By Janis Seminara
There is something about the magic of an acoustical guitar; its music reaches those special spaces deep inside your soul and speaks of memories, aspirations and feelings that maybe have been dormant or weighed down. I've even taken to listening to acoustical guitar in my car, to calm my harried mind in the throes of Southern State Parkway mayhem. Acoustic guitar accompanied by the voices of Gordon Lightfoot, James Taylor, Simon & Garfunkel, and of course, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Joni Mitchell make me long for that era of music as both seer and soother, dreamer and dream; the art of storytelling in fluid form. So when I heard that The Suburban Brothers Band was playing an acoustic set at Oysterman's Restaurant & Pub, I decided to buck the bumper to bumper traffic and head out to Sayville. The Suburban Brothers played into the night while we dined on such delicacies as gorgonzola salad, herb crusted salmon, crme Brule and fine drinks.
The Suburban Brother's Band are comprised of Suburban Bob Pinnola and his cousin (by marriage) Mikey, who in Bob Pinnola's own words "is a finger picking full bodied rhythm guitarist". Depending on the venue, they can be accompanied by a pianist, a bass player, a drummer and Bob's son Ben, who plays sax, drums, bass, piano and guitar. Mike and Bob have been playing together since the 1980's. At Oysterman's The Suburban Brother's played many classic Beatle songs, James Taylor tunes and many, many more. They also have some of their own original songs which were so fine they sounded every bit as good as the classics. In fact one particular song, Brand New World, written and sung by Bob Pinnola was very poignant and very appropriate for the times we live in. I dubbed it the 'every parent's wish song', because, well when you hear it you'll know why. Bob told me that he wrote Brand New World one night to soothe his infant daughter back to sleep. It was especially beautiful to watch his now a bit older child, embrace her Dad after he finished their song. This folks is the magic of an acoustical guitar accompanied by poetry. I'm sure if you stop by Oysterman's at the next Suburban Brothers performance and request Brand New World, you'll enjoy it just as we all did. The Suburban Brothers are currently working on a CD of both acoustic and electric, original music.
Both guys have great command of their guitars and very fine voices that sing out a very broad range of music. If you'd like to see The Suburban Brothers live, they will be at Lily Flanagan's Friday, December 1st, starting at 6 PM till about 10 PM. The Suburban Brothers will be back at The Oysterman's Restaurant and Pub in January. Check with Oysterman's for an exact date.
Oysterman's Restaurant & Pub have just celebrated their one year anniversary. The four restaurateurs form Islip; Dennis Bennett, James Gilroy, Mike Doherty and Rob Cook have taken over this great Sayville location where eateries have been established for the past 30 years. Besides the great atmosphere and delicious food, every Friday and Saturday night you can enjoy live music from 8-11, and live piano music on Thursdays. This past October, Oysterman's hosted the "Band Together Against Breast Cancer" Event which along with the efforts of other Long Island Musicians; Steve Regina, The Neighborhood Band, The Stanton Anderson Band, The Fugitives, Soulgood, and of course the Suburban Brothers Band, raised over $8,000.00 for Breast Cancer Help, Inc. to purchase a new mammography machine for Southside Hospital, in Bay Shore.
Oysterman's Classic American Cuisine, in combination with classic American music and a comfortable dcor are all the ingredients needed for a great night out on Long Island, New York. Visit them at 45 Foster Avenue, Sayville, NY 631-589-7775.