Front Row, Center, Slim Man, Saturday, September 4, 2010

Saturday, September 4, 2010
Slim Man CD Release Party, Thousand Miles Away
Spaghettini, Seal Beach, CA

Bass & Vocals: Slim Man
Keyboard: Rick O’ Rick
Saxophone: Kevin Levi (aka Chocoletti)
Guitar: Shea Welsh
Drums: Lamont Peoples

Cameras popped like hot buttered corn as band members worked the crowd, saying hellos and offering hugs while ‘Slimmy’ caught up with loyal fans. Shea shadowed the side door in anticipation.

Suddenly, KSBR’s Music Director Vienna Yip bounced on stage~
“Good evening! Welcome to Spaghettini! How’s everybody doing? I’m very excited! He came all the way from Baltimore, Maryland for a rare appearance. He’s an Oui, Oui recording artist.” After a spelling clarification and chuckle she said, “Please, put your hands together. Here’s Slim Man!”
Slim sauntered to center stage. Dripping with charisma, Mr. Sexy, Sexy opened on vocals. He filled the air with an unstoppable aura, undeniably ‘Slim.’ Wow! Within seconds his amazing voice triple wowed us with Everywhere I Go. His enchanting Steinberger fretless bass drew us in like moths to a flame. Poignant lyrics of daunting lovers set poetry in motion. Seamlessly, band members slipped on stage. Their in-sync snap said this was going to be an unforgettable night of music.
Slim~
“One, two, three, one, two, three, four! Hello, Seal Beach, California! Thanks for coming out. We’re gonna do a song called There for You and it goes something like this.”
A sax-tambourine snippet whisked the mix back to Slim’s vocals. Rick ‘O Rick painted every corner of the venue with his stellar key handiwork. Slim pointed to drummer Lamont Peoples, who immediately rocked it to the moon.
Slim~
“On the saxophone, Kevin Levi!”
Kevin’s sax solo drifted his smooth vibe from the corner pocket, clicking with each audience member. Kevin Levi is one cool cat! His tambourine shake added a kicky splash of sass to Slim’s vocals. Rick O’ Rick’s keyboard prowess continued to lace the tune with pizzazz. Slim pointed a perfectly-timed cue to drummer Lamont Peoples who rounded out a stellar drumbeat.
Slim~
“Ladies and gentlemen, on the sax-O-phone, Kevin Levi!”
Levi’s smooth alto in the front pocket drew every eye in the place to him. Cool cat Kevin knocked it out again while flapping an extra beat from the tambourine dangling from his bent right arm.
Slim man~
“H-o-o-o!”
Slim pointed, then embellished on bass and vocals. Kevin accompanied with a reflective background sax.
Slim~
“One, two, three, four.”
Kevin’s buttery sax and Slim’s sultry vocals teamed up to open Secret Rendezvous. Levi’s sexy vibe began a playful volley between the two. We basked in their delightful stage presence. Kevin finished it off with style!
Slim~
“One, two, one, two! Yeah!”
Lamont People’s exceptional rhythm whacked the drums back to Kevin’s smoky-jazz-club whisper. Lamont’s synced drumbeat cinched a warm welcome for a Kevin versus Slim battle-of-jazz finale.
Slim~
“Hello, ladies and gentleman! How you feelin’ tonight? How about a round of applause?! We have a special guest on guitar that moved out here from Baltimore. How long has it been?!” He looked quizzically at Welsh. “Ten years?” Shea shrugged and nodded approval. “We’re gonna play a song called Sunny Day from my new CD called Thousand Miles Away. Alright, the song is called Sunny Day,” he repeated.
Slim’s sultry vocals prompted audience member Brian to take his wife by the hand and lead her out the band’s side door. They slow danced under the stars while music continued.
Slim~
“Shea Welsh, com’on, man!”
Shea’s guitar riffs locked and loaded the passion pocket! The crowd followed him one-by-one to the zone while the couple remained blissfully locked in dance. Slim slipped back in on vocals without missing a single bass lick.
Slim Man~
“Kevin Levi on the sax! Okay, Chocky (aka Chocoletti)!”
Seemingly mild mannered Kevin Levi, blew the lid off the place on this one. His quiet vibe intensified as he whacked each note with a twinkle in his eye. His wailing sax enveloped the venue.
Slim~
“Hey!”
Slimmy roped and tied the vocals before a roaring audience.
A crowd member hollered~
