENED" is available at CD BABY. To hear samples please see: CD Baby
Band Biography: The Lone Sharks' first performance was in the summer of 1988 at the late, lamented Burke's Roadhouse, North Sea, Southampton, NY, with GENE CASEY, singer and guitarist, PHIL GIULIANO on guitar, DAVE DRISCOLL on drums, and VINCENT CASEY on electric bass.
The band quickly a foothold in the 80s Hamptons music scene, where bars and bands were plentiful and audiences loyal and robust. A major addition came in the form of STAN MITCHELL (of New Zealand, member of the Drongos) taking over the drum chair in 1990 propelling the band into a force to be reckoned with. A few years later the Lone Sharks gained a residency at the legendary Wild Rose Cafe. This Bridgehampton night spot enjoyed packed houses and great times and the Lone Sharks were at the center of it, maintaining a weekly engagement for over three years while appearing at other New York landmarks such as the Bottom Line, the Waldorf Astoria's ballroom, and aboard the USS Intrepid.
By this time MIKE SACCOLITI on Fender bass, and ANDY BURTON, keyboardist, brought a new dimension to the Lone Sharks' sound, conjuring up swampy R&B vibe to the twangy wail of Gene's rockabilly-based guitar.
Stan Mitchell's departure for L.A. brought CHRIS RIPLEY to the fold, with a classic swing feel that characterized the band's next phase.
As the millennium approached the Lone Sharks were the most popular band on the East End and their dance card full. Two full-length CDs, "Fire. Theft & Casualty" and "Aqua Western" featured original songs, "Swing, Baby Swing," "I Ain't Dead Yet" and "Dirty All the Time" (see the video here on MySpace and Youtube).
The next move was to bring in a full-time tenor saxophonist and Minnesota native PAUL SCHER was the man.
JOE LAURO, and later TONY PALUMBO, brought the big upright bass sound to the band's increasingly swinging style.
2005's "A Lone Sharks Six-Pack" features classic and original rockabilly and R&B ("Sherri on the Ferry" dedicated to their Shelter Island fans and the lilting ballad "Who's Sharing the Moon," later performed as a duet by Gene and local great,
Nancy Atlas in her recent live CD/DVD set).
In the course of maintaining their status as "Best of the Best" (Dan's Papers and Hamptons Magazine -- several years running) the Lone Sharks have shared billing and/or backed-up NRBQ, Link Wray , SLEEPY LaBEEF, WANDA JACKSON, v, the Who's JOHN ENTWISTLE, CAROLINE DOCTOROW, THE HIGHWAY QC's and on one unforgettable night, TINY TIM.
Looking forward to our show with you on September 5 at the Pleasure Lounge!
The Moonlighters have a new release, Enchanted, which is out this week. Click this link for a free download of one of our new songs: http://www.worldsound.com/free/moon.
