It?s a symphonic surfin? safari at the Stranahan on Saturday, April 21 @ 8PM. The Toledo Symphony and Papa Doo Run Run present a salute to the Beach Boys.

Bring on warm weather with the sounds of southern California. The musicians of Papa Doo Run Run get rave reviews for their covers of ?America?s Band? The Beach Boys.

According to Billboard Magazine, ?[Papa Doo Run Run performed] lovingly crafted reproductions of the mid 60?s California Sound?Papa Doo was strictly sensational.?

Audiences can expect a wide variety of ?Beach Party? themed tunes, from Barbara Ann to Surfin? USA.

Tickets range from $ 22-62. For tickets, call the Toledo Symphony box office at 419-246-8000 or purchase online at http://www.toledosymphony.com.

Papa Doo Run Run

Formed in 1965, the now legendary California band, PAPA DOO RUN RUN, quickly discovered their fort? – they could sound just like the Beach Boys! That sound caught the attention of surf music icons, Jan & Dean, and from 1976-80 PDRR toured North America as opening act and back-up band with the celebrated duo. In 1981, PDRR graduated from J&D to the Beach Boys, and performed and recorded with members of that band throughout the next 2 decades. The group also had an unprecedented 15-year run as the “Celebrity House Band” at Disneyland from 1975-90.

PDRR?s first major record release, ?Be True To Your School? (Produced by Beach Boy Bruce Johnston – RCA, 1975), made the Billboard Hot 100 nationally and reached No. 1 in California. Their ground-breaking CD ?California Project? (Telarc, 1985) exploded onto the Hot 100 Chart at no. 17, earning the band their second Gold Record and a Grammy Nomination. Additionally, they appeared in, and recorded the soundtrack album for the CBS-TV movie ?Deadman?s Curve?. Other accolades include PDRR’s 2007 induction into the N. California Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The band currently has 10 CD releases as well as a full length DVD, and 3 songs in regular rotation on XM & Sirius Satellite Radio (the Margaritaville station). One of their best-kept secrets? Papa Doo Run Run is who the Beach Boys call when they need someone to ?fill in? in their band.

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There was a time when everyone had big hair, wore bright colors, and spent hours contemplating the correct way to twist a plastic, colorful block to make it all match up. If you immediately think ?80s? you are correct. But according to entertainment booking company The Gig Bureau, you?re also off by three decades. Love them or hate them, the styles and sounds of the 80s have consistently shown staying power for all the right reasons. Like a wave that never fully breaks, the crest of the 1980s still rides high today.

And nowhere is this tide more prevalent than in entertainment.

?We?ve seen requests for 80s-themed party entertainment increasing significantly over time,? says Mark Steiner, co-founder of Gig Salad and Book the Best. ?People just can?t seem to get enough of the 80s, from tribute bands to requested DJ set-lists, even party decorations and favors.? Gig Salad is the place to book local and regional entertainment for events nationwide and throughout Canada, while Book the Best is the celebrity booking agency of parent company, The Gig Bureau.

Although there is no single event that seems responsible for ?bringing back the 80s? again, Steiner suggests that social media and the internet are driving forces behind the most recent rebirth.

?Facebook and Twitter have allowed hundreds of millions of people to share their everyday lives with each other across the globe, and they are also helping connect people with friends they may not have seen since high school. I graduated in 1984, the best year ever, and hadn?t even thought about looking up old friends until recently. Now those of us who came of age during the best part of the 80s are finding each other again, reminiscing about it all. 20 years ago we would have met up at a retro arcade and played Ms. Pac-Man, now we just take to the internet and get our vintage fix.?

One group of talented musicians is riding this retro trend across the Midwest, carrying a growing fan base and a love for the bodacious hits from the decade that of Zelda and big hair. Members Only, a cover band based in Springfield, MO, is tearing up the tour circuit with shows all across the region and beyond, bringing the biggest hits from the boldest generation back to the best stages. For the musicians in Members Only, it?s not just a gimmick. According to Sam Adkins, bass player for the group, ?We?re all children of the 80s, and while we?ve got plenty of respect for current bands, the music that came out of the 80s will always be awesome. There were huge arena rock songs and there were emotional power ballads, and it doesn?t matter if our fans in the crowd are 19 or 59, they know all the songs, and in most cases they?re singing right along with us.?

Steiner also credits television for a good portion of the 80s revivalism. ?With shows like ?Glee? paying tribute to various 80s musicians from Michael Jackson to Journey, and Madonna taking over the Super Bowl, these amazing 1980s acts and trends are being pushed back into the public consciousness.?

