Meet Marc Laponte of the Sound Shore's ‘Grateful Dead’

On a quiet Wednesday night in Port Chester dozens of Deadheads milled around the front of Garcia’s bar and music venue anxious for the show to start. It was not during the nine-night Furthur run that brought thousands of hippies from across the country to The Capitol Theatre.

On this Wednesday night, the fans were there to see the Stella Blues Band, a group of seven local men who are dedicated to recreating the experience of being at a Grateful Dead show.

Each musician became “hooked” on Dead music as teenagers, most from going to their first live show. Decades later and they are grateful for the opportunity to be creating live shows of their own at Westchester and Connecticut area venues.

 By day the band members are working in finance, on CNBC or in music therapy, but on show nights, the collective group is dedicated to the poetic lyrics, the chance to improve, the thrill of performing live and the passionate fan base. 

The group was founded in 2009 with five original members and has grown into seven today.

The band consists of Bill Bonacci, a New Rochelle resident who sings and plays lead guitar; Steve Liesman, a Pelham resident who sings and plays rhythm guitar; Greg Solomon, a Greenwich resident who plays bass; Ken Aigen, a Hastings redisnt who plays keyboards; Marc Loponte, a Rye resident who sings; Chuck Black, a Rye resident on the drums and JP Geoghegan, also on the drums.

During their recent residency at Garcia’s the group attracted hundreds of music lovers and true Deadheads who knew the lyrics as well as the band did. They have about a 100-song repertoire and strive to avoid repeat songs. During their last night at Garcia’s the fans picked the songs.

Patch stopped in early on their final night at Garcia’s to ask the band members a few questions about their time at the venue, what attracted them to Grateful Dead music; and how they balance family, work and shows. We also made them each pick their favorite Dead song.

This is the first in a series of Q&As with each band member.

Name: Marc LaPonte

Age: 53

Instrument: Vocalist, Lead Singer

Town: Rye 

How has your residency been at Garcia’s?

 It has been absolutely wonderful. It is a great space.

This is a resurgence in a way. This really brought that sprit back, it’s wonderful to be back here.

 How did you get into the Grateful Dead?

Like a lot of other people, I didn’t like them at first but I was dragged to two or three concerts. Then I went to one at Nassau and got pulled into it. It took a few shows to get what it was all about.

 What do you like about Dead music?

I like harmonizing. I am into that like Crosby, Stills Nash and Young. This is my thirtieth year playing Grateful Dead music.

Do you try to sound like Jerry?

I don’t try to sound like Jerry – he was very soulful but not a great singer. My voice is probably closer to Bob Weir’s than Garcia’s. Being just a vocalist and not playing an instrument, you have to be strong in what you are doing.

 Do you ever get sick of the songs?

I used to but now I realize what a gift they are and how special the music is.

 What does your family think of the band?

My mom really likes it. She was a classical musician her whole life and worked with Edgard Varese, a famous composer. For years she didn’t understand it, she is 92-years-old, but I played her a tape and she said the band is really good.

 What is your favorite song?

Estimated Prophet. One of my favorite lines is ‘I call out thunder and speak the rain.’ It is really cool to see people singing and yelling that back to you. 

 How do you balance work, personal life with the band?

I'm one of those baby boomers who has returned home to care for an elderly parent, so occasional sleepless nights do not interfere with my work life; at this point in my life I've put my career on hold.

I'm openly gay and the band members have been nothing but supportive and accepting to me.  I'm still one of the boys, and we all have a sense of humor about it.  I have a wonderful partner who comes to all our gigs and stays to the end of the night.  It's his career I'm worried about.

Here is Marc's full biography:

Marc  LoPonte singing career spans 30 years.  A long-time Rye resident, he moved back to Rye at the beginning of 2013 after living in Cambridge, MA for 15 years.  The move was fortuitous for both Marc and the Stella Blue’s Band.  The band was looking for a new singer, and the singer was looking to return to  regular performing.  Marc was named a full time member of the band in March of 2013.

 Marc has a long history singing in local rock bands; he’s best known for his work in the very popular Grateful Dead tribute bands  Crimson Rose Band and High Time.  More recently he has been singing with The Lost Highway Ramblers and Hello Dali.  None of these bands were particularly active in the past 10-15 years, so Marc’s singing was confined to occasion reunion and holiday gigs.  The Stella Blue’s Band is the first actively gigging band Marc has played in for some time.

Marc has ties to the music business beyond being a musician.  He was an on-air DJ at Westchester’s 107.1 and 910AM in Rockland County, along with being the former music director and on-air personality at WFUV.  After being on the air he went behind the scenes working as a talk show producer for nationally syndicated programs including Bob Grant, Alan Colmes, Dr. Joy Browne, and Sally Jesse Raphael among others.