It's still Billy Joel to me.
June 22, 2024 4:27 PM Subscribe
The Middle Aged Dad Jam Band perform a cover. With Weird Al on accordion, giving space to a rollicking performance.
Scenes From An Italian Restaurant is a perfect song. I've always loved it. And these folks certainly nailed, especially the guy on the accordion.
posted by swift at 5:11 PM on June 22 [6 favorites]
posted by swift at 5:11 PM on June 22 [6 favorites]
OK, that's just raising the bar dangerously high for garage bands. Plus, they got Weird Al. That's like turning it up to 11.
Also, MIDDLE AGED DAD JAM BAND.
Born to Run
All for Leyna
a medley of 80's and other songs ...
just a sampling (mostly done during a practice session, so they don't sound nearly as polished) ...
posted by JustSayNoDawg at 5:23 PM on June 22 [3 favorites]
Also, MIDDLE AGED DAD JAM BAND.
Born to Run
All for Leyna
a medley of 80's and other songs ...
just a sampling (mostly done during a practice session, so they don't sound nearly as polished) ...
posted by JustSayNoDawg at 5:23 PM on June 22 [3 favorites]
I am soo glad someone identified Ken Marino the singer, in the comments. But I’m still not sure where I recognize him from.
posted by Glinn at 5:50 PM on June 22 [1 favorite]
posted by Glinn at 5:50 PM on June 22 [1 favorite]
They played near me a couple of weeks back and if I hadn't had a previous engagement I would have gone in a heartbeat.
posted by drewbage1847 at 6:19 PM on June 22
posted by drewbage1847 at 6:19 PM on June 22
i remember those days hanging out at the village green
posted by HearHere at 6:19 PM on June 22 [1 favorite]
posted by HearHere at 6:19 PM on June 22 [1 favorite]
You may remember Ken Marino from such programs as MTV's The State, Party Down, or Black Monday. Or perhaps the the film Wet Hot American Summer. [/troy mcclure]
posted by Nekosoft at 6:28 PM on June 22 [10 favorites]
posted by Nekosoft at 6:28 PM on June 22 [10 favorites]
Man, I so wish I had a garage to host a middle-aged dude jam in - with or without Weird Al!
Marino does a pretty darn good Billy Joel impression.
posted by Greg_Ace at 6:32 PM on June 22
Marino does a pretty darn good Billy Joel impression.
posted by Greg_Ace at 6:32 PM on June 22
Ahh Party Down, that's it!
posted by Wild_Eep at 6:56 PM on June 22 [1 favorite]
posted by Wild_Eep at 6:56 PM on June 22 [1 favorite]
My compliments to David Wain, the focus is on the piano (naturally) but the drummer's work is deceptively tough for this song. Shout out to Liberty DeVitto on the original.
OK, you know what, this coincidence is large enough that I'm going to drop this here: one of my favorite still-extant blogs for grey-area music is "Albums I Wish Existed", and the site recently put up an entry cheekily titled The Hitmakers Sing Billy Joel's 'The Stranger', which is a collection of old and new covers of every song on the album, including "Italian Restaurant".
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 7:18 PM on June 22 [4 favorites]
OK, you know what, this coincidence is large enough that I'm going to drop this here: one of my favorite still-extant blogs for grey-area music is "Albums I Wish Existed", and the site recently put up an entry cheekily titled The Hitmakers Sing Billy Joel's 'The Stranger', which is a collection of old and new covers of every song on the album, including "Italian Restaurant".
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 7:18 PM on June 22 [4 favorites]
Geez, I wish they'd brought Al up at least into the middle of the mix. Solid tune, but seems like a waste of the guy.
posted by mhoye at 7:23 PM on June 22 [2 favorites]
posted by mhoye at 7:23 PM on June 22 [2 favorites]
kaibutsu, I love this!
I will forever know Ken Marino from Hill Street Blues.
(And JustSayNoDawg, thank you for All for Leyna!)
posted by The Wrong Kind of Cheese at 7:24 PM on June 22 [1 favorite]
I will forever know Ken Marino from Hill Street Blues.
(And JustSayNoDawg, thank you for All for Leyna!)
posted by The Wrong Kind of Cheese at 7:24 PM on June 22 [1 favorite]
Except for "The Stranger"--because "It is not always evil/And it is not always wrong" blew my young teenage mind--this is Joel's best song, IMO. Can't decide whether it's meant to be Joel's version of one of those songs-that-think-that-they're-short-stories that Harry Chapin and the Boss cranked out, or a sly parody of same, but I'll never not listen to it if it's on.
posted by Halloween Jack at 7:32 PM on June 22
posted by Halloween Jack at 7:32 PM on June 22
He seems nice here but he was a murderous bastard when his name was Joseph Manfredi.
