Two New York songwriters. More than 27 years of music. Legendary rock-and-roll stories. And one intimate night in Sedona.
Sedona, AZ — If you’ve ever had a song take you back to a person, a place or a moment you thought you’d forgotten, this is a show you won’t want to miss.
On Monday, July 27 at 7 p.m., Green Light Dance Band founders Tommy Acosta and Chicky Brooklyn take the stage at Mary D. Fisher Theatre in West Sedona for a special acoustic performance in Shondra Jepperson’s “In the Living Room” music series.
Tickets are available now, and this is your chance to experience Tommy and Chicky in a way Sedona audiences rarely see them: up close, unplugged and sharing the stories behind the songs.
This won’t be just another concert.
It will be part live performance, part rock-and-roll storytelling session and part trip down a musical memory lane that stretches from New York City’s legendary clubs to the red rocks of Sedona.
From the Bronx and Brooklyn to Sedona
Chicky Brooklyn was born and raised in Brooklyn. Tommy Acosta came from the Bronx.
The two met in Arizona and quickly discovered a musical connection that would turn into more than 27 years of writing and performing together.
They began creating original music. Fate eventually brought them both to Sedona.
And Green Light was born.
Joined over the years by some of Northern Arizona’s most accomplished musicians, including Robin Miller on lead guitar, Eddie Barattini on drums, Uncle Marc of Naughty Bits on trombone and keyboards, virtuoso guitarist J.R. Robusto, and saxophonist Mike Reed, Green Light built a loyal following around something increasingly rare: original songs with unforgettable hooks and music that makes people want to move.
There’s a reason they called the band Green Light Dance Band.
Their music had a habit of pulling people out of their chairs and onto the dance floor.
Songs About the Lives We’ve Lived
Tommy and Chicky write about love found and love lost.
Heartbreak.
Starting over.
Picking up the pieces.
And somehow finding the courage to fall in love again.
Their music carries the spirit of the Baby Boomer generation, when songs told stories, guitars mattered and a great chorus could stay in your head for days.
Tommy and Chicky bring that feeling back.
Their melodies stay with you. Their choruses invite you to sing along. Don’t be surprised if you’re humming one of their songs on the drive home.
And yes.
They still rock.
Green Light Goes “Light”
For this special performance, Tommy and Chicky become what they jokingly call the Green Light “Light” Band, stripping the music down to its heart and soul.
Chicky plays acoustic guitar while Tommy plays bass and harmonica simultaneously, an unusual musical feat few musicians even attempt.
Without the full band behind them, audiences will hear the songs differently.
More intimate.
More personal.
And closer to the way many of the songs were first created.
The Rock-and-Roll Stories You Haven’t Heard
Then there are the stories.
The “In the Living Room” format gives the audience a chance to ask Tommy and Chicky questions and hear the stories that don’t always get told from the stage.
What inspires a song?
How does an idea become a melody?
What keeps musicians creating after decades of performing?
How did they form Green Light?
And what was it really like to be part of the music scene surrounding legendary New York City clubs including CBGB’s and Max’s Kansas City.
“Look at us as a group of older musicians playing new music that’s our own,” Brooklyn said. “It’s like we picked up where our predecessors left off. We keep the style of music we grew up with and loved alive.”
For Acosta, the greatest reward is still the connection between a songwriter and an audience.
“There’s no better feeling in the world than seeing people appreciate one’s own creations,” Acosta said. “That’s why the Universe created the stage. And when we play, we become teenagers again, and so do the dancers in front of us.”
Come Hear the Stories. Discover the Songs. Feel Young Again.
Plus you get to hear new songs you have never heard before that bring you back.
Maybe that’s the real magic of Tommy Acosta and Chicky Brooklyn.
The stories come alive. The music takes over. And you remember what it felt like when a song could make you fall in love, mend a broken heart or pull you onto the dance floor.
Come hear the stories. Discover the songs. And feel young again.
Tommy Acosta and Chicky Brooklyn perform Monday, July 27, at 7 p.m. at Mary D. Fisher Theatre in West Sedona as part of Shondra Jepperson’s “In the Living Room” music series.
Tickets are available now. Don’t wait until the music starts to wish you were in the room.
Click HERE to purhase tickets.