Tag Archives: member profiles

Vinyl Stripes Revive an Era when Turntables Rocked

October 24, 2018 IM

vinyl strips — The Vinyl Stripes of Local 72-147 (Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX), Greg New (bass), Mark Baker (drums), and Steve Curry (guitar), has a retro 1950s-1960s vibe.

Guitarist and lead singer Steve Curry of Local 72-147 (Dallas-Fort Worth, TX) has been influenced by everybody from Stevie Ray Vaughan to Jimi Hendrix—blues, ’50s rock ‘n’ roll, and Django Reinhardt and gypsy jazz. This confluence of genres has steered his career, in particular, the classic rock trio he formed a few years ago with veteran Texas musicians and union members Mark Baker (drums) and Greg New (bass). Their band, The Vinyl Stripes, pays homage to a time when turntables, not streaming services, ruled the airwaves.

“I like the sound from the ’50s when people were just discovering the guitar sound that they call slap-back rockabilly—in Memphis, when Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis were popular, during the Sun Records era.”

The trio’s individual careers are a hybrid of styles. New started out in a punk band and after changing instruments, he cofounded a bluegrass/folk group, which eventually led to indie rock. Baker says his days as a rock drummer leaned loud and fast, adding “With the Vinyl Stripes, we try to pay homage to the tones and techniques of the music of the ’50s and ’60s, and then imagine the progression of those styles with our originals.” Retro style drumming “is a combination of using the correct instruments to achieve the tones and an understanding of where the music came from to properly convey the feeling of the music.”

The band chooses songs for their upbeat tempo: classic ’50s with fun-based lyrics—songs like “Be-Bop-a-Lula” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On.” Every now and again a cover of Curry’s favorite band will emerge, like The Beatles’ “I’ve Just Seen a Face.” Thanks to his prolific songwriting talent, there is no shortage of originals: a newly recorded dance tune “Jellyroll” and one of their most popular videos, “Lucy,” is a salute to TV legend Lucille Ball.

Curry’s song “Can’t Go Home” has the feel of a 1955 Elvis record, with the guitar-playing attributes of Scotty Moore. Recently, he says, “I wrote about 16 original songs—some of which have rockabilly influence, some with more modern vocal harmony drawn from contemporary bands. I try to keep it grounded in early rockabilly sound, using similar chord progressions. Then, we also write music in the instrumental surf sound style of Dick Dale and The Beach Boys.”

His tenor is suited to the sounds of Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison, two Texans who have influenced his music. “I am probably more influenced by rock and roll and some of the crooners that came before rock,” says Curry. “The music coming out of Texas is pretty eclectic, though. Country music is big obviously, but there are a lot of rock bands, R&B, swing. I hear it all and it inspires me.”

Like all things vintage, there is a reclaiming value to the band’s music. Their garb is retro western plaid and bowling shirts, the stage is decked out in vintage guitars and an upright bass from the ’70s, which New spins occasionally to great effect. Fun is the band’s aim, Curry says, especially in response to today’s polarized environment. To his surprise, a mixed-generation audience fills the venues they play. At one show, he says, “It was like being at a sock hop.”

Born in Texas, just outside of Dallas, Curry moved to Los Angeles in the 1990s, where he played alternately in studio as a session guitarist and as a rock singer. He’s composed music for and played for TV and film. He’s toured and recorded with The Jacksons, Boney James of Local 47, Rapper D.O.C, and ’50s icon Fabian.

In 1996, Curry joined the union. He says, “One of the most important things about it is that, if there’s something in a contract that’s disputed, the union has always helped me. If it ever has to go to court, they are there to deal with it. That makes it invaluable. If I’m in another city, if I have a question regarding a contract, or if I’m looking for players, I contact the local.”

Back in Texas, in 2004, Curry’s interest veered from mainstream pop and rock to very early jazz and jazz guitar styles. He bought a Gypsy jazz style (Selmer) guitar and eventually founded the swing band, the Texas Gypsies. The niche band, with a roaring ’20s vibe, started out as a four-member acoustic gypsy jazz and western swing band—“Django Reinhardt meets Bob Wills.” It’s evolved and nowadays can include as many as 12 musicians, with Romani violin, horns, and retro-style drumming.

Both bands are going strong, says Curry. The Texas Gypsies have played more than 2,000 shows in the last decade, across the US, in Mexico, and even Dubai. The Vinyl Stripes closed out the summer with several concerts in Texas and throughout the region, in Oklahoma, Louisiana, and New Mexico.

Authenticity is all important to Curry. In fact, while we were talking, the doorbell rang with a delivery. It was a 1955 Gretsch guitar to be added to his collection of prized vintage instruments.

