Post by veu on Jan 21, 2023 5:53:14 GMT -5
Source: www.ctinsider.com/connecticutmagazine/arts-events/article/An-Easton-CT-native-leads-the-rockin-Disney-17730466.php
CONNECTICUT MAGAZINE
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ARTS + EVENTS
An Easton, CT native leads the rockin' Disney tribute band The Little Mermen
The band will rock the mouse—er, the house—at Norwalk's Wall Street Theater Feb. 5.
Photo of Linda Tuccio-Koonz
Linda Tuccio-Koonz
Jan. 20, 2023
The Little Mermen include (from left) lead singer and guitarist Alexis Babini as Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid, Chelsea Zeno as Moana, and Carly Kincannon as Ariel.
Courtesy of The Little Mermen
When Alexis Babini steps onstage with The Little Mermen, he knows exactly what kind of crowd he’ll find in the sea of people before him. His band’s typical audience is “literally everyone,” he says.
That’s what happens when you cover songs from nearly a century of Disney’s musical catalog.
“My favorite thing to see is when we win over the dads and boyfriends who didn’t realize they’d have so much fun at our events,” says the Easton native, whose band rocks out in full costume as characters from Aladdin to Ariel.
The Little Mermen deliver high-energy, nostalgic fun, everywhere from small venues to giant festivals. “The shows tend to be a hit with theater lovers, rock concert goers and anyone who grew up on this music,” says the singer-songwriter and musician, who brings his band to Norwalk’s Wall Street Theater on Feb. 5.
Concertgoers can expect favorites from The Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins, Frozen and Encanto, among others. “We often encourage folks to dress up — and we’ll be in costume! — but no pressure if you’re shy about that kind of thing. Our show is for both casual and superfans.”
A 2004 graduate of Redding’s Joel Barlow High School, Babini is an alumnus of Boston’s Berklee College of Music. He says some of his musical chops may come from his grandfather, who was the principal cello with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
As a youth, Babini says while other kids were out playing sports, he was often practicing guitar and writing music. “The Little Mermen started as a fun experiment of blending the magic of Disney with the thrill of being at a concert by your favorite band,” he says. “I grew up during the Disney-renaissance era that spawned incredible films, including The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and Tarzan.
“The first full Disney song I ever learned to play on guitar was ‘A Whole New World’ from Aladdin. I used to tour a bunch, playing solo shows of my own music, and I always loved working in a snippet of a classic Disney song somewhere. People would always go crazy for that, and that’s when a light bulb went off!”
The next challenge came when he needed to arrange the songs to be played by a live rock band. “Disney movies are like musical theater, so some songs are really complex. It’s been rewarding seeing this fun little idea grow into the live experience it has become today.”
Babini says the past year was a whirlwind. “We got to play The Sea.Hear.Now Festival alongside headliners Green Day and Stevie Nicks for 30,000 festival attendees ... The festival organizer himself invited us to play and even congratulated us after our set. I love that we’ve found a way to take this celebrated musical canon in an unexpected direction.”
Although Nicks played the night before the Mermen, and Babini didn’t get to meet her, he says seeing her perform from the side of the stage “lifted my spirits and gave me the confidence I needed to perform for the largest crowd of my life the following day.”
Babini is the only band member with Connecticut ties. The lineup also includes vocalists Carly Kincannon (NBC’s The Sing Off) and Chelsea Zeno (first national tour of Priscilla Queen of The Desert), Cody Rahn on drums (host of YouTube’s Sounds Like a Drum), plus Ryan Slatko on keys and Andrew Grau on bass (Slatko and Grau are busy in the New York City music scene).
“I feel lucky to be able to surround myself with this level of musicianship,” Babini says. “We always like to say, ‘We’re here to rock your Disney world.’ ”
The Little Mermen
Feb. 5, 4:30 p.m.
