Saturday, November 14, 2009

That's entertainment/ Part IV (i think)

More entertainers have been filling our evenings with music, laughter and enjoyment. Here are of few of my favorites... Radim Zenkyl.

Mandolin virtuoso in addition to playing a myriad of flutes. I'm sure you have never heard of most of them since they are from eastern European mountain ranges or remote island jungles. That's what makes it so cool, since Radim has a passion for learning all types of flutage (is that EVEN a word?!) This guy is musically gifted, of course, but also has an interesting life story - escaping from Czechoslavakia as a young adult, winning the U.S mandolin 'champion' award a few years later, speaking 5 languages and even having a talent in trick roping! A sweet guy that was a joy to listen to (and watch) and I hope to see him when he performs in Hawaii. A funny sidenote - he knew where mom lived, her little town in northern California is a place he has played at a couple of times! Small world...


This is 'Black Tie'.(L to R: Susie, Yuri, Valerie and Constatine)

Hard to describe this quartet of talent. Constatine is married to Susie. She plays cello and he sings opera. Yuri is 'Con's' brother - he's also a singer and the comic relief. He is married to Valerie, a most awesome pianist. They are a conglomerate of Greek/Russian/Aussie and Sri Lankan goodness! ( I won't get into their genealogy here, but with such varied cultures coming together, it was a blend of happy musical delight. What a fun and entertaining, not to mention extremely talented, bunch. And Yuri was SO FUNNY as 'Patsy', I am still laughing at the mere thought of it! (think Monty Python). I hope to see them again one day, in the capacity of their musical performance, for sure, but just as much as the nice people they truly are.



I can't remember these guys' names. Was it the 'Uncommon Boys'? Maybe the 'Unstoppable Boys', or the 'Unremarkable Boys' - no, that wasn't it! It was 'Un (something) Boys' and they were AWESOME! Very entertaining and their voices harmonized incredibly! They did one show that was a take-off of 'Jersey Boys' (that's the Broadway musical about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons). It was the BEST! The second show they did a Les Mis song that brought me to tears because of their incredible voices.



Then there's Willie Tyler and Lester.

The photo I took didn't turn out (dead batteries didn't help), but there's a story I will tell you about this entertainer. The name may actually ring a bell with you, as they have performed for years on TV, etc. Willie is a ventriloquist and Lester is his 'pal'. The show was entertaining, then, of course, there needs to be some audience participation. I get chosen to come up on stage and put my forearms through holes at the back shoulder seams of a jacket - becoming Lester's arms (yes, that would be the dummy). I had to do the usual crazy arm motions that would accompany this kind of schtick. It was pretty fun actually, and after the show people came up to me, asking if I was a 'plant'. I guess I'm just THAT talented, BWAHAHAHA! I'm sure you can look them up on-line to see if there is any familiarity, or to see how normal my hands would look at the end of Lester's sleeves! I think Tiny Kona would have done an excellent job had she been available. Oh, and just for your amusement, the photo I TRIED to take was Willie holding Lester and Lester holding TK, like she was HIS dummy. Too bad the picture didn't turn out because the premise was funny...

TINY KONA'S TRUISM of the DAY... They were called the 'UNEXPECTED BOYS' (you twit)

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