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By John Katsilometes Las Vegas Review-Journal
August 11, 2021 - 10:03 am
Well, David Perrico’s band has finally found a new venue.

Big time.

The veteran musician and bandleader is front man for the Raiders House Band led by David Perrico. This is in fact the Raiders’ house band for the 2021 season. The lineup debuts Saturday during the Raiders’ preseason home opener against the Seattle Seahawks at Allegiant Stadium.

“This is an incredible opportunity, and a great honor, to fulfill Mark Davis’ vision for a band to perform at Raiders games,” Perrico said Wednesday morning. “I am excited. The band is excited. The interaction with the Raider Nation staff has been fantastic, all the way through.”

Davis has sought a contemporary version of Del Courtney’s band from the Raiders’ infancy. The Courtney crew first played Raiders games at Frank Youell Field in 1963, later moving with the team to the Oakland Colosseum.

“We are looking at options for something like that — a house band to play before and after the game and during commercial breaks,” Davis said in February as the team’s search for musicians intensified. “Something like what Paul Shaffer’s band was with David Letterman.”
The legendary Vegas band Santa Fe & The Fat City Horns, was actually the first act ever to play Allegiant Stadium, beating everyone to the stage on Feb. 28.

Perrico’s bolstered, 19-piece band can actually be called an orchestra, combining Perrico’s Pop Strings and Pop Evolution projects. Pop Strings was among the acts whose shows closed when Caesars Entertainment shut down several of its smaller venues in May. Cleopatra’s Barge, where Perrico had headlined late Friday and Saturday nights, was among those small-capacity rooms.

But Perrico and Pop Strings were invited to test out Allegiant Stadium in June, and returned last weekend to evolve its performance. The band built its horn section to a total of four (Davis is very fond of horns, and a Tower of Power vibe), and ran through a set list peppered by Metallica, Bruno Mars, AC/DC, Earth Wind & Fire, James Brown and The Who.

Of course, the Raiders theme, “Autumn Wind,” is a must, and is to be uncorked in the pregame set and also after the home team scores a touchdown.

Joining Perrico is his wife, vocalist Lily Arce. The band also features singers Noybel Gorgoy, Serena Henry and Fletch Wolcott; Charles McNeal on alto sax; Rocco Barbato on tenor sax; Steve Meyer on trombone; Mat Schumer on baritone sax; Otto Ehling on keyboard (and keytar); Keith Nelson on bass; Steven Lee on guitar; Miguel Jimenez (subbing for his father, Pepe Jimenez, temporarily out for non-COVID health reasons) on drums; and a string section of Crystal Yuan, Adrianna Thurber, Monique Olivas, Chandra Meilbalane, Zuzana Engererova and Sarah Chaffee.

Perrico has lived and performed in Las Vegas for 17 years. He has headlined at myriad venues, on and off the Strip, including Rocks Lounge at Red Rock Resort, the since-closed Lounge at the Palms, South Point Showroom, The Strat (then Stratosphere) Showroom, Myron’s Cabaret Jazz at the Smith Center, Caesars Palace and Westgate Las Vegas.

When Paul Shaffer was seeking a bandleader for his Shaf-Shifters show at Cleopatra’s Barge, he sought Perrico, who has also a jazz music professor at UNLV for six years ending in 2011.

Suffice to say Perrico certainly understands the historic relevance of his Raiders gig. Over the decades, Las Vegas has been home to several iconic, trumpet-playing band leaders. Louis Prima, Doc Severinsen, Harry James and Bill Chase held the role in earlier eras.

The tradition more recently has been advanced by Lon Bronson, dating to the days of Le Bistro Lounge at the Riviera through to the Smith Center; and Lady Gaga’s band leader Brian Newman, moving back into NoMad Library at Park MGM this week.

Perrico remembers his first gig in Vegas, performing with Bronson’s band at Naughty Ladies Saloon at Arizona Charlie’s Decatur in 2004.
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Bronson told Perrico, who originally is from Youngstown, Ohio, and grew up a Cleveland Browns fan,”Welcome to the dark side.” He had no idea.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section.
His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts.
Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. 
Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
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By John Katsilometes Las Vegas Review-Journal
June 29, 2021 - 5:15 pm
David Perrico’s Pop Strings held residency at Cleopatra’s Barge at Caesars Palace for four years, and has also performed at Myron’s Cabaret Jazz at the Smith Center for the past seven. Cozy venues, both. But the band expanded its horizons, to put it mildly, on Monday afternoon by playing Allegiant Stadium.

Perrico and his band performed a nearly hourlong set in the nearly empty stadium. Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis was among the handful of observers.

