Mick Dalla-Vee and Michael Sicoly are high school friends whose impressive talents have led them to separate entertainment careers. But the two enjoy working together when they can, and have united to present an evening of Simon and Garfunkel music in Elk Point on Saturday, March 18.
Dalla-Vee has shone in the world of rock music, working for the past 22 years as a sideman with rock legend Randy Bachman. Dalla-Vee plays bass, guitar, keyboards, and sings lead vocals in Bachman’s shows.
Sicoly is an accomplished musician in his own right, but he works mostly as an actor with an impressive list of TV and movie credits including star turns as an animation voice actor.
According to Dalla-Vee, the Simon and Garfunkel show will present an evening of unforgettable music in a multimedia setting that takes listeners back to the Sixties.
“It’s a retrospective of Simon and Garfunkel’s career, delving into some of the things in their backgrounds that inspired them. The show actually starts with a documentary which sort of brings everybody into the spirit of where we’re going with this,” he said.
Paul Simon is a songwriter’s songwriter, highly respected by other musicians for his ability to interweave poetic lyrics with deceptively sophisticated melodies. Art Garfunkel contributed his gorgeous harmonies to Simon’s songs to create a sound that still stands as a signature of their time.
In the show, Sicoly sings Simon’s parts while Dalla-Vee contributes the harmonies. They will also present some songs from Simon’s solo career.
“The guy was just so freaking good,” Dalla-Vee said “One of the things I mention in the show is it took him months to write Sounds of Silence. But it’s magical. You listen to that song now? The words are still totally relevant.
“It’s just a beautiful piece of poetry, such a beautiful melody, and so much of his stuff was that way. The guy was just an incredibly big thinking writer. And of course Art Garfunkel had that beautiful high tenor voice.”
For all their sophistication, the songs have survived because they are memorable and singable; and because they have the power to transport people to a pivotal time in history. Dalla-Vee says he and Sicoly can feel the way the music touches audiences.
“The audience just loves the show,” he said. “Of all the shows we do, I think this is the one where people just thoroughly enjoy it from beginning to end, to sing along with almost every song with smiles on their faces.”
