By Melissa Griegel . . .

Sing Street, a new musical that was supposed to open to previews on March 26th, 2020, was put on hold due to the Broadway shutdown. The new opening date is set to be announced sometime this winter, possibly in early 2022. In the meantime, four of the talented musicians from Sing Street have been busy writing their own music and jamming together.

Sam “Spoon” Poon, Anthony “Tony” Genovesi, Jakeim Hart, and Gian Perez took matters into their own hands and put together an eclectic show at Feinstein’s/54 Below on September 19th. They started the set with an energetic rendition of “You Really Got Me Going” and then launched into their own music. They each performed three of their original songs, and also sprinkled in three songs from Sing Street.

Sam Poon

Sam Poon was the first to present his own music. Poon is a very talented musician who played four different instruments during the course of the evening: the electric guitar, the acoustic guitar, the bass, and the piano. While the rest of the group will be making their Broadway debuts when Spring Street opens, Poon has appeared in Macbeth and The King and I. His music can be found on all streaming platforms with @spoonuel.

Tony Genovesi

Drummer Tony Genovesi, who sang while drumming, started off with his song “looking for my love” which he said with a laugh, “I wrote that song basically yesterday.” Genovesi started playing the drums at age 4 and got serious around the age of twelve, when he joined his first band. Sing Street was the big break he was looking for, and is hopeful for its return. His Instagram is @daylightcollider.

Jakeim Hart

Jakeim Hart plays guitar and also writes his own music and lyrics, but he says he doesn’t normally share his original work on stage. He really should, as his stunning voice and melodic tunes were a joy to behold. Hart pours out emotion as he sings. Like Genovesi, his musical interests also began at age four. He loved listening to his father on the piano as a child and began learning piano. Drums lessons on both the drum kit and djembe began at age eight. At nine, he picked up the guitar and that is now his primary instrument. His debut album Bad Country will be released this November. Hart can be found at @jakeim_hart.

Gian Perez

The fourth member of the group, Gian Perez also has an album coming out. No Love for Cowboy is set to drop October 28th, available on vinyl with digital downloads. Perez, originally from Puerto Rico, was proud to be there and have his parents in the audience. He jokingly called out to the servers to bring him some chicken tenders. Before the set was done, someone delivered French fries to the stage for him. His original songs included two that he described as “loud” followed by a softer song entitled “Hide and Seek.” You can learn more about Gian at www.gianperez.com

Sing Street, based on the 2006 film of the same name, takes place in Dublin in 1982 when most of the city is out-of-work and down on their luck. A group of teenagers form a band to get some escape from the dismal reality of their lives, and to try to impress a girl along the way. It is directed by Rebecca Taichman with music and lyrics by Gary Clark and John Carney. The book is by Edna Walsh. The foursome sang “beautiful sea”, “Up”, and “Brown Shoes” from the show. With a hopeful note that Sing Street will indeed return to Broadway, Jakeim exclaimed, “Not all of Broadway is back until we are all back!”

Photos by Melissa Griegel

www.griegelphoto.zenfolio.com