Sunday, March 16, 2008
Las Vegas Tidbits
Any of you guys remember"Suzie Creamcheese"? Just a little trip down the strip and there was this "head shop". Now do you remember? Thats where we got all our cool blacklight posters that we had in our living room. We used to go back to the apartment on Harmon Ave. and hang out between sets. I remember playing the Simon and Garfunkel Bridge Over Troubled Water LP. Other times we would go downstairs to the casino and play $1 blackjack. One time Billy Joe Royal {Down In The Boondocks} sat and played right next to me. Man that was cool. I guess you can say I am dating myself. We could hear Fats Domino in the room right behind the tables clear as a bell. When they would open the curtain you could see him push the piano with his belly as he struted off the stage during his final song of the evening. By the way, I am still waiting for someone to tell me the name of the band we played with up in the Skyroom. I'm pretty sure it was a one word name but I just can't come up with it. A little help someone. I do have a pic of the Flamingo Hotel circa 1970 taken from the parking lot of Caesars Palace. It looks more like a motel especially compared to now. How about that built-in pool we had outside our apartment. That was awesome....always wanted a built-in pool. Those hours for work were a little tuff to get used to , what was it 10:30 til 5am. Then we slept til like 1pm. Off on Mondays right? It was really wild when the waiters, waitresses, bar staff etc. were going on strike and at 12 midnight at the end of their contract all the marquee lights went out on the strip. I remember looking out of the Skyroom windows and seeing everything go black. Now who can say they saw the 24hr town go dark. Can anyone add a little something to my memories of Vegas? I know someone can. Well thats another story in Stony Brook People history..................and I just love it.....love it......I should write for the Daily News huh? Hahaha.........Peace out.....TheLastEditionMike.....Bernardo
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6 comments:
Mike: Still can't remember the name of the band we played with at the Flamingo, but I sure do remember Fats Domino pushing that grand piano with his belly...LOL. Do you remember when his horn players came upstairs and sat in with us? That was really a blast. Remember when we went across the street to Ceasar's Palace with Eddie's van (with all the anti-establishment bumper stickers on the back) and the valet wouldn't park it? I also remember literally "bumping into" the "Champ", Joe Lewis, who was a greeter at Ceasar's. Ah, Vegas.
I do not remember then name of the band we played with but I remember all 3 guys in the band....Dimitri, on guitar, Danny on drums, and Gary on keys. I remember the cast of Hair in Las Vegas came to see us and we swapped shoes because they could not wear sandals into the bar. I remember watching Wayne Cochran and the CC Ryders play in the lounge and thinking, damn that bassist is fantastic....turns out it was Jaco Pastorius, one of the best bassists who ever lived. I remember we played a concert at the UNLV gym on a day off.
I have done alot of gigs in Vegas through the years and seen that city change considerably. You still end up not seeing the sun if you spend any time there, that doesn't change.
Hey Mike and Marc: I do remember the cast of "Hair" coming to see us and I do remember the shoe swap. Do you remember that they invited us to see their show and how we went up on stage during the finale? That was a blast!
One of the guys in the cast had been in the other SmoBro band, I think they were called The Sound Foundation. And later on in LA, Eddie and I were in a cover band with him. His name was Daniel, and after a few years he started bartending at the Beverly Hills Hotel and gave up his singing and acting dreams.
Another Vegas memory for me was that everyone had sheriff's cards with their names and fingerprints on them, but I was too young so was working illegaly.
Aaah, the innocence of youth. And Davy Crockett borrowed $500 from us which he never repaid, it was to go gambling although I think he told us another story to get the money.
My best times in Vegas came later, when I played the Las Vegas Jazz Festival up on Mt. Charleston 2 years in a row.
Mike: I finally found the name of the group we played with in the Skyroom at the Flamingo. It was ST. CLAIR. I found it on a site that has the history of the Strip in Las Vegas and I will add it to our Links Section soon.
St. Clair was the last name of the keyboard player, Gary.He sang, played B3 Organ with bass pedals, and led the trio.
Good detective work.
Marc
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