Off Broadway (band)

off broadway usa
Origin	Oak Park, Illinois, United States
Genres	Rock, Power pop
Years active	1977–1983, 1997–2009, present
Labels	Atlantic
Website	http://www.offbroadway-usa.com/
Members
John Ivan John Pazdan Scott Licina Brian Cote Sal Monaco PAST MEMBERS Cliff Johnson Dan Santercola Paul Darrow Paul McDermott Mike Neff Rick Newhouse Rob Harding Ken Harck Mike Gorman Mimi Betinis Mike Redmond

'off broadway usa' is an American rock band founded by John Pazdan, Dan Santercola, Paul Darrow and Paul McDermott and Cliff Johnson in 1977 in Oak Park, Illinois. After several line-up changes, their debut album On was released by Atlantic Records in 1979. The album reached #101 on the Billboard 200 and spawned the single "Stay in Time", which reached #51 on the Billboard Hot 100. Off Broadway released a follow-up album, Quick Turns, on Atlantic in 1980 and continued touring for three years before breaking up in 1983. The band is currently composed of original album guitarist and songwriter John Ivan (lead/rhythm guitar), founder John Pazdan (bass guitar/backing vocals), Brian Cote (lead vocals), Sal Monaco (drums) and Scott Licina (rhythm/lead guitar/backing vocals). They will be touring in 2012 in celebration of the 35th anniversary of the band, and are currently recording a newly updated version of the hit "Stay In Time" which will be released in the coming New Year (2012) along with a live recording of the albums "ON" and 'QUICK TURNS" from the upcoming tour.

The history of off broadway usa

Oh, Boy! The beginning of a Power Pop legend….

off broadway usa had it’s auspicious beginnings way back in the summer of 1977. At the time, bassist John Pazdan was playing with guitarist Dan Santercola and drummer Paul McDermott in a band put together by saxophonist Tom Webb (formerly of “The Flock”, a Chicago based fusion group from the late 60's) called “The TS Henry Webb Group”. After a short stint gigging at places like Harry Hopes in Cary the group disbanded, but Pazdan, Santercola and McDermott stuck together, and with the addition of keyboardist Paul Darrow played a combination of acid jazz, funk and “instrumental mayhem” for a stream of shows at a little dive on Cicero and Augusta in Chicago called There Is No Name. The only problem was that the band didn't have a singer, so the four members decided to look for a vocalist to hire. At this time John Pazdan had been dating a girl (Ms. Deborah McManus) who was interested in promoting the band, and one night the name Cliff Johnson came up in conversation between the two. Johnson was one of the original members (along with Pazdan, Mike Gorman, Mimi Betinis and Mick Ruane) of the Chicago power pop group “Pezband”, and since that time had gone on to front a rock outfit called “d'Thumbs”, which had recently broken up.

Drop Me A Line- The quartet expands…

McManus knew Johnson wasn't exactly doing much of anything musically, and since both he and Pazdan were living in Oak Park she suggested to John that they hook up. After a quick phone call and formal invitation by Pazdan, Cliff started coming to band rehearsals at a house John was renting down the street from Fitzgeralds (before it was Fitzgeralds- in 1977 it was a fine, tacky bar called the Deer Lodge- Hamms on tap, only 50¢). At the time Johnson was heavily into Roxy Music, and with a slight stretch of the imagination that’s what the mix of he and the established band sounded like when they jammed- Roxy, circa 1977, swimming around in the early Brit funk/”Art Music” pond. One night after a rehearsal, following a beer or 15 at a tavern down the street from Pazdan’s house called the Weinkellar (aka the Wine Keel-Over), the band decided to say screw it, and bring Johnson on board permanently… as long as they would do everything the opposite of what was happening at the time (big hair, big amps, big lights). This just happened to handily dovetail into the growing NYC-punk/DIY scene, circa ‘77.

Alright OK- The light bulb goes on…

The name off broadway came from that same girl that Pazdan was dating, Deborah McManus (no relation to DeClan, Jim or Shamus). One night they were sitting around trying to come up with a name, and out of the blue she said “you know... it sounds like you guys, if you were in the theater, you'd be like... you know... Off Broadway.” Click! Following along that idea, Paul Darrow came up with the concept that their “big” light show, much like a cliched Off Broadway play, should simply be five bare bulbs on a piece of cord, one over each member of the band. The band also decided that bowling shirts, which were as 180 degrees as possible from “rockstar” at the time, would be the perfect choice of attire. So down to Johnson and Johnson (no relation) Sporting Goods in Oak Park they went to order 5 bowling shirts with the group members' name over the pocket…

Showdown- Bring on the band…

The first official off broadway gig was at Harlow's Nightclub on South Cicero Avenue in Chicago, in December 1977. The band consisted of Dan Santercola on guitar, Paul McDermott on drums, Paul Darrow handling keyboards, Johnson on vocals and John Pazdan on bass and synthesizer. The set included ‘Peg’ by Steely Dan, ‘Too Much To Lose’ by Jan Hammer and Jerry Goodman, a reggae version of ‘Jealous Guy’, ‘Full Moon’, “Drop Me A Line”, “Now You Got It Comin’” and a few others, including a scorching funkfusion instrumental by Eddie Harris called ‘Freedom Jazz Dance’. In attendance that evening were Rob Harding, Mickey Free and Mickey Sculley, who would soon became the groups first (though short-lived) manager.

Quick Turns- Time to make power pop history…

That original lineup was short-lived, however, as Rob Harding soon replaced Santercola, after which the extraordinary guitarist John Ivan replaced keyboardist Paul Darrow and Mike Neff (later of another successful Chicago band, the “Hounds”) took over for Paul McDermott on drums. All of this transpired by the Spring of 1978, at which time the group became the “almost” house band at Mother's on Rush Street, and together that lineup (Pazdan, Ivan, Harding and Johnson), wrote and arranged the music which would take the Chicago music world by storm…

Discography

Albums

• On (1980), U.S. #101
• Quick Turns (1981), U.S. #208
• "Fallin' In (1997)
• Live At Fitzgeralds (1998)

Singles

• "Stay in Time" (flip side Full Moon Turn my Head Around) (1979), U.S. #51
• "Bad Indication (1979)
• "Automatic (flip side So Long) (1980)
• "Are You Alone (1980)
• "Stay in Time" (2012) Updated version

Other Releases by Past & Present Members

Big Guitars From Memphis (John Ivan)

• "8 Ball
• "Plan 9
• "The Best of Big Guitars From Memphis

Cliff Johnson

• "Razors & Rose Pedals (2010)
• "Little Crimes

Mimi Betinis

• "All That Glitters (2010)

Black and Blonde (Cliff Johnson & Mimi Betinis)

• "Just In Time (1992)

External links

• Off Broadway official website