Las Vegas Backstage Talk

Rob Schneider, Don Brewer, Russell Peters

June 29, 2017

Audio of interviews posted below (Scroll down)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rob Schneider guests on Las Vegas Backstage Talk radio show with Comedian Michele LaFong, the only show that “Gets Personal with the Stars.”

Rob Schneider is appearing at The Laugh Factory, at The Tropicana H & C, July 1 & 2

After opening for comedians such as Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld, Schneider made his network television debut in 1987 on “The David Letterman Show.” In 1990, “Saturday Night Live” producer Lorne Michaels saw Schneider’s appearance on HBO’s “13th Annual Young Comedians Special” and hired him to be a regular on SNL. During his four seasons on SNL, Schneider was nominated for three EmmyR Awards and a Peabody Award..

Schneider is well-known for his longtime collaboration with Adam Sandler and Sandler’s production company, Happy Madison. Schneider has starred in several Happy Madison projects, including “The Benchwarmers,” “50 First Dates,” “The Longest Yard,” “Eight Crazy Nights,” “Little Nicky” and “Mr. Deeds.” Schneider co-wrote and starred in “Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo,” “Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo,” “The Hot Chick” and “The Animal.”

Schneider was the star of the new CBS show, “Rob,” about a lifelong bachelor who married into a tight-knit Mexican-American family. Rob is a successful architect who elopes with Maggie in Las Vegas after a whirlwind romance.

For more about Rob Schneider, click HERE.

Don Brewer (Grand Funk Railroad)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don Brewer, original founding member, co-lead singer and drummer for Grand Funk Railroad guests on Las Vegas Backstage Talk radio show with Comedian Michele LaFong.

Known as “The American Band,” the high-energy five-piece group will play forty shows all over the USA this year. Grand Funk Railroad includes original founding member Don Brewer (vocals and drums, writer and singer of the multi-million selling hit, We’re An American Band) and bassist Mel Schacher, “The God Of Thunder.” Joining Don and Mel are true “All Stars.” Singer Max Carl is a rock veteran from 38 Special. Max penned and sang 38’s biggest hit “Second Chance” and was co-founder of California’s legendary Jack Mack and the Heart Attack. Don refers to Max as “the best blue-eyed soul singer on the planet.” Lead guitarist Bruce Kulick is best known for his 12 years with KISS and also has credits with Michael Bolton, Meatloaf and Billy Squier. (KISS members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley were influenced early on by Grand Funk.) Keyboardist Tim Cashion has a master’s degree in music from the University of Miami. Affectionately called “Dr. Tim,” his credits include stints with Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band and English soul man Robert Palmer.
Comedian Russell Peters

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Russell Peters guests on Las Vegas Backstage Talk radio show with Comedian Michele LaFong.

Comedian Russell Peters is a very funny guy.

And not just kind of funny.

He’s so friggin’ funny that his standup touring earned him, according to Forbes, a whopping $21 million last year.

With that in mind, it’s about time you get familiar with Mr. Peters because we think he really deserves to be more famous. In fact, his current international tour is called…Almost Famous.

Russell is working on new material and figuring out his new set in clubs across the United States. These are work in progress shows! You never know what’s going to happen. Lots of free-styling and improv. Watch for new dates to be announced soon and watch for new international dates in 2018 & 2019!

To see a complete listing of Russell’s upcoming shows, click here

And be sure to register for Russell’s Emails to be notified about shows in your area ahead of the general public

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Dana Carvey Rhonda Vincent

June 22, 2017

Audio of interviews are posted below

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Dana Carvey returns on Las Vegas Backstage Talk radio show with Comedian Michele LaFong.   LVBST radio show is the only show that “Gets Personal with the Stars.”

Dana Carvey and Jon Lovitz at SLS Las Vegas, June 30- July 1. 

Carvey rose to national prominence during a six-year run as a cast member of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” where he created memorable characters “Church Lady,” “Garth” and “Hans” and spot-on impersonations of President George H.W. Bush, Johnny Carson, Ross Perot and Regis Philbin. Carvey’s work on “SNL” garnered him six Emmy Award nominations, including a win in 1993 for “Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program.” He also received multiple American Comedy Awards.

On the big screen, Carvey appeared in supporting roles in “This Is Spinal Tap,” “Racing with the Moon” and “Tough Guys.” He starred in films “Opportunity Knocks,” “Wayne’s World,” “Wayne’s World 2,” “Clean Slate,” “The Road to Wellville” and “Master of Disguise.” Most recently, he had a cameo appearance in “Jack and Jill.”

