Rockin with the 45s

On Saturday evening, at the Garden Grill, the Rockin45s performed their signature set of one hit wonders as well as popular hits by the Beatles, Elvis, Neil Diamond, Elton John and others.

It’s the kind of music that makes you feel like dancing, and that’s exactly what occurred as the somewhat small dance floor in the bar lounge of the Garden Grill was dancing room only.

Matt Nappo, who founded the Rockin45s in Y2k, explained that he had to make a change at the last minute, as lead singer Mike Shane started feeling under the weather. No worries however, as co-band member and singer Kiara Kozan was available for a last-minute fill-in.

Matt and Kiara performed well together, Matt playing his electric acoustic guitar, and both Matt and Kiara singing and harmonizing to such memorable tunes as “Don’t Worry Be Happy,”  “Moondance,” “Kodachrome,” “Margaritaville” and “Hey Jude.”

Matt, who began playing guitar at the age of five, explained that the 45s are a full party band, but also perform for smaller venues as a duet, which was the case at the Garden Grill. The full band includes Matt and Kiara, and also lead singer Mike Shane, drummer Mike Barone, and bass player Scott Bravin. In a typical month, the full band will perform 2-3 times, while a duet will perform at least three gigs. When questioned what he prefers more, Matt, who is also a featured podcaster, joked that, “it’s actually easier to rehearse and set up for duet style gigs, its less work,” he said.

When the subject of Covid-19 came up, Matt discussed how the band went from performing 200 gigs per year to the current six per month. Of course, its winter now, which limits outdoor venues, however he is hopeful to rebound in the spring and summer.

Matt and Kiara played for over three hours in their feature set, including the crowd favorites “Cracklin Rose” by Neil Diamond and “Daydream Believer” by the Monkees. There was pretty much something for everyone, including popular tunes from the 60s, 70s and 80s, and of course some golden oldies from the 50s.

The Rockin45s have a web page, http://therockin45s.com, complete with tabs to play a video or request a song for an upcoming performance. It also has a gig calendar to see where the group is scheduled to perform live. The calendar runs through early September. Be prepared to have a good time.