Rocky and the Rollers shed their polo shirts, degreased their hair and spent much of the night playing with garbage cans, cardboard boxes and washtubs.
It all happened Tuesday in the Savannah Center when Gerry “Rocky” Seader and his band of happy hepcats gave a truly “unplugged” performance for the ages.
This concert was more fun than making whoopee in a gazebo, as one of the Rollers noted.
What more can you say about a gig that saw Rocky tell some of his life story. “I grew up in Philadelphia and I lived with my grandparents behind a Chinese laundry,” said the leader of the Rollers’ pack. “They used to throw out boxes behind our house. I was just a kid and I started playing them like drums.”
Amazingly, Rocky found a cardboard box set about four feet high and put it on center stage. “It’s hard to find boxes in The Villages,” Rocky said. “All I could find were empty liquor boxes.”
Then Rocky started wailing on the box playing “Sing, Sing Sing,” in one of the most incredible drumming and percussion displays I have ever seen.
I mean the guy was playing a cardboard box!
You can see a clip from the show at https://www.facebook.com/TheVillagesNews
And by the way, instead of using drum sticks, Rocky was toting a pair of oversized wooden spoons. I couldn’t tell if he was trying to be Gene Krupa or Chef Boyardee. “Back home these were always covered with red stuff,” Seader said of his spoon set. “My Grandma used to make great sauce.”
Mr. Seader and his band delivered plenty of musical hot sauce all night long.
One time, they hauled out a garbage can. Bruce Wallace of the Rollers sang lead on CCR’s “Looking Out My Back Door” as Rocky beat that can like a stray cat digging for a sardine box buried deep inside of it.
Jimmy Miller, bass player and singer with the band, was not to be outdone.
He brought out a contraption that looked like a broomstick and clothesline attached to a washtub. I wasn’t sure if Miller was going to wash his pants or rock out.
Then, somehow, Miller got a cool riff going to Elvis’ “That’s All Right Mama,” that would have made the King proud. He also covered Buddy Holly’s “Peggy Sue.”
Despite all the zany moments, this band is truly exceptional. Here in The Villages, it’s easy to take Rocky and the Rollers for granted. But Seader, along with Wallace, Miller, Al Morse, vocals; Al Layton, keyboards, Bruce Nardi, saxophone; Steve Falkner, trumpet and Rick Abbott, trombone, are world class musicians.
While they are best known for playing oldies and Villages’ dances and outdoor squares, these guys can master just about any musical form from any era.
That was evident right from the start when the band opened with a rollicking version of the Doobie Brothers’ “Listen to the Music” and followed it with some brassy rock to Chicago’s “Only the Beginning.”
“Rocky and the Rollers have been playing in The Villages for 15 years and have been playing rock and roll for 40 years,” DJ Al Brady said while introducing the band. “Tonight you are going to hear and see something special.”
The band more than met that goal.
“This is us unplugged,” Rocky said. “You are a big part of the show. Just sing-a-long and have a good time. We took off our polo shirts and I didn’t put any Brylcreem on my hair. This is the way we really are.”
The Rock escaped the drum set and sat on a stool at center stage for a slow, edgy version of Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth.”
“That’s from the ’60s,” Rocky said. “I was just a kid in grammar school back then. I bet some of you guys were in college.”
The crowd started booing, because they felt younger. “Way to go Rocky,” one of the Rollers yelled. “Now you got them on our side.”
Al Morse won over the audience with a stirring vocal on Marvin Gaye’s all-time classic, “What’s Going On.” Morse, who gives this band its vocal juice, also turned in a thumping version of Stephen Stills’ “Love the One You’re With.”
The horn section of the Rollers – Nardi, Falkner and Abbott – are often overlooked. But they had a chance to showcase their dynamic talent on a medley featuring the songs of Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass.
They brought new life to such old numbers, as “Lonely Bull,” “Tijuana Taxi” and “A Taste of Honey.”
Al Layton had a chance to flash his keyboard skill and vocal chops by going back to the Fats Waller classic, “Ain’t Misbehavin’.” The Rollers band backed him up with an exquisite New Orleans jazz sound.
One of the most moving moments of the night came when Layton on piano and Abbott on trombone combined for an instrumental version of “Oh Danny Boy.”
This was a concert with a little bit of everything and a lot of great music. “We’ve been doing this a long time and we’re not getting any younger,” Rocky said. “But I’m going to keep doing this until I can’t do it anymore.”
