(Reuters) – One Direction, who? The Wanted, what? Their music is kids’ stuff. As a new wave of boy bands floods the market, there is one quartet winning fans with a modern twist on a retro sound they call “Amercan Radio Songbook.”
Under The Streetlamp steers clear of top 40 songs in favor of classic Motown hits, good ol’ rock ‘n’ roll, doo-wop and a Beatles tune or pop number thrown in for fun.
Its members, Michael Cunio, Shonn Wiley, Michael Ingersoll and Christopher Kale Jones, are all veterans of the stage, having starred in various productions of Broadway hit “Jersey Boys,” a musical history of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.
“We’re a ‘man band,’” Cunio told Reuters, with a laugh, drawing a contrast between pop sensations like One Direction and The Wanted with their screaming teenage fans and Under the Streetlamp, which relishes in bringing new life to classic hits.
“The generation that came before us grew up listening to this music and passed it along to us, and now we are stewards of this music to the next generation,” said Cunio.
If you’re like us, you love the world of art and entertainment showcased on PBS’s Great Performances. Friends, we cannot recommend this week’s new episode highly enough! Check your local listings to catch an extraordinary documentary on the making of Tony Bennett’s Duet’s II album. The legendary Mr. Bennett elegantly continues to bring generations together with great music, and there’s no end in sight. He doesn’t believe in retiring. Not if you get to do what you love.
Streetlamp’s own Michael Ingersoll enjoyed the awesome privilege of meeting Tony Bennett just a few years ago. Both gentlemen appeared as musical guests on the 2007 Primetime Emmy Awards. Mr. Bennett, who was honored that night with an Emmy for Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program for his television special Tony Bennett: An American Classic, sang a scintillating duet with Christina Aguilera. And Mr. Ingersoll, who was then playing to sold-out houses in the San Francisco production of Jersey Boys, performed a rocking Four Seasons medley in tribute to those other Jersey boys, HBO’s The Sopranos. Ingersoll was thrilled to be surrounded by the many show-busniess luminaries the ceremony attracts. But perhaps no encounter with an admired icon was more influential than the one with Mr. Bennett.
Imagine a group of guys who like to sing together so much they can’t resist gathering under a streetlamp in their urban neighborhood to give an impromptu concert. That is the kind of image Michael Ingersoll had in mind when he gathered some of his “Jersey Boys” co-stars and formed his quartet, Under the Streetlamp.
“It’s evocative of the era (1950s and ’60s),” Ingersoll said. “People would be sitting on their porches and stoops because there wasn’t any air conditioning. Doo-wop was an emerging art form, a working class medium. I just liked that image.”
No, it’s not the name of the latest Broadway musical.
Under the Streetlamp is a quartet of thirtysomething singer-actors who are making a big splash on the music-theater scene — including the taping of their Aug. 20 concert in Merrillville, Ind., for an upcoming PBS special. Consisting of founder-creator Michael Ingersoll, Michael Cunio, Shonn Wiley and Christopher Kale Jones, the vocal group shares a stage musical history: all have previously starred in “Jersey Boys,” here in Chicago and/or on national tours of the show. You can catch their Rat Pack-style act when they headline the Star Plaza for the aforementioned television special, or via their first DVD/CD release due later this year.
Ingersoll, who cut his acting chops in a slew of Chicago and regional theater productions, spoke to the Sun-Times about the musical group he launched nearly three years ago.
Question: What’s it like to star in your own PBS special?
The importance of community sharing, investing in social good, and conscience capitalism has grown in the last few years with many organizations realizing the value of giving back to their community. Following the recent economic downturn, many entrepreneurs have shifted their thoughts from what is best for “me,” to synergistic business models that work with the community and focus on what is best for “us.” A great example of this forward-thinking outreach is the philanthropic contributions of the new hit show, “Under the Streetlamp.”
Michael joined his dear friend and former Jersey Boys co-star Erich Bergen as co-presenters at the LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards. The pair’s wickedly funny camaraderie delighted the sold-out crowd. Backstage, Michael was interviewed by the LA Stage Alliance before the ceremony:
And here’s Erich Bergen looking dapper, Angela Ingersoll looking vivacious, and Michael Ingersoll looking suave on the Red Carpet. Congratulations to all nominees of the festive evening.
During the hit Broadway musical Jersey Boys’ remarkable 2 1/2-year run in Chicago, Michael Ingersoll took the stage eight times a week, portraying Nick Massi of the Four Seasons more than 1,000 times for roughly 1.3 million fans.
Then he spent Sundays and Mondays — his days off — making a name for himself by performing solo shows at a variety of local venues. Soon his fellow cast members began joining him for these gigs, and, even though they were prohibited from covering any material from Jersey Boys during these shows, it didn’t take them long to realize they might have something special on their hands. Something they could call their own.
