"If There Is Music There" Concert

Steven SanSoucie Promises a Musical Trip Down Memory Lane with “If There Is Music There” at the Amazing Things Art Center.

What’s better than a night of musical hits spanning the 50s
through today? Having Steven SanSoucie sing them for you, of course! SanSoucie’s latest show, “If There Is Music There,” will celebrate the lives of popular musicians, like Donna Summer, who left us all too soon. (The show’s title is a nod to a song Summer wrote for an autobiographical musical, but was never published.)

Audience members will also be happy to note that SanSoucie will be once again joined by Rob Wendel as arranger, music director, and keyboardist; Randy Cloutier on percussion; Lee Whalen on bass; and Kevin Coyne
on guitar. For his newest show, SanSoucie has invited vocalists Keri Boisclair, Jill Stewart, and Steve Perry, a combination that will result in, according to SanSoucie, “intricate and awesome harmonies.”

If it seems like they are all having fun on stage, it’s
because they are.

“People always say to me that they can see the chemistry
between me and the musicians,” says SanSoucie. “The audience has fun watching the band in anticipation of what I’ll say or do in between numbers.” SanSoucie explains that although the musical numbers are rehearsed, the patter in between songs is completely off the cuff. “I like to have fun on the stage, and my comedic personality shines through in between songs,” he says.

SanSoucie may elicit chuckles from the crowd, but he’s got
some seriously great songs planned for his show. In fact, the set reads like a Who’s Who of musicians past: Janis Joplin, Freddie Mercury, Whitney Houston, Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, John Denver, Michael Jackson, John Lennon, Andy Gibb, Luther Vandross, and Dan Fogelberg.

Fans of SanSoucie will remember that the singer has a soft
spot for disco queen Summer, who passed away earlier this year at age 63. He is rehearsing a special tribute for Summer because “she is really the reason why I wanted to step out on the stage in the first place.” But don’t expect any over the top renditions of “Bad Girls” or “MacArthur Park”; instead, SanSoucie will be singing the previously unpublished song “My Life,” which Wendel has transcribed by ear.

“’My Life’ tells the story of wanting to be a singer and
getting the courage to step out on stage for the first time,” SanSoucie explains. “Needless to say, I have a big connection with that song.”

“If There Is Music There” will take place on Sunday,
November 4 at 7:00 pm at the Amazing Things Art Center in Framingham (160 Hollis Street). Tickets are $18 each for general admission, with $17 admission for seniors and students. Tickets for members are $15 each. Call 508-405-ARTS (2787) or visit www.amazingthings.org for tickets or more information.