"The Strangers"
A musical Tribute to Billy Joel

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Conceived in late 2005, "The Strangers" was the brainchild of Sean Fitzgerald and Jon Abrams. With Sean's recent song writing effort and release of "Exit Normal Street" (His solo CD), Sean was looking to do something new and exciting with the music of Billy Joel. Having worked with Jon Abrams on some of his originals, Sean pitched the idea to Abrams who jumped at the chance to perform the music by one of his favorite artists, Billy Joel.

Along with the project came the task of assembling a class ensemble of "crack" musicians who could emulate and replicate the masterfully work of the "Piano Man" himself. The project required specialists who not only could pull off the gig with professionalism and taste, "the Strangers" had to be Dynamic, experienced and completely Billy Joel crazy to accomplish the insane musicality and demanding arrangements of Billy Joel.

Although the Band does not go after the typical tribute approach (trying to Look exactly like Billy and his band) the band does focus on the most important part of the tribute, the accuracy of the the music and it's original arrangements. It took some time but eventually, the "The Strangers" had gone from idea to reality. "The Strangers" approaches every Billy Joel composition with intricate detail and musical attention that delivers a fun, exciting and musically fulfilling concert performance the whole family can enjoy.

Jon Abrams - PIANO/Guitar and Vocals : The youngest member of 'The Strangers', Jon brings an unbridled sense of energy and enthusiasm to the group. Jon first fell in love with Billy's music when he was a freshman in high school, and has been playing and singing it ever since. In addition to fronting 'The Strangers', Jon plays as a soloist in piano bars and clubs throughout New England. Jon graduated from Allegheny College (Meadville, PA) in 2006 and will be teaching music to elementary students in Lowell, MA, where he resides. Jon's favorite aspect of playing with 'The Strangers' is getting the chance to spread Billy's music to long-time fans, as well as listeners who are less acquainted with his work. Aside from his work with 'The Strangers' and teaching, Jon also writes his own material and is planning his second solo album, to be released in 2007. Jon looks forward to playing many more shows with 'The Strangers' and bringing Billy's music to audiences far and wide.

Denis Brunelle - Piano/Synths/Guitars and Vocals : Manning the intricate piano, keyboard synths and guitar parts is the formidable and multitalented Denis Brunelle who also has been performing professionally in the local area music scene for years. Denis has such multi talented responsibilities in "The Strangers" that if you blink, you might miss him switch from playing a prominent organ part, to guitar, to strings, to orchestrations and even finding time to breathe once in a while. Denis brings great musicianship and unselfish musical attitude to "The Strangers".

Tom Fetters - Woodwinds/Electronic wind instruments/Percussion/Mandolins/Harmonica and Vocals :Tom is that one of a kind musician that adds so much dimension to any group and it's no different with "The Strangers". Tom's abilities to play so many different Woodwind and brass instruments can boggle the mind. The best part is, he is really, really great at seamless musical integration between so many instruments on stage through out the performance. With so many Billy Joel songs requiring a Tenor, Alto, Soprano saxophones, clarinet, flute and additional percussion parts as well as vocals, Tom was the only choice for "The Strangers" and his professional performance will have fans amazed at his musicality.

Sean Fitzgerald - Drums/Percussion and Vocals : Sean is no "Stranger" to the musical tribute arena; Sean also performs with "All Summer Long" his musical tribute to the Beach Boys which has become the New England areas hottest and most sought after Beach Boys tribute . Although Sean sings lead in "All Summer Long" he is first and foremost a well accomplished drummer and has been performing professionally for over 20 Years with various other acts in the area such as, Captain Morgan & The RumRunners, The CAB (Carl Ayotte Band), Boston City Rhythm and The Lucky Buskers. Sean too, is a big Billy Joel fan. Sean also is the originator of mysessiondrummer.com which is his online studio drumming session work for producers, song writers, bands and many other professionals around the world!

Don Goupil - Bass Guitars and Vocals : Recognized as one of The Hardest working Bass Player this side of the local New England Music Scene, Don continues to perform in over 5 different bands and is often filling in on any open occasion that he might have with other acts. Don's quick study of Billy's music and solid bass playing is hard to come by. Don's presence and energy with "The Strangers" only adds to his uncompromising bass playing talents.

Joe Laite - Lead Guitars and Vocals
Joe's attitude to music can be described as "what ever it takes" and that is exactly what Joe does no matter the musical environment he is in. Joe Plays a mean guitar sings a solid vocal and always has fun on stage. Joe is always selling himself to the audience along with his fine musicality and attention to detail, Joe's been performing in the local music scene for over 20 years and his professionalism is rivaled only by his attitude which in both cases is super!