The Fab Faux put a faux finish on the Count Basie’s season of shows at Saturday’s sold-out fundraiser.
By TOM CHESEK
Heading into a four-month, multimillion-dollar refurbishing, the Count Basie Theatre pulls the plug on summer shows this weekend with a pair of classic-rock events.
Veterans of the early 1970s soft wars, America overcame the mellow-harshing departure of key co-founder Dan Peek to forge a long-rolling career that’s remained harmonious where other honey-voiced contemporaries have yelled themselves hoarse. “Horse with No Name,” “Ventura Highway” and “Tin Man” are among its portfolio of supper-club standards.
With an attention-grabbing double-album in tow, the core twosome of Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell appear aided and abetted by such indie-cred rockers as James Iha (Smashing Pumpkins) and Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne). America performs tonight at 8p, with tix still available as of this posting.
All seats have been snapped up, though, for Saturday’s curtain closer, a benefit for the theatre’s general operating efforts, starring those most wondrous of WannaBeatles, The Fab Faux.
Appearing in Red Bank for a seventh consecutive year, the quintet — not sure which of these guys is supposed to be Stu Sutcliffe — is led by a pair of familiar TV faces, guitarist Jimmy Vivino of Late Night with Conan O’Brien and bassman Will Lee of The Late Show with David Letterman.
Together with Frank Agnello, Rich Pagano and Jack Petruzzelli, they’ll be performing (with the Hogshead Horns and Creme Tangerine Strings) the mix of early-career jangle and psychedelic-era experiments that have made their homage the most respected from here to the annual Beatle Week fest in Liverpool.
After that, the Count’s dance card remains empty until Bobby Bandiera and the Jersey Shore Rock ‘N Soul Revue return to inaugurate the new and improved showplace on the mischief-night evening of Thursday, October 30.
Tickets for the America show are priced from $20 to $55; they can be reserved through the Basie’s website. While you’re there, bookmark the page for a look at upcoming shows in 2008 and 2009 (including an always-stimulating Evening with Kevin Smith, plus the return of Tony Bennett and the glory that is Moscow Cats Theatre).