Davis and his team are using the empty-nest performances as a way to select a house band for Raiders games at Allegiant Stadium. Santa Fe & the Fat City Horns performed the same flavor of show in February. What we have learned, so far, is the Raiders brass likes brass. They appreciate Tower of Power-type power, they eat up the classic rock and Motown, string players, and diversity throughout the lineup.

The musicians also need to be proficient enough to back superstar guest stars. Carlos Santana has said he wants to play the stadium, for instance, and Slash is on the team’s wish list, too. There should be no concern there, as both acts that have played the stadium are loaded with A-plus players who have toured with international superstars, and also performed with such superstar residency headliners as Celine Dion, Lady Gaga, Aerosmith, Rod Stewart and Shania Twain.

But there is still ample work to do. No decision has been made, and we can’t rule out other live performances as the team settles on its band. We might see mix-and-match rosters, or expanded versions of existing bands. It’s all on the table, or in this case, on the gridiron.

As a music venue, Allegiant is a gorgeous facility, with the bands playing at the base of the Al Davis Memorial Torch and their larger-than-life images beaming around the stadium. But the 65,000-seat venue also presents unavoidable sound-mix challenges, with music and voices echoing around the facility when it’s devoid of a crowd. These concerns can be ironed out, of course, with repeat performances and extended sound checks.

That said, Perrico and his crew did a remarkable job of turning around a stadium performance in less than a week. The band leader was asked Wednesday if he could perform Monday. And he did.

“We were honored and thrilled to perform for Mark Davis and the Raiders staff,” Perrico said Tuesday. “The stadium is awesome.”

Perrico’s musicians were familiar to anyone who has caught Perrico’s shows at the Smith Center or Caesars, with Lily Arce, Noybel Gorgoy, Serena Henry and Fletch Walcott on vocals; Rocco Barbato on sax; Keith Nelson on bass; Steven Lee on guitar; Pepe Jimenez on drums; Otto Ehling on keys; and a string section of Crystal Yuan, Adrianna Thurber, Monique Olivas, Chandra Meilbalane, Zuzana Engererova and Sarah Chaffee.

That lineup bounded through a setlist conceived by Davis and his live-entertainment operations team. “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now,” “Shook Me All Night Long” and “Bad Romance” were among the tunes sampled. The band unleashed Bruno Mars and Earth Wind & Fire medleys.

And special commendation to Ehling, for performing the first keytar solo ever at Allegiant Stadium. He’s certainly put his UNLV Liberace Scholarship to good use.

The venue’s first ticketed show is crossover-EDM artist Illenium on Saturday. Garth Brooks’ production rodeo is next, on July 10. We can say, with great confidence, they’ll have tough acts to follow.
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DAVID PERRICO and POP STRINGS ORCHESTRA are returning to The Smith Center this fall....SAVE THE DATES!

Sept 29: “Jazz & Strings” concert
Dec 18: Christmas concert 

Tickets on sale soon!
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By John Katsilometes Las Vegas Review-Journal
Updated May 10, 2021 - 6:24 pm
The tide is rolling in at the Smith Center, and Myron Martin is riding the boogie board.
Metaphorically, of course.

Myron’s Cabaret Jazz, named for the Smith Center’s president and visionary, is revving up for a September return. Several shows are coming back online this fall and leading into November.

The onsale list begins with duel R&B acts Spectrum and Radiance on Sept. 17. Vegas institutions Lon Bronson Band (Sept. 18) and David Perrico’s Strings (Sept. 29) lead the Vegas bands in Cab Jazz’s return. Las Vegas’ First Lady of Jazz, Michelle Johnson, headlines Sept. 26 (and back Dec. 19 for a Christmas matinee). Hawaiian vocal/music trio Kulaiwi slides into the developing schedule Sept. 18.

Bronson’s band has boomeranged around VegasVille since its late-night shows at Riviera in 1990. The act was the first Vegas big band ever to perform at Cab Jazz, and has logged at least 50 sellouts since debuting at the Smith Center in September 2013.

“What’s great to me is that we have local artists coming back onstage at the Smith Center,” Martin said Monday. “That makes me feel really good.”

Bronson is grateful to Martin and Smith Center booking exec Glenn Medas for providing the band “prime real estate.”

“I couldn’t be happier,” Bronson said Monday. “It’s so nice to call the best joint in town home.” Bronson also has dates Oct. 16, and Nov. 19.

Perrico, who has filled Cab Jazz at least 40 times since 2014, is also performing a Christmas-themed show Dec. 18.

