Columnist Jerry Fink: Bootlegger’s Gian adds Stardust to resume

Friday, Sept. 10, 2004 | 8:39 a.m.

One of the Bootlegger Bistro's favorite entertainers is spreading his wings.

Crooner Joey Gian, who has a Wednesday night gig in the restaurant's lounge, is flying to Bozeman, Mont., this weekend to perform at the Montana Film and Audiovisual Festival.

At the festival, actor Peter Fonda will receive the first Gary Cooper Spirit of Montana Award in honor of his contribution to film and his ties to the state.

The 65-year-old Fonda, son of Henry Fonda and brother of Jane, starred in the 1969 film "Easy Rider" and is a Montana resident. Actor Jeff Bridges, another Montana resident, will present the award.

After the festival Gian will fly back to Vegas and on Tuesday begin a two-week engagement at the Stardust's Starlight Lounge. He will be accompanied by pianist Dehner Franks, drummer Noah King and bassist Christ Gordan.

The gig will continue through Sept. 26, with performances from 6 p.m. until 8:20 p.m. nightly.

At the Stardust he will be off Mondays and Fridays except for Sept. 23, when he will take the day off to fly to Los Angeles to perform at a San Genero Festival.

Gian says he will be performing two-week engagements at the Stardust on a rotational basis, alternating with two other performers.

When he isn't at the Stardust, he can be found back at the Bootlegger on Wednesdays.

Gian, who will sit on a panel discussing acting during the film festival this weekend, should feel right at home among the stars. In addition to singing, he has appeared in a number of TV series, including "Knots Landing," "Hooperman," "L.A. Law," "Lois & Clark" and others.

But singing has always been his real passion. In 1985 he came in second in the Ed McMahon-hosted "Star Search."

Gian moved to Vegas a year ago to develop a couple of shows he hopes to stage locally. While working on those projects, he has been a regular at the Bootlegger and other venues.

He says during his shows at the Stardust he will perform six new original songs in addition to some of his favorite standards.

"I'll be touching on stuff from the '30s to the '90s," Gian said.

He says he likes to open his shows with Ray Charles' "You Don't Know Me."

"It's a ballad, but I like to swing it," Gian said. "People love it. It connects me to my show, puts me in the space I want to be in."

Another favorite of his is Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World."

"It's a timeless song, but sometimes people would start crying when they heard it," Gian said. "It reminds people of lost loved ones.

"I'm a huge fan of Louis Armstrong and the message he gave to the world, but I have picked up the tempo, turning it into a toe-tapping, swinging song."

By picking up the pace, he says it changes people's perception.

"The song goes into the person's heart, but rather than going to a place of sadness because of it being a slow ballad," Gian said, "I elicit a different response -- it puts people in a place of joy. It brings a happy energy to them, rather than a sad, all based on the tempo of the song."

He says it's all part of his job.

"I'm an entertainer," he said. "My job is to entertain people, to touch them, to inspire them."

Gian says when he sees how he can take a tearful song, such as "What a Wonderful World," and turn it into something upbeat, it inspires him.

"It makes me look at a lot of material with a new eye," he said.

Lounging around

Vocalist Michaelina Bellamy is at the Bootlegger on Sundays beginning at 9:30 p.m.

Blues Storm will perform tonight at the Neonopolis Saloon beginning at 9:30 p.m. On Sept. 18 the group will be at Jillian's at Neonopolis starting at 9 p.m.

John Earl & The Boogie Man Band will perform tonight from 9 p.m. until 1 a.m. at the Town Center Lounge, 2992 W. Cheyenne Ave.

Blue Cherry & Friends playing at the Double Down Saloon, 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Wednesday.

Bally's Indigo Lounge features Cat Daddy 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays and 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

The venerable Checkmates is still drawing big crowds at Arizona Charlie's Naughty Ladies Saloon. They will be at the venue through Sept. 18 and then return for engagements Oct. 12-23 and Nov. 24-27.

Honky Tonk Cowgirls are roaming the casino at Binion's Horseshoe, entertaining guests from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays and 8 p.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays. Dark Wednesdays.