MY PRESIDENT – OUR PRESENT – MY PRESIDENT 

Here we are again, the Congress having to make crucial decisions about our country’s economic future. OK, we voted them in so, I suggest, let’s see what they do. Let’s see what Congress does with this responsibility and can they make the difference in 2010 to counteract the recession we’re now steeped in? Legislatively speaking, President Obama is centering his economic game stance in “the present” and Congress is the Super Bowl.  

Right now, we have the first stimulus package gaining yardage and all of the allotted funds, are the field of play. I believe they have only sent out one-third of the money targeted at areas where the money was needed most. Now, there are rumblings in the “hallowed halls of Congress” of yet another stimulus package, a second one. Oh boy.  

Now, add the proposed national health plan which some economists say will cost a trillion dollars in revenue to implement the proposed system. Oh boy – oh boy. 

Where is this revenue going to come from? Cost cutting could save millions I agree. Trim the pork would add more but we’re talkin’ a “trillion dollars”. That is a lot of zeros, man.  

Now if your hear “President Pelosi” – sorry, “Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi” – spin her tale, we will tax the rich and they’ll pay for it. Who are “the rich” and where do you draw the dollar line? So who are the rich? What I mean to say is, at what level of income is “rich”? Is it going to be those whose gross income is $150,000, or “$200,000 or is it based on net?  

I think people, living in a 21^st century economy, who make $100,000 or less, are just getting by. “Rich” should be considered by today’s standards and those in the “$100,000 category”, well they are “middle-class” in my opinion.  

President Obama, I have to say, I think you’ve bitten more off your plate than you can debit or credit. You also have to deal with Nancy Pelosi’s pending investigation of the CIA mess by the Attorney General. She claims she and Congress were not informed in the matter of a proposed “assassination squad”. The Al Qaeda leaders would be the targets. Kind of cut the heads off and the rest will disburse – a last resort scenario.  

The irony of this mess is even if Congress were informed they would have been sworn to secrecy. The newly appointed Director of the CIA stated when he did become aware of the proposal, he immediately notified Congress. I guess that is not enough since Ms. Pelosi seems to be, in my opinion again, politicizing the situation. In my heart of hearts, antics like politicizing can do our government and the American people untold damage. 
 
President Obama is young and his ideals high. This is echoed by today’s young people nationwide and when I was that age, I was “an idealist” too. I’m not the same person though that I was when I was 25-35. As I grew older, my experiences molded me to think as a “pragmatic” and it has morphed now into a “centrist way of thinking”.  

Many of my young idealist friends have evolved with their age. They all now think in a moderate “centrist way”. Maybe it is a natural progression. I don’t know for sure. If that is the case though, “this progression of thinking” will affect our young President Obama in due time. 

If you use the Bible as a reference, it states, “When I was a child, I spoke like a child. But when I became a man, I put away all the childish things. As a man looking at a glass that is dark, I saw no reflection of my youth”.  

Idealism misplaced can be as fragile as fine glass china. One unwanted abrupt touch can break the once elegant whole (cup) into pieces and salvaging it, well, questionable. Walk softly President Obama and realize like those of us left in the live entertainment business, you are in it alone, especially when some rivals are looking for your Achilles heel.  

FOUR – GOLF ANYONE? 

I love to play golf. I really do but I had not played a round of golf in at the least, 3 months. I have been bombarded thankfully, with interviews, writing this column (another thing I love), performing a concert in a different city each weekend, reclaiming the history of Little Anthony & The Imperials, running our record company and doing TV work. Once again, “the gift that keeps on giving”, our induction into the Rock HOF 2009 is the prime catalyst for all this activity in our career now. So, please do not think for a mere second, I am complaining by all means. I love every moment.  

You see, I was a little rusty at the game – you know - the celebrity thing. I became humbled to some degree and I thought The Imperials and I would never have “those Aesop’s grapes” – our induction to the Rock HOF. We were passed over for years and we thought it was over. Gladly, The Imperials and I were wrong and our induction is our gleaming trophy. 

So, I get a phone call from my friend Pete Wood. He is “an Okie”, you know, from Oklahoma. Pete is one of the best people I ever met in my life. He keeps me grounded and helps me a lot, whether he knows it or not. So, Pete says let’s play golf. We can go to the Angle Park Golf Course. Now, if you are not from Vegas, playing golf here in the summertime is a lot different than playing golf, in say, Minneapolis. 

Right now, in Vegas we are talkin’ about temps that exceed 100 degrees. The day we booked our round of golf, it reached 108 degrees. Also, it is a “dry heat” which means you can dehydrate and not even know you were sweatin’ – I’m not kidding.  

We tee-ed off at 7 AM and the temp was 88 degrees already. By the time we finished 18 holes, it was 108 and it wasn’t even noon. We got off the course just in the nick of time. Pete is very resourceful and decides we need a drink concoction of soda water and Gater Aid. Don’t you know it worked? All-in-all, I had a great time with a good friend. That friendship is also a gift that keeps on giving. For Pete’s sake, thank you Pete. 

