by SUSAN LIN
WhoVille Bar and Grill in Rockville Centre and Johnny McGorey's Pub in Massapequa have also penciled in the band for once a month, through April this year. Of the remaining weekends, Stingers Pub of Bethpage usually claims a show every couple of months. "We're not a 'band bar,' but South of Sunrise is good here," Stingers owner Peter Clavin said. "They're the only band we put on."
While some musicians might like to think their originality is what attracts people to them, Cuthbert attributes the success of South of Sunrise to its ability to blend into any atmosphere. "We are just as comfortable playing at a bar mitzvah as at a packed bar, as at a senior citizens' home," he said, loud and clear. "We try not to put in our own style to the music."
Instead, Cuthbert said, he and bandmates Joe DeMaria of Farmingdale and Joe Bichko of Lynbrook, who play lead guitars, bassist Frank Tassielli of Farmingdale, and drummer Joe Aiello of Babylon, focus on putting on a good show. "It totally turns me off as a performer if no one responds," Cuthbert said of the band's approach to winning over a crowd.
To better relate to the audience, South of Sunrise often determines the song lineup after arriving at a venue and gauging the general mood of people there. "We're off the cuff. It's no way to relate to a crowd by showing up with a set list of [songs] to play," Cuthbert said. The band knows about 200 songs -- from Creed to Billy Joel to early Eagles -- which they choose from as the situation warrants. "I usually have a good grasp of the audience," he said.
"At our last show, the crowd was going crazy. And I jumped up on a speaker," Cuthbert said. At other South of Sunrise shows, audience members have jumped on stage and sung with the band, he said.
"We do a professional show," said Cuthbert, who says he gets outrageous only when he feels the crowd would appreciate it. It is part of what Cuthbert calls the band's musicianship.
The band's knack for tailoring acts to the audience, Cuthbert said, comes from his 10 years of experience playing covers, which means performing others' music. He and lead guitarist DeMaria, now in their early 30s, have been friends from their days growing up in East Rockaway. Although throughout their teenage years they had wanted to put together a band, he and DeMaria's opportunity finally arrived in 1988. A friend of DeMaria's was having a party and wanted a band there. Cuthbert and DeMaria hired a few free-lance musicians, and the two friends played their first cover gig.
"It went over so well," said Cuthbert, they decided to do more shows. It wasn't until '93 that he and DeMaria gave their working band a name: South of Sunrise. At the time, all band members lived south of Sunrise Highway.
Ten years later, South of Sunrise has risen in popularity. "At first, we did only one show every couple of months." Also, the current band members have been together for two years now, outlasting earlier ensembles, said Cuthbert. He counts 20 former members of South of Sunrise who have played with him and DeMaria.
One thing hasn't changed, though. "We have been strictly a cover band," Cuthbert said, "and will probably always be one."
Where, when to see South of Sunrise
Friday, Feb. 2, 10:30 p.m.
WhoVille Bar and Grill, 339 Broadway, Bethpage, (516) 931-9296, no cover.
Saturday, Feb. 10, 10:30 p.m.
The Inn, 943 W. Beech St., Long Beach, (516) 432-9220, no cover.
