VIDEO: Florida Launch of Bärenjäger Honey & Bourbon Features Rolling Stones Tribute

Barenjager Girls Introduced at Firepit City Grill and zStonez Tribute Show Delivers ‘Hot Rocks’

The Barenjager Honeys Christina (L) and Sara (R) Help Smokey Pour it On!

Well-balanced and a little edgy…with a natural and authentic ‘sweetness’.

That could be the opening of a review for either the debut of Bärenjäger Honey & Bourbon or the stage performance of zStonez, an authentic Rolling Stones Tribute Band based in the Florida.

They both shared ‘the stage’ at Southwest Florida’s Gulf Coast Town Center on Thursday April 24 as The Firepit City Grill and BeverageUnderground.com presented an End O’ Season Sunset Concert to celebrate the release of this new Honey & Bourbon variety from Bärenjäger the world’s authentic and century old German Honey Liqueur.

Representatives of Sidney Frank Importing and Southern Wine & Spirits were in attendance as were ‘The Bärenjäger Honeys‘ who delivered samples of assorted cocktails designed by ‘Larry ‘Smokey’ Genta and offered now at the Firepit.

‘The Bärenjäger Honeys‘  will help launch the new product with professional promotional teams across America this summer and beyond. Much like the Jagermeister ‘Jagerettes‘,  The Bärenjäger Honeys  not only make appearances at promotions and product samplings, but also are informed brand ambassadors that only represent Sidney Frank Importing and specifically Bärenjäger.

The night was perfect and so was the weather and the crowd was accommodated in every way from receiving promotional  T-shirts and Bärenjäger Honey chap sticks to a wide sampling of ways to enjoy Bärenjäger Honey & Bourbon. The Firepit set up bars on the lawn that featured various cocktails and concoctions made with Bärenjäger Honey & Bourbon and also had grilled chicken and pork that each had a sauce also made with Bärenjäger.

The free outdoor concert featured two great bands of professional musicians who played tried and true Rock classics.  Rockhouse, a party rock power trio that adds energetic frontman Manny DeCastro opened the show with over an hour of recognizable music that included Hendrix, The Doors and John Mellencamp classics.

But the zStonez mastered the crowd with authentic looks and sounds throughout the hour and a half performance. The band both collectively and individually was solid and convincing.

Lead singer Richard Stewart had immediate stage presence and quickly won the crowd over with the ability to maneuver across stage and into the crowd while capturing  the haunting sound of Rolling Stones ballads like ‘Time is on My Side‘ to the rebellious Jagger-like attitude telling the audience to ‘Get Off of My Cloud’.

Richard Stewart and Donovan Christenson of zStonez.com

Stewart and lead guitarist Donovan Christenson were terrific playing the Mick Jagger and Keith Richards roles…taunting and spurring each other on from across stage then joining to share a microphone to harmonize perfectly on ‘Gimme Shelter‘.

The other players were equally sound and convincing and it was obvious that Bassist Steve Lavalley, guitarist Chuck Noonan and drummer David Radford were in a familiar groove and not only knew…but could reproduce the gutty sound of the Rolling Stones.

Their music and their look was authentic from  Radford’s set of Gretch Drums that were the same as Stones’ drummer Charlie Watts to the guitars and amps. But the real treat was the  amazing keyboardist Karkey Karkalits who added the richness that binds the Rolling Stones music to the sound and stage presence of zStonez.

Karkalits  was a child prodigy whose serious classical piano training began when he was six years old and for the next 16 years that included seven years at the Florida School for the Blind and another 4 years at Florida State University where he majored in piano and music therapy.

Karkey is the senior member of this group of established musicians who all can remember the night of October 24, 1964 when Ed Sullivan first introduced the Rolling Stones to America.   Together they helped us all relive two full sets of music from  ‘The Bad Boys of Rock & Roll’. Together they become zStonez,  the premier Tribute to the Rolling Stones..

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Posted by 239News on May 1 2012. Filed under 239 Art & Music, 239 Buzz, 239 Promos / Events, Video Archives. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry