Vegas Buzz: This Is IT on Monday Nights!

Make no mistake about it, Kelly Clinton’s Open Mic Cabaret is 'no ordinary open mic.’ The Monday night 'show of shows' in Vegas is a Cabaret with fantastic entertainment like no other. 
As the fans have said,  “Why would we ever go anywhere else on Monday nights? This is IT!!”

Kelly Clinton and friends kicked off another remarkable Monday night Cabaret show with a hilarious take on the legendary Marx Brothers. Starring in the comedy cast of the Marx Sisters was the one and only Kelly Clinton (Groucho), with Lena Prima (Chico), Mark O’Toole (Harpo) and Kaci Machacyk as Mrs. Rittenhouse (Animal Crackers). Mike Clark was on the keys and Tommy Vinci played the drums. The witty comical bit had the packed-house crowd roaring with laughter.

How does Kelly Clinton come up with this stuff? For starters, Kelly gets an idea in her head, then there’s no stopping her until the lines are down, the casting is complete, (when it’s not just a Kelly solo act) the costumes are gathered and the music is ready to go. In the latest production, Kelly credits Mike Clark for suggesting the Marx Sisters. Kelly put all her ideas together ---lines, cast, etc. Then the talented people in the sketch threw in their ideas that helped shape the final plan. It’s amazing how everything is put together in less than a day before the show goes on! In addition to her very original characters, for over a year now Kelly has come up with dozens and dozens of satirical Monday night openings starring a cast of characters based on famous icons from the stage, screen and the recording world….Truly amazing and so very entertaining!!!

After stripping off the Groucho wig, eyebrows, etc., Kelly was ready to introduce the first of many talented entertainers waiting in the wings to perform.

First up was the lovely Kaci Machacyk with a beautiful rendition of "Until There Was You."

This performance by Kaci Machacyk was a sampling of the selections from her show, The Soprano, that was scheduled for Wednesday night, July 21, at the Liberace Museum.

The evening was filled with so many fabulous entertainers. We want to mention them all and of course post a photo of each one as they performed at the latest Monday night show. So here we go. Next on stage was the awesome singer Lannie Counts who had the crowd screaming for more!! .....

Geena Mattox, former star of Phantom of the Opera, was back this week with a terrific performance of "Get Here."

Next we saw a whole new side of the fantastic singer Tim Wells who surprised us with an amazing theatrical performance of "Phantom of the Opera."  The crowd loved it and wanted more from Tim so he made a song-style switch with the tune, "You Make Me Feel Brand New." That’s when the phenomenal Clint Holmes jumped in to join Tim Wells on a fabulous scat duo that knocked out the crowd!!!

Up next the dynamic duo, Lisa Gay and Tony Drake took to the stage with a extraordinary performance of "The Nearness of You" followed by a moving and grooving rendition of "Feel Like Making Love."

Then Lisa was joined by Clint Holmes and Chris Phillips (Zowie Bowie) to sing Happy Birthday to a very special friend and faithful fan of this show, Mel Myers……

That moment was followed by an introduction from Clint Holmes of a very special appearance by Kelly Clinton as Janis Joplin for one more tribute to birthday boy and car dealer Mel.

The unbelievable Kelly Clinton as Janis sang an original satirical version of  "Mercedes Benz" with lyrics by Clint Holmes entitled "Oh, Mel Won’t You Buy Me a Mercedes Benz."
The crowd and Mel were hysterical with laughter as Kelly pulled off one more great spoof in costume and song. Wow!!!!

Then Clint was back on stage joined by his musical director, Jeff Neiman to perform “something real nice for Mel and his wife Sheri” who were also celebrating their 29th wedding anniversary. Clint Holmes sent out the beautiful tune "Here’s to Life."
What followed that was another performance by Clint Holmes who first sent out kudos to the fantastic  band led by Mike Clark on keys with Billy Adams on the drums and Tony Drake sitting in on guitar. Yes!!! These great musicians played all night long!! Then, with Jeff Neiman on piano, Clint gave us a terrific presentation of that great tune, "Birth of the Blues"…..The crowd went wild!!!!

