Chicago Sun-Times talks with the Michaels, Cunio & Ingersoll

Talk to members of the quartet known as Under the Streetlamp, and invariably the guys will refer to their success as nothing short of a dream coming true. That might be over-simplifying the journey that Michael Ingersoll, Michael Cunio, Christopher Kale Jones and Shonn Wiley took to get to this point in their careers — and their lives. But arrived they have, playing to sold-out crowds, starring in their first national PBS special, and, oh yes, then there’s that first national tour they’re kicking off May 12 at the Park West, in addition to the release of their debut DVD and CD.

And on one level, they have Chicago to thank for all of it.

The musical “Jersey Boys,” which played Chicago for 27 months beginning in 2007, ultimately united Ingersoll, Cunio and Wiley, who co-starred as the Seasons during the final months of the show’s run in 2007. (Jones, who later toured nationally with the musical as Frankie Valli along with Ingersoll reprising his Seasons role, would eventually come on board to complete the Streetlamp quartet.) Make no mistake — the group is not an extension of “Jersey Boys” (in fact only three Four Seasons tune are featured in their 90-minute set); rather, Streetlamp is all about Motown-meets-pop-meets-soul-meets American Top 40 radio of the ’50s and ’60s, delivered in four-part harmony from this self-described “man band” of thirtsysomethings.

Ingersoll and Cunio talked to the Sun-Times about their musical journey and “coming home.”

Question: Do you have to pinch yourselves sometimes to make sure your success is real?

Michael Ingersoll: [Laughing] Sometimes we really do. This all started in Chicago; our biggest fans are there. The only reason we’ve arrived at this point is because the people in Chicago were there for us from the beginning, when we were just doing gigs on our [“Jersey Boys”] off night around town. We had a lot of help, whether it was coming out to a show, or talking about us on Facebook, or on the professional side of things, just having people who wanted to take a chance on what we were doing.

Michael Cunio: Any career in entertainment is seasonal. You have good years and bad years. But if you know that deep down whatever happens is going to be temporary you will always have the presence of mind to really appreciate and be humbled by the good. And that will get you through the tough times. We don’t take any of what we do for granted for a second.

Q. What is it about this music that resonates with people?

MC: When people are going through tough times, I think they maybe want to return to a simpler time. After World War II and prior to Kennedy’s assassination, America was all about hope, prosperity and promise, and music reflected that. Sharing that music with people today who know every lyric and who get up and dance, there’s no words for the kind of joy that it brings us every time we’re out on that stage.

MI: From “Jersey Boys” I learned the overwhelming enthusiasm people still have for the music of the 1950s and ’60s. There’s something about that period that is rooted in vocal harmonies, and I think people still love that. There’s such an authenticity about it, before you could make music on computers.

MC: There is a soul and a purity to this music. I see it in singers such as Adele and saw it in Amy Winehouse — this return to real voices and away from the hyper-processed pop music. A shift away from being lied to with Photoshop and reality TV. We see the passion people have for what we call the Great American Radio Songbook — people like the Drifters, Dion and the Belmonts, the Spinners. Finding our own personal harmony blend to breathe life into this music has been so fun to discover.

Q. Michael, you started this group, which had a few incarnations before you landed this optimal foursome. How did you know this was the right mix?

MI: The single greatest advantage to starting your own group is that, in my case, I know what I don’t do well, so I don’t do it in front of anybody else anymore. [Laughs] In musical theater I was always auditioning against people who had legitimate musical theater voices, something I did not have. I was born to sing things like the songs I do in the show, like “Pretty Woman,” or an Elvis song. Each of the guys in this group has a distinct skill set, and because of that, we don’t step on each other’s toes. I will never sing rock like Cunio, or a ballad like Chris, or tap [dance] like Shonn. That’s why I hired those bastards [Laughs]. We’re a band with four lead singers. I don’t know of any [group] that can say that.

Indy Star talks with Steetlamp’s Christopher Kale Jones

It would be difficult to overestimate the impact of Frankie Valli on the music career of Christopher Kale Jones. Jones portrayed Valli in the 2006 touring production of “Jersey Boys” — Broadway’s depiction of the rise and fall of 1960s pop group the Four Seasons.