A New Pops Culture: Atlanta Orchestra Sets the Bar

August 15, 2018 IM

Atlanta Pops Orchestra, members of Local 148-462 (Atlanta, GA)

More than just a hometown favorite, the Atlanta Pops Orchestra has become a touring ensemble that regularly performs with an array of artists, like Chloë Agnew, formerly of Celtic Woman, John Driskell Hopkins of the Zac Brown Band, Broadway’s Craig Schulman, and hard-bop trumpeter Joe Gransden. This year, the Pops album with the bluegrass quintet Balsam Range (Mountain Overture) went to number six on the Billboard Classical chart and number five on the Billboard Bluegrass chart, in the same week.

President of the Pops Leonard Altieri of 148-462 (Atlanta, GA) says, “We’re not afraid to try anything new, stretching the boundaries of pops music. As long as it fits our ensemble, we can do big stuff, mainstream.” He adds, “We’re making a name for ourselves with the different types of concerts we do and also as a traveling orchestra.”
The orchestra uses union contracts exclusively, creating individual contracts for each concert and for each pops musician, members of Local 148-462. “We’re hired to play each time, every time for union rates. We’re doing 18 concerts this year, just the Pops. That doesn’t include backing up other musicians, singers, and bands.” Altieri adds, “If an act requires a backup group, we’re it.”

The Pops was founded by Albert Coleman in 1945, who served as music director for more than 50 years. In the early years, it consisted of 60 to 65 members. Today, the orchestra is half that size—but not because it’s having trouble surviving. On the contrary, Altieri, a 60-year union member and veteran violist of the Atlanta Symphony, says, “By shrinking our numbers, we could play more dates on smaller stages, take one bus instead of two—and it’s worked out perfectly.”

They have been doing it that way for 15 years. Currently, with Leonard’s son, Jason Altieri, as conductor and music director, the orchestra does as many as 16 pieces in one program and performs 15 to 20 shows per season. Low overhead allows them to take advantage of opportunities that may be cost prohibitive for larger organizations. In the last 10 years, the Pops has traveled to Taiwan, China, and Japan, performing more than 60 concerts overseas.
With an annual budget of approximately $100,000, Leonard says, “We’re surviving quite nicely.” He explains that they don’t have to pay a huge amount for board members or administration. Musicians’ jobs tend to cross over into administration and marketing. “They get union scale, plus travel. We pay bonuses for the stage manager, librarian, and personnel manager.”

The Pops is a close-knit group of professionals who give more than talent. Concertmaster Mary Burndrett’s husband is a violinist in the orchestra, who also manages a violin shop where most of the Atlanta Symphony and Pops go for repairs. Kevin Leahy plays drums with the Atlanta Pops Orchestra and also works in the digital marketing industry. “Since many of us have played together for so long, and we love what we do, it doesn’t feel like extra work when we contribute in ways outside of playing our instruments,” he says.

Leahy adds, “With a smaller group, 30 players, we’re a bit nimbler, able and willing to jump from style to style, or make changes on the fly. Since many of our players also perform with big bands, rock bands, Latin jazz groups, indie quartets, and other nonorchestral setups, we’re able to tap into that energy.”

Atlanta Pops Orchestra in concert at the Ritz-Carlton in Reynolds Plantation, Georgia.

Musicians extend services to publicity, social media, and website updates. “Instead of being solely a nostalgia act, performing music from the heyday of pops and light classical music, we are taking on new creative ventures, working to push our boundaries and stand out from other music groups,” which, Leahy admits can be something of a challenge, but easier to do with a smaller orchestra. “It’s inspired some of the musicians to take on additional roles and tasks in adding to the orchestra’s success.”

In 2014, when Leahy joined the board of directors of the Atlanta Pops, he was tasked with programming their 70th anniversary celebration. He says that he knew little about the history of the orchestra so he did his homework. He scoured libraries in the Atlanta area, sifted through old files at the music union office, accessed newspaper archives, and reached out to people who could share recollections.

Leahy discovered a direct correlation between what the Atlanta Pops did in the past and what they could do today. The orchestra collaborated with Janey Miller (Miss Georgia 1946); Isaac Hayes and James Brown in the 1970s; Ray Charles, Chet Atkins, and Floyd Cramer in the 1980s; and Emile Pandolfi in the late 1990s. Leahy says, “I thought ‘what would this look like in 2015 and beyond?’”
He reached out to pop artists and musicians of different genres to collaborate with the orchestra. “For our 70th anniversary concert we performed with a variety of contemporary artists, some of whom had worked with us in the past and some of whom had little or no experience working with an orchestra. This included trumpeter Cecil Welch of Local 148-462, Grammy-winning hip-hop group Arrested Development, blues singer Michelle Malone, folk singer and Zac Brown Band songwriting collaborator Levi Lowrey, jazz trumpeter and singer Joe Gransden, and Riverdance alum Scott Porter,” many of them with Atlanta origins.