Up next at the mic was the delightful performer with a big personality -----16 year-old
Alex Christopher who sang that popular old favorite, "Green, Green Grass of Home." Great job Alex!!.......

Then came the hot blues singer Wendy Flemings who belted out a killer version of "Summertime." This lady can sing the blues!!!! Mike Clark was hot on the keys for Wendy’s number and he did a beautiful job on the next singer’s presentation too.

That would be the fantastic crooner, Mark O’Toole (Harpo) who gave us a excellent performance of the love song, “You Don’t Know Me.” (L).........
Newcomer to the open mic Christopher Todd gave a terrific rendition of “Orange Colored Sky.” Later in the show Christopher Todd (R) was back with the band to croon the tune, "It Had to Be You." Nice, very nice. We are sure to see more of this singer soon.

Singer,/songwriter George Dare stepped up next with a outstanding performance of the big crowd-pleasing tune, "Walking in Memphis." By the way, this night had the kind of audience every performer dreams of! The crowd was just marvelous and totally fixed on the show……. The beautiful powerhouse singer Denita Asberry was on stage next with her performance of the Whitney Houston tune, "I Will Always Love You." She slayed the crowd. Wow!... Then came a big welcome back to showman Bobby Brooks Hamilton. The awesome performer and tribute artist has been traveling the world circuit for many months. It was great to see Bobby back at the open mic giving us his terrific performance of "Higher and Higher."

Another newcomer to the open mic was Trace Taylor (L). The redhead was raised in England and there’s no mistaking her accent. Trace gave a swinging interpretation of "Bye, Bye Black Bird." She’ll be back..........

Soprano, Jacqueline Armitage (R) returned to the open mic Monday night after a couple of months of R & R. Jacqueline presented her beautiful rendition of "If I Loved You."

Trina Johnson, one of the fabulous stars of Vegas the Show, stopped in to give us a really hot performance of “I’m Your Baby Tonight.” The critics are raving about the new show at Planet Hollywood that pays tribute to ‘Old Vegas’ entertainment from the 1940’s through the 1980’s….......

........Another fantastic performer and a first timer at the Cabaret, Michael Love took us away with his energetic, heartfelt performance of  "One in a Million."
Wow, what a powerful show closing performance!!!!


Thanks to everyone who took part in the making of one more night of unrivaled entertainment! Special thanks to Mike Clark, Billy Adams, Tony Drake and DJ/Jake Klein for bringing on the music....and especially to Kelly Clinton for making it all happen!!

As always, this was another great show at Kelly Clinton’s Open Mic Cabaret!!!
Please join us next Monday Night at the Bootlegger Bistro,
7700 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Showtime:  9 PM
Dining room reservations:  702-736-4939

Come on Down!!  Perform, Promote Your Gig,
Dine In, Chill Out!........It's Always a Blast!!!!

The Cabaret = Mega Doses of Laughter & Music

They say laughter is the best medicine and music soothes the soul. People in the know get their power-packed dosage of both every Monday night at Kelly Clinton’s Open Mic Cabaret at the Bootlegger Bistro. The super doses of laughter start taking effect right at the beginning of the show  --- very often from the amazing parody
ensemble of characters created by the marvelous entertainer Kelly  Clinton ---and always from the witty improv she comes up with all night long. Kelly and the wonderful lineup of musicians and singers bring on 'the music that's guaranteed to soothe the soul.' The huge doses of laughter and music dispensed on stage at Kelly Clinton’s Open Mic Cabaret is a proven cure-all for the body and soul. Just look around the packed house any Monday night and you will see a room full of people all wearing an expression that says “I feel good " ...We knew that they would!!

This week the sensational Kelly Clinton kicked off the show with the upbeat tune, “Hot Stuff.” She belted that one out, added plenty of moves then took herself into the audience to sing to one of her biggest fans, Steve Primak.

Kelly Clinton is a magnetic performer who loves the crowd and the Cabaret performers as much as they love her!!! She shares the stage with the other entertainers with generous affection. This night she invited an impromptu group of backup singers to join in on the opening number. Kaci Machacyk, Lannie Counts and Michael Cagle were ready, willing and able to jump in. What a fun loving launch to another great night of entertainment!

