One of Detroit’s most exciting singers, Ben Sharkey, will kick off a new live music series – Kittens & Crooners, presented by 2 Stones Events – with two shows Saturday, Feb. 19 at Ciao Amici’s restaurant in downtown Brighton.
Doors for the early show will open at 5:30 pm and the two-set concert will be 6-7:30 pm (with a short break). Seating for the late show will begin at 8 with two-sets from 8:30-10. There will be a cash bar and tickets, limited to just 100 per show, are priced at $25 at www.2StonesEvents.com. Attendees can enjoy dinner and drinks upstairs before or after the show, too.
One of Detroit’s premiere live entertainers over the past ten years plus, Sharkey infuses his live performances with a hip and sultry fire, bringing his artful swagger to the stage with a colorful fusion of old school cool, contemporary jazz, soul and pop.
“He performed at Brighton’s Smokin’ festival twice – 2013 and 2016 – and stole the show both times,” said McClellan-Stone. “The first time, I don’t think he was expecting that large of a crowd, and it was pretty amazing to watch. He probably sold 40 CDs after he got off the stage.”
Since the charismatic vocalist posted his first raw home videos of himself singing Michael Buble and Frank Sinatra classics to YouTube in 2007, he has amassed over 5 million views worldwide for over 70 clips. By increasingly popular demand, the Michigan native has amassed hundreds of performances at jazz hotspots like Cliff Bell’s and a five-year and counting residency at the Axis Lounge at the MGM Grand Detroit.
Sharkey has been compared to everyone from Frank and Buble to Dean Martin, Mel Torme and Harry Connick, Jr. — yet he’s evolved from being a stellar vocal interpreter to master storyteller and songwriter. Collaborating with his pianist Chris Codish, he has written clever, crafty tunes expressing every aspect of love, deep heartfelt connections and the sheer joy of living life to the fullest in the sexiest, naughtiest, most sensual and playful way possible. Stylistically, Sharkey lets his muse lead the way to booming percussion-driven landscapes infused with jazz, pop, swing, R&B, Latin and crisp, edgy house-dance beats that make him the ultimate contemporary hipster as well as a masterful throwback artist.
JILL JACK SHOW CHANGE
Kittens & Crooners was slated to kick off with Jill Jack & The American Songbook Band on Jan. 22, but due to the singer contracting COVID, the shows were moved to Saturday, March 5.
Then, it got worse.
“Jill Jack suffered a heart attack last week,” said McClellan-Stone, “but the good news is that she is back home and doing better. Keep her in your thoughts and prayers as she recovers. If you’ve been with 2 Stones Events for any amount of time, you know how highly we regard Jill — not only as an amazing performer, but also a dear friend of ours.”
Instead of postponing the March 5 show, 2 Stones Events decided to invite a singer they recently heard at the London Chop House and were very impressed – Olivia Van Goor, who has just been nominated for three Detroit Music Awards: Outstanding Traditional Jazz Artist; Outstanding Vocalist; and Outstanding Jazz Recording (When the Shadows Fall).
“In 2016, we came up with a new live music series – Kittens & Crooners – to celebrate the music and style of our country’s classic jazz singers like Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Lena Horne, Tony Bennett, and Rosemary Clooney,” said Whitney McClellan-Stone, president of 2 Stones Events. “The four shows we held that year at the Tipping Point Theater in Northville went over so well that we continued presenting live jazz at that venue until the pandemic put a halt to indoor concerts.”
Now, McClellan-Stone and her husband, Cal Stone, have revived Kittens & Crooners and found another intimate venue with a speakeasy vibe: the lower level of Ciao Amici’s restaurant. 2 Stones Events has been booking live music in Brighton for two decades, including Brighton’s Smokin’ Jazz & Barbecue Blues Festival, Taste or Brighton, WAM Fest, Turn Up The AMP! and numerous local venues like Brighton Bar & Grill and Single Barrel Social.
The company’s roots go back to March 2002 with a Wynton Marsalis fundraising concert at the Brighton Center for the Performing Arts, and the couple officially incorporated in March 2009. Larger productions have included the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives, Ramsey Lewis, the Chicago Blues Bash, James Carter & Mike Morgan, Fernando Ortega, George Winston and Branford Marsalis.
“We’re passionate about music and how it relates to economic development in communities — the importance of building and branding a live music series, festivals and other music-related events, as well as the impact it has on the well-being of a community, its residents and business owners,” said Stone.
KITTENS & CROONERS
WHAT: 2 Stones Events live music series
WHERE: Ciao Amici’s restaurant lower level; 217 W. Main, downtown Brighton
WHO: Ben Sharkey, Feb. 19; Olivia Van Goor, March 5
TIME: Two-set shows at 6 and 8:30 p.m. (doors open 30 minutes prior)
TICKETS: $25; limited to 100 per show; www.2StonesEvents.com (When ordering tickets be sure you receive them via email and add the Eventbrite email to your contacts.)
QUESTIONS: (586) 484-8797 or info@2StonesEvents.com.
