(THANKS EVERYONE!!!!)
  
Rushing home to make a late
night showing of Jackass, Mike Manchisi was surprised by a crowd of well
wishers for his 40th birthday. The evening was a celebration of family,
good friends and WITE LITE with surprise appearances by Zach, Kevin and
Frank who all flew in from NY for the day. My heartfelt gratitude to all
who were there.
The evening culminated with a
basement jam that included all members include a surprise appearance by
Tom Townsend. In addition to the standards, the addition of Townsend
enabled the band to resurrect hits like Ebby's Lament, Wall Street
(complete with middle) and Time Gone By. A standards set also included
Route 66 and a version of Mac the Knife that even appealed to the older
crowd. Corinne Manchisi even sang Dreams and Build Me Up Buttercup to
the enjoyment of all.
The party went well into the
evening and included a Frank Manchisi rock block consisting of
Complicated Shadows, Daydream Believer and Love In Vain.
It was a great night and one
I'll never forget!
  Coheadlining
with C Jane
Run ,
the band played the last two sets to a packed house consisting primarily
of MasterCard employees and raised $575 for United Way. Not to be
deterred by a poor sound mix, the band (known as Mike Manchisi's band
WITE LITE) ripped into the standards. Only Something Else seemed to be a
bad pick as it cleared the dance floor to a generational crowd that was
not familiar with Eddie Cochran. The second set was brief in order to
accommodate a 1AM curfew but included Roadhouse, Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet,
Brandy (for a couple who was celebrating their wedding at the club???))
a blues number and finally Honky Tonk Woman. With the crowd chanting
OZZY, the band left the stage (an obvious reference to the War Pigs
staple that the band is known for). The following continues to grow and
the band is looking for additional gigs.
With
band differences behind them, WITE LITE rocked Saratoga Lanes on
Saturday evening in front of a packed 8 lane bowling alley. The first
set was strong as the band opened with I Fought the Law and When the
Whip Comes Down followed by Cadillac Ranch, Younger, Please Please Me,
Something Else, She Said Yeah, Wall Street, Can't Explain and closed
with Hymn 43. The new Aqualung ending seems promising and it was great
to have Kevin Finnegan providing the bantor and the solid rhythm work
for the gig. It was the second set however that sealed the night. Marked
by a guest appearance from Zach Manchisi, the band launched into
Roadhouse Blues, Fire and Summertime Blues before Zach left the stage to
take on managerial duties. Zach's presence was so strong that he "audibled
" the second set after the dance floor became packed from songs like
Ain't Seen Nothing Yet, Brandy, and I'm a Believer. The song selections
kept the crowd dancing and proved to be WITE LITE's most successful gig
yet. In addition to singing duties, Zach was
also single handedly responsible for raising $125 in the bucket to pay
Paul the soundman, who delivered a strong mix. The first half of the
show has already been released on DVD and is making its way around the
East Coast as we speak. Zach (aka The Wizard) has now been given
management responsibilities for the band as noted on the Home Page. Set
3 featured Dion, Louie, Louie and a version of Shout that rocked the
house. A tremendously strong performance by Bill Greene in the 3rd set
earned him MVP honors though the band was strong and tight throughout.
Look for a year-end Christmas gig in addition
to the upcoming 9/13 St. Charles event.
WHAT A SHOW!!!
Playing in Lenny's Basement
to a full house (It's all relative!),
WITE LITE played two very long sets
to celebrate the Sylvestri family move from Polo Parc at Lenny's
Basement. The first set was strong and the
entire night included many new songs including 8 versions of Take Me Out
to The Ballgame, China Grove, Long Train Running, Warning, You Ain't
Seen Nothing Yet, I'm a Believer, Bad Moon Rising and Suffragette City.
Set 2 featured a Karaoke session that highlighted the band's varied
styles, with songs from Willie Nelson, Chuck Berry, Dion and a version
of Shout that could be released as Side 3 of the Live Album!. The
standards were all there and the evening was a hit by all accounts. Look
for a year-end Christmas gig as we speak.
WITE LITE REMASTERS
Rare tapes from WITE LITE's early years have
recently surfaced from the Doyle basement, and plans are underway to
release some of these gems by the Holiday season. Click
here for a sample of the remasters (Girl
of My Dreams - circa 1979).
Playing to a small crowd in Town and Country,
WITE LITE played two sets at Wendystock II. The first set was weaker by
most observers standards as well as the bands though set 2 was very
strong. New songs included Mystery Dance, Johnny B. Goode, and Bad Moon
Rising, a hit with the crowd despite the drummers objections! The group
is looking for a Christmas gig as we speak.
Playing at the new Lafayette Pub and Grill along
with the Benders, WITE LITE played two strong short sets led by
outstanding vocal performances by Tom Greene. The group also added
Mystery Dance to the set list and are rumored to be rehearsing many new
songs including some that were actually recorded in the 90's! The sets
were divided into a more mellow set followed by a heavier finale, though
the group had trouble getting anyone to the dance floor.
Set 1 - Substitute, Somethin Else, Mystery
Dance, End of the World, Slow Down, I Saw Her Standing There,
Uncontrollable Urge, Brandy, Build Me Up Buttercup
Set 2 - Roadhouse Blues, Apolitical Blues, I
Fought the Law, Please Please Me, War Pigs, Hard to Handle, San Berdino
Poorly disguised as a rehearsal dinner, WITE
LITE played the Baxter Ridge Clubhouse to rave reviews for their first
year 2000 Gig. Plane snafus prevented retired band member Frank Manchisi
from participating though Zach Manchisi was again in rare form with
standards like Fire and Jack Daniels Blues.The GIG renewed interest in
WITE LITE and 2000 promises some additional gigs for the band. |