Jones now sings in Under the Streetlamp, a doo-wop/Motown/early-rock revival group made up of Jones and three more former “Jersey Boys” cast members. The quartet will present a Mother’s Day concert May 13 in the Egyptian Room at Old National Centre.

It’s possible that Valli anticipated the formation of Under the Streetlamp even before Jones put the group together with Michael Cunio, Michael Ingersoll and Shonn Wiley.

“He may have had a little bit of foresight,” said Jones, recalling a visit to Valli’s home in Calabasas, Calif. ”He said, ‘You have to pay attention when you’re doing these songs. You have to make them your own, and you have to have some nuance and finesse with it. This is something you could be doing outside of “Jersey Boys.”‘”

Under the Streetlamp specializes in songs such as “Blue Moon” (written in the 1930s by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart) and “Sh-Boom” (a 1954 hit for doo-wop group the Chords).

In the tradition of retro vocal acts Michael Buble and Straight No Chaser, Under the Streetlamp is building an audience with the help of PBS. A concert filmed at the Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville aired during a PBS pledge drive in March, and Jones said the show will return to public television in June.

A medley of hits by the Four Seasons — “Candy Girl,” “Stay” and “Workin’ My Way Back to You” — connects the members of Under the Streetlamp to their “Jersey Boys” days.

The actual Four Seasons made it to the top, even as group members dealt with jail time, mob associations and failed marriages. Jones said “Jersey Boys” serves as a cautionary tale: “We’ve seen the pitfalls written full-scale on a Broadway production.”

Backstage drama hasn’t been a problem for Under the Streetlamp, now on its first national tour. ”We like to call ourselves uncomplicated entertainment,” Jones said. “We take the music very seriously, but we don’t take ourselves seriously at all.”

Scene Magazine talks with Streetlamp’s Shonn Wiley

“The years between World War II and the Kennedy assassination were a special time,” says singer and choreographer Shonn Wiley. “There was an innocence to the music, and radio was the unifying factor. It didn’t matter if you loved the Beatles, or Johnny Cash, or the Four Seasons: everybody knew them all because they heard them on the radio.”

That’s the musical vein mined by Wiley and his fellow members of Under the Streetlamp, a retro-style quartet performing tonight at the Ohio Theatre. This is the inaugural national tour for the young, Chicago-based foursome. Members first crossed paths while performing in various companies of Jersey Boys, the award-winning musical based on the lives of the Four Seasons; the group’s DVD has since gone on to become a centerpiece of P.B.S. fund drives. Each Streetlamper has a particular forte: founder Mike Ingersol belts out a mean Roy Orbison, Christopher Jones excels on soulful ballads, Michael Cunio is the rocker, and Wiley says he channels Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin “any chance I get.” But while each member can hold his own as a soloist, Wiley says their synergy is the real star. “Plus, our playlist contains some of the greatest songs ever written. It gives us permission to touch on all musical genres. And who knows? You might even see my strap on my tap shoes!” — Elaine T. Cicero

(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.

The group, which launches its new U.S. tour in Los Angeles on May 1 with more than 25 stops before finishing in Indiana on July 14, came together in 2010 in Chicago.

They only recently broke onto the national stage with a live, hour-long TV concert that aired on the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) in March, and while they know it may be difficult to reach the top of today’s digital download charts, they still see an importance to their music that boy bands can’t match.

“We had already been doing music by (R&B great) Etta James and (The Monkees) Davy Jones and as we lose some of these icons, it’s even more of a privilege to carry on their music,” Ingersoll said.

For the members – all in their mid-thirties – the songs they sing stem from their parent’s generation, but that doesn’t keep the men from showing a real attachment to the classic tunes. And while the retro tends to attract older audiences, Under The Streetlamp makes an effort to engage younger generations in theater and arts programs, often inviting middle school and high school students to sit in on soundchecks.

