Spill the Wine

Saturday night, two Alameda bands will be playing Roosters Roadhouse with the proceeds from the show going to benefit Alameda SOS, the group organizing to Save Alameda's Schools from the impending budget disaster. Both Old Coal and Spill The Wine will be playing with Doors opening at 8pm and the first band going on at 9.

Event particulars:

Rooster's Roadhouse (Grand and Clement)

Halloween Rock Costume Party

Saturday 10/30 8:00 pm

Proceeds to benefit Alameda SOS

9:00 Spill the Wine - Playing funk and soul favorites by Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers, Al Green and others, Your favorite local party band

10:00 Old Coal - A sandwich of the best of the 80's and the machismo of Neil Diamond (White Wedding, Sweet Caroline)

The evening will include a Costume Party (with Rooster's decked out in an appropriate Halloween theme


- SF Gate (San Francisco Chronicle)

* Where: Rhythmix Cultural Works, 2513 Blanding Ave, Alameda, CA 94501
* Date: January 22, 2011
* Time: 6:30pm

*

Al ameda Schoolhouse Rock featuring live music from Old Stock, Spill the Wine, and Old Coal. $25 (advance ticket purchase includes one drink ticket) www.brownpapertickets.com/event/138168

Join us on Saturday January 22nd for an evening of local music from Alameda based bands. All proceeds from Schoolhouse Rock go to support Alameda SOS. Local restaurants will be providing delicious nibbles.

Alameda Save Our Schools (Alameda SOS) is the campaign organization for the next parcel tax measure to support all Alameda public schools. (www.alamedasos.org)

Old Stock (www.reverbnation.com/oldstock) "Uncomplicated. This sums up Old Stock in the best way. The name reminds me of being a grad student and pouring through boxes of historical and uncatalogued media, searching for an undiscovered standout among the cliche and dated material of everything else. Timeless and real, something that urges you to investigate because of the authentic depth, the unanticipated emotion and raw brokering of spirit with power. You could overlook these guys, and if you judge on things like branding, marketing or target demographics you should just keep moving. Old Stock has no need of your pre-conceived notions. They rock in the classic sense, but could probably teach an evening class at the post-punk annex; and do it well. - catch a live show you'll see what I mean."
-Toby Carital/Mind Tree Music
Old Stock is Alex Cunningham guitar/vocals, Iain Walker bass/vocals, and Dave Pankenier drums/vocals.

Spill the Wine (www.spill-the-wine.com) Spill the Wine! is a 7 piece Bay Area group with a reputation as the Bay Area's favorite party band. The focus on fun dance music, from popular artists like Stevie Wonder, Duffy, Bill Withers and the Jackson 5. They feature a wonderful female lead singer named Kelly McIntyre who has a really exciting high-energy style. The band was formed in January 2010 by a couple of Alameda fathers who met at their kids' school and it has taken off from there. They have appeared locally at Roosters' Roadhouse, at Emeryville's Expressions College, in Brisbane at the 23 Club, and in North Beach at Grant and Green. Spill the Wine also features David Sayen on bass/vocals, Mark Manfredi drums/vocals, Paul Young keyboards/vocals, Gregg Cevallos guitar, Tony Contreras percussion/vocals, and Ron Soltz saxophone and flute.

Old Coal (www.oldcoal.com) "Old Coal is to the live music scene what a bacon-wrapped fig is to a cocktail party. A simple and savory farce that just might be the tastiest damn thing you'll remember when the hangover subsides. Hailed as the Bay Area's best Cover Band of Cover Bands, the Alameda foursome consistently delivers an entertaining set of guilty pleasures -- the best of the 80s, 90s and the machismo of Neil Diamond. Old Coal features Scott Peterson on bass, Mike Merit vocals, Nelson Layag drums, and Bill John guitar.

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* Features: Benefit

* Website: http://www.alamedasos.org

* Price: $25
* Tickets: Buy Tickets
- Alameda Patch

In the 1990s, Alameda father of three Nelson Layag played in a punk rock band called Better Than Your Hand.

Now Layag, who works in nonprofit administration by day, is playing drums with Old Coal, a four-dad band formed with neighbors and friends Bill John, Scott Peterson and Mike Merit.

The men have children who go to elementary school together and their families share block parties and barbecues. And they share a love of music.

For Old Coal's lead singer Mike Merit, singing in a band was once only the faintest of dreams. "I've been addicted to Karaoke for the last ten years," said Merit, whose day job takes him on the road several dozen times a year. "I've sung in almost every major city in the US, and have convinced random bands to let me sing a couple songs with them, usually Sweet Caroline."

Merit recalls that Layag, John, and Peterson discovered him "singing Love on the Rocks at a Karaoke party." An event which, he says, "culminated with me falling into a giant bucket of ice. They recruited me a few weeks later." And the four became Old Coal.

Within six months Old Coal was the lead act at a benefit concert for Alameda public schools.

It turns out neighborhood-based dad bands like Old Coal aren't just found here in Alameda, where they play at venues like Rooster's Roadhouse or John Patrick's. You'll find them across the country. In fact, a competition for the Best Dad Band was held in Texas this past May. Over 120 bands "jammed" for the title.

In Alameda are they playing for pleasure or performance?

Are they serious?

In a word, Yes.

By day they program computers, run businesses or schmooze clients. But by night they mousse their hair, don their shades and rock!

David Sayen, who plays bass for Spill the Wine, another Alameda-based mid-life band, has been playing music since he was a kid.

His first gig was an eighth grade graduation. Then music paid his way through college. Now he is in two jazz bands, Spill the Wine, and also plays at his church.

"We were at a New Years Eve party," David recalls. "And Gregg Cevallos, a guitarist and an another Alameda dad, said he wanted to start a funky R&B kind of band. I said let's do it!"

"We have evolved from rhythm and blues to being a party band, but our focus is on playing danceable fun music." Sayen says. "We test out our new song ideas on the moms. If they don't approve it gets shelved."

The current line up of Spill the Wine is Cevallos on lead guitar; Sayen on bass; Paul Young on keyboard; Mark Manfredi on drums; Ron Soltz covers the wind instruments, saxophone and flute; Kelly McIntyre sings; and Tony Contreras beats the rhythm on the Conga drums.

Sayen would love to make it big, but for now he says,"when I am on stage playing and the music is just flowing through me, when I'm not conscious of actually playing it, I'm happy."

"The best part of being in a local dad band," Merit says, "is that we all have legit day jobs where we have to be very poised and watch everything we do and say. Up on stage, all those inhibitions go away and we'll pretty much do anything."

With a devious, yet strangely innocent smile, Merit reminisces: "I've seduced a chair and sang Love on the Rocks at a wedding!"

On Saturday, Oct. 30, Merit (stage name Neilson) and Old Coal will take the stage with Spill the Wine in a benefit for Save Our Schools.

I asked Neilson if he still gets stage fright before a show. Showing me a lock of what he said was Neil Diamond's hair, he calmly replied, "I've got a direct connection. Nothing can go wrong."

The show's at Rooster's Roadhouse this Saturday. Tickets are $10 and the show starts at 8 p.m. Come in costume and get a special treat. - Alameda Patch