Michael Cavacini

An award-winning arts and culture blog.

Archive for the month “May, 2018”

30 May 2018

A Conversation With Night Ranger’s Kelly Keagy

Photo by Ash Newell.

For more than 35 years, Night Ranger has been one of the preeminent rock bands, selling millions of albums, topping the charts with hit songs, and performing for its legion of fans across the world. Kelly Keagy, Night Ranger’s drummer and one of its lead vocalists, has played a key role in the band’s rich history and immense success. Kelly was kind enough to take the time to speak with me about a variety of topics, including Night Ranger’s excellent new album, Don’t Let Up. If you don’t already own this album, go buy it. While you’re at it, buy tickets to see Night Ranger live. Other than KISS and Journey, they are my favorite rock band. Once you see them live, you’ll feel the same way.

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29 May 2018
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Meeting Daryl Hall

Last Saturday, after HoagieNation, my wife and I had the opportunity to meet the legendary Daryl Hall. We were the only people that met him after the show, aside from his family, so I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity, and he was a pleasure to speak with. I shook Daryl’s hand, introduced him to Stephanie, reminded him of the cover story on Hall & Oates by me that was just published the other week in The Aquarian Weekly, and asked him to autograph it for me. Daryl said, “That was a really good piece you wrote” and gladly signed the cover for me.

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22 May 2018
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A Conversation with Johnny Mathis

Johnny Mathis is the longest-running recording artist on Columbia records. In addition to releaseing 79 studio albums and six original Christmas albums, he has 50 hit songs to his name on the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts. Mathis also has five Grammy nominations and three Grammy Hall of Fame inductions. Simply stated, he’s a once-in-a-lifetime artist whose productivity and influence knows no bounds. Since taking the musical world by storm 62 years ago, Johnny Mathis has become the indisputable voice of romance. If you’ve yet to see this vocalist extraordinaire or you simply want to see him again, Johnny Mathis is performing at the Golden Nugget in Atlantic City on June 2. Mathis was kind enough to take the time to speak with me about his remarkable career. I hope you enjoy our discussion, and don’t forget to buy tickets to his June 2 show in Atlantic City while you still can.

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18 May 2018
2 Comments

Review: William Shatner Live On Stage

William Shatner, even at 87-years-old, seems to have boundless amounts of energy. He’s always working on something new and exciting. Right now he’s on a tour where he’s visiting cities and, following a screening of the classic film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Shatner is participating in a live-on-stage Q&A with audiences. My father and I attended the Philadelphia screening at The Academy of Music, and it was an excellent event.

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16 May 2018
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David Uosikkinen on HoagieNation, In The Pocket and More

David Uosikkinen, best known as the drummer for The Hooters, is bringing amazing musicians together through his In The Pocket project. They will be performing on Friday, May 25 at The Fillmore Philadelphia, as part of the HoagieNation “Exclusive Pre-Party and Culinary Celebration.” David was kind enough to take the time to speak with me about his impressive career, what to expect at the HoagieNation pre-party and more.

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07 May 2018
3 Comments

Book Review: Don’t Stop Believin’ by Jonathan Cain

Don’t Stop Believin’: The Man, the Band, and the Song that Inspired Generations, the long-awaited autobiography by Journey’s piano man, Jonathan Cain, is tied with Paul Stanley’s Face The Music: A Life Exposed as my favorite music autobiography. And if you have to choose one way to read this book, listen to the audiobook because it’s narrated by the man himself, making for a more intimate reading experience. Jon’s narration of his autobiography is so raw and authentic that at some points he becomes overcome with emotion, which only makes the stories he tells that much more impactful. And the generous amount of beautiful music weaved throughout the audiobook makes for an engaging and enjoyable audiobook that I’d gladly listen to again. It’s also worth noting that the audiobook features bonus chapters not found in the print version of the book.

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06 May 2018

Paul Anka Does It His Way

My wife and I had the honor and pleasure of seeing Paul Anka perform last night at the Golden Nugget in Atlantic City and meeting him after the show. It was our first time seeing Paul Anka, who I recently interviewed, and his concert exceeded our expectations.  Read more…

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06 May 2018

WWE RAW: The First 25 Years

WWE RAW: The First 25 Years, coming out May 15, is a new hardcover book by DK Publishing. As the title suggests, it celebrates 25 years of the longest running weekly-episodic television program: WWE Raw. Is this new tome worth the price of admission? Watch my video review below to find out.

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04 May 2018

Night Ranger Rocks Philly

Night Ranger is one of my favorite rock bands, ever since I first saw them on KISS Kruise III. I also firmly believe that they are one of the most underappreciated bands, as they have written, released, and performed countless songs that feature killer riffs, harmonies, and hooks that rival nearly anything their peers have put out. This is why I always make it a point to buy the band’s newest albums and see them live when they’re in my area, which they were last Friday night. Read more…

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01 May 2018
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Paul Stanley’s Art Show

This past Saturday was a great day. I got to meet Paul Stanley at his art show and have him autograph my cover story interview with him, which was published last week in The Aquarian Weekly. When I showed Paul the cover he said to me, “You also interviewed my son, Evan.” Considering how many people he meets on a daily basis, it was awesome to know that Paul remembered me and my work. I introduced him to my wife, and the three of us took a photo together. Then, Paul and I took a photo together and he held up the cover story, which I didn’t realize he was doing when the photo was taken.

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