Virtually entertaining: Musician starts Facebook groups in place of venues
The film may be forgettable, but Nancy Walker’s 1980 Village People pseudo-biopic “Can’t Stop the Music” has one catchy title.
Four decades later, Bob Giacometti is doing his best to help the title live up to its proclamation.
With performance venues closed for an undetermined amount of time, the South Strabane Township resident put together the Facebook group Virtual Open Mic, inviting musicians to post what they’re doing.
Courtesy of Jason Furda
Courtesy of Jason Furda
Robin Matthews and Bob Giacometti
“I think people who play live music, they start jonesing to play live music,” he said. “So this is a way to do it.”
Within a day of the group’s launch, the timeline had started filling quickly with a variety of videos, some prerecorded and others streamed live. Plus Giacometti is sharing what he sees online, including a Saturday night living-room concert by the eminently talented bluegrass band Jakobs Ferry Stragglers.
Earlier in the day, Giacometti gave live streaming a try with a half-hour show of him with his acoustic guitar, opening with a suitably poignant song for the current situation, the Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”
A highlight of his set was an original instrumental he recently recorded.
“I did a bunch of overdubs, so I don’t know how I’m going to do it with one guitar,” he announced before launching into “Bada Bing,” the title inspired by his third watching of the legendary HBO series “The Sopranos.”
The recording is for the second album of his collaboration with singer Robin Matthews of Claysville, following their 2019 debut, the all-original “Leave On.”
“It’s all done and it’s mixed, and it’s getting mastered right now,” Giacometti said about the sophomore effort. “So hopefully soon, we’ll be releasing it.”
He and Matthews have hosted a weekly Valentour’s Unplugged open stage since early last year at the restaurant of that name in McDonald. And through his BobbyG Tri-State Entertainment Services, he normally holds similar events at multiple Washington County locations, along with the likes of Karaoke and music trivia.
“Usually, the best way to do it is to have a team of players who are different ages,” he said about the latter.
Whatever generation you may belong to, the opportunity to give it a try is available through another Giacometti-founded Facebook group, Virtual Music Trivia.
If he happens to ask the name of the movie directed by Rhoda’s mom starring the singers of “YMCA,” you’ll know the answer.
For your virtual entertainment, visit www.facebook.com/groups/VirtualOpenMicPA and www.facebook.com/groups/VirtualMusicTrivia.
Bob Giacometti, right, plays bass while The Almanac staff writer Harry Funk plays a guitar in 2012 at what then was BLVD in Cecil Township.