Occasionally, Pops members perform as the 14-piece Atlanta Pops Orchestra Ensemble to take advantage of additional opportunities. In that configuration, they performed with The Joe Gransden Big Band (2017), with Balsam Range at the Art of Music Festival (2016 and 2017), and at MerleFest (2018).

The 2015 Christmas album In the Spirit: A Celebration of the Holidays, with John Driskell Hopkins, led to a long-standing partnership. Hopkins brought on a number of contributors to the album, including singer and Broadway star Laura Bell Bundy and the bluegrass quintet Balsam Range. Leahy adds that Mountain Overture was also the result of this collaboration. “The music was arranged specifically for our orchestra,” he says.

“These collaborations, mixed in with more traditional pops material that we have always performed, helped us find our voice in today’s musical landscape.” Leahy says, “We don’t want to abandon the sound, style, and material we’re known for, but we also don’t want to avoid taking risks in looking for new ways for this orchestra to stand out.”

Leahy notes that Atlanta is such a mix of styles and genres, people are very supportive of collaborations within the music community, which also builds audience and taps into new opportunities. “By growing our list of collaborators we now have the opportunity to perform more often, which has strengthened our chemistry, as well as our marketability.”

For a digital history of the orchestra, go to www.atlantapops.com/timeline.

Member Profiles

Band Leader David Perrico Conducts Winning Performances in Las Vegas

August 8, 2018 IM

Local 369 (Las Vegas, NV) member David Perrico’s Pop Strings Orchestra plays contemporary and classic hits.

In a town where entrée can tax the most driven of performers, award-winning “Best of Las Vegas” trumpeter and producer David Perrico of Local 369 (Las Vegas, NV) has not only succeeded, but a few years ago he expanded his shows to include the Pop Strings Orchestra, his third band that actively plays along the Strip.

The show’s set list is filled with contemporary and classic hits, arranged by Perrico and performed by a 14-piece band featuring an all-female, seven-piece acoustic string section. The highly stylized ensemble mixes Perrico’s unique arrangements of pop and club rock, Latin, jazz, and R&B. “I tend not to go with formulas; I love writing for strings. The power of the strings—they can play nonstop. Strings have such major endurance; they can read anything,” he says.

The key, Perrico says, is finding the best players. Through years of performing he has gained plenty of access. Perrico was one of the original members of Donny and Marie’s band when they set up at the Flamingo in 2008. He’s backed Natalie Cole, Gladys Knight, and Toni Braxton. His pops band is filled with all-stars who play in the headlining shows of Andrea Bocelli, Carlos Santana of Local 6 (San Francisco, CA), Rod Stewart, Martina McBride, and Céline Dion.

His other band, The Rat Pack Is Back, plays six nights at Tuscany Suites’ Copa Room and on the weekend, he’s at Caesars with the Pops Strings. It can be a grueling schedule, but Perrico thrives on it. “It’s what I’ve always wanted to do,” he says. “I never intended to do it all. It happened by accident.”

The entertainment director at Red Rock Hotel saw Rat Pack when it debuted at Tuscany. It was a side project with some originals, jazz strings, and chamber music. She had an opening for a lounge act at Red Rock on Saturday nights. Though he didn’t have lounge music, Perrico quickly came up with 12 to 13 arrangements. From there, it took off.

After seeing a series of clips from Pop Strings shows at Caesars, Paul Shaffer of Local 802 (New York City) hired Perrico to build a band. Earlier this year, he performed with and served as music director for Paul Shaffer & The Shaf-Shifters shows at Cleopatra’s Barge.

“You must have something unique to offer because the city is always changing. It can be fickle. One minute something is working, the next minute, it’ll change. For me, it meant creating a niche that’s unique,” says Perrico.

Pop Strings is essentially a dance band, but Perrico says they treat it like an old style show, hearkening back to Louie Prima and Keely Smith. “I take music that DJs play here that’s popular and I’ll do medleys—for instance, a Bruno Mars medley. Snippets of songs that people know. I arrange them—Eagles, AC/DC, or Bon Jovi—and I’ll open it up in a jazz tradition where the strings players play improvised solos.”

Where Pop Strings is the club/lounge show, Perrico’s Pop Evolution, formed in 2012, is a big band that plays the Stratosphere, the Palms, and The Smith Center for the Performing Arts. “I’ve always liked the esthetic of the big band—and the impact,” he says.