For more about Dana Carvey here.

Rhonda Vincent

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Bluegrass vocalist and fiddler Rhonda Vincent began her professional music career at the age of five, playing drums with her family’s band, the Sally Mountain Show. She picked up the mandolin at eight and the fiddle at ten, performing with the family band at festivals on weekends. After appearing on TNN’s nationally televised You Can Be a Star program in her mid-twenties, Vincent struck out on her own, singing with the Grand Ole Opry’s Jim Ed Brown, eventually leading to a deal with Rebel Records. Her work with Brown and her Rebel recordings caught the attention of Giant Nashville’s president, James Stroud, who signed Vincent to record two contemporary country albums. After her time at Giant, she moved to Rounder Records, and demonstrated her passion for the traditional music she grew up with on Back Home Again.

A car accident in December 1999 kept her from a planned trip to Nashville for auditions, so she hired her band (unusually named the Rage) through the Internet. Rhonda Vincent & the Rage have gained popularity at bluegrass festivals since their formation, playing hard-driving, high-energy contemporary bluegrass music. Her 2001 album, The Storm Still Rages, was nominated for seven International Bluegrass Music Association awards, including Female Vocalist of the Year, while fiddle player Michael Cleveland and banjo player Tom Adams earned nominations in their respective instrumental categories. A three-year unbroken string of IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year awards led to the 2003 release of One Step Ahead, another tour, and another well-deserved showering of critical praise.
 

Recorded in front of a hometown crowd in St. Louis, Ragin’ Live arrived in 2005, followed by All American Bluegrass Girl in 2006, Good Thing Going in 2008, and Destination Life in 2009. After parting ways with longtime label Rounder Records, Vincent released Taken in 2010, and followed it with 2011’s Your Money and , My Good Looks a duets album with Gene Watson. Released in 2012, Sunday Mornin’ Singin’: Live! was a gospel-themed album and DVD recorded at the 100-year-old Greentop United Methodist Church in Greentop, Missouri, where Vincent first began singing in public as a child. Early in 2014, Vincent returned with Only Me, a double-disc set that showcased her bluegrass and country roots. The year 2015 saw the release of her second holiday album, Christmas Time, which featured four new originals and a rendition of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” that boasted guests spots from Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, the Oak Ridge Boys, and several others.

Learn more about Rhonda Vincent at http://www.rhondavincent.com

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kevin Cronin, Little Anthony

June 22, 2017

 Audio of interviews are posted below (Scroll down)

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Iconic Lead Singer of REO Speedwagon Kevin Cronin guests on Las Vegas Backstage Talk radio show with Comedian Michele LaFong.

“Keep On Loving You” rockers REO Speedwagon brought back nearly 40 years of hits at Junefest at Sunset Station last Saturday.

Loosely formed in 1967 playing frat parties at the University of Illinois, REO Speedwagon signed with Epic Records in 1971. The band released nine albums throughout the ‘70s, culminating with the twice-platinum “You Can Tune a Piano but You Can’t Tuna Fish” in 1978.

REO Speedwagon exploded to the top of the charts, setting the bar for other rock bands with their 1980 release “Hi Infidelity.” The colossal hit spent 15 weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200, selling more than 10 million copies. The group’s most commercially successful album, it remained on the charts for 65 weeks and spawned the #1 single “Keep On Loving You” as well as hits “Take It on the Run,” “In Your Letter” and “Don’t Let Him Go.”

The band continued releasing hit albums into the ‘80s, including 1984’s “Wheels Are Turnin’ and its #1 single “Can’t Fight This Feeling.” REO Speedwagon released “Find Your Own Way Home,” their 15th studio album, in 2007. Two years later, they teamed up with fellow Midwestern rockers Styx for the single “Can’t Stop Rockin’,” which became the title track for the groups’ hit summer tour with .38 Special.

The current lineup includes founding member Neal Doughty, iconic lead singer Kevin Cronin, longtime bass player Bruce Hall, former Ted Nugent guitarist Dave Amato and former Wang Chung drummer Bryan Hitt.

Little Anthony & The Imperials

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Little Anthony guests on Las Vegas Backstage Talk radio show with Comedian Michele LaFong.

Little Anthony and The Imperials are appearing at The Orleans Showroom on June 24, at 8pm.

They were one of the finest vocal groups to emerge from the talent-rich New York scene. Moreover, they enjoyed unusual longevity for an act of that type, having hits in both the Doo-Wop Fifties and the soul-music Sixties. They outlasted their peers by virtue of “Little Anthony” Gourdine’s powerful, beseeching vocals and the consummate professionalism of the Imperials, who mastered a broad range of material and knew how to work a stage.