“With the rise of programs like ‘Glee’ and ‘American Idol,’ it’s actually cool to sing again. And kids want to know, ‘how can I do that, how can I make a living in the arts?’” said Ingersoll. “We really love that dynamic of giving back to kids, and we’ve built an audience with younger people.”

Whatever the age of the audience, the vocal group aims to please and put on a positive show with music and dancing.

“The songs are the excuse for us to … have a good time on stage and hopefully share that experience with the audience,” said Cunio. “If you leave the show and you want to have a beer with us then we’ve done our job.”

“And we would like to have a beer with you, too – especially if it’s on you,” Ingersoll said with a laugh.

(Reporting by Lindsay Claiborn)

NWI Times talks with Streetlamp’s Shonn Wiley

Releasing a DVD while promoting a new CD and launching a national tour — after taping a TV special in the same nine-month span — probably teaches an entertainer a thing or two. The four members of the young new musical group Under the Streetlamp are proud of their inaugural year of firsts. They also are looking to share some of the wisdom they’ve gained with students and others interested in balancing the challenges of show business.

At 7 p.m. Thursday, the members of Under the Streetlamp — Michael Cunio, Michael Ingersoll, Christopher Kale Jones and Shonn Wiley — return to Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville to lead a free “master class.” The question-and-answer session is open to local schools and the public. Under the Streetlamp taped a concert in August at Star Plaza Theatre for a PBS broadcast. The quartet consists of recent leading cast members of the Tony Award-winning musical “Jersey Boys,” who perform classic hits from the American radio songbook. The four men return to the region this week for final rehearsals before the May 1 kickoff of their national tour in Los Angeles.

“We want to continue to do outreach to schools and the community, while encouraging the young talent we have in Northwest Indiana and Chicagoland,” said Charlie Blum, CEO and talent buyer for Star Plaza Theatre, who is also the singing group’s manager.

The Thursday event is free and first come, first served. It is part of an ongoing outreach program series by Star Plaza Theatre and the Northwest Indiana Theatre Alliance.

“We realize how important it is to share our gratitude with the communities and audiences who welcome us,” said Wiley, who is the choreographer for Under the Streetlamp. ”We typically always invite students from local high schools, along with their parents and anyone interested, to join us for these master classes to share what we’ve learned along the way so far,” he said. “There’s a lot of misleading information out there about how to ‘make it’ in show business that keeps young people afraid that there is no place for them in the world of arts.”

The group will return to Chicago for two performances May 12 at Park West, where only a few seats remain for the afternoon show. The tour ends with the quartet returning to Star Plaza for a July 14 concert.

“Thursday’s opportunity sponsored by the alliance, brings entertainment icons and the public together, allowing the public to meet, question and gain knowledge from show business insiders,” Blum said.

Our thanks to hosts Kit Hoover and Billy Bush, the “Bitchin’” Nadia G, and the Access Hollywood Live crew!

Thanks for tuning in to Access Hollywood Live! If you love the music of the American Radio Songbook as much as we do, and want more Under the Streetlamp, get your CD and DVD today! Our music is currently available exclusively through PBS. You can make a difference by making a pledge to your PBS Station today, and receive Under the Streetlamp CDs, DVDs, or Live Concert Tickets as your Thank You Gift!

We stopped by the Reuters Entertainment studio for an interview and mini-performance. Take a look!

ARTISTdirect talks with Streetlamp

ARTISTdirect.com is psyched to introduce readers to Under the Streetlamp. Who are they? They are an electrifying quartet you need to familiarize yourself with…now! Think of four Michael Bublé-types, contained within one vocal ensemble.

Fans of PBS across the country are in for a special treat in March, as Under the Streetlamp, comprised of four dreamy voices who bring the early rock ‘n’ roll, doo-wop and Motown classics to an entirely new generation along with reminding the original fans why great music is timeless!These gents are hardly throwbacks. They hark back to an earlier time and infuse it with a modern, intoxicating vibe.

‘Under the Streetlamp’ is also the centerpiece of PBS’ pledge drive in many markets. Fans of the performance will have the chance to special order the DVD or CD of Under the Streetlamp during pledge drive upon making a donation to their local PBS station.

