have previously reviewed regional bands which play on Long Island and elsewhere in the region. On Friday April 11, I had occasion to be at Molly Malone's on the water in Bay Shore. Trust me. I have “No Regrets”.
This group is another of boomer people who began playing years ago, I am sure dreaming of future success, but for whatever life circumstances gave them, never got the Big Break. You know what? That is our gain.
No Regrets played a range of music, from a day gone by, from the early and later Beatles and Stones, to the great Janis Joplin and Linda Ronstadt, to CCR, and so much more.
The band consists of Jerry Wilder, keys and guitar, Tony Polimeni, drums, Steve Matonti, vocals and guitar, Chris Arrigo, bass, and Nancy Walter, vocals and percussion. If you close your eyes, when Nancy belted out Me and Bobby Magee, and Piece of My Heart, you would think Janis Herself was on stage.
- Cover of Janis Joplin
There was a lot, and I mean A LOT of interaction between the band and the audience. It included dialog and banter, audience participation in singing some of the songs and so much more. Perhaps the logistics and closeness of the band being on the floor rather than up on a stage allowed for that, but that made it so much fun.
As one who was in his share of bands back in the day, playing and singing some of the same music, I felt I was transported back to my teens and twenties, pining for the innocence of that time. That is the beauty of seeing your peers, your "boomer-mates" up there doing the things you left behind. They didn't, and they truly enjoyed performing for all of us.
You know what else is cool? I met others just like me, looking for a good night out, reliving their youth, even for just a few hours. And when there is great music to round out the evening, well, what else could we hope for?
There were some differences in the crowd, of course. We were older, grayer, the tie-dyed shirts were gone and so were the bell bottoms. But one thing for sure remained: Enjoying great music played by a great band.
By the way, if you are on Long Island or in the New York metro area in the near future and want some great music for an evening, visit their website, No Regrets or like them on Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/pages/no-regrets-band-official/127906230607821. You will be glad you did.
Be there or be square, I say, YEAH!!
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