Gee a whiz at playing Sir Paul tribute

17 June 2004 By Jessi Virtusio, The Star Newspaper
Gig of the Week

"Live and Let Die," "Another Day," "Let It Be," "Hey Jude," and "The Long and Winding Road."

These are among Vinny Gee's favorite songs to perform live when he's fronting Sir Paul ... McCartney's Ultimate Tribute.

Although there are a number of Beatles tribute bands in the area, Sir Paul stands as one of only six known Paul McCartney tribute bands in the world, Gee of Oak Forest said.

"He's basically an icon," Gee said of the man he portrays on stage.

"He was in the biggest and most successful band in the world, the Beatles, and his solo stuff is not bad at all.

"It's all positive and it's all about love and peace. That's what I am doing it for. I just want people to spread the word."

Together for less than a year, Gee, Bob Lisak (lead guitar and background vocals), Clyde Richardson, (lead and rhythm guitar and vocals), Richard Brode (keyboards, rhythm guitar and background vocals) and Jason Martin (drums) already have been generating a buzz.

Sir Paul first played at Chicago's longtime club Excalibur in March, and then was tapped to celebrate McCartney's birthday Friday.

Although this weekend's gig and a June 25 gig at the Blue Iguana in Tinley Park are 21-and-over-shows, Gee said his group is appropriate for all ages.

"Anybody that knows anything from the Beatles on up to 80- and 90-year-olds can enjoy the show. We're not vulgar," he said.

"We start out from the '60s all the way to the last album that came out. We actually span four decades of music in every show, and people are just blown away."

The band also involves Gee's family, from his wife, Donna, who manages the band, and his son, Vince Jr., 13, who sometimes assists with equipment, to his daughters, Krystle, 16, and Angela, 19, who help with Sir Paul's T-shirts.

Excalibur also will be the site of a benefit that Sir Paul is planning for August to raise money for Adopt a Minefield. The event already has some high-profilers attached. Sam Leach, whom Gee said was the Beatles original concert promoter, will serve as the master of ceremonies, and Jorie Gracen, author of "I Saw Him Standing There," will be a guest speaker.

Gee said the effort aims to raise $40,000. If accomplished, Sir Paul would fly to Los Angeles in October, when McCartney is doing a benefit concert for the same cause, and present him with the check from the benefit.

While Gee hasn't met McCartney yet, he has seen the legendary musician perform twice: once during the 1989-90 world tour for "Flowers in the Dirt" and once during the 2001-02 "Driving Rain" tour.

"He has so many different moods and so many different types of music that he does. I doubt you'll ever get tired of his type of music," Gee said.

"I can pick out a half-dozen songs out of every single album that I like."

Both McCartney gigs were experiences that Gee gleefully recalled.

"For a moment, I actually felt like I was on a date for the first time with a beautiful girl that I always wanted to go out with," he said of the McCartney shows he attended.

"Just sitting there, the energy in the air, you could cut it with a knife. He actually put tears in my eyes."

So how does one go from being a super fan to Sir Paul on stage?

Gee said it was simply various people telling him he looked like the "cute Beatle."

"It got to my head and I thought, 'What the heck?' I tried (doing a tribute band) and seven months later, we're doing very well," he said.

"Honestly, I'm having a ball playing Paul. I feel good. I really do. The people's response, that they say that I sound like and resemble him, it kind of makes me giggle.

"That's what it's all about. We make friends and we make fans everywhere we go. We must be doing something right. I love it.

"It's just a great feeling to do this, and basically pay homage to somebody who has been so great to music and inspired so many musicians out there."