A "Special" Night At Rhythms & Brews

ABILENE

"There was more talent on that stage tonight than anywhere else in the Valley!"

"Wow! Talk about getting your money's worth….. what a show!"

"…. The best of the best!"

Those were just a few of the rave reviews from those who attended ABILENE's "Special Night At Rhythms & Brews" on Saturday, May 17th, a night when Los Abileenos were joined onstage by members of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood and RSO.

And now people are asking, "How did these shows with 'Special' guests get started in the first place?" The answer may surprise you.

It has long been ABILENE's contention that many of the Wyoming Valley's most outstanding musicians never receive the recognition that they deserve, nor do they get the opportunity to showcase their talents in a manner that will allow audiences to see and hear them at their best. In January of 2008 ABILENE decided to do something about that, and invited a number of musicians whom they greatly admired to join them for the Official Grand Opening of the new Spurs nightclub in Pittston. The result was the first night of "Special" guests, which turned out to be a huge success (see the NEWS page of the ABILENE website for a review of the "Special" Spurs show).

For this second edition of the "Special" showcase events ABILENE invited seven musicians whom Los Abileenos have long admired; Barry Rogers, Mike Sperazza and Joe Miraglia of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, and Ray Suda, Gary Flanagan and Ray Mendrzyki of RSO, and Philadelphia jazz pianist, Liam Goodrick.

Barry Rogers was the first guest to hit the stage
and he wowed the crowd with renditions of My
Next Broken Heart and Tryin' To Get Over You,
after which he was joined onstage by fellow
MRN members Mike Sperazza and Joe Miraglia.
Together they banged out The Weight, No Reply
and Fooled Around And Fell In Love, to the
delight of the crowd. Then it was time for Mike
Sperazza to reprise his performance from the
"Special" Spurs show, and he rocked the house
with Heart of Gold, Cinnamon Girl and Already Gone.

Just before the start of the
third set, special guest
Gary Flanagan was asked
to pick the winning ticket
for the Autographed
ABILENE Fiddle, and the
prize went to Brian Doyle
of Wilkes-Barre! Brian was
asked to join ABILENE on
stage to sing a song, but
the longtime fan declined
saying that he'd take a raincheck to perform on a future date. Congratulations, Brian! And ABILENE fans will be looking forward to hearing you sing in the future!

Gary Flanagan then took his place with the band and
performed Tulsa Time and a great vocal rendition of Amie.
He was then joined onstage by his fellow RSO bandmates,
Ray Suda and Ray Mendrzyki, and together with Los
Abileenos they cranked out a version of Gimme Three
Steps that featured a blazing sax solo by Ray Suda, who
has long been recognized as one of the finest saxophone
players the Wyoming Valley has ever produced. ABILENE
and the boys from RSO then tore the roof off with
Mustang Sally and Rock This Town.










And for the many people who asked, "Who was that guest
musician playing piano with ABILENE and RSO?", it was
Philadelphia jazz pianist, Liam Goodrick! Liam electrified
the audience and his fellow musicians with several hot solos
during his brief time onstage, and Los Abileenos hope he'll
make return appearances in the future!

The comments from those in attendance
say it all.

ABILENE wishes to extend their heartfelt
thanks to their Special Guests, and to
those fans who helped to make Saturday,
May 17th at Rhythms and Brews a very
Special Night to remember!

The Good Times Roll On!