The Hollywood Allstars Present the Hits at Suffolk Theater

The Suffolk Theater in Riverhead is set to welcome the rock and R&B group The Hollywood Allstars on May 12. Founded by Grammy-nominated songwriter, producer, keyboardist, and former Epic/CBS recording artist Steve Gaspár, the band has taken those who have played with the greatest legends in music, such as The Rolling Stones, James Brown, Blood Sweat & Tears, Tower of Power and The Blues Brothers, and brought them together to perform some hits from the 1960s, into the 1980s.

Some of the classics that are part of the setlist include “Soul Sacrifice” by Carlos Santana, Joni Mitchell’s “Woodstock,” The Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” The Blues Brothers’ “Soul Man,” James Brown’s “Living in America”, Edgar Winter’s “Keep Playing That Rock and Roll” and Don Henley’s “The Heart of the Matter.”

Also on the set list are four originals from The Hollywood Allstar’s new EP, “Field Of Grace.”

The band consists of Tom Bowes, the lead vocalist of Tower of Power for seven years, along with Chevy Chevis, a background vocalist for Beyonce, Chaka, Madonna, Arianna Grande, Adele and J-Lo. The Uptown Horns, an East Coast horn section that has worked with The Rolling Stones, Joe Cocker, Bonnie Raitt, Robert Plant, The J. Geils Band and James Brown on his hit “Living In America,” are a key facet of the group. Andy Abel, who worked with Blood Sweat & Tears, Talking Heads, Chieli Minucci and Marion Meadows is on guitar. Scott Spray, who has recorded on over 750 albums, including with the Johnny and Edgar Winter groups, is on bass. Tony Cintron — who collaborated with Dizzy Gillespie, Spyro Gyra, Ricky Martin and Joe Bonamassa — is on drums. Finally, Eddie Torres, whose collaborations include the Vickie Sue Robinson Band, will be on percussion.

Gaspár said the band is a “passion project” he established a few years back.

“I decided to call in a bunch of favors with some artists that I had toured and recorded with and put together The Hollywood All-Stars,” he explained in an interview. “I’ve been very fortunate. I never dreamed that five years later, I’d get the horn section from The Rolling Stones’ ‘Steel Wheels Tour,’ the lead vocalist from Tower of Power, the guitarist from Blood, Sweat and Tears and Talking Heads.”

Spray said that in their show, the band attempts to recognize all of its members’ unique styles and experiences and incorporate them into their performances.

“We’re all different people,” he said. “Besides the original songs, we’re playing songs that we basically have played with the original artists. There’s something by Edgar Winter. I was in his band for years. We will do stuff like that. But it’s great. It’s our own take on the songs that we’ve played with the original artists over the years.”

Crispin Cioe recalled that when Gaspár asked his group, the Uptown Horns — who are still recording and touring — to join the band, it felt like the perfect fit.

“It was just an overall great experience,” Cioe said, of his time recording and touring with the band. “We knew it was the kind of music that we would enjoy and sound good on, so I think that’s what drew us to it.”

Gaspár envisioned the group as a “ big, funky R&B horn band.” Knowing that he recruited the Uptown Horns first. “I figured if they were good enough for Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, they are certainly good enough for me,” he said. From there, the rest of the talent came on board, after Gaspár called each of them. All were part of his “dream team” for the band, and they agreed to joining right away.

When the band first launched and was touring throughout Connecticut, Gaspár said, they were just doing cover songs by the artists its members toured and recorded with. During the pandemic, Gaspár decided to begin writing original music. Within six months of having the project recorded, they had a record deal with Deko Entertainment (ADA/Warner Music Group).

The show at The Suffolk will be the group’s first time coming to Long Island, Gaspár said, with the goal of building a following on the East End, and throughout the island. Gaspár said he has carefully designed the setlist to present tunes performed in chronological order of the era in which they were released.

“It’s sort of a history of the music that we listened to growing up from the Woodstock era, all the way through the British Invasion,” he said.

From there, he has incorporated a song by The Rolling Stones, and an Edgar Winter song or two and James Brown’s “Living in America,” a number that songwriter Charlie Midnight personally requested they include on their album.

“I’ve designed the setlist for the audience so that it’s not going to be like people sitting there listening to a bunch of songs they’ve never heard before,” Gaspár said. “But with the songs and the way that I explain where we all come from and what we all do, our originals kind of slip in very neatly so that everything sounds familiar to the audience. And from the several shows we’ve done, it really is very successful.

“It’s a very cool show.”

While this is the band’s first time performing at The Suffolk, several artists, including Gaspár have performed there before.

“I know they will present us in our best light and I want to do a great job for them,” he said.

Spray said this is the band’s first time performing together “in a little while,” and he is excited to collaborate again.

“Everybody’s doing different things and we all come together and do this when we can,” he said. “We get together to play and promote [the record]. But it’s not like every week. A few months go by before we get to play, so it’s great to see everybody again. It’s a great bunch of people in the band.”

The Hollywood Allstars perform on Friday, May 12, at 8 p.m. at Suffolk Theater. Tickets are $55 to $75 at thesuffolk.org. Suffolk Theater is at 118 East Main Street, Riverhead.