Long time Ozone Park resident Michael Naimoli, who plays drums for Yesterday & Today, a Beatles cover band, will get to play just blocks away from his home on August 4th at Tudor Village Park. Forum Newsgroup photo by Luis Gronda.
One member of a Beatles cover band will finally see his dream of playing in his neighborhood come true.
Michael Naimoli, drummer of the band, Yesterday & Today, will play just blocks from his Ozone Park home on Saturday August 4 for a free show at Tudor Village Park.
Naimoli has been a part of the band since its inception seven years ago. They have played Beatles’ songs all over New York but this is the first time the drummer will play so close to home.
The free show has been given the name “Beatles Under The Stars!” and is funded by Councilman Eric Ulrich and the city Department of Parks and Recreation.
Naimoli said that he originally approached Ulrich about bringing a show to Tudor Village Park, which would be a way of using the new stage.
He added that Ulrich was in full support of his idea from the beginning, and they worked to schedule the show at the park.
“My dream, vision and his help is what made it come together,” Naimoli said.
Naimoli, who has lived in Ozone Park for 44 years and works as a service technician at Verizon, said the main reason that the group of five guys play Beatles music together is because they all share a common love for the band’s music.
The other four members of the band are Rich Fried, who plays guitar, Rich Chodes, who is the bass player, Robert Hannan who also plays guitar in the band and Ed Wittel who handles the keyboards and the percussion.
Naimoli’s love for the Beatles is also greatly reflected in other aspects of his life. His license plate number is “4BEATLES.” He has one child and named Lennon, and his wife is Japanese, also resembling Lennon, who was married to Yoko Ono.
He even traveled to Liverpool, England in 2006 and played drums at The Cavern Club, which is the same place that The Beatles played when they were just starting their musical careers.
Naimoli described playing at that club as “a dream come true.”
One of the most difficult aspects of playing in a Beatles cover band is choosing what songs will ultimately end up on the set list. Naimoli said that because of The Beatles’ vast discography, the band members often have trouble deciding which songs will be a part of their show. He added that they tend to play mostly the more popular songs because that’s what people look forward to hearing when they see them play.
“We feed off of the audience,” Naimoli said.
They do like to include some deep cuts that only the hardcore Beatles fan would know, he said.
As for the show on August 4, Naimoli, along with the rest of the band, have been trying to get the word out about the Ozone Park event.
Naimoli said that they have been posting fliers on the street, emailing subscribers to their mailing list and sending out Facebook messages and tweets about the show as well. They also have the information about the show posted on their website, yesterdayandtodayband.com.
He said that the show should be a great time for residents that live in the area or are big fans of The Beatles.
The stage where the show will be is in an open area near the entrance on 82nd Street and 133rd Avenue, adjacent to the basketball court.
The show at Tudor Village Park will go from 7 o’clock until 8:30 p.m. The band will play a 90 minute set, which will be divided into two 45 minute segments with a short intermission in between.
In addition to the free show at Tudor Village Park, the band will also play at Bayview restaurant in Broad Channel on Saturday August 18. That show will start at 10 p.m. with a $10 cover charge.
By Luis Gronda
