Three days after Michael, Chris, Shonn, and Cunio graciously and candidly gave me 73 minutes of their time, I went to their kickoff concert of the tour, at Club Nokia in Los Angeles, a premier entertainment complex that also houses the Staples Center and the Nokia Theater. Cunio: Occasionally we would stand with our legs together, occasionally we would stand with our legs apart. Were all doing good work. See Full Cast & Crew. Thats kind of my biggest goal right now. We had an opportunity to capitalize on a if you want to call it a semi-celebrity in this area, and it gave us an opportunity to work with charities and not-for-profits, with arts education programs, to raise money for their organizations. "We have different interpretations of the music.". So its something were very passionate about, and frankly, it also gives us the opportunity to include a wide range of music, stylistically. And because thats the case, people who truly are experts in their own avenue, we have had the grace to meet them and they have joined our project. We have been graced with an entire team of people who have felt that this project a good idea and that it made people happy. TV Shows. Jones won hearts nationwide starring as Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys (San Francisco, Los Angeles, First National Tour). While his current pursuits keep him in Chicago, the group continues to tour around the US. Is under the streetlamp still performing? And he has the funniest lines of all: Theres a bar in the back; I think I ripped my pants (which might have been true, given that suit!). But heres another clue for you all the second set opener begins with the band playing some background music, basically reminding people to get back to their seats. With irresistible charm and rapport, Under the Streetlamp offers audiences the opportunity to get to know four critically acclaimed stars of stage and screen, Eric Gutman, Christopher Kale Jones, Shonn Wiley , and Brandon Wardell, the latter, a local Charlestonian. The Good Time Girls (2017) and Under the Streetlamp (2011). Stubbs, did you apply to Guinness to overtake War and Peace for the longest verbiage in literary history?? Weve all enjoyed singing together in Jersey Boys; Michael had the idea of learning extra music while we were in Chicago, and we continued singing outside of the show, and when we got our closing notice, we all made the commitment to continue working together because we became great friends. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. THE TOUR So I just thought that that was kind of a cool thing, that he was the first one who ever mentioned that to me, that that was a possible career option, and planted that seed. It looked to me like, Well, lets see whos gonna be available that night, or whatever, and like you had sort of a rotating lineup of singers. Concerts: Beyond the Sea: Christopher Kale Jones Sings Bobby Darin, Lean On Me: The Brotherhood of Rock 'n Roll, and Jingle Bell Rock. Shonn: the youngest of spirit, let's just put it that way. Cunio: It opens the second act. Our press agent, Liz Rosenberg, has a very short list of clients including Madonna, Cher, Michael Buble, and Tony Bennett. A defect in the coating is causing it to peel away on some bulbs, producing the purple hue, Cullen said. Often appearing in matching suits, the quartet continues to honor the great musical period between the '50s and the '70s . Youre calling it the first tour, but UTSL has been performing since January, 2010, and has done over fifty shows, according to your website. Michael: Yeah , thats exactly what it was. I was a fan of Shonn, Cuneo and Michael from Chicago, and loved hearing Chris for the first time. Jones won hearts nationwide starring as Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys (San Francisco, Los Angeles, First National Tour). Under the Streetlamp quickly earned a local devoted following-and a reputation for generation-bridging concerts that has paved the way to a . The idea of traveling from venue to venue, and playing top theaters in large markets this is the first time that weve ever had that opportunity. Wiley said the foursome performs on a minimalist set. (Laughter.). And I really think that that in a sense goes a long way in allowing all the other things to happen because we were all content with just making great music and making people happy. And were seeing that now in our fans. Jones said he began practicing his high falsetto in earnest and got the part of Frankie Valli, the leader of The Four Seasons, the 1960s rock group sensation whose story is told in "Jersey Boys.". The show was nothing short of spectacular. Our agent, Beth Jones, spent seven years at William Morris Endeavor, basically the premier agency in the country, and shes now with Parallel 49, but shes a premier agent. "That way the audience can focus on what we are doing," he said. Catch ROCKIN' AROUND THE CLOCK on your local PBS station. Cunio: Weve had a lot of help and were lucky for it. Jones is also known nationwide as a founding member of retro-rock sensation Under the Streetlamp, seen in millions of homes on PBS. Under the Streetlamp began in 2008 as an offshoot of the Chicago "Jersey Boys." And as Cunio said above, it is a great song. We take the music very, very seriously. Its not any particular song, but its beautiful, and then it breaks right into the energy of I Wonder Why (Dion and the Belmonts), Blue Moon (the Marcels version of the classic, natch), and Sh-Boom (a bit more like the Crew Cuts version than the Chords, but definitely your own). Aside from the fact he's actually in his forties (I say this because, the man has an energy which resembles that of a 22 year old college student) his vocal range