Formed in Chicago in 2010, Under the Streetlamp quickly earned a devoted local following and came to the attention of Charlie Blum who runs the Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville, Indiana. “I’ve put on and seen thousands of shows but was instantly struck by the boys clearly authentic love for this music, their amazing showmanship and rapport with one another, their numerous standing ovations and their total commitment to delivering these classics songs in a phenomenal fun filled way…They are having a big party and the audience is invited to join in. I noticed that their audience included all ages and everyone left the theatre smiling,” commented Blum. “I immediately felt that PBS was the perfect outlet to introduce them to the public and was delighted that so many PBS outlets felt that way as well,” Blum concluded.

All four members of Under the Streetlamp – Shonn Wiley, Michael Cunio, Michael Ingersoll and Christopher Kale Jones – appeared at one time or another in the Chicago or national company of Jersey Boys. “When we all started doing cabaret together in the Chicago area, we realized that the audience was responding not just to these great songs but the synergy between the four of us,” explained Michael Ingersoll. As a result of the huge following Under the Streetlamp has developed in the Chicago area, their manager Charlie Blum has confirmed the first leg of their national tour which will start in May including performances in Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Nashville and NY.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

NWI Times talks with Streetlamp

From the article “Audiences ready for weekend TV premiere of Star Plaza Streetlamp concert”

Julia Maish, manager of media relations for Chicago’s PBS station WTTW Channel 11, said friends often ask how they can get concert tickets for the new tour of Under the Streetlamp… ”My answer’s always the same: ‘Pick up your telephone and make a pledge,’” Maish said. “And even though seeing the new TV special makes it feel like your right at the concert, it makes you want to see them in person performing all the more.”Maish knows the energy and talent showcased by the group of four singers. She was at the August concert taping at Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville. The show was created as a highlight for PBS pledge drives on public television stations around the country.

And as an incentive to make a pledge, TV viewers have the first chance at tickets for upcoming dates in May and July for concerts by Under the Streetlamp at both the Park West in Chicago and also a return engagement at Star Plaza Theatre. ”The Park West concert is May 12 and it a pretty intimate space of just around 400 seats,” Maish said. ”We are only allotted the Park West tickets for our Chicago PBS pledge drive. The Star Plaza is much larger, so there are more seats available for the July 14 concert in Merrillville for the Northwest Indiana PBS station’s pledge drive. Other pledge gifts that will be available for all of this season’s pledge drives are Under the Streetlamp CDs and copies of the pledge concert TV special on DVD…”

Charlie Blum, CEO and talent buyer for Star Plaza Theatre, served as the producer for the TV special and he’s also the manager for Under the Streetlamp… Blum and his Star Productions are producing the group’s new national concert tour, which kicks off May 1 in Los Angeles. ”This is exciting for not only for us at Star Plaza, but also for our audience members who attended the taping,” Blum said. “The camera pans out in the audience quite often, so there will be a lot of familiar faces on camera seen over and over again during PBS pledge drive month.”

The experience of taping a TV special was exciting for the members of Under the Streetlamp. ”This was something that we talked about for some time, and it’s a perfect fit,” said group member Michael Ingersoll. “…We all have a different talent area for solo performance. Sharing the stage together gives the audience something unique because of what each of us brings.”

Aha, proof it’s no postcard: This one shows his toes.

It was paradise indeed. While Michael sat in the sand giving a final listen to the audio mixes for the upcoming CD, Cunio, Chris, and Shonn headed into the Pacific for some clear blue snorkeling. Most impressive was the five foot sea turtle they met face to face. But alas, all that time floating face down in the ocean with his back exposed to the tropical sun left our fair-haired Shonn all burnt on one side.

But Shonn quickly felt better when it was time to get back to work. He was especially excited that we had the good fortune of sharing the evening’s bill with the man widely known as the greatest tap dancer alive, Savion Glover. Savion Glover is the magnificent Tony Award-winning prodigy of Gregory Hines. He is also the feet behind the computer animation of the movie “Happy Feet.” Mr Glover carries tap into the 21st century with his unique, modern, and hard style of tap called hoofing.