“Slim, hey!”
Slim~
“Thank you all very much! There’s a song called Overdose of You and it goes somethin’ like this!”
Band chemistry simmered as Welsh laid out the strings in the corner pocket. He emerged just long enough to start a capacity-crowd chair dance, then slid back while keyboardist Rick O’ Rick lured the sway into the room.
Slim~
“Shea Welsh!” With a twinkle in his eyes, Slim Man embraced the vocals
once more, then paused. “Kevin Levi on sax!”
Kevin’s gentle vibe amazed me again!
Slim~
“One, one, one!”
All of a sudden, Kevin turned it up and inside out! The man transformed into a trillin’ maniac! The crowd went nuts! The finale was beyond a triple wow!
Slim~
“Alright, how would you like to hear a song from the first CD? What was the name of that CD? It’s in the key of ‘D’ and it’s on page forty-five in your hymnals. It goes something like this if you want to sing along.”
The unstoppable romance of Slim’s music led slow-dancing couples to the side door again. Every eye in the place was upon the master of reflection and romance, Mr. Slim Man. Hearts nested within his powerful lyrics while saxy Levi dug soul deep for an abbreviated blow.
Slim~
“Thank y’all very much. We’re gonna do a song we wrote for Nat King Cole!” he joked. “It’s about a stretch of road. We got to Needles and wrote this. He chuckled. “He had a big hit with it. Next up was Route 66. What a guest list Slim had for his CD release party!
Slimmy~
“Com’on, Rick O’ Rick!”
Rick’s off-the-hook keys peeled the paint off the walls! Slim carried the vocals out of there like a runaway train. The duo was on fire!
Slim~
“Shane Welsh, Com’on!”
Shane owned the front, corner pocket. He did it to it! Wow! He got down with his bad Welsh-style self, enamoring the entire crowd.
Slim said without skipping a beat~
“Shane Welsh! Kevin Levi on the sax!” The venue suddenly became pin-drop quiet as Levi’s Pink-Panther persona slinked in. He pounced on his solo!
Slim~
“Go, Chocky!”
Kevin gave it up again. This cat was incredible. Slim’s vocals reinvented the song. The crowd took Slim mania to a new level! And by the way, there’s nothing ‘slim’ about the enormous Slim Man vibe!
Slim~
“Kevin Levi! I love the way you play the saxophone. You’re good, really good! We just happen to have CDs with us and Christmas is right around the corner. Don’t forget grandma! We’re gonna do a song called Thousand Miles Away and it goes somethin’ like this.”
Slim’s vocals cast their jazzy spell as Kevin saxed it up. Levi played a one-handed solo with his palm over his chest as if to pay jazz allegiance. On some level, perhaps he was. Slim’s vocals prompted Kevin to pick up his black half tambourine for a wrist shimmy.
Slim~
“Com’on, Shea!”
Shea, again, owned the front pocket. Wow moments multiplied like rabbits before our eyes!
Slim~
“Shea!” Drummer Lamont Peoples cocked his head back. Kevin gently rocked the tambourine while Rick O’ Rick fingertips trickled across the keys during Slim’s singing finale. Lamont captured the fade with a quiet chill.
Slim~
“Can I tell you guys a story?” Slim shared a tale about neighbors he’d met during his California stay. After a spirited wine fest and countless renditions of If I Were a Carpenter they ended an impromptu party night. A repeat performance of the same tune ensued at a similar gathering not long afterward. Between parties, as the story goes, neighbor and guitarist Andy Melnyk’s practice sessions earned him a ‘Slim’ invitation to join their performance at Spaghettini.
Slim Man~
“We’re gonna do this song, If I Were a Carpenter.”
Andy took the stage.
Slim~
“Where did Shea go? I guess one guitar player is enough on stage!”
The song was just, plain fun and neighbor Andy’s moment of glory was a blast. Slim Man reintroduced the band.
Slim Man~
“We’ll be right back folks!”
Rick O’ Rick~
“Hey, don’t forget! Slim Man brought CDs, thousands of them!”

My sincere thanks goes to a truly amazing artist who has the uncanny ability to stop time with his voice and fretless finger work. In addition, I’m in awe of Slim’s band who fearlessly revealed their souls tonight.
© September 2010 Lynn M. Olson ALL RIGHTS RESERVED