Michael DelGuidice to open new Smithtown music venue in May

Singer/songwriter Michael DelGuidice is ready to open the doors of his own music venue. Dubbed Mike DelGuidice’s Live on the Porch, located at 602 Smithtown Bypass in Smithtown, the 4,000 square foot mini-theater seats 127 people and is set to open in May.

"Each night will have a different vibe. There will be a little bit of everything from original artists to cover bands to stand-up comedy," says DelGuidice, who grew up in Miller Place. "For the singer/songwriters, I’m going for an MTV ‘Storytellers’ intimate type of scenario. I’m hoping the public will come, be patient and listen to new music allowing young artists to build their careers locally."

UPCOMING SHOWS

The 55 year-old guitarist/background singer from Billy Joel’s band has been working on this project for many years. The plan is to start with a soft opening featuring DelGuidice doing a few pop-up performances of his "Live on the Porch" shows, dates to be announced on his website (liveontheporch.com) and social media sites (Instagram: @liveontheporchny, Facebook: facebook.com/liveontheporch). This performance features DelGuidice on the piano and acoustic guitar taking requests from the crowd, which are submitted prior to the performance via social media. This follows the format of his "Live on the Porch" shows he became famous for doing on Facebook Live during the pandemic.

The Grand Opening weekend will be May 15 and 16 when DelGuidice will be backed by his six-piece band performing original material from his studio albums "Miller Place" (2010), "My Street" (2011) and "Mask Production" (2023).

On May 19, DelGuidice is bringing his "John vs. Paul" show where he takes on the vocals, bass and piano duties of Sir Paul McCartney as his bandmate singer/guitarist Joe DeJesu plays the John Lennon role.

"The show epitomizes the tension between John and Paul. It tells the story of their competitive writing in song," says DelGuidice.“The set list is different every night. It’s a lot of their solo material mixed in with some Beatles songs."

Local country singer JD Leonard of Huntington will play an acoustic solo show on May 22 showcasing cuts from his latest release, "Truth Be Told."

"Mike opening Live on the Porch feels like a win for all of us because he is one of us," Leonard says. "His support of local, original music is huge and so important for the scene. I can’t wait to watch it flourish."

DelGuidice is also scheduling other acts such as Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Famers Zebra as well as his From the Cans band, which focuses on the yacht rock catalog (America, Christopher Cross, Steely Dan) where he sings and plays drums.

TALENT SEARCH

One element DelGuidice is excited about is the plan for a monthly show called "Porch Idol." New local artists will get an opportunity to perform as a judges panel and crowd votes to see who gets booked for a headline show.

"This is how we are going to find our talent," says DelGuidice. "It won’t be by inquiries or YouTube videos. We want to have people come in the room and play for an audience."

When asked if he was going to invite his boss, the Piano Man, to the grand opening, DelGuidice says, "There will be an invite sent out for sure. But I don’t know how he’s doing right now [Joel had been diagnosed last year with the brain disorder normal pressure hydrocephalus]. I’ll put one out there but it’s all depending on how he’s feeling. There’s no pressure on anybody’s part. He’s been so supportive of what I do that I’m sure at some point he will make his way there."

Check liveontheporch.com for information and to sign up to be alerted when tickets go on sale.

By David J. Criblez

david.criblez@newsday.comDavidJCriblez

David J. Criblez is a reporter for Newsday's exploreLI, covering entertainment-related events from local music to stand-up comedy to festivals.