Check out this exciting segment of Savion Glover on Dancing With The Stars:

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Our own tap-dancing extraordinare got along famously with this cool king of dance.

The private event we played was quite large and hosted guests from around the world. In fact, there were over 100 different language translation devices onsite! Yet when it was our turn to take the stage, you’d never know the crowd was so divided. Cultural barriers seemed to melt away. Everyone was dancing! The genuine enthusiasm of the diverse audience was a real testament to the power of the American Radio Songbook we love so much. It seems that no matter where they’re from, people love to Twist and Shout!

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

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…

Prior to the evening’s glitz and glamour, those who will be performing on the live telecast attend an afternoon rehearsal of the show. Michael was waiting quietly in the auditorium while host Ryan Seacrest pre-taped a few transitional segments. Next to take the stage was Tony Bennett. Tony learned that his duet partner Christina Aguilera may or may not be appearing as scheduled, due to her current pregnancy. So he decided to prepare for anything to happen. The consummate professional calmly started working through his music, trying different phrasings and approaches. He stopped and started, right there in front of everyone present, exploring the music.

What amazed Michael about watching him prepare was the enormous since of risk of the performance. If so much was up in the air, why not pre-record something just to be sure? It’s no surprise that big stars lip sync on TV all the time, sometimes by their own insistence and sometimes by that of a producer. The then 80 year old Tony Bennett certainly had nothing to prove to anyone, so why take the risk to sing live?

Michael got his chance to ask Mr. Bennett directly. A few hours later, just before the the start of the show, the performers escaped the scrutiny of the red carpet for the privacy of the “green room” backstage. Surrounded with celebrities, Michael patiently waited his turn to approach Tony, who was then being chatted up by Al Gore. Michael was greeted warmly by the living legend, whose presence was centered and serene. After exchanging pleasantries, Michael asked about the impending performance. Why sing live? Why not take the safe way?  Tony insisted that he never would and never did fake it because he was an artist. He said that if you’re breathing, and in the moment, the audience can tell. They can feel it if you’re present and telling the story of the song. And they can feel it if you’re lying. People don’t want to be lied to. So just give it what you got. Be real. That what makes people happy.

His advice was simple and profound. You can watch both performances from that night right here:

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Following the televised Emmy Award ceremony the participants immediately attend dinner at the exclusive Governor’s Ball. Here, in a gorgeous Art Deco banquet hall, stars mingle while their winning statuettes are crammed onto tables with surf and turf. The entertainment for this elegant event is second to none. When the lights hit the stage in the center of the room to reveal the surprise performer, there stood none other than the man of the hour, Mr. Tony Bennett. After working all day through rehearsals, red carpet, and ceremony, the 80 year old wasn’t ready to quit. Tony was gonna give a little private concert. After a collective gasp of disbelief, the wondering crowd erupted into cheers. Then the lucky attendees hushed themselves just as quickly so as not to miss a note. They all knew this was a moment to treasure. Remember the end of the movie Analyze This? When Tony appears in a cameo to romantically serenade the newlywed couple privately on their terrace? It felt like that. Mr. Bennett graced the crowd with three songs, including his signature “I Left My Heart In San Francisco.” If you’ve ever seen him live, then you know. It was unforgettable.

Just in case you’d like to enjoy that old favorite now, here’s a classic clip of the classiest guy around. Enjoy!

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Plus a quick shot from the dressing room:

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Barb 0809 says: “As soon as PBS airs this concert, they will be loved nationwide. These four men are so talented and truly have star quality.”

Nalafan cheers: “These guys have worked so hard to get to where they are and their passion shows on stage! They truly love to have a good time and their music is infectious. They are embarking on the ride of their lives and are bound to live as true rock stars! Before long, they will be a household name!”

And Daisygirl1740 exclaims: “What a great show! Had us rockin’ in our seats! Their voices were beyond amazing & their stage presence was so entertaining! They are very versatile young men who will go very far. Their singing & acting abilities are wonderful. We would definitely see them again & certainly hope they return to our area!!”

We ‘re so grateful for you. Keep smiling, friends!

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