Midsummer Issue 2023

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Suit and Mai Tai Sets Sail with Familiar Tunes at Local Events 12 Story by MELISSA SUMMERS Photos by Karen Fucito Pull up a lawn chair and a cold beverage and get ready for a good time. Familiar to many in Roxbury and Mount Arlington as an enthusiastic DJ and entertainer, Chris D’Amico, 52, has brought his love of great music and passion for putting on a show to a new project. The band Suit and Mai Tai is taking the cover music scene by storm with upbeat and popular rock tunes. “These are the most talented musicians I’ve played with in my 30-plus years of being a musician,” D’Amico said of the six-piece ensemble. “Our vocals are our standout. We deliver a fun musical experience with some of the classic songs that everybody knows and loves but not a lot of bands play because they don’t have the vocal dynamics or instrumentation.” Although D’Amico has been most visible in recent years emceeing local events, he has played professionally since he was 16 years old. Growing up in West Orange, he began on keyboards and vocals with a high school band called RXN, an abbreviated version of the word “reaction.” “I was in several other bands,” said D’Amico of the journey. “We tried to make it with record deals, did some tours, had some fun.” One of his favorites from the 1990s was a group called Dog Voices. D’Amico considered himself the “utility side man,” picking up vocals, keyboards, bass and whatever was needed at the time. He also spent years doing session work, writing jingles for McDonald’s, Hoover, Chevrolet and more. D’Amico began working as a wedding DJ in 1997, combining recorded music with live performance in an experience he called the DJ Alive Hybrid Show. During events he would intermingle his DJ work with a “one man band.” He created tracks of certain songs and removed parts, then sang those parts live. “It’s for people who want a band but don’t want to spend $10,000,” he said. “I want the adults to feel like they are at an elegant affair and the bride, groom and their friends to feel like they are hanging out at a bar all at the same time.” The goal was to break free from the norm. “Everything that made the movie ‘The Wedding Singer’ Left to right at Horseshoe Lake Park: Ron Ossi, vocalist and guitarist. Lauren Gibbs, vocalist and keyboardist. Gibbs, Matthew Testa on bass, John Peterson on saxophone, Chris O’Hara on drums, Ossi, Mike Maino on guitar and lead singer Chris D’Amico on keyboard. LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS <strong>Midsummer</strong> <strong>2023</strong> funny was an exaggeration of legit wedding bands out there in the ‘80s,” said D’Amico. D’Amico had been working with a company called Music and Dance, whose owner supported the hybrid act. When the owner retired in 2003, he offered D’Amico financial backing and D’Amico Entertainment was born. Around the same time, he recorded five albums of educational music designed for child development with a publishing company called Kindermusik. “Each time, I had to show up and be a different character,” D’Amico said with a laugh. In 2005, D’Amico won a contest sponsored by radio station WPLJ to perform the music of Billy Joel as one of the “piano men” in several performances of Broadway’s “Movin Out.” Although he still makes a living at weddings and other events, he said he missed the “ego boost” that comes with performing live. During the pandemic, D’Amico recorded videos of duets with longtime friend Lauren Gibbs and realized they might be on to something vocally. “I had known her for over 30 years and never realized we had a blend,” he said. Gibbs, 53, of Bridgewater, has been playing piano since she was 3 and started singing in her teens. In the 1990s, she and D’Amico had the same producer. “We never sang together except for that one time at a random bar with his band at the time,” she said. One night in 2020, D’Amico decided to go live on Facebook, just him and a piano, calling the production “Yacht Rock Radio.” That’s when drummer Chris O’Hara reached out with a proposition. “Are you interested in putting together a yacht rock band?” the message from O’Hara read. The 51-year-old Cedar Grove native was late to the cover game, after having played original music during the first part of his career. He had been part of several bands and toured the Northeast, once snagging a stint playing in a fictional club on “The Sopranos.” D’Amico immediately reached out to Gibbs. “I don’t even remember how it went from singing on videos to, ‘Hey, why don’t we play live?’” she said. The wheels really started turning when Ron Ossi, 49, of Highland Lakes, got on board. Ossi, who began writing and performing original songs when he was 14, was a chef by trade and never able to fully pursue a music career. He owned a restaurant for over a decade and now teaches culinary arts at Passaic County Technical Institute. “Once I got that job, it gave me the opportunity to get back out there and play,” said Ossi, who sings and plays guitar with Suit and Mai Tai. “And I do this as a supplement to my teaching income.” Rounding out the current lineup is Matt Testa, of Boonton, and Mike Maino, from Blairstown. Currently the band director at Lakeland Regional High School in Wanaque and a classically trained trumpet player, Testa started playing guitar in the ska band scene in 2006. He finds the cover scene offers him performing experience and extra income to support his family life. “What we bring to the table that not all bands do is fantastic vocal harmonies. We work hard on those and make sure to put them right out front,” Testa said. He thrives off the joy listeners get from a live performance. “I love the spectacle of it all.” A veteran guitarist, Maino toured the world with Shotgun Symphony, releasing multiple CDs in the 1990s and early 2000s. “Eventually, we weren’t able to sustain ourselves financially, so I started getting into the cover scene to make ends meet while still playing music,” he said.
