The fedora in the front, the ringleader, and the Buble-smooth male voice in the front is the unflappable Robert Gordon. When he embarked on this ride with us, it was his promise to dance (even) with old ladies that sealed the deal. It is he, known within as Pork Chop, who provides our most lasting visual trademark, donning the hat as a tribute the eras of (other!) great crooners, evoking Sinatra, Martin and Bobby Darin. It's all about fun with Bobby, and that's surely contagious.
Bobby's partner in chime up front is the incomparable Meg Rozinski. The girl can flat sing anything...in any key...in any language...at any time. She's a blonde who can belt like Aretha, and a Gen-Y who can let out the heartbreak like Patsy Cline or the classic sultry contentment of Etta James. She's classically trained yet she's Lady Gaga. She's at home performing, and a smile's always adorning her face. She's a sweetie and she's easy on the eyes too.
Our man of many figurative hats (not to be confused with Bobby's fedora) is our singer/guitarist John Glaubitz. Known in the hip-hop world as Slim Jinkins, and having earned a degree in classical composition from the Conservatory at the University of Cincinnati, there is no part of what we do that isn't covered by John's fingerprints. He directs our ceremony presentations, plays jazz guitar at cocktail hour, and plays solo acoustic hits (think John Mayer, Jimi Hendrix, Jack Johnson) in addition to his prominent role as a singer and guitarist in our band. John is truly a virtuoso guitarist, and most often our vocalist for hard (Dave Grohl) and classic rock ("play us some Skynyrd, man!). You can experience John in so many other endeavors as well including many local original bands, accompaniments, and handling scoring and sound production for numerous local theatre presentations. Lastly, because his musical resume can use a little padding, John is a renowned guitar teacher. I am extremely grateful to John for signing on to the MLA team early and being a key force in bringing it to the professional level.
The person to whom I owe the most gratitude is Kevin Moor. In 1993 we met and planned to team up as rock stars. By the mid-90's we were in the alternative cover band 'Innuendo' and for the past few years we have been sharing our most successful project with Main Line Affair. Kevin is equally proficient on guitar and bass and probably would have opted to play guitar if we had formed an Ozzy Osbourne or Van Halen tribute band instead of a wedding band. "Smedley" nails the high harmonies, and he's the guy who will organize Main Line Affair to the gig when I get hit by a bus. Another of our degreed musicians (University of Delaware, classical guitar performance), he gives us both credibility and sardonic wit. He also gives us the old man perspective as the only MLAer past forty (did I mention how youthful the rest of us are?).
My nickname for Jonathan McNally is 'greatest drummer in the world,' which I find entirely accurate. Also appearing with the original jazz-rock-fusion band Agent Moosehead, Jon is an awesome musician, and one of the nicest guys I know. He's also tall enough to change recessed light bulbs without a ladder, and you never know when that'll come in handy. We haven't tapped him yet vocally, but I think he'll do well as a bass singer in a 50's doo-wop group.
Jim "Big Smooth" Crompton plays a pile of different saxophones and is an expert musical arranger. He is the musical director of the Avalon String Band, Mummer fans should know. Jim brings biting humor from a very male point of few, and frankly, he's good at making sure that no one acts like a sissy. That's important because to do a good job, everyone has to suck it up and be a man (including Meg). Not so long ago, Jim was the starting right tackle at Lycoming University, so he'll be the enforcer when we need one.
I want to conclude this scintillating blog with an announcement of major proportions. Mr. AJ Cutright has joined Main Line Affair in a dual role of trumpeter and singer. AJ has his masters in trumpet performance and has appeared with the Pittsburgh opera. He brings an authentic high male vocal for staples like Bon Jovi and Journey, which are so popular these days. We're really excited to add yet another layer of versatility to this band.
I also want to give a shout to Greg Morrone and Kathlyn Ashford, both of whom were instrumental in building Main Line Affair along the way.
So there you have it, and the moral is the same as it always is: check out
www.mainlineaffair.com!
Howard Goldstein
(888) 284-6235
www.mainlineaffair.com
