A few weeks ago, Lance Lipinsky drove 10 hours from Austin, Texas to Memphis and wound up at Graceland.
“I had to go; it was the memorial service for Lisa Marie (Presley),” Lipinsky said Sunday before doing a show at the Paisans Club in the SeaBreeze Recreation Center.
“I never met Elvis but I got close to him at Graceland,” Lipinsky said in a quiet voice before the concert. “I got there early and they let me and about 1,000 people on the Graceland lawn. I could feel the presence of the King and I had to say good-bye to the Princess.”
On Sunday, Lipinsky said hello to The Villages. The show was called “Shake Baby Shake,” and featured Lipinsky — along with his band The Lovers — and female singers, The Lovettes.
It was a frequently manic, breathless and stunning performance. This gig was filled with hip-shaking, duck-walking, steamy guitar licks to go along with wicked drum solos and torrid vocals.
Lipinsky – who took turns on keyboards, guitar and vocals – led the band on a journey from Big Joe Turner’s “Shake Rattle and Roll” to 1965’s surf music.
Their set-list included songs by Ricky Nelson, Roy Orbison, Bill Haley, Bo Diddley, the Everly Brothers, the Beach Boys, Del Shannon, Lesley Gore, the Crystals, Dick Dale, the Ventures and more.
Lipinsky won’t let anybody tell you that roots rock is dead. The Villages’ age demographics may be shifting to the music of the ‘80s and ‘90s, but Lipinsky is on a mission from Rock and Roll Heaven – and maybe Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis who might be somewhere else – to keep roots rock alive.
This greased up 37 year old calls himself a rock and roll time traveler. He sports a mile-high black pompadour and is filled with the Holy Ghost of Elvis spirit.
Lipinsky has appeared on David Letterman and at the famed Ryman Auditorium of the Grand Ole Opry, as well as in an HBO special series called “Vinyl,” directed by Martin Scorsese and Mick Jagger. No matter what he’s done, his goal is simple.
“I want to keep mid-20th century roots music alive,” Lipinsky said. “I’m tired of corporate music, telling us to forget our roots and just listen to what is new and what sells.
“Tonight this ain’t nobody lip-syncing at the Super Bowl, we’re doing real, live music. Give me the music from 1955 to 1965. We can’t ever forget it and we’ll do whatever we can to keep it alive.”
Lipinsky and his remarkable band do just that. The group includes Chuck Zayas on bass; Jack Fluegel on guitar and a drummer who goes by the name of St. Rose.
The female singers –who recently appeared on a PBS music special – are Darcy-Jo Wood and Molly Jean Denninghoff. Both offered shimmering vocals.
Put them all together and you get youthful energy and talent that make the old songs come alive again.
“If you love the ‘50s and ‘60s, tonight we’re going to rock your socks off,” Lipinsky said as he took the stage. “They used to call rock and roll the devil’s music. I don’t know what to call today’s music –but it ain’t music.”
The group opened with a lively version of Danny and the Juniors’ “At the Hop.” Next up was Lipinsky making like Conway Twitty on “It’s Only Make Believe.”
“I’ve got a confession to make,” Lipinsky told the Paisans Club members “I’m actually Polish. And I’m a time traveler from 1957.”
That intro set the stage for a rollicking “Great Balls of Fire,” with Lipinsky gyrating and standing on a stool near the keyboards. Then came “Rock Around the Clock” and an Elvis take on “Don’t Be Cruel,” which included some Chuck Berry licks from “Johnny B Goode.”
There was a little bit of doo-wop on “Remember Then,” that morphed into Dion’s classic “Runaround Sue.” Drum man St. Rose offered a soulful take on “Bo Diddley.” Denninghoff teamed with Lipinsky on a duet for “Cathy’s Clown,” that would have made Don and Phil Everly proud.
The second half of the show picked up the pace with Del Shannon’s “Runaway” and another Elvis’ tune, “Devil in Disguise.”
“That was the King, now we’re going to play a number from the Prince of Rock and Roll: Ricky Nelson.” Lipinsky turned in a soft vocal on “Travelin’ Man.”
Then it was the ladies’ turn. Wood and Denninghoff rocked on Little Eva’s “Locomotion” and had some fun with “My Boyfriend’s Back.” They offered sharp versions of “He’s A Rebel” and Lesley Gore’s “He’s A Fool.” Wood had a knack for adding powerful to her numbers.
It was a night for memories and old-time rock and roll.
“God gifted this planet with music,” Lipinsky said. “And you know what –we need it now more than ever.”
Amen, Brother Lance, amen.
Tony Violanti covers arts and music for Villages-News.com. He was inducted into the Buffalo NY Music Hall of Fame as a music journalist.
