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July 19, 2005

Popular Jersey show band releases new “ Paradise Summer Musical Tour ” CD

Get ready for an explosive live music show in Woodbridge July 25 as the Mayor’s Summer Concert Series presents the Infernos featuring ex-Commodores vocalist Kenny Simmons and former Duprees keyboardist Bobby Wells fronting a powerhouse 12-piece band.

The free concert takes place at 7:30 p.m. on the grass fields behind Woodbridge High School. Woodbridge Center and ShopRite are the prime series sponsors. The Infernos show is sponsored by Columbia Bank.

“We are thrilled to have the Infernos back again,” said Mayor Frank G. Pelzman. “This is a show that covers the full range of rock’n’roll at its most vibrant and versatile.”

The Infernos are truly one of the most diverse pop outfits touring the East Coast today, with a repertoire spanning big band to Motown, steamy hot jazz to J-Lo and techno – a live-action jukebox bursting with five decades of the best of American popular music including Vince Torrell’s acclaimed Frank Sinatra tribute show. Last month they kicked off CNN’s 25 th Anniversary Spectacular in Atlanta and have just been signed as the official band for Wachovia Bank.

The Rotunda Records artists have been busy in the studio of late, producing their seventh recording, a 12-song CD of mostly original material titled The Paradise Summer Musical Tour with special instrumental arrangements by Newark native and 17-time Grammy winner Charles Calello.

Calello is a legendary arranger/producer who started out in the doo-wop days creating hits for Shirley Ellis (“The Name Game”), Lou Christie (“Lightning Strikes”) and The Four Seasons (“Walk Like a Man”) before achieving status as a producer for CBS Records during the 1960s pop music revolution. A short list of his arranging/producing credits includes recordings by Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Neil Diamond, Kenny Rogers, Bruce Springsteen, Lauro Nyro, Natalie Cole, B.B. King, Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross, Liza Minelli, Randy Travis, Michael Bolton, Michael McDonald, Vince Gill, Patti Page, Richie Havens, Eric Carmen, Janis Ian, Merle Haggard, Gloria Estefan and Juice Newton.

Kenny Simmons says the band was especially excited about the music master’s participation. “Charlie lives in Boca Raton, Florida, and through a mutual friend heard one of our tracks. He interrupted a session he was putting together with Celine Dion to fly up to New Jersey on his private jet and give us a chart for our song. When someone of his stature gets interested in your work, that’s a very positive sign.”

The Infernos’ previous CD, 2004’s 3 rd Prophesy, did more than keep audiences dancing. It helped raise $40,000 for the Bowery Mission, a homeless shelter and rehabilitation program in New York City. The track “ Newark Town” served as the theme song for a publicity campaign the Bowery Mission used to extend its outreach and generate awareness about homelessness in New Jersey.

The Infernos’ social activism is a perfect fit for the Mayor’s Summer Concert Series that not only nourishes musical appetites but helps sustain the coffers at the Woodbridge Food Bank. Concertgoers bringing non-perishable food items receive a chance to win special prizes, one chance for every item donated. “Summer months always put a strain on local food pantries,” says Mayor Pelzman. “Last year, the generous people of Woodbridge donated an incredible amount of food during the series. We’re hoping to repeat that this year.”

The 2005 Mayor’s Summer Concert Series schedule:

● July 25 – The Infernos

● August 1 – Jukebox Heroes

● August 8 – Frankie Lymon’s Teenagers

● August 15 – Brooklyn Reunion Show featuring Classics, Passions & Mystics

● August 22 – Kenny Vance’s Planotones

● August 29 – The Greaseband

To interview the Infernos,
or to obtain additional photos or promotional material,
call Bobby Wells at (973) 338-4620.