Rain

You can feel the excitement in the air. The lights grow dim. A faceless voice announces "Ladies and Gentlemen, the worlds most renowned tribute to The Beatles… Rain!" Screams fill the air, and the audience is transported back to 1964. No, it's not the Ed Sullivan Show, but the next best thing. You are at a Rain concert.

Rain? Who are they, you ask? Well, let me introduce you.

Rain began its existence in 1975, in Los Angeles, California. Today Rain consists of six phenomenally talented men. The six members of Rain are a team in the true sense of the word. And here they are:

Steve Landes - portrays John Lennon (Vocals, Rhythm Guitar, Piano and Harmonica.) Steve is the newest and the youngest member of Rain. At the age of seventeen Steve joined the cast of 'Beatlemania' in New York, and continued with the show to its Los Angeles production and National Tours. He remained with the show for five years. After 'Beatlemania' he starred in the hit Las Vegas revue 'Legends in Concert'. Steve was also invited to front a one-time-only All-Star Band Jam at the legendary Casbah Club in Liverpool, England. More recently Steve received the honor of performing on stage with his personal favorite singer, Neil Finn in a small club in Los Angeles. The two talented performers sang 'Weather With You' to the delight of the audience. Steve joined forces with Rain and has been a valuable asset to the team since. From teenagers to the more mature members of the Rain audiences, Steve is an obvious favorite. His sense of humor on stage, as well as his friendliness off stage, has earned him a small following of his own.

Joey Curatolo - portrays Paul McCartney (Vocals, Bass, Piano, Guitar) At the age of seventeen, Joey entered the Beatles sound-a-like contest at the Beatlefest convention in New York City and walked away with first place. He later joined the Broadway show ' Beatlemania'. Many performers have portrayed the part of Paul McCartney over the many years he show ran, but Joey Curatolo is in a class by himself. Joey has it all, the looks, the voice and the musical ability needed to truly pay tribute to a legend like The Beatles. In 1982 Joey joined Rain, and at that point Rain went from being a great Beatles Show to being the best. Joey combines charm and charisma in a way that elicits sighs from the women and screams of delight from the girls. How do you spell excitement? "J-O-E-Y!"

Joe Bithorn - portrays George Harrison (Vocals, Lead guitar) Joe started his musical career at the age of 16, as a session musician in New York City. He soon joined the cast of 'Beatlemania' and toured with the show for several years. Joe is accomplished at many different styles of music including rock, jazz, and classical. He is equally adept on electric, acoustics and 12-string guitar, as well as guitar synthesizer. In 1982, Joe joined forces with Rain. Joe can absolutely mesmerize an audience with his rendition of 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps'. Combine his dazzling musical talents with his sensual good looks and you have a captive audience. On New Years Eve, to the great pleasure of his Las Vegas audience, Joe announced his engagement to his beautiful fiancée, Monika. I'm sure that friends and fans of Rain everywhere wish them a long and happy life together.

Ralph Castelli - portrays Ringo Starr (Drums, percussion, Vocals). Everybody loves Ralph. In 1977 Ralph joined the Los Angeles production of 'Beatlemania' as an original cast member, and continued to tour with the show for five years. The producers of 'Beatlemania' regarded his talents so highly that he was picked to star in the motion picture version of the stage show. Ralph is a wonderful singer and an excellent drummer. His hilarious antics on stage keep audiences of all ages entertained in every sense of the word. Ralph combines his incredible talent with a personality that enchants and energizes anyone lucky enough to see him perform. Ralph is an integral part of the powerful force that is Rain.

Mark Lewis - Manager (keyboards, percussion). Mark is the founding member of Rain. Though The Beatles were a four-piece group, Rain has five. Why? That's easy. Throughout The Beatles recording career the group would often employ strings, horns, additional keyboards, or an entire orchestra. This is where Marks' amazing talents come in. Due to the variety of musical sounds that can be reproduced using modern keyboard equipment, Mark's presence in the band enable Rain to perform virtually any song live, including the more complicated songs from The Beatles later 'studio years'. Without Mark, Rain would be very limited to the songs they could perform. Mark also manages Rain. His exceptional business skill keeps Rain a viable entity in the world of entertainment. Mark is also a wonderfully warm and friendly person, and Rain wouldn't be the same without him!

Randy Kuehn - Audio Technician. And last but by no means least, the backbone of Rain. Randy was recruited into the Rain team in 1980, after working for many top-name acts though Bill Graham Productions. Randy has studied The Beatles records as intently as the on stage members of Rain, and uses his 'ear' and expertise to make Rain the best Beatles tribute band in the world. No matter what adverse conditions arise, from poor acoustics, to extreme weather conditions, delayed planes or less than adequate accommodations, Randy manages to create the necessary magic that allows Rain to perform at their professional best. Randy is a genius at what he does, and an irreplaceable member of Rain.

Well now you have met these six amazing men. Every member of Rain is a star in his own right. But put them together and you have a spectacular mixture of talent and personality that will thrill and amaze you. As Steve Landes once said, "Rain doesn't have fans, we have Friends". No one should allow themselves to miss an opportunity to see Rain live. I know I don't!

Eva Miller, Dixon CA, USA
TWIL Issue Four May 2001