The awesome singer Malia Civetz was the first one up at the mic. The popular young lady announced she had added to her long list of credits by performing the National Anthem for President Barack Obama when he was in town recently campaigning for U.S. Senator Harry Reid!!! Apparently Malia has a great sense of humor too. This Monday night she followed up that big news with the  popular tune from the Marilyn Monroe film, “Diamonds Are a Girls Best Friend!” This girl is hot! With a demand from the crowd and some fabulous backing from Mike Clark on keys and Billy Adams on drums, Malia did a terrific rendition of the Louis Armstrong tune, “What a Wonderful World.” Way to go Malia Civetz!

Up next was the phenomenal vocalist/entertainer Lannie Counts. Lannie has such a fantastic vocal range he knocks the crowd out with his every performance. This night Lannie put plenty of soul into his first number “Stand By Me.”  The crowd loves Lannie and they weren’t about to let him go after just one awesome number, they wanted more!! So Lannie took a little detour and gave us his beautiful version of the tune “On and On” using his spectacular voice in high range. That called for a standing ovation!! Lannie Counts is a genuine pro!!!

Lannie Counts appeared with Kelly Clinton at the Stirling Club on Saturday night, July 10.

Kaci Machacyk, the talented young singer/actress and web TV host was back this week to give us a sample of what to expect at her upcoming show “The Soprano.” Kaci did an excellent presentation of what’s to come while performing the show tune “I Could Have Danced All Night.”

The fabulous musician/singer, Bill Fayne will accompany Kaci Machacyk at her show “The Soprano” on July 21 at the Liberace Museum.

The powerhouse singer, Michael Cagle went for it big time singing a tune for the first time live with the band ---and it was the first time the band ever played the song!!! Michael and the boys in the band did a fantastic performance of the heart touching ballad, “Don’t Cry Out Loud.” Way to go Michael Cagle!!!

While we are awaiting some really big career news from Michael Cagle, (should be released at any moment) rumor has it that some rather big name artists are involved in the project….Whatever, the news will be good!

Kelly took some time out to bring up one of our favorite guys from the Bootlegger Vito Marinelli for a special moment with his family members who were dining in and seeing the show.

Singer Linda Tanzetta was up next with a wonderful version of the old standard, “What a Difference a Day Makes.” Linda met her husband Rudy Ricci right here at the Bootlegger Bistro.    The romantic couple story continued on when singer Rudy Ricci stepped up next to send out the tune, “Lady Love” to Linda……..Ah! Ain’t love grand!!!

As the stage was being set for the next entertainer, Kelly stepped in with dose of her comedic wit before introducing the guy we all know as the remarkable musician, Martin Mancuso. Martin is also a fantastic dancer who performed with the The Foot Lockers, the dance group that won first place on the TV show Star Search back in the 1980’s. This night Martin portrayed a cast of characters backed by music themes from popular television and radio shows and the movies. You really had to be there to experience Martin’s very entertaining ride. The talented Martin Mancuso had the audience in stitches as he sped from one crazy character to the next using props and making quick costume changes as the fast-paced music altered from one theme to another. He can be a danger too!!  Of course it's all in fun but for a moment there, a fan named Perry Paschall looked like he was in real trouble!!!  Wow, what a performance!!!
The word on the beat is, Martin Mancuso will be taking his comedic act to a venue in Downtown Vegas in the very near future. We’ll let you know when.

The line up of talent that comes to perform each week at Kelly Clinton’s Open Mic Cabaret is so awesome it’s almost unbelievable!!!

Next up was the incredible high-energy musician/songwriter/musical director and singer Jeff Neiman who sat at the grand piano and gave an amazing performance of “Walking in Memphis.” Jeff is the musical director for headliner Clint Holmes. Last weekend Jeff Neiman opened Clint’s show at the Suncoast with an outstanding piano solo.

Wow --and to think we caught Jeff's very first performance of that opening number right here a couple of weeks ago at Kelly Clinton’s Open Mic Cabaret!!!!