“Everything about the Smith Center is first class,” Perrico said Monday. “We are looking forward.”
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Further out, it’s Oleta Adams (who sang the 1991 Gulf War anthem “Get Here”) on Oct. 2-1; jazz great Diane Schuur on Oct. 8-9; singer/songwriter Karla Bonoff on Oct. 15, John Pizzarelli Trio on Oct. 22-23; long-running Vegas headliner Earl Turner on Oct. 27; jazz-trumpet legend Arturo Sandoval on Oct. 5-6 (three shows, including two Saturday); Whitney Houston tribute artist Nicole Henry on Nov. 20; and Michael Cavanaugh of Billy Joel’s “Movin’ Out” fame, on Nov. 27.

It’s a wave of activity for a facility that last hosted a show March 12, 2020, with pop-opera star Giada Valenti. There is also some buzz about a possible all-star show of Vegas favorites at Reynolds Hall, as a way to formally throw open the doors to live entertainment at Smith Center. More on that vision, later.

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David Perrico was honored to write this arrangement for Las Vegas Music Oasis...watch the video, with Lily Arce on vocals, above.

“In Case You Don’t Live Forever”
Lily Arce: vocal
Zuzana Engererova: cello
Otto Ehling: piano
Video by Sebastien Theve
Produced by Zuzana Engererova/Las Vegas Music Oasis 4/6/21
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David Perrico and Pop Strings Orchestra are excited to be back at THE SPACE on May 2nd, Matinee Show at 4pm PT (7pm ET). Hosted by Feven Kay, the show will pay tribute to the music of DISNEY and feature vocalists Lily Arce, Fletch Walcott, Serena Henry, Noybel Gorgoy, Lorena Peril, Francesca Camus, Christine Shebeck, Autumn Grayce, Lauren Ashlee, Mark Shunock. This is the PERFECT show for the whole family to watch via LIVE STREAM (tickets are only $20 per household/device). There will also be a limited number of IN-PERSON tickets available (2 drink minimum) for $39. Tickets for BOTH options are available via the button below...
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LAS VEGAS (FOX5) -- David Perrico Pop Strings Orchestra is performing a special concert in honor of Black History Month. MORE spoke with David about the event happening on Friday, Feb. 26 at The Space. The event will be hosted by FOX5’s Feven Kay. He also spoke about hoping to return to Caesars Palace’s Cleopatra's Barge when more restrictions are lifted. The livestream pay per view concert is at 6 p.m. and $20. You can buy tickets here: www.thespacelv.com
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By John Katsilometes Las Vegas Review-Journal
February 24, 2021 - 6:11 pm
David Perrico prefers a late-night lounge show at a Vegas resort to a digital concert on a Vegas laptop. But until his Pop Strings Orchestra can return to the stage, Perrico is back online, one more time. Perrico’s band is performing a livestream concert out of The Space at 6 p.m. Friday. It’s Perrico’s second such effort. It might be his last, too. “We decided to do it one more time,” said Perrico, whose band also performed out of The Space on Jan. 22. “It’s great to get everyone back together after not playing for a year, but it’s also costly to produce and it’s hard to basically beg someone someone to pay $20 to watch you online.” OK, we’ll do it: Check out this band by clicking to the livestream ticket portal at thespacelv.com.

Vocalists Lily Arce, Fletch Wolcott, Serena Henry and Noybel Gorgoy are at the front of joining Perrico’s 16-member orchestra. Hosted by Fox 5’s Feven Kay, Friday’s show is honoring Black History Month, with a healthy complement of James Brown, Motown, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. Perrico has essentially re-charted an entire set list for this single show. He’d be wise to save those charts. His should be a coveted band when pandemic restrictions are lifted, as a ready-made and proven winner on the Strip and elsewhere.

Pop Strings has headed up slamming, late-night, weekend shows at Cleopatra’s Barge at Caesars Palace for four years. Perrico, a premier trumpet player and music director, also performed a midnight show at Westgate Cabaret, on the cusp of the statewide shutdown in March 2020. Those shows have been swinging, no-cover jam sessions hearkening to the city’s golden lounge era.

But the the Barge is not an expressly no-cover venue. It’s a more like a small showroom. The venue has hosted superstars Wayne Newton and Dionne Warwick, and also the psychic Thomas John. All have indicated, either directly or through representatives, that they want back onstage.

Also in the mix is the under-development Stabile Productions burlesque revue starring ex-“Absinthe” star Melody Sweets, which would also be a late-night production. Perrico says he’s not heard from any Caesars Entertainment rep about his future at the Barge, but he’s willing to play the full scale, to use a music term. I suspect we’ll be back at the Barge. I haven’t heard anything to the contrary,” Perrico said. “But nothing is confirmed, and we haven’t even touched on that topic. I will say that we have played successfully to packed houses for four years. We could go on at midnight or 1 a.m., as far as I’m concerned.” Not to disparage the digital scene, but that would be a kickin’ gig. Check your laptops at the door.