DCCA News
By Marilyn Delk
Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, protagonists of the hit Broadway musical Jersey Boys, produced music that has been described as rock, pop, and soul; the only band to match The Four Seasons in record sales during the early 60s was the Beach Boys, whose musical genres included rock and pop, as well as surf music and even psychedelia. The Motown sound is legendary, described by Smokey Robinson, one of Motown’s most illustrious performers, not as an audible sound but as something “spiritual, coming from the people that make it happen.” All of those sounds will be heard at St. Clair Memorial Hall this Saturday, Feb. 26 when Darke County Center for the Arts presents “Motones and Jerseys: In Concert.” Music fans of all genres can enjoy hearing great music made famous by those performers already mentioned as well as other iconic music legends; and that’s not the end of the fun, fun, fun to be had during the evening.
During the show, two teams of incredible musicians vie for your favor as they pump out favorite after favorite; in one corner are The Motones, in the other The Jerseys, and they are ready to rumble in “The Ultimate Music Battle,” hoping to win your vote. The two groups take turns trying to outperform the other in categories ranging from love songs to Beatles’ tunes to sing-alongs and beyond, utilizing spirited dance steps, falsetto notes, and whatever improvisation proves necessary to earn your enthusiastic approval.
A feature of the show is that, unlike at most performances, the audience is urged to pull out their cell phones and keep them turned on as a necessary component of voting for your favorite team and a factor that adds to the excitement of the evening. Although this is a real contest where one team will be declared the winner, nobody really loses at this one-of-a-kind show where eight amazing singers accompanied by an outstanding 7-piece band and egged on by an energetic and multi-talented female emcee pull out all the stops while performing dozens of the greatest songs of the 20th century to win the votes of audience members.
Although I am not sure what songs will be performed Saturday night, the show’s playlist of timeless classics includes “Walk Like A Man,” “Stand By Me,” “Under the Boardwalk,” “Hard Day’s Night,” “Proud Mary,” “Eye of the Tiger,” “Sweet Caroline,” “Yesterday,” and, of course “Sheree (Sheree Baby).” plus a few surprises; frankly, if you don’t hear something you like, I think there must be something really wrong with you. And the energetic performers always have a very good time as they work hard to provide their audience with a memorable evening of musical fun.
Every fresh and robust performance also includes hilarious shenanigans engineered to snare audience involvement and approval; it has been said that the cast will do just about anything to win votes, adding a dose of improvisational high-jinks to the exciting interactive proceedings. Classic music, fond nostalgia, inspired humor — what more enticement could you possibly need to attend this outstanding show!
Tickets for “Motones and Jerseys: In Concert” are $40 for adults and $20 for students, and can be purchased on DCCA’s Website www.Darke CountyArts.org, or at the DCCA office located on the third floor of Greenville Public Library; tickets will also be available at the door. For more information, call DCCA at 937-547-0908. Don’t miss out on what promises to be a really good time!
Marilyn Delk is the former executive director of the Darke County Center for the Arts and can be reached at [email protected]. Viewpoints expressed in the article are the work of the author. The Daily Advocate does not endorse these viewpoints or the independent activities of the author.