Many of us saw the next singer perform years ago at Kelly’s former Monday night show at the Bootlegger. Carmine Mandia, from the show group Shades of Sinatra and the Carmine Mandia Show, gave us his fine rendition of the Sinatra tune, the “Lady is a Tramp.”

Kelly Clinton Productions presents Carmine Mandia with Ned Mills in the Celebrity Spotlight at the Bootlegger Bistro on Sunday, July 18. …….Carmine Mandia also performs a Bobby Darin tribute show -- and on occasion, is a featured performer at the exclusive Stirling Club.

Sometimes it takes a few tries to get a spot at the open mic but patience paid off for the next performer Erik Moore. After a fine presentation of his first tune “L. O. V. E.”  Kelly asked Erik to go with a second number. With band members Mike Clark on keys and drummer L.J. Harness sitting in for Erik’s performance, the singer took off with a terrific rendition of the Dean Martin tune, “Kick in the Head.” .......Welcome Erik Moore.

The beautiful singer with the wonderful raspy voice, Laurie Cook was up next. Laurie had her band members, drummer L.J. Harness and sax player, Scott Webb along with Mike Clark on the keys backing her on the tune, “End of the World.” Laurie’s fantastic vocal style is a little bit country, a little bit rock n’ roll and a lot of soul. Laurie got together with Kelly Clinton for her second number. The couple of hot chick singers rocked the house on “New Orleans“!!!

Laurie Cook and her band will perform with about 30 other bands during Hot August Nights, a fund raising event designed to keep the arts going for kids. The three-day event will be held in Town Square on August 20th, 21st and 22nd. For more info go to www.hotaugustnightsinlasvegas.com

Kelly introduced the extraordinary singer Geena Mattox who stepped up to give a wonderful performance of “What Are You Doing The Rest of Your Life.”  Welcome back Geena!!
Geena Mattox starred in the Las Vegas cast of Phantom of the Opera.
She is also a music teacher at a middle school and a private vocal coach as well.
Geena was invited to perform some of her latest work at Kelly Clinton’s show at the Stirling Club this past weekend.

Newcomer to the Cabaret, singer Mandi Lo brought in a table full of friends for her debut performance.

Mandi delivered a fine presentation of the Pop ballad, “Underneath Your Clothes” by Columbian singer-songwriter, Shakira.

Welcome Mandi Lo.

Now officially back on the music scene, Yvonne Silva was up next --this time she accompanied herself on guitar. The beautiful and talented singer gave a wonderful performance of the Lady Gaga tune, “Telephone.”

Yvonne Silva can really sing it!! Her large following of fans cheered her on along with the rest of the crowd......Great job!!!!

The stage was set for yet another fantastic performance by Lisa Gay with Tony Drake and Lannie Counts.  Lisa said she wanted to “bring back the duets” so she invited Lannie to join her for what turned out to be an awesome duet performance of “The Closer I Get To You.” Wow, what a show of talent!!! Lisa and Tony went on to do a knock out rendition of a Lena Horne tune, “Watch What Happens.” The crowd loved it as Tony Drake rocked on the guitar while Lisa Gay sent out her powerful vocals. As Kelly said about the talented couple, “That’s the real deal right there!”

Wrapping up the night was singer J.T. Thompson with the latest Michael Buble` tune, "High Adventure."

The charming J.T. did a wonderful closing show performance. 

Before the show actually closed, the thank you's went out to all who participated.

Kelly thanked everyone involved in making her Open Mic Cabaret such a great success. Thanks went out to her A-Team, musical director Mike Clark, drummer Billy Adams, Bootlegger host, J.T. Thompson and sitting in this week for Kevin Cordova, DJ Jake Klein. Thanks also went out to the fabulous Cabaret performers, the wonderful fans and to all the people who work at the Bootlegger Bistro.

Join us next Monday Night for another multi-milligram dose of laughter and music at Kelly Clinton's Open Mic Cabaret at the Bootlegger Bistro!!! Showtime 9 PM. 
Perform, Promote Your Gig, Dine In, Chill Out! 
It's Always a Blast!!!
7700 Las Vegas Blvd. So.
Dining Room Reservations:  702-736-4939