AROUND THE TOWN  

You know how this is gonna start out, don’t you? Yes, my phone rings and it’s our manager Selwyn Miller calling. He’s a charming kind of guy and always says my name, like “Ant-ten-ay”. I love to imitate him when I can because my name never sounded so regal, formal and respectful sounding, ever. Hey, at my age I’ll take all the regal I can get and I just love hearing the way Selwyn says, “Ant-ten-ay”.  

So, Selwyn’s calling and he wanted to know would I go see a band at the Palms Hotel that play on Mondays? I said sure and then, I found out they were going on at 11 PM. I said to Selwyn that I’m usually asleep by 10 PM if I can. Selwyn didn’t have to say a word though because right after that, I heard myself saying, “I’m gonna forgo my beauty sleep for one night. OK”. Selwyn said that the band I was going to see is remarkable.  

Selwyn explained this isn’t any ordinary lounge band. They are “best of the best” musicians in Vegas – bar none. Upon hearing that, I knew I had to make an exception to my “10 o’clock rule” for at least one night. As the day wore on though and after golf earlier in the day, I was bushed as I approached The Palms. It’s now, “10:30 PM” at night. All I could think (to myself) was “this better be good – you know what I mean”.  

As it turns out these musicians are not just “players” – they really are “the best of the best”. The band, Santa Fe have few equals and as everyone in Vegas knows, they are the real deal. Their guitarist is probably the best I’ve ever heard play in a long time. Our guitarist Dale Herr is a journeyman guitarist/musician and Dale is one of the best. Next to Dale though is Santa Fe’s founder, Jerry Lopez. The 14-piece band also features The Fat City Horns (who back up Bette Midler at Ceasars). The bass player, I believe, plays with Donnie And Marie at The Flamingo. This band cooked, salsa-ed, soul-ed, jazzed and fusion-ed the audience in a mix few bands could achieve. I am so glad I went to see them. 

Their arrangements were masterfully written with crisp vocals and a creative collaboration of Salsa, Soul and R&B. A lot of talent here – a lot. These guys were un-believable onstage. Selwyn was 100% right. Being from New York City, there was a time when Salsa was a huge part of my life. I even went to see the play they did on Celia Cruz last year and without a doubt, I’m a fan of good authentic “New York Salsa”. Santa Fe nailed it all the genres and you can’t help but be impressed with their unique style and show. 

I had to hold my seat because I wanted to join these guys. To be onstage with musicians who are the best in the field like (and the LA&TIs’ band) Santa Fe is inspiring. As a singer, a band as good as this, challenges your best and that doesn’t happen all the time. 

Santa Fe has to be experienced live and “do yourself a favor”, as they say. Head over to the Palms on Monday night. The band buzz around Vegas is incredible and musicians like these deserve a huge audience, praise and recognition. It is a testament to their playing and a testament to just how good they are live. 

FLYING BACK EAST 

I love flying back East, back to New York (and New Jersey). It’s so comfortable for us and it is where we started. Here it is 51 years later and our audiences have not only grown to all ages, young and old, but some of long-time fans, are still there. It is so amazing.  

The only iffy thing is the concerts are outdoor gigs and that always leaves the question of rain. If it showers, that’s OK because once it rolls through, the night gets cooler, the bugs seem to be less, the audience happy the show is going on and we get to perform. Does that sound odd? We could just take the money and run. The Imperials and I like to do our shows and if a gig is cancelled due to weather, we’re as letdown as anyone else. It’s the truth. We still talk about the night we were rained out years ago in Brookdale Park in Bloomfield, NJ.  

My column appears every Friday on vegascommunityonline.com. I may skip one or two but it has become a weekly habit-forming love so I’m working none-stop. It’s just great. So, if you can, and you live near Babylon or Lyndhurst, here are our shows this weekend: 

1. Tanner Park in Babylon, LI on Friday the 17^th

2. Saturday, the 18^th, we’re in Lyndhurst, NJ’s town park. It’s the park featured on the 

CBS Sunday Morning interview Clarence and I did with Jeff Greenfield which aired back in February.

We’re also having production meetings with promoter Peter Gallo. His Carolina Entertainment company is behind our “You’ll Never Know Tour” with special guest, Deneice Williams which kicks off in early September in NC and SC. I understand new dates have been added as well. 

It’s a big production and I can’t wait for it to start. The first show is in Charlotte, NC on Sept. 4^th – Ovens Auditorium. There are a dozen concerts booked already and The Imperials and I are chomping at the bumper of the tour bus. This production is ours – just like our record label and if nothing else, over the next couple of years’ time, Little Anthony & The Imperials legacy will grow. We have to be the most fortunate R&B group in the world right now.