Green Light Dance Band Rocks Bella Vita Ristorante Memorial Day Weekend
They are back! The Green Light Dance Band returns to Bella Vita Ristorante Sunday, Memorial Day weekend, May 28, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
This will be their first performance this year on the restaurant’s beautiful outside patio stage and if you like to dance and enjoy original-classic rock songs sung in two and three-part harmonies, you don’t want to miss this show.
Music is magic. It captures our feelings better than anything else. Memories and songs are fused forever when they come together at just the right moment in our lives.
This band of Baby Boomers continues rocks Sedona with original music that captures and personifies the music of that generation.
The Green Light Dance Band brings this feeling back. Every song is a gem shining the light of the Boomer generation. Every song captures a memory, an event, a feeling and a joy we remember having once had.
People sing along almost right away because every song has a hook that catches you.
This Baby Boomer band rocks. Composed of five musicians the band plays with heart, gusto and virtuosity. They are a vocal group, a dance band and jam monsters.
On lead guitar is Sedona talent J.R. Robusto.
He brings to the Green Light table his incredible guitar skills and voice to the harmonies. His lead solos take you there and bring you back. He is mesmerizing and a pleasure to watch bending those notes and making his guitar scream with pleasure.
On drums is one of Sedona’s most talented and hard-working musicians, Eddie Baratinni. There is not a style he has not mastered, from jazz to hard rock and beyond. He is a solid as a Mack Truck and can pound or finesses, depending on the song or groove.
When playing with Green Light, Barattini adds the solidness and thump good music needs to get people up and dancing. His bass foot and the bass guitar become one and when the thick beats emerge, people get dancing.
Then there is Mike on saxophone. He is a consummate musician and performer and a powerhouse on the sax. He has his own following who flock to his shows to watch this talented musician strut his stuff.
He is happiest when he plays with Green Light and you can see it on his face all night long.
Songwriters Tommy Acosta and Chicky Brooklyn helm the band, with Chicky on lead vocals and rhythm guitar and Tommy also on lead vocals, playing bass.
Both compose and arrange the original material the band plays. They have been playing together for more than 20 years and share a mutual connection, with Chicky being born and raised in Brooklyn, New York and Tommy coming from the Bronx.
They met here in Arizona and began writing new music together.
As fate always has it, they both ended up in Sedona and attracted some of the areas top-talents to play with them.
“For Tommy and I these musicians have been a God-send,” Brooklyn said of the Green Light band roster. “It’s so humbling and such a joy for us to play with musicians the caliber of J.R, Eddie and Mike.
For Acosta it’s about getting the ensemble up on the Bella Vita Ristorante stage again.
“It’s great playing out and especially great to have a place our fans can come and enjoy a great meal while we play,” Acosta said. “Bella Vita Ristorante patio is perfect and nothing makes us happier than having people dancing in front of us having a great time and singing along with our tunes.”
Be sure to make your reservations early as the last show played by the band in at Bella Vita Ristorante was sold out.
Photos courtesy of Joey Best