and delightful stage presence bursts from the seams, and with an exceptional cast of Croswell favorites; Leah Fox, Sarah Nowak, Alan Gibson, Karl Kasischke, Ashley Fox, and John We're there to serve the audience.". Turns out its the covering that has worn off and needs to be replaced. (More laughter). Under the Streetlamp Michael Cunio, Michael Ingersoll, Christopher Kale Jones and Shonn Wiley have been featured on Broadway, in film and television, and showcased on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Emmy Awards and The Oprah Winfrey Show during their Jersey Boys tenure. Menu. Its a manufacturing defect. What food delivery app gives you free food? Were constantly competing to be better performers and better at what we do within our organization. And also, I think Sergio (Trujillo, JBs choregrapher) is kind of a genius as far as what he did with JB. Cunio: This is something we like to say too one of the fun things for us about these shows is, the people who grew up with this music, they come to see our show, and they dont know the words to just a few songs they know the words to all of them, and thats why. Definitely including them in my Must See list. Chris: And to just add my two cents, I always knew I would be incredibly successful despite these three. While living in New York, I was cast as Frankie Valli in the Musical Jersey Boys, which allowed me to tour all over the country. Hey Dad Im in a band!. They sound like something youd pick up in the plumbing department at Home Depot. , One day about seven years ago, stubbletwo came home from school all excited. "It is a little reminiscent of when the Rat Pack (Frank Sinatra, And talk to Frankie Valli for about an hour and a half. A lot of the things that youll see in this show were born out of those experiences. These groups, and probably a few others, pretty much appeal to similar audiences I would think. FINAL THOUGHTS Like, this is what its been like for us, this is what you can expect, these are the things everyone tells you are really important, these are the things that are actually really important, and its been great. Stubbs: It accomplishes perfectly what you wanted it to. Most recently we have been collaborating with a gentleman named Dan Ponce. Chris Jones and I, we started out the first national JB tour together, and when the show closed, I called Chris and I said, are you available to come in and do some of these dates that we have, even after JB has closed, and he said yeah. A sampling of social media comments highlights the range of reactions: One person said the purple hue gives them headaches due to a past concussion. Stubbs: Id say you tutored them very well. He brought the guys together on stage for the first time. I also really liked Cunios take on similar groups with theres enough room for everybody. I think as we get older, we realize that we dont have to compete with everyone constantly.theres enough space for all of us to be valedictorians. Cunio: We had intended, when this thing started, for it to just be a side gig, until we found our next job, whether that was in the theater, on television, or whatever it may have been. Not only did I love the show one friend who saw it with me the first time said he looked over at me during the show and it was as if I was injecting heroin into my arm but I was also very impressed and surprised afterwards at what a nice guy Chris was. In addition, Christopher Kale Jones, a member of Under the Streetlamp since 2010, left the group at the end of last year. Eric Gutman joined the ensemble in March 2017. Gutman was in the Chicago company of "Jersey Boys" and did the show on Broadway. Ingersoll left Under the Streelamp in March 2017 to pursue producing opportunities, according to Wiley. THE CREATIVE TEAM I loved Michaels comment that they take the music very, very seriously, but not so much themselves!! He won acclaim starring as Frankie Valli of the Four Seasons in Jersey Boys, originating the San Francisco, Los Angeles, and First National Tour casts. People also use red porch lights to decorate their homes for Halloween and Valentines Day. Christopher Kale Jones. . Chris: Well, short term, were looking for new tunes all the time. Happy Birthday to Musical Genius Bob Gaudio! THE CONCERT After just enough time to think, Hey, wouldnt it be cool if the guys came out and started singing along? they did just that. I also first met Chris on a tour of the studio with several of my friends five years ago (almost to the day), and despite his wonderful start-turn as Frankie Valli, he was humble and gracious. You see true, unadulterated joy and enthusiasm on their faces. So youll want to write about that one, Im sure. Randall G. Mielke is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News. By stubbleyou, Jersey Boys Blog Special Correspondent, Our West Coast correspondent stubbleyou talks with the members of Under The Streetlamp about their origins, their first national tour, and their filmed-for-television concert that recently aired on Public Broadcasting stations across the country. Kidding. He won acclaim starring as Frankie Valli of the Four Seasons in Jersey Boys, originating the San Francisco, Los Angeles, and First National Tour casts. So stubbletwo thought Shonn looked really young? You could have the Beatles and Johnny Cash and Etta James all in one listen, and sure, you probably favored one more than the other, but you were exposed to it all, and it was a shared experience. I love watching clips of the Temptations, clips of the Jackson Five, clips of the Four Tops, footage from even earlier, just anything that can kind of inspire. Shonn: I just want to get filthy rich. And as Michael said, that was the jumping off point. Larsen also