But 80s retro isn?t just for the 30- and 40-somethings crowd, as a whole new generation discovers the entertainment potential of arena rock music and emotional power ballads, excessive hairstyles, and copious amounts of neon. ?We have been getting requests at Gig Salad for 80s-themed entertainers, and we?ve seen a huge increase at Book the Best, our celebrity booking agency, for the great 80?s bands that are still performing at events around the world,? says Steiner. ?With Members Only being based in our great city of Springfield, MO, it?s pretty outstanding to be able to book one of the biggest 80?s tribute bands for private and corporate events.?

As many trends come and go at the drop of a hat or the launch of a new social network, Steiner is confident that the 80s will stick around for years to come. ?Sure, we?ve had other revivals, from a new hippie movement to a minor rebirth of 90s grunge and even the swing revival from the late 90s, but the 80s are always popping back up, year after year. And I couldn?t possibly be happier about it.?

About The Gig Bureau

The Gig Bureau is the parent company of Book the Best, the celebrity booking agency, with offices in Springfield, MO and Wilmington, NC. They have worked with corporate clients ranging from Acura to Saks Fifth Avenue, and have booked all types of entertainment including Mythbusters, Kellie Pickler and The Flying Wallendas. In addition to celebrity bookings and talent management, The Gig Bureau operates GigSalad.com, the place to book more than 20,000 local and regional entertainers throughout the US and Canada. They can be reached at 866-768-GIGS and at gigbureau.com.

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Singer/hospitality and music entrepreneur, Ellen Kaye (Moscow 57) will perform at the 11th Annual UN Women Luncheon on March 2, 2012 at The United Nations. UN Women is the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. Cheryl Benton, President of the New York Chapter of the US National Committee for UN Women and founder of The Three Tomatoes invited Kaye after seeing one of her recent performances at The Metropolitan Room in New York. Special guests include Jeni Klugman, Director of Gender and Development at The World Bank and keynote speaker, Ambassador Anwarul Chowdhury.

Kaye is known for her gutsy, sensuous hybrid of blues, rock and folk. She explores both the dark and lighter side of life, mixing genres and gender bending material from some of the most provocative songwriters of the 20th and 21st centuries. In that spirit, Kaye will perform Dar Williams? playful and poignant, ?When I Was A Boy? which is told from the perspective of a woman looking back on society?s way of imposing gender roles. ?It?s about embracing all of our humanity,? explains Kaye, ?and who we really are in our heart of hearts.?

Kaye is the co-founder of entertainment and food consortium, Moscow 57, and the daughter of famed restaurateurs Faith Stewart Gordon and the late Sidney Kaye of the Russian Tea Room. She is a committed women?s advocate who regularly earmarks earnings from her performances for advocacy groups such as The New York Women?s Foundation, a cross-cultural alliance of women catalyzing partnerships and leveraging human and financial capital to achieve sustained economic security and justice for women and girls.

?An unceasing effort for the empowerment of women world-wide is a subject and a goal close to my heart,? says Kaye. ?I couldn?t be more thrilled than I am for this opportunity to sing this ground breaking song at the UN Women?s ?Peace & Equality? event.?

“We’re delighted to have Ellen Kaye performing at our luncheon at the United Nations for our attendees from around the world, during the UN’s Conference on the Status of Women.” Cheryl Benton, President Metro Chapter, UN Women-US National Committee.

Music lovers who can?t attend the UN Women Luncheon, can hear Kaye sing ?When I Was A Boy? on February 29th at The Metropolitan Room, when she winds up her winter engagement. Additionally, Kaye will perform her new show ? Tempted ? at the historic Bearsville Theater Lounge in Woodstock, New York on March 16. This summer she will bring a unique, themed series of concerts to the historic Paramount Theatre, a vintage movie house in Middletown, New York. Some of her work can be viewed online.

Kaye has performed at a broad range of New York City and out of town venues including Carnegie Hall, The Iridium, Town Hall, The Russian Tea Room and the original Monkey Bar since beginning her music career. She followed her family into the food and hospitality business, first in management and then as an independent consultant for the some of the industry’s biggest names. In 2011, Kaye and business partner, Seth Goldman founded Moscow 57, a thriving catering and entertainment company specializing in Russian Central Asian cuisine. Kaye and Goldman have plans to open Moscow 57, the restaurant, in 2012. Kaye’s recently released recording, ICE WINE: songs for Christmas and dark winter nights, is the debut from their label, Moscow 57 Entertainment.

The 11th Annual UN Women Luncheon takes place on March 2, 2012 from 12p-2:30p in the UN Delegates? Dining Room at United Nations Headquarters in New York City. The event is open to non-members; tickets must be purchased in advance by February 29, 2012. Information can be accessed here: http://unluncheon.eventbrite.com

To make a reservation for Ellen Kaye?s final performance on February 29 at the Metropolitan Room, call 212.206.0440 or visit http://www.metropolitanroom.com

SAVOY PR represents creative people and projects in the entertainment and lifestyle industries.

Contact: Betsyann Faiella/212.222.2466/310.283.2415/bafaiella(at)savoypr(dot)com

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