“Tears on My Pillow,” their first single as the Imperials, was released on End Records. This classic vocal-group ballad was one of the biggest hits of 1958, reaching #2 on the R&B chart and #4 on the pop chart. Little Anthony and the Imperials were suddenly stars. The story might have ended there, with “Tears On My Pillow” fondly recalled as a vocal-group classic from one of the many one-hit wonders from that era. In fact, some of their followup singles did flop, strong as they were. But the group rebounded with an uptempo number, “Shimmy, Shimmy, Ko-Ko Bop,” that capitalized on a dance craze.

Other hits include “Hurt So Bad,” and “Going Out of my Head.”

They received the Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation and have been inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. In 2008, Little Anthony and the Imperials released You’ll Never Know, an album of new songs and rerecorded oldies to celebrate their 50th anniversary as a group.

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Bobby Vinton, Deana Martin

June 15, 2017

Audio is posted below

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bobby Vinton guests on Las Vegas Backstage Talk radio show with Comedian Michele LaFong.

The last time I saw Bobby Vinton, was many years ago when I was opening for him in Mystic Lake Casino, in Minnesota.  I remember being “blown away” with his super high energy performance.  He was dancing on tables, and just gave 1000%!

Bobby Vinton. A multi-talented musician, singer and actor, Bobby Vinton has sold more than 75 million albums during his career. In this full-stage musical gala, the “Total Entertainer” pulls out all the stops. Vinton is joined by an orchestra, and family members to sing all his most beloved hits and many more favorites. It’s a dazzling concert event that showcases one of music’s most beloved artists.

Bobby Vinton. Treat yourself to a magical night with Bobby Vinton. “Blue Velvet,” “Roses are Red” and “Mr. Lonely” are just a few of the songs that has Billboard Magazine calling Bobby, the all-time most successful love singer of the “rock era.”

The “Total Entertainer” pulls out all the stops in this full-stage musical gala. It’s a dazzling concert event that showcases one of music’s most beloved artists.

 For more about Bobby: bobbyvinton.com

 Singer/Entertainer/Deana Martin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deana Martin fans will love this special show honoring her father, the King of Cool Dean Martin on the anniversary of his 100th birthday. Martin will be performing two spectacular shows as part of her acclaimed Deana Sings Dino concert series, with special guests, The Golddiggers and … who knows who will walk through the “Surprise Guest Door.”  Show dates are June 23rd and June 24th in the Showroom at South Point Casino, with show times set for 7:30 p.m.

From the moment she walks on stage, Deana Martin takes her audience on a musical journey with her non-stop dynamic energy celebrating her legendary father Dean Martin and other great performers who shaped American music and popular culture for over four decades. Deana Sings Dino is a totally engaging, classy and contemporary presentation of the most beloved songs of all time, capturing the swinging sophistication associated with her Dad and the Rat Pack. In this electrifying musical revue, Deana sings hot new arrangements of enduring hits like, That’s Amore, Volare, That’s Life, Everybody Loves Somebody, Memories Are Made Of This – songs treasured worldwide by her fans and those of her father, “Uncle Frank” Sinatra and “Uncle Sammy” Davis Jr.

These special shows have all the essentials of classic concert entertainment: the world’s best music, personal and often hilarious recollections from Deana’s life and career, interaction with her audience, plus her innate musicianship. Deana Martin is undeniably authentic­­­ – a living connection to the greatest era in entertainment. As an internationally acclaimed entertainer, Deana Martin has become an instantly recognizable voice and figure in the pantheon of The Great American Songbook. Her 2006 debut CD release, Memories Are Made of This, stayed in the top ten for 40 consecutive weeks.  Her follow-up CD, 2009’s, Volare, debuted in the top ten of the Billboard charts, followed by 2011’s seasonal evergreen, White Christmas, 2013’s critically acclaimed, Destination Moon, and her latest, 2016’s Swing Street, has garnered airplay on top Jazz, Standards, and Country radio stations, emphasizing her prominent status as a hit recording artist. As a celebrated author, Deana found herself on the New York Times coveted Best Seller list with her 2004 memoir, “Memories Are Made of This: Dean Martin Through His Daughters Eyes.”  In it, Deana delights in sharing wonderful, never-before-told stories about her father and his Pallies. To her they were known as, Uncle Frank (Sinatra) and Uncle Sammy (Davis, Jr) – to the world, they were known as the Rat Pack.

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