Maino and O’Hara played together in cover bands for about 20 years and were willing to give the new genre a try. “Chris said he had this great yacht rock band he wanted me to join. I didn’t even know what yacht rock was. I asked, ‘Are we playing on a boat?’” Maino joked. (Yacht rock is a style of soft rock from between the late 1970s and early 1980s.) “The band is fantastic, everybody is amazing,” said Maino. “It’s probably the best band and best vocalists I’ve ever played with in my life. Very happy to be here.” The name Suit and Mai Tai stems from the band’s decision to feature a combination of both corporate and yacht rock. According to D’Amico, it’s a play on the suits and ties of the business D’Amico looks out at the crowd during a concert at the bandshell at Horseshoe Lake Park in Roxbury. world and the beverage one might enjoy on the deck of a boat. Gibbs, who also does jingles and studio work, said all the members of Suit and Mai Tai are at the top of their game. “It’s like playing with session quality players live. I get a big rush from playing with these guys.” D’Amico finds that the music scene has changed in the 20 years since he was last in a band. “The bars and club scene aren’t what they used to be,” he said. “You went to a bar to meet people. Now you just swipe right.” Big rooms and stages for large bands with big productions have given way to duos and solos at many venues. The audience for the music D’Amico loves is more mature now and more family oriented. “Generation X is going out to the park to hear live music, so the music we play is more their flavor,” he said. “I don’t want to do the same setlist as everyone else. You won’t hear what I call the Girl Set: ‘American Girl,’ ‘Brown-Eyed Girl’ and ‘Jesse’s Girl,’” D’Amico added. “I want people to enjoy what we are doing. And I want to enjoy playing music for the love of playing music.” D’Amico has a lot of reasons to regenerate that joy in his life after his 10-year-old son, Christopher D’Amico Jr., died in a boating accident in 2015. “It stopped being about existing and more about living,” D’Amico said. “Since the last eight years have been full of turmoil, I needed something to put a smile back on my face and this is doing it.” He’s also recently begun a career in professional speaking. “Sometimes it takes a tragedy or trauma to set you straight, to open a pathway in your mind that you never thought would open. Never in a million years would I think I’d be public speaking. And I thank my son for that.” D’Amico visits schools, sharing the Kindness for Christopher initiative his family began after Christopher’s death. During his talks, he encourages students to follow their passions. He often gets feedback from school counselors about kids he’s influenced in a positive way. Suit and Mai Tai has at least six shows planned for the summer, including three at Bar A in Belmar and several municipal events. The band will also be performing on November 26 at the Ringside Pub in Caldwell as part of a benefit for the Dean Michael Clarizio Cancer Foundation. The organization supports patients fighting cancer. “I didn’t become the next Billy Joel like I wanted to, but the lights are on and the mortgage is paid because I sing songs for people,” D’Amico said. “Suit and Mai Tai is a way for me to pretend I’m still a rock star, as I take my multivitamin and go to bed by 9.” Is something hairy going on at home? (Leaks? Drains?) $ 25 off your next hairy situation! Coupon must be presented at time of service. Applies only to work performed. Cannot be used for dispatch/diagnostic fees. No cash value. Cannot be combined with any other discounts. Remember...we will never ask how it happened! Live, Love, Lake Life! Only 1 hour from NYC! SELLING OR BUYING 32 Years of Lake Experience! ~Experience & knowledge you can trust~ TOP PRODUCER C21 Geba Realty PLATINUM PINNACLE PRODUCER C21 GEBA REALTY CENTURY 21 PRESIDENT'S PRODUCER CENTURY 21 CENTURION AWARD CENTURY 21 CENTURION HONOR SOCIETY Darla Quaranta Broker Associate 973-229-0452 WWW.LIVELOVELAKELIFE.COM Changing lives, one lakehouse at a time! 23 MAIN ST. SPARTA NJ 07871 *Each office is independently owned and operated. lakehopatcongnews.com 13
Page 1 and 2: INFORMING, SERVING AND CELEBRATING
Page 4 and 5: From the Editor While Marty Kane gi
Page 6 and 7: SUMMER CLEANING • MULTI SERVICE D
Page 8 and 9: Hundreds Take Part in a Salute to B
Page 10 and 11: THERE’S MORE FUN BELOW DECK SUMME
Page 14 and 15: KathySellsLakeHomes.com Top Produce
Page 16 and 17: THANK YOU! TO ALL 2023 LHYC FIREWOR
Page 18 and 19: Hopatcong Adds Revenue to Tax Book
Page 20 and 21: New Program Offers Peace of Mind fo
Page 22 and 23: Residents Help Preserve Monarch B S
Page 24 and 25: Become a part of the lake’s histo
Page 26 and 27: Georgia PD Looking For a Few Good M
Page 28 and 29: Seniors of the Year Chosen in Hopat
Page 30 and 31: Hundreds Get Front Row Seats for An
Page 32 and 33: 2023 JERSEY WAKEOFF AUGUST 12, 2023
Page 34 and 35: 34 HISTORY During the first decades
Page 36 and 37: COOKING WITH SCRATCH © Tasting Hom
Page 38 and 39: WORDS OF A FEATHER Story and photos
Page 40 and 41: Lake Hopatcong... A fine food and f
Page 42 and 43: directory CONSTRUCTION/ EXCAVATION

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