Wall Street Theater, 71 Wall St., Norwalk
203-831-5004, wallstreettheater.com
Online: thelittlemermen.com, @thelittlemermen on Instagram and Facebook
CONNECTICUT MAGAZINE
//
ARTS + EVENTS
An Easton, CT native leads the rockin' Disney tribute band The Little Mermen
The band will rock the mouse—er, the house—at Norwalk's Wall Street Theater Feb. 5.
Photo of Linda Tuccio-Koonz
Linda Tuccio-Koonz
Jan. 20, 2023
The Little Mermen include (from left) lead singer and guitarist Alexis Babini as Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid, Chelsea Zeno as Moana, and Carly Kincannon as Ariel.
Courtesy of The Little Mermen
When Alexis Babini steps onstage with The Little Mermen, he knows exactly what kind of crowd he’ll find in the sea of people before him. His band’s typical audience is “literally everyone,” he says.
That’s what happens when you cover songs from nearly a century of Disney’s musical catalog.
“My favorite thing to see is when we win over the dads and boyfriends who didn’t realize they’d have so much fun at our events,” says the Easton native, whose band rocks out in full costume as characters from Aladdin to Ariel.
The Little Mermen deliver high-energy, nostalgic fun, everywhere from small venues to giant festivals. “The shows tend to be a hit with theater lovers, rock concert goers and anyone who grew up on this music,” says the singer-songwriter and musician, who brings his band to Norwalk’s Wall Street Theater on Feb. 5.
Concertgoers can expect favorites from The Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins, Frozen and Encanto, among others. “We often encourage folks to dress up — and we’ll be in costume! — but no pressure if you’re shy about that kind of thing. Our show is for both casual and superfans.”
A 2004 graduate of Redding’s Joel Barlow High School, Babini is an alumnus of Boston’s Berklee College of Music. He says some of his musical chops may come from his grandfather, who was the principal cello with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
As a youth, Babini says while other kids were out playing sports, he was often practicing guitar and writing music. “The Little Mermen started as a fun experiment of blending the magic of Disney with the thrill of being at a concert by your favorite band,” he says. “I grew up during the Disney-renaissance era that spawned incredible films, including The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and Tarzan.
“The first full Disney song I ever learned to play on guitar was ‘A Whole New World’ from Aladdin. I used to tour a bunch, playing solo shows of my own music, and I always loved working in a snippet of a classic Disney song somewhere. People would always go crazy for that, and that’s when a light bulb went off!”
The next challenge came when he needed to arrange the songs to be played by a live rock band. “Disney movies are like musical theater, so some songs are really complex. It’s been rewarding seeing this fun little idea grow into the live experience it has become today.”
Babini says the past year was a whirlwind. “We got to play The Sea.Hear.Now Festival alongside headliners Green Day and Stevie Nicks for 30,000 festival attendees ... The festival organizer himself invited us to play and even congratulated us after our set. I love that we’ve found a way to take this celebrated musical canon in an unexpected direction.”
Although Nicks played the night before the Mermen, and Babini didn’t get to meet her, he says seeing her perform from the side of the stage “lifted my spirits and gave me the confidence I needed to perform for the largest crowd of my life the following day.”
Babini is the only band member with Connecticut ties. The lineup also includes vocalists Carly Kincannon (NBC’s The Sing Off) and Chelsea Zeno (first national tour of Priscilla Queen of The Desert), Cody Rahn on drums (host of YouTube’s Sounds Like a Drum), plus Ryan Slatko on keys and Andrew Grau on bass (Slatko and Grau are busy in the New York City music scene).
“I feel lucky to be able to surround myself with this level of musicianship,” Babini says. “We always like to say, ‘We’re here to rock your Disney world.’ ”
The Little Mermen
Feb. 5, 4:30 p.m.
Wall Street Theater, 71 Wall St., Norwalk
203-831-5004, wallstreettheater.com
Online: thelittlemermen.com, @thelittlemermen on Instagram and Facebook
