Long Island musicians band together to honor a legend and find a cure
(Long Island, N.Y.) I grew up in Freehold NJ and often when I tell someone, the first thing that they say is: “Hey, Isn’t that where Bruce Springsteen is from?” Yep–and no I’ve never met him. Now that I live on Long Island, I have gotten the Billy Joel question. (Yep, and no I’ve never met him!) But I am a big fan and whenever I hear a feel-good song of his, it bring back such memories.
One local band, “Captain Jack” is a fun way to walk down memory lane and listen to the tunes that we all have come to know and love. Captain Jack, a professional five-piece group that performs the music of Billy Joel, works the club circuit, fund raisers, private parties and other venues. They recently created an event–for a great cause. I asked Michael Lipiner (the Billy Joel of the group) a little bit about their recent fundraising event and how NY’s ultimate tribute band all began.
Long Island Exchange: You recently had an event to create cancer awareness and raise funds for research. Can you tell me about it?
Lipiner: The Concert For A Cure event in Oyster Bay was incredible. The turnout was great and it was a wonderful opportunity to raise money for such an important cause. We began raising money through ticket sales and private donations for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society months before the event. Since the concert ended, we have been talking with a few organizations about helping to raise awareness and funds for similar, important causes. We featured Marc Shapiro on drums at the event, who is a survivor of Hodgkin’s Disease. Thankfully, Marc is doing well and playing his heart out with us from time to time.
What a wonderful thing to be able to help such an important cause. So, I’d love to know about your band’s beginning. How did Captain Jack get started?
I started “Captain Jack” in June of 2006 when the band that Marc Shapiro and I had been playing in disbanded. First, I’d like to mention that I grew up on Long Island loving Billy Joel (who doesn’t?!) As a kid, my father and I used to listen to his records. By the time I was 10 years old, I could play almost all of his songs on the piano and sing every word. So, last year, I thought it would be fun to put together a tribute group to honor who I consider to be one of the greatest songwriters of our time.
How did you come up with the name for the band?
I pitched around a few names but settled on “Captain Jack” because it is easy to remember and contains so many Billy Joel references about hanging out on Long Island, which is where we all live.
What was it like—making the band? How did you all come together?
While searching for musicians, I came across Harry Wilner, a guitarist/vocalist who answered my online ad. We instantly clicked and very soon drummer Sal DiMarco answered my ad. Sal grew up with Liberty Devitto and sounds very much like him – fills and all. Since Marc could only commit part-time to the group, Sal began taking on more and more shows.
Within time, we found bassist Mike Rickert and Zach Goodman, a jack-of-all-trades who plays everything, including the kitchen sink: bass, keys, and even eclectic instruments. I may be saving the best for last when I mention our saxophonist Andrew Segale, a music teacher who has a lot of experience working with brass/woodwind instruments and percussion. Andy was a real find considering that he enjoys taking center stage (like Richie Cannata and Mark Rivera) and playing the hell out of his sax for the crowd, who sometimes seem to enjoy him more than me (laughs)!
Have you ever met Billy Joel?
I actually met Billy Joel in the early ‘80’s as a kid. My father and I decided one morning to go to a McDonald’s in Syosset. While standing on line, my father instantly spotted The Piano Man dressed in a jean jacket and sporting a ‘fro. He looked more like a biker than a rock star. My father asked me
if I knew who he was and Billy heard him, looked down at me, and smiled.
After getting a hamburger (to my amazement no one even recognized him!), Billy proceeded outside but I was too shy to talk to him. My father did for about 10 minutes and told him I was just learning to play piano. He asked for advice and Billy answered, “Just tell your son to practice,” before leaving on his Harley. It was wild!
We tried to invite Billy down to the cancer fundraiser event but he was on tour. Liberty DeVitto and Billy’s daughter, Alexa Ray, expressed interest but had to decline, as well, due to other commitments. Of course, the stage is always open for Billy and any of his past/present bandmates.
What’s your favorite Billy Joel song to perform?
We enjoy performing many songs but some favorites that come to my mind are Zanzibar, Prelude/Angry Young Man, Stiletto, Get It Right The First Time, Rosalinda’s Eyes, Running On Ice, and Root Beer Rag because of the intricacies of the chords, rhythm, etc. As much as we enjoy seeing the crowd go crazy for his more popular songs like Only The Good Die Young and Scenes
From An Italian Restaurant, performing the B-sides can be more fun for us musicians. I also enjoy playing solo piano tunes like Souvenir, And So It Goes, and Lullabye.
Do you play anything else?
We perform other timeless hits from artists like Elton John, Maroon Five, The Beatles, Stones, the Doobies, Clapton, etc. to mix it up a bit. Everything depends on reading the crowd. That is why we send out a request
sheet and sense their mood to keep everyone “feeling all right.”
You sound like you’re really having a blast!
When I started this group, I never imagined that it would take off like this. It’s been amazing, fun, and incredible to see Billy’s music still speak to so many people, including a younger generation. Although we mostly play out on Long Island, we will soon branch out to places outside of New York. Our fans are great and we’re looking forward to pleasing more and more audiences with the Piano Man’s repertoire.
If you’d like to learn more about Captain Jack, check out videos, audio
samples, pictures, and find info on upcoming shows: www.myspace.com/captainjackli
