Spend an evening with John, Paul, Ringo and George in Quincy
Quincy musician Bob Buttomer is on a mission to bring affordable dinner shows back to the City of Presidents. You might say Buttomer is harkening back to the halcyon days when the big Las Vegas or Atlantic City casinos offered a steady diet of topnotch entertainment from the likes of The Rat Pack.
Locally, the old Beachcomber had some legendary bookings in its early days, as folks like Louis Armstrong or Bobby Darin would perform a weeknight gig at the Wollaston Beach club on their way to or from a Boston or New York City show. Buttomer was a loyal Beachcomber patron in the club's final decades, and wants to bring that type of entertainment experience back.
"Every other month, we're going to be bringing a dinner show into the Sons of Italy in Quincy and make it as affordable as possible for people to have a nice dinner and see a top-class show," Buttomer said. "I'm looking back to the days when Henny Youngman might be your host for a musical act, or like when Don Rickles would open shows for Frank Sinatra – legitimate shows with a nice dinner. To go to a name performer's concert today, you almost have to rob a bank to get tickets. We want to offer something more reasonable, right here in Quincy."
Local movie:Christian Bale squares off with Braintree's Sylvanus Thayer in 'The Pale Blue Eye'
Buttomer's promotional company debuted two months ago with a Frank Sinatra tribute show, where the vocalist was singing over backing tracks, and after some initial sound system glitches were worked out the sold-out crowd enjoyed the night. Buttomer wants to bring the Sinatra show back but with a 19-piece big band.
In the meantime, he's got a noteworthy show for this Saturday night, with Boston comedian Dave Russo acting as master of ceremonies and The Beatles headlining. Well, obviously not the actual Fab Four, but the Beatles tribute band Studio Two.
"Studio Two has been performing all over New England for about eight years now," Buttomer said. "They were all kids studying at Berklee College of Music when they started, and they sound just like the vintage, early Beatles. You have to look twice to make sure it's not the real guys because they use Vox amps and Ludwig drums, and go a long way to present that authentic look. Even the way they move and interact, you'd swear it was the real thing.
"We've been involved with the Hingham Launch series for quite a while now, and Studio Two has been a big hit there, and also at the outdoor summer series in Abington. They don't tend to play many clubs, but stay very busy playing function halls, and doing fundraisers and the like. Studio Two aims for that early, "Ed Sullivan Show"-era Beatles sound, and they sound just like them."
More:Rhett Miller of the alt-country band Old 97's comes to Plymouth on Friday for solo show
When not producing shows, Buttomer can be found behind the drum kit for the Danny Gallagher Band, the local rockers who are fixtures at The Next Page in Weymouth and Cape Cod's Irish Village. Buttomer also supplies equipment for bands and shows in the area.
"It's still kind of a moonlighting thing for me, and I keep it low key, word of mouth, but I am busy," said Buttomer.
Studio Two
When: 6 p.m. Jan. 28
Where: Sons of Italy, 120 Quarry St., Quincy
Tickets: $60 for dinner and the show
Info: 857-244-9767 or eventbrite
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Beatles tribute band Studio Two coming to Quincy
