Friday, June 21, 2002 | 9:13 a.m.
Jerry Fink's lounge column appears on Fridays. Reach him at [email protected] at (702) 259-4058.
The seven members of the San Fernando Band rehearsed in the Per's Video & Audio Studio in a Henderson industrial park this week, preparing for a rare gig. Jobs for musicians are tight in Las Vegas, some say because of the economic downturn following 9/11.
San Fernando has been together for 15 years, but they still rehearse religiously and make demo CDs and videos. They're waiting for the entertainment job market to loosen up so they can do what they have done so well for so many years -- get people onto the dance floor.
"We had a showcase at Castaways shortly after we arrived in Las Vegas (in September), and maybe two weeks later we had a one-night gig," drummer Sonny Santos said.
"We have been doing a lot of traveling," said guitarist Perry Santos, Sonny's brother. "Reno. Elko. Jackpot. Tommy T's sports bar in Ridgecrest (Calif.)."
Locally they have performed at the Las Vegas Hilton and at the Stratosphere. Currently they are at the Barbary Coast Lounge: 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. tonight and Saturday; 9:15 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Sunday.
The five-day gig, their longest engagement since arriving at the entertainment capital, ends Sunday and then they go to Wendover, a town of 2,800 in Northern Nevada at the Utah state line. The band, which was formed by the Santos brothers in 1987, will be back at the Barbary Coast in September.
"We hope to find a steady gig," Perry said. "But for me, as long as I'm working I'm happy. It's very hard not working. I love my job. I don't mind where I go, so long as I'm working."
The group was big -- in Guam. It was the house band at the Guam Hilton for 14 years.
It was a steady gig, but they decided last year they wanted to broaden their horizons. Reach for the stars. Go to Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world. See if they could make people dance the way they made them dance at the Tree Bar lounge back on Guam.
"Sometimes, this business is kind of shaky," Perry said. "They weren't kicking us out or anything. We just wanted to make sure we had a job that would be steady. We decided on Las Vegas."
Their timing was a little off.
Perry came to the United States on Sept. 10 to prepare the way for other members of the band. Sonny was going to fly out of Guam the next morning. He was ironing some shirts the night of Sept. 10. Because of the time zone difference, in New York City it was early morning on Sept. 11.
"My sister called me up and said she didn't think I was going to be flying out the next day," Sonny said. "My family was asleep already. I was ironing some clothes. She told me to turn on the TV, to CNN.
"She was right. They canceled the flights."
It took almost a week before he could arrange another one. Sonny said it was too late to change the plans to move to Las Vegas.
"We thought about backing out," he said. "The Hilton didn't want us to leave. But everything was already planned. I had sold my car and everything."
Perry said the group is committed to staying. Everyone has moved their families to Las Vegas.
"The Hilton in Guam called me up again a week after we got here," Perry said. "They wanted the group back." The offer was tempting. But they were already big in Guam. Now, they want to be big in Las Vegas.
Lounging around
The Vincent Falcone Ensemble will provide the music for Diahann Carroll when she performs tonight through Sunday at the Suncoast Showroom. Falcone, who was Frank Sinatra's orchestra leader from 1976 to '86, jammed at the Bootlegger Bistro last Friday, playing piano for impromptu performances by several entertainers.
Sonny King soloed as host for the "Off the Cuff" show. His usual partner, Blackie Hunt, was out of town. So was Hunt's partner, Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt.
The Bootlegger had the feel of an Italian music festival on Friday. Among others at the session were Buddy Greco (and his wife Lezlie Anders); Carme; Freddie Bell; Tom Saitta; legendary accordion player Dick Cantino; and Nelson Sardelli.
Sardelli sang, joked and promoted a new organization for entertainers that "will be fun, but have a serious purpose." He's looking for a name for the club, which will raise money for charities. Send suggestions to Sardelli at P.O. Box 270025, Las Vegas, NV, 89127-0627.
The Tommy Alvarado Quartet, featuring vocalist Kathy La Mar, will be at Paris Las Vegas' Napoleon's Lounge July 3 through July 18. Alvarado (a saxophonist, percussionist, keyboardist and vocalist) has performed with some of the best, including Joe Cocker and Frankie Valli. He usually can be heard at the Blue Note on Sunday nights, where he hosts the club's weekly jam sessions.
Blues guitarist Kenny Neal will be at Boulder Station's Railhead Thursday for the weekly Boulder Blues Series. Neal is not only one of the top guitarists, but he is also acclaimed for his bass and harmonica playing and for his voice. Neal is the son of Baton Rouge blues legend Raful Neal.
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