'When they hear us, they're back in high school': Dazzling DelRays to croon Naples

Sometimes the treasure is buried on the back hill. Ask the Dazzling Delrays. They absorbed musical wisdom from stars in their descent and turned it into their own jet fuel.

During the 1970s, the New Jersey-born group opened for '50s and '60s names such as the Coasters ("Poison Ivy"), Johnny Maestro and The Brooklyn Bridge ("Worst That Could Happen"), Jay and The Americans ("This Magic Moment,"  "Cara Mia") and The Boxtops ("The Letter").

It backed up singers like Little Anthony ("Going Out of My Head") and blues crossover giant Bo Diddley ("Who Do You Love?").

And on the way, over nearly 47 years, it gleaned invaluable details about harmonies, arrangements and instrumentation. Audiences will get a head-bobbing helping of that knowledge when the group plays for the Stone Crab Festival at 6 p.m. Friday at Pinchers Crab Shack in Tin City. (See info box for that and another upcoming date.)

Skip the psychedelia

The three men behind the group — drum- and guitar-playing brothers Larry and Jim Farese and bassist Jim Meade — actually began singing and playing after the era of their favorite music. 

"You'll remember that in the late '60s rock music became very psychedelic. It was a big drug culture, right? People who loved the '50s  music and early '60s music didn't like it, and we weren't crazy about it either," recalled Larry Farese. 

"So in the early 70s in the New York area, they had Sha Na Na. They were NYU  students," he said. "The '50s revival started in the early 70s." At the time, all three were we're trying to pay for college.

"That was a no-brainer for us to play these oldies, because we worked five to six nights a week. Plus the music is terrific. The harmonies are terrific," he said. "So we just started playing it."

The group worked hard at developing the sound of those hit-makers. That, along with the fact that all could sing, got them calls to open for stars of that era or to be their pick-up band for East Coast shows.

"We backed up Little Anthony," Farese said.  "He wasn't a big star any more, but we loved his songs and had some we wanted him to do. But he said, 'Nah, I don't want to do that one.'"

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"We were the backup band for The Drifters. They had to be impressed because we could back up in harmony, too. We learned all their songs, even their choreography," he continued, as his brother cracked: "I don't think you want to see us doing their choreography now, though."

They played  '50s and ''60s rock nostalgia shows that brought in young talent when voices and laughs were needed and met names before the word "big" was in front of them. Patty Smyth, later of Scandal ("The Warrior"), was their vocalist for some shows. The comedy came from a young guy named Jerry Seinfeld.

Jim Farese chuckled, remembering he had to ferry Seinfeld to the remote gig because he didn't drive. 

We're in Naples but not to retire

What is an East Coast rock 'n' roll band like this doing in Naples? In a word: Retirement. And that word has to be qualified. Jim Farese and Jim Meade, who had kept the group alive in New Jersey, moved down here to be near Larry Farese, who had moved to Naples to practice law in 1980.

In theory, they were going to retire. In reality, the two took on a property management company. And they welcomed their barrister brother back into the group. 

"When they moved down here, it was like the Blues Brothers — we got the band back together. We're on a mission from God!" joked Larry Farese. They quickly began to add local personnel:

• Sharon Vath, a vocalist who croons half of such pairings such as the Marvin Gaye-Kim Weston duet "It Takes Two" with Larry Farese. She had a classic rock band in New Jersey known as Angel Heart, and sang with Night Train down here as well as performing with synth music and in duos.

"I'd rather sing with a live band. It's a whole different energy — much better," she said.

• Sax player and vocalist Kevin Dolan, veteran of the San Francisco Bay Area's Daddy-O and the only full-time professional —and non-New Jersey member — to join the group.

"Everything we did was show, he recalled of his Daddy-O years. "We had wardrobe trunks. We had backdrops. We had a full crew. We were like the California Sha Na Na."  Daddy-O even served as house band at The Dunes in Las Vegas for three years.

• Ernie Padalil, a substitute for Meade who once played in a Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty tribute band. Padalil, another New Jersey native, knew his idol's every move, having sneaked into bars under-age to hear Springsteen.

"Don't put that in the paper. My mother's gonna kill me," he added. "She's 93, God bless her." (Note to Ernie's mother: Please forgive Ernie; he was doing music research.)

Today the band plays hits that largely span late '50s, early '60s — including Beatles and Temptation songs — and early '70s music.

"What gives us a lot of satisfaction is it's like a high school dance 50 years later. Everybody's doing the dances. Everybody's singing along, from the first song on," Jim Farese said.  

"The beauty of it is that everybody's got their problems in life. They've lost a spouse. They've got their aches and pains. When they hear us, they're back in high school," Larry Farese added. So if you had a happy high school experience, you're happy when you hear us play. For three hours you forget all your problems." 

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If you go

The Dazzling Delrays

What: Naples Stone Crab Festival

When: 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 26

Where: Pinchers Crab Shack parking lot, Tin City, 1200 5th Ave S, Naples

Admission: No cover; food and beverage

More information: See stonecrabfestival.com for a list of all the bands performing over the weekend

What: Blue Monkey Bar

When: 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27

Where: 7550 Mission Hills Drive, No. 326, Naples, Naples

Admission: No cover; food and beverage

More information: delrays.bandvista.com/home