posted by Ashenmote at 10:10 PM on June 22
posted by Ashenmote at 10:10 PM on June 22
Hey! That's Zac Oyama's brother in law!
posted by Myca at 11:05 PM on June 22 [1 favorite]
posted by Myca at 11:05 PM on June 22 [1 favorite]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bRXzo6lLnI&list=PLDEbM3Y9P6QbfnyaSiV84aes6rNKvAYQ6&index=15
posted by readyfreddy at 12:34 AM on June 23
posted by readyfreddy at 12:34 AM on June 23
It is...something other than sincere. It's comedy!
posted by tiny frying pan at 5:35 AM on June 23
posted by tiny frying pan at 5:35 AM on June 23
Also, I'm still more of a Low Darts fan for this kind of thing.
posted by KingEdRa at 7:38 AM on June 23 [1 favorite]
posted by KingEdRa at 7:38 AM on June 23 [1 favorite]
A couple members of The State cover Billy Joel with special guest Weird Al—is this some kind of CIA-designed Horace Rumpole trap?
posted by Horace Rumpole at 8:11 AM on June 23
posted by Horace Rumpole at 8:11 AM on June 23
You may remember Ken Marino from such programs as MTV's The State, Party Down, or Black Monday. Or perhaps the the film Wet Hot American Summer. [/troy mcclure]
And don't forget Childrens Hospital, which needs no apostrophe, because it's named after Arthur Childrens, and it's just a coincidence it's a children's hospital, which is in Brazil.
If you've never heard of Childrens Hospital, you should seek it out, it's unlike anything you're ever going to see (except for perhaps Medical Police, which is literally the same show but with secret agents). The only comp for these truly unhinged comedies might be Archer.
posted by mcstayinskool at 10:48 AM on June 23 [2 favorites]
And don't forget Childrens Hospital, which needs no apostrophe, because it's named after Arthur Childrens, and it's just a coincidence it's a children's hospital, which is in Brazil.
If you've never heard of Childrens Hospital, you should seek it out, it's unlike anything you're ever going to see (except for perhaps Medical Police, which is literally the same show but with secret agents). The only comp for these truly unhinged comedies might be Archer.
posted by mcstayinskool at 10:48 AM on June 23 [2 favorites]
"I will forever know Ken Marino from Hill Street Blues." - The Wrong Kind of Cheese.
I fear you might mean Ed Marinaro.
Hill Street Blues went off the air in 1987.
Ken Marino was still in college at that point.
Ken Marino's earliest credit is "You Wrote It, You Watch It" in 1992.
(I felt the need to point out, since he graduated from my hometown high school two years before me.)
posted by Mutant Lobsters from Riverhead at 3:56 PM on June 23
I fear you might mean Ed Marinaro.
Hill Street Blues went off the air in 1987.
Ken Marino was still in college at that point.
Ken Marino's earliest credit is "You Wrote It, You Watch It" in 1992.
(I felt the need to point out, since he graduated from my hometown high school two years before me.)
posted by Mutant Lobsters from Riverhead at 3:56 PM on June 23
Having grown up with this music, it was nice to see it done with art and apparent fondness.
It's a minor complaint but Mr. Joel grew up on Lawn Guyland and I'm pretty sure that the middle section is about one person, Brenda Rinetti, not two people Brenda and Eddie.
I kid! I kid! But yeah, Brenderuneddie.
posted by plinth at 7:24 AM on June 24 [1 favorite]
It's a minor complaint but Mr. Joel grew up on Lawn Guyland and I'm pretty sure that the middle section is about one person, Brenda Rinetti, not two people Brenda and Eddie.
I kid! I kid! But yeah, Brenderuneddie.
posted by plinth at 7:24 AM on June 24 [1 favorite]
I love everything about this. The Billy Joel song is a classic for a reason, the musicianship is legit good, and the band is full of a bunch of funny people who have worked with each other over and over in a ton of good stuff for a long time. That's the dream: making art (and/or garage music) with your friends. Thanks for this post; I love the Wainiverse and had no idea this group existed.
posted by AgentRocket at 7:58 AM on June 24 [2 favorites]
posted by AgentRocket at 7:58 AM on June 24 [2 favorites]
As a singer and a Wainiverse fan (Thanksgiving dinner was never better than the year I got drunk, watched Wet Hot American Summer and hummed the Katamari Damacy theme incessantly for like three hours), I am still surprised how genuinely good of a singer Ken Marino is. It’s not just “does a great Billy Joel,” although he does… it’s the ease, the teeny little ephemera here and there that you only get by being a very good, very CONSISTENT singer who knows their voice.
Great Job, Jackie Jarvis from Vinyl!
posted by St. Hubbins at 4:34 AM on June 25
Great Job, Jackie Jarvis from Vinyl!
posted by St. Hubbins at 4:34 AM on June 25
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posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 4:32 PM on June 22 [1 favorite]