starred as Elder Price in the national tour of "The Book of Mormon. You will typically see more of them in October which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Happy Birthday to the One & Only Rick Elice! Jones tenderly recounts Darins story of a life lived in the spotlight and lost too soon. Michael: I would say this: We hope that the music we make , that people enjoy it enough, so that we become top tier touring artists in the vein of Michael Buble, I would like us to become premier touring artists that play in the best venues, all over the world, with great musicians, making as many people happy as we possibly can, I guess that would be my answer. Ticket sales might have been down as far as the people in charge were concerned, but the people who live in this community did not want to see the show go. We have so many videos of these adorable little kids just having a great time. Shonn: Michael Ingersoll. Cunio: Theres one thing that we talk about when people talk about this music, and its ability to build bridges: One of the things that we joke about is, we all grew up listening to this music because it was the music we could agree to with our parents sitting in the car, you know? Their latest PBS special, wrapped in 2016, is now airing Nation Wide. Additionally, I've been privileged to appear in concert at such historical and eclectic venues as the Greek Theater and L.A. Live in LA, Wolf Trap in DC, and B.B. I give Ingy a lot of credit here. And aside from that, you know, theres room for everybody. 7:30 pm Metropolis. Despite his looks on the website Reckless Place (someone an aging accountant wouldnt want to run across in a dark alley at night), Cunio is enormously talented. As part of the Let Your Light Shine! Or perhaps I should say, is about to be. PBS favorite and Jersey Boys star Christopher Kale Jones celebrates the dazzling versatility of Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bobby Darin. For me, personally, to step out on the stage with these boys, and to make music together, was enough. Thanks so much for a wonderful piece Stubbs. Shonn: I do. Im really excited about the collaboration with Dan Ponce. Is it you yourselves, or do you have someone doing that for you? From Jan and Dean to the King, and Queen. The members of Under the Streetlamp include Shonn Wiley, Michael Cunio, Michael Ingersoll, and Christopher Kale Jones. Product Description. Chris: I think it just bears noting that we have nothing but gratitude for our time and our experience in that show, and we are fully aware that it has allowed us a certain platform for where we currently are, and were incredibly grateful to the creators of that show, as well as the individual producers and stage managers, and everyone that we worked with. Yep. That was pretty much the extent of it. . Now I had no thought that I would ever join, or become any sort of musical act, but I was like, Oh sure, thats good information, and in one sense, now, something that Frankie Valli had spoken of in just a passing way has come true, with the four of us, and I now get to do that every night as a vocal group and as a band. With irresistible charm and rapport, Under the Streetlamp offers audiences the opportunity to get to know four critically acclaimed stars of stage and screen, Michael Ingersoll, Christopher Kale . Of course he provides the groups falsetto, in a Four Seasons medley and occasionally but effectively in a handful of other numbers too. (More laughter). We thought, wed love some sort of just bare, a capella-ish thing to introduce everyone to who we are, and basically to say right from the beginning, this is where our brand of music started; this is where it began. Many people considered Neil Diamond to be the fifth Monkee. Chris: One of my favorite emails weve ever gotten kind of summed up exactly the mood we try to evoke. Movies. Date: 11 . Jersey Boys Broadway Returns to Millionaires Club for Week Ending 5/20/12. Michael Ingersoll. And were it not for that experience, the four of us would never have come together to create something entirely separate and entirely new, and have the great fortune to see that thing that the four of us have created go on to have a life of its own. Last Name. There are a couple of guys I just look at and say, I could have gone to junior high with that kid. I can picture him at age fifteen. Another fantastic interview! It is very heartwarming to see the wonderful ties that have been made through this one show, not to mention the talent. And hopefully this agent will keep em off the botox!! Early life. Follow the nationally lauded singing group Under the Streetlamp as they launch a singing competition to find talented vocalists with compelling stories to share. Chris: Id like to add one thing that I think would be of interest to the people who enjoy the blog so much. Somebody who clearly knows what they are doing is doing a good job of bringing you all this attention. How do you feel about the increasing interest in the sort of music that you do, and the concomitant (I love that word, concomitant, and I hardly ever get to use it. Comment by Howard May 27, 2012 @ 1:51 pm, RSS feed for comments on this post. From: Flashback: JERSEY BOYS Celebrates Seven Years on Broadway Today! Latest News See All. I saw Chris with JB in SF and the others in Chicago. LED lights normally have a blue / violet color. (Laughter all around). With the mantra "Retro never sounded so now," these four extremely talented and charismatic former cast members of the Tony Award-winning . They had fun with each other and genuinely cared for each other.". "The music is the most important, but the presentation is also important. 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