By Kevin Hopper
For the Journal
BACKSTAGE PASS: The best days of lounge music may be well behind us. The ghosts of all those cozy, velvet-lined Las Vegas, Nev., hideaways of the past are running out of deep leather booths to haunt. Martinis and Manhattans are still being shaken all over the world, but where to drink them? And who's on the bill? Sinatra, Martin, Davis, et al, are all gone and only a few brave crooners are willing to hold the dimming lounge torch.
Lucky for us, there are a couple of local options in this arena. Tommy Gearheart and Notes From Underground play a good number of classics and a few jazz/hip-hop mash-ups on a regular basis. And on the tackier side of things, Taos act Vanilla Pop has been playing its heart out since its inception in 2002. As for the venue, both acts call the Martini Grille— a lounge singer's oasis— their home.
Vanilla Pop, which consists of the outre Al Dente and Lester Moore, has made Wednesday nights at the Martini more than just a relaxing night out. On the contrary, the duo lights up the usually shadowy lounge with colorful lighting and even more colorful lounge attire.
"We upgraded our bubble machine and we're getting a real velvet curtain for our next show," Dente (whose real surname is Vetter) said recently of the staging.
The songs the pair sing are a mix of old-school lounge ("Witchcraft," "The Way You Look Tonight"), '70s disco ("We Are Family," "YMCA"), '80s New Wave hits ("Tainted Love," "Don't You Want Me Baby?") and even some television themes ("Love Boat") thrown in for good measure.
On Wednesday, April 19, Vanilla Pop will celebrate its third year playing Martini Grille. The group has recently played more high-profile gigs, including Harrah's in Vegas and the birthday party for the president of Wal-Mart. "That's a surprisingly cool group of people," Dente says. "They're pretty hip." But Dente said Martini has been a solid venue and the local crowd it's built up in three years is loyal to the point of impersonation.
"No doubt," Dente replied when asked if his fans dress the part. "In fact, we played a gig recently and I saw a blond wig, then a mustache and I realized, 'Wow! That's me.' ''
"We've been so persistent for so long," Dente said, "and word-of-mouth has just been golden for us. We're gonna ride this wave as long as we can." Wednesday's show begins at 8 p.m. and cover is $3.
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