By:Susan Lin
Leslie Zimay is one of those singers with a deep, sultry voice. She's also got a full head of very curly hair, and to further bring out her womanly presence, Zimay sings with a backdrop of five hefty-looking men.
The band of which Zimay is a part is Cadillac Moon, which will be playing Southern blues and R&B music at the Catfish Cafe in Lynbrook this Friday night.
"We're just really good friends," said Zimay, of her five band members: Mike Nugent from Huntington, who is lead guitarist and songwriter for the band; Frank Ferrara from Queens, who is a second lead guitarist; Mark Mancini of Glen Cove, who plays keyboards; Cliff Hackford of Huntington, who is drummer and songwriter; and Stu Woods of Manhattan, the bassist.
Zimay, who lives in Fort Salonga with spouse and manager of Cadillac Moon, Ray Hornosky, joked that it makes no difference who her fellow performers are because "my husband is always with me."
About their music, the members of Cadillac Moon have chosen the hard road: the group primarily plays songs they wrote themselves. "It's bluesy, R& B, with a little bit of New Orleans flavor to it," said Zimay, about the band's music.
For herself specifically, Zimay said she is inspired by Bonnie Raitt,
James Taylor, Sheryl Crow, and Dusty Springfield, who was big in the 1960s. About Springfield, Zimay mentioned that she was "one of the first white females that had more of the R&B feel to her voice."
While making it tougher for themselves by writing their own songs, Zimay said that Cadillac Moon also values performing as musicians just for the fun of it.
"Obviously, when you're working in small clubs on Long Island, you're not doing it to make a lot of money. You're doing it for the pure artist's
perspective, to have a good time and to play our songs," said Zimay.
Zimay joined Cadillac Moon a year and half ago. The band, though, has been around since 1994, when it was founded by Nugent.
Since 1994, Cadillac Moon has gone though much revamping. Perhaps the most obvious difference is that the lead vocalist used to be male, held by Al Santoriello who left for personal reasons, until replaced by Zimay.
"It was hard for me to win over fans when I joined," said Zimay, because Santoriello was a big part of who the older Cadillac Moon was. "But now we have some of our old fans, and a lot of new fans," Zimay said.
Today only two of Cadillac Moon's original members, Nugent and Hackford (the drummer), are still playing with the band. According to Zimay, the former Cadillac Moon "was a little more poppy."
Though the band's identity might be undergoing a bit of change, Zimay said she appreciated the experience she's gotten by playing with the band. "I write songs, which I've never done before. ...This was a really great opportunity for me to develop my own style."
Zimay, who is 45, has been singing since she was 15 as part of different bands. But her repertoire consisted of other people's music, and she performed mostly at "wedding-type venues."
Today she is singing at the Catfish Cafe, which is a restaurant that
serves Southern cuisine. With cornbread that has visible corn in it, iced tea where you can taste the tea, and soulful grooves by Cadillac Moon, it doesn't get any more Southern on Long Island.
Cadillac Moon
Friday, June 22, at 8:30 p.m.
Catfish Cafe
172 Merrick Rd., Lynbrook, (516) 599-0137
$10 bev./food min.