Perrico began playing trumpet when he was nine years old. “My mom and dad always had music playing in the house, whether it was Chuck Mangione [of Local 66 (Rochester, NY) and 802] or Al Jarreau, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, David Sanborn—and a lot of rock,” says Perrico. “My grandmother, Carmella, always made me cassette tapes of albums she had of Harry James, Tommy Dorsey, and Glenn Miller. So, I was listening to big band music at an early age.”

Perrico attended Youngstown State University in Ohio and was offered a graduate assistantship in jazz studies at UNLV by David Loeb of Local 47 (Los Angeles, CA) and 369, which led to a six-year teaching stint and a master’s in composition and film scoring. His days as a member of the touring Tommy Dorsey Orchestra from 1994-2001, rising to lead trumpet player and road manager, helped him prepare for industry challenges. “I spent 10 years on the road with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, doing 45 weeks a year. Road experience is real-world experience. It’s what you need to learn,” he says.

As a music director who is hired for a variety of shows, Perrico has become somewhat of an expert at managing contracts, which he negotiates through the union. Whenever he receives a contract for events, for instance, he hands it over to the union, he says he knows “everything will be taken care of. The pay is right—everything is going to be right.”

Member Profiles

Film Brings Together World Drumming, Rock Star Composer, and Dallas Symphony Orchestra

November 3, 2017 IM

On September 19 the documentary film Dare to Drum, featuring numerous Local 72-147 (Dallas-Ft. Worth) AFM members, was launched on iTunes and Amazon. The video includes Dallas Symphony Orchestra (DSO) musicians, former Police drummer, turned composer Stewart Copeland of Local 802 (New York City), and features the group D’Drum. It is the story of a group of friends—Local 72-147 musicians Doug Howard (DSO principal percussionist), Ron Snider (DSO assistant principal percussionist, John Bryant (producer, composer, and percussionist), and Ed Smith (University of North Texas professor, percussionist, and vibraphonist)—who traveled the world collecting percussion instruments and created the percussion ensemble D’Drum.

“Eventually, we went to Bali and Balinese/Javanese style gamelan music really caught our attention,” explains Bryant. In 2008, they commissioned Copeland to compose Gamelan D’Drum, a three-movement piece featuring 75 world instruments and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. The piece premiered in Dallas, February 2011.

From the start of the project, Bryant, who has more than 20 years of experience in filmmaking, saw the potential for a documentary film. “We had three cameramen shooting throughout the process of meeting, rehearsing, organizing, restructuring, trips to Bali, and finally the concert itself,” he says.

During a 2013 interview, Copeland said one of the purposes of creating the film was to promote orchestral music. “I think this film will increase the awareness that orchestras can really do interesting stuff. There are new things coming out of the orchestra world that are exciting, that pump, that rock, and that are awesome.”

An initial version of Dare to Drum was funded through a successful Kickstarter campaign in September 2013. It premiered at the Dallas International Film Festival April 2015, and played a few other film festivals later that same year. “All along, the goal was to find a distributor for the film,” says Bryant.

Kino Lorber expressed interest in late 2015. “I knew they would be the company to go with because their catalog is full of highly artistic films of all genres. Dare to Drum is an unusual film because of the disparate and eclectic elements involved—rock star composer Stewart Copeland meets work percussion group D’Drum to create a work of Indonesian gamelan music within a symphony orchestra setting.”

The original Dare to Drum had only about a four-minute montage of the 2011 premiere. “Although Kino Lorber thought the 85-minute documentary was great on its own, they wanted to add the full 30-minute February 2011 concert performance to the package,” says Bryant.

More money was raised to edit, mix, and finish the concert film. In total, 348 people around the world contributed $95,142 to create the final film.

“The money also paid Dallas Symphony Orchestra musician fees as stipulated in the AFM’s Integrated Media Agreement,” says Bryant. “It took a while, but we successfully raised the additional funds. And with great help from AFM Director of Symphonic Electronic Media Debbie Newmark, we signed release agreements with the Dallas Symphony musicians. I am happy to report that we were able to pay nearly $20,000 to the musicians in fees and pension fund contributions.”

As of September 19, the film is available on DVD and for streaming and downloads on iTunes, Amazon, and through KinoLorber.com. It is also available for educational licensing through Estelle Grosso (egrosso@kinolorber.com).

The film is great for students of all ages, says Bryant. “It covers orchestral music, world percussion, world travel in finding and creating old and new instruments, work with Stewart Copeland, and work with Dallas Symphony Orchestra Maestro Jaap van Zweden,” says Bryant.