Atlantic City, NJ -- July 22 & 23, 2016 -- w/ Dave Damiani & The No Vacancy Orchestra

[Miguel]

Press from last year:

South Jersey native Dave Damiani has made a pretty big name for himself on the Los Angeles music scene. But he says nothing beats coming home to New Jersey to play his favorite genres of swing and jazz here in Atlantic City.

"These smaller venues are what I miss from Atlantic City. I grew up in South Jersey and saw Frank Sinatra at the Sands with my father in 1995. It was intimate, it was classy and it was sexy. We are bringing that back to the Jersey Shore," says Damiani,...

...

Damiani spent a recent evening drinking Sambuca and talking about the old days with Paulajane D'Amato, daughter of the late owner of the 500 Club, Paul "Skinny" D'Amato, at her home in Margate.

"We were talking about how there's not a place any more where musicians can hone their skills like they did at the 500 Club," Damiani says. "We're so excited to make Dante Hall look like the old nightclub and bring back some of the things that made Atlantic City great."

Damiani, who grew up spending summers at the shore going to places such as White House Sub Shop, Tony's Baltimore Grill and Angeloni's II, is looking at his upcoming show as an opportunity for Atlantic City.

"Everything we've been doing has been the same — one casino opening after another," he says. "We need to do different things. We already have so many cool little places like The Iron Room.

I really do believe that there will be this whole arts and music area here — independent of casinos. I know it's going to happen.

"I think A.C. will be like Austin's music scene in a few years or Williamsburg's in Brooklyn."

Damiani's newest project "Midlife Crisis," which is up for Grammy consideration in 2016, foreshadows much of what will be heard at Dante Hall.

"It's an old-school, Big Band show. A throwback to the days of Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Count Basie. All of our guys wear suits and ties, but we do our own thing, too. We're trying to represent things in a fresh way," explains Damiani of his show that encompasses standards, modern songs and even some originals written by Damiani and the band. "We recreate the experience with the type of show that brings you back in time. Everything today is so impersonal — we want the intimate vibe. You can reach out and touch the band. It's about being sexy.

"When you see the show and our young band and hear our vibe ... we're doing this because we think there will be a future in A.C. — I really believe there is."

